We have become a nation of brains in the last six months.
We’ve all been on a steep learning curve about Covid-19, the mysterious virus that landed on our shores in late February.
Here are six things we’ve learned about Covid-19 since the close of March, and six discoveries we need to make as the Level 5 shutdown looms.
Now we know:
1. People can have the virus but have no symptoms. They may feel good, but they can pass the virus to other people without knowing it.
2. Younger children are not vectors of Covid-19 in the way that they can spread the winter flu.
3. The use of masks is important in supermarkets, shops and public transport, and in crowded indoor and outdoor situations when physical distancing cannot be guaranteed.
4. Older people, including nursing home residents, may be infected but not show typical symptoms of the virus.
5. You can get Covid-19 through airborne particles in poorly ventilated rooms.
6. You can be young and healthy and infected with Covid. More recovering people who never needed to be hospitalized are left with long-lasting problems like heart conditions and fatigue. They are known as long distance carriers.
We would like to know:
1. When will a Covid-19 vaccine be ready and will any of the career leaders from Oxford University, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson be able to deliver a safe and effective vaccine for deployment early next year?
2. Will shippers recovering from the virus have lasting damage and lifelong health problems?
3. What kind of protection against reinfection do the antibodies, accumulated after contracting the virus, provide to people who have contracted Covid-19? Several cases of reinfection have emerged around the world.
Are these isolated cases and who is more likely to be vulnerable to contracting the virus more than once?
4. Can the tuberculosis vaccine and a good intake of vitamin D protect against the spread of the virus?
5. Why do some healthy young people have such a poor immune response to the virus and end up in the hospital or intensive care?
6 Australian researchers say that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, highlighting the need for cleaning and hand washing. Exactly how long are surfaces a risk?
