Coronavirus Information and Advice

The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on our lives and global economy

Today our office organized a medical expert (who previously was a front line doctor during SARS) to speak to us on a webinar about the coronavirus and he had some interesting points I'd like to share.

It is hard to say when the coronavirus pandemic will end, and it is hard to tell who has it when they are asymptomatic, which is why he stresses everyone should wear a face mask and constantly wash their hands. Elevators are where you have a good chance of catching the virus because it is a confined space, so a mask is an absolute must when you are in there.

A new way to greet friends instead of shaking hands

During this period there should be no handshaking or even dining with people at close range because the virus can be passed through droplets in the air. That's why everyone should stay at least one to two metres or six feet away from each other. Restaurants are definitely going to have a hard time staying in business now.

At meetings, everyone should wear a mask, and as a result, no beverages should be served; instead there should be hand sanitizers in the room that everyone uses before and after the meeting.

He said it was not necessary to wear an N95 mask -- let healthcare professionals wear those. If you wear one, you may not wear it properly and also you can only wear it at most two to three hours otherwise you will get dizzy from breathing in your own carbon dioxide. A three-ply surgical mask is fine.

Someone asked if the mother was infected, could she still breastfeed her baby. The doctor replied yes, and that she should clean her hands and wear a mask while breastfeeding.

As for taking toddlers outside, he did not recommend they be taken out too much because they will probably take their mask off at any opportunity, but if you do take them outside, go to a place with open air, like a park.

Deep throat swabs are the most accurate way to test

The virus in the form of droplets can be still active on surfaces for 72 hours -- he says studies did not measure beyond that, though their virulence is much weaker by that point. Nevertheless, he said to keep surfaces clean and again wash your hands frequently.

There is currently no evidence that the virus can become airborne through aerosol outside of a hospital environment so there was no need to worry about this. He said when it comes to offices being sanitized and deep cleaned, ventilation systems don't need to be cleaned per se, just the twice yearly cleaning is fine.

When it comes to home quarantine, he admits it is difficult for the average middle class family to do this effectively as family members are sharing the toilet and food (not at the same time!); the only expensive solution is for the person in quarantine to stay in a hotel for 14 days to ensure that elderly people in the family are not affected.

In Hong Kong, the rapid test, or deep throat swab can be done in public or private clinics, though he believes not many private doctors will do this (they have to suit up in protective gear before doing this) and will suggest patients go to a public clinic. The accuracy is the same as they are all processed in government labs.

The new social distancing at press conferences now?

However, the antibody test where they prick your finger for a drop of blood and test it is not effective and the doctor advises people not to do this.

Someone asked if after 14 days of quarantine one should be re-tested again, and he said it was not necessary.

Why are people re-infected? He says that perhaps they developed antibodies, but then after a certain period of time the antibodies were no longer in the person's immune system and so they were infected again. He does say people can get permanent lung damage from the coronavirus.

The Centre for Health Protection has chosen the quarantine time of 14 days in the hopes that most infected cases will be fine by then; there are some outlier cases where the virus is still present longer than that, but at the same time the health expert said there needs to be a balance of people getting back to work and their family. As long as someone tests negative twice then they are allowed to leave quarantine.

Yes! Walk your dog but wear a mask outside

He didn't go into the psychological impact the virus has on people, but reading stories about the coronavirus all day is terribly depressing and frightening too.

Hopefully now those who thought the virus won't affect them will finally understand that, as the doctor says, everyone is susceptible to it; there are more cases involving elderly people because they have underlying health conditions, but it is also hitting young, healthy people too.

Stay home as much as you can and wear a mask if you go outside. Oh and wash your hands...