Dear Readers,
Welcome back to our blog. We are happy to continue sharing our know-how and expertise that we have acquired over the past 25 years in the US and Europe. We are working in the area of infectious diseases and have made our experiences in several international scientific institutions and laboratories. Meanwhile we founded our own comapany to offer our numerous developments, ideas and inventions. The market is huge.
We have observed that many people in Germany show one of two reactions when it comes to the new coronavirus: They’re either panic or ignorant.
We recommend a path inbetween: Please inform yourself and question your own social behaviour and hygiene in this situation that needs to be taken seriously. Please show responsibility to yourself and your surrounding!
Even if you do not understand all the given advices: Experts and scientists do agree in most recommendations. Please trust the science.
Germany is not the country that will keep the virus off its borders.
To the contrary, there is already a significant number of unreported COVID-19 cases (note: most cases are mild). Thus, the recommendations of the Robert-Koch-Institute are published pretty late. People coming from hotspot areas are no longer the sole risk group. One example may be the wide spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Washington State, USA, in most cases showing mild symptoms.
A retrospective analysis of the chain of infections in many cases will be impossible or at best incomplete: Do you remember all people you had personal contact to over the past two weeks? We think it impossible to fully comply. Moreover, there are too many people to ask by now.
Recommendations for people who tend to panic:
There is no need to hoard. The food supply is secured in Europe. While it is generally wise to have a two weeks’ supply at home, there is no need to stockpile food for many weeks or months. In the end, you’ll sit on a supply you do not need. Hoarding results in empty shelves, which means that the store personnel will have extra shifts in evenings and on weekends to refill the shelves. This is unnecessary.
Of course, the current situation in China has led to shortages of supplies in several economic areas, but even if this leads to you having to wait for your new car or smartphone, this is not threatening your life.
We (Sabine and Joerg) do have little time and little fun to go shopping. Thus, we stock up twice a month for the necessary things, no hoarding.
To those of you, who think a face mask will protect you: Commonly used masks will not protect you. Viruses are far to tiny to be stopped by these masks. Professional face masks have to be used in the right way. Only educated personnel is able to use them appropriately, therefore they are of no use to lay persons. Professional face masks are there exclusively for medical and laboratory personnel, for specialists, who bear a constant risk of infection. Please give away your hoarded face masks to your local hospitals or health providers. They are in need of the masks you bought and have no use for.
This holds true for protective clothing and hoarded desinfectant as well.
Basic hygiene in a household does not stop at regular hand washing with soap, but also in a change of clothes. People wearing an outfit for weeks in a row would do good when changing this habit now.
One hint for medical institutions: Disinfectant may be substituted by 70 % industrial grade alcohol (isopropanol or ethanol). Just dilute the 96 % alcohol accordingly. Don’t forget to include in your calculation the density otherwise you’ll end up with a non-functional disinfectant. It’s 70 % alcohol that works as a disinfectant!
If you have issues calculating with densities, please see protocols in the proper literature.
Now the Robert-Koch-Institute has issued a flow chart addressing medical personnel. Some of the recommendations are hardly feasible for local doctor’s offices or hospitals: A separate room for isolation needs to be put in place and it needs to be sterilized after each suspected case.
To demand a hospitalization of each and every patient tested positive for COVID-19 is impracticable. This might work for several hundred cases in Germany, but not for thousands. Quarantine at home is sufficient for mild cases.
Quarantine at home includes all members of a household. Asymptomatic members of the household can not go on socializing as if nothing has happened. We appeal to you: Show responsibility towards others, if one of your family members is infected, you will transmit the virus. Don’t just count on your health providers.
To those who tend to ignore the situation:
Please take this seriously. There is no crystal ball. There is the possibility of a favourable epidemic course, if nature and the population are with us, or it might be a worse outcome. We do hope for some luck, but thinking “this is other people’s problem” is not helpful. There is no island of the unaffected. Please rethink your behaviour and show some responsibility for yourself and others. Thank you.
Increasing prices for necessary articles in this situation of emergency is unethical. Here, the government should act. To make profit out of an emergency is obscene. This includes prices for protective clothing, disinfectants, face masks, disposable gloves, as well as pricing for diagnostic tests. This is an appeal to your ethics, dear friends.
To wrap up, a satirical comment: Corona you find in liquor shops, bars and restaurants. Corona – a Mexican brand is happy about free advertising.
Is it too much to pronounce five syllables? Coronavirus.
Stay informed and “pardon our French”, we won’t stop an infectious disease such as COVID-19 with weak arguments. Communication and work in a laboratory need to be plainly spoken and exact. This is comparable to a three star cuisine. Excellent food needs excellent preparation.
For now, stay tuned,
Sabine and Joerg