What is a conscientious person who already wears a mask and maintains social distance?
Is there a moral obligation to get tested?
Yes, said R. Alta Charo, professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“One of the most important things to keep in mind when talking about public health is the fact that this is fundamentally a community problem, not simply an individual health problem,” he said. “We are all in this together. What I do affects everyone around me, and what they do affects me.”
If public health experts want people to be tested, they must comply, especially if the goal is to gather critical information about how many people are infected at any given time, Professor Charo said.
Epidemiologists can use the data to determine how fast the virus is spreading and what measures are working, he said.
Doing a test, like wearing a mask, shows “a desire to be part of the solution,” said Dr. KC Rondello, an epidemiologist at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
The virus has been difficult to control largely because many infected people without symptoms have spread it without knowing it, he said.
More tests will help identify these hidden cases, said Dr. Rondello.
But Candace L. Upton, a professor of philosophy at the University of Denver, said people shouldn’t feel compelled to take a test. You can even argue that it is morally wrong to undergo a test if you don’t have symptoms and are not at high risk, she said.
“Until there is no longer a shortage of test kits, it is morally unwarranted to screen patients for Covid-19 solely for the purpose of collecting data,” said Professor Upton. “Because of the deficit, labs shouldn’t offer them to people who are just curious.”
The priority should remain testing only those with symptoms or compromised immune systems, and essential workers and the elderly, he said.
Professor Upton added that tests should be done selectively even in places where tests are available and where results can be delivered quickly.
“The whole system is unfair,” he said. “And taking advantage of surpluses in certain places in the market is adding to the injustice of people who were unavailable in the first place.”
“I don’t want to be the person to bring Covid here.”
The national failure to coordinate testing efforts should not cause symptom-free people to feel conflicted when testing for the coronavirus, said Dr. Andrew Diamond, medical director of One Medical in San Francisco, a primary care practice based in membership with offices around the country.
The coronavirus outbreak>
Frequent questions
Updated July 27, 2020
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Should I refinance my mortgage?
- It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing applications have taken mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be ready to get online. But the defaults have increased, too, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened your standards.
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What will school be like in September?
- Many schools are unlikely to return to normal hours this fall, requiring the routine of online learning, impromptu child care, and delayed work days to continue. California’s two largest public school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, said July 13 that instruction will be remote only in the fall, citing concerns that increasing coronavirus infections in their areas pose too serious a risk to students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll about 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution will not be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the country’s largest New York City, are developing hybrid plans that involve spending a few days in classrooms and other days online. There is no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what’s going on in your community.
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Is the coronavirus in the air?
- Coronavirus can remain in the air for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, growing scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded interior spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain overcast events reported in meat packing plants, churches, and restaurants. It is unclear how often the virus is transmitted through these tiny droplets or sprays, compared to larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or is transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, Linsey said. Marr, Virginia Tech aerosol expert. Aerosols are released even when a symptom-free person exhales, speaks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have summarized the evidence in an open letter to the World Organization. Of the health.
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What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
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Does Covid-19 transmit asymptomatic?
- So far, the evidence seems to show that it does. A widely cited article published in April suggests that people are most infectious approximately two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms, and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were the result of transmission from people who still had no symptoms. Recently, a senior expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people without symptoms was “very rare,” but later withdrew that claim.
“If there is a way to get tested that doesn’t clearly and directly affect someone who is a priority, then you should be tested safely,” he said.
24-year-old Molly Wallace, who grew up on Martha’s Vineyard, was examined after she returned to the island from Boston in March.
She was fired from her job as a medical assistant and began volunteering at a test site, Test MV, at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, where she went to school.
Ms. Wallace said that she had never had coronavirus symptoms but still felt compelled to be tested. “I don’t want to be the person to bring Covid here,” he said.
All island residents and visitors are encouraged to get tested at Test MV, where volunteers distribute free self-administered nasal swab kits, said Wallace, who is now the site outreach coordinator.
People generally get their results within 72 hours, or faster if they test positive for the virus, Wallace said. That’s a stark contrast to states like New York and Arizona, where the lines for testing have sometimes been stretched around blocks and the response time for results has been days, if not weeks.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t want to take an exam.
The use of a mask should be mandatory, Dr. Diamond said, but should not be tested.
If tests were widely available and response times for results were much faster, people would have a greater sense of obligation to get tested, he said.
“In the current circumstances, I would say that it is much more important to continue doing what you are doing,” said Dr. Diamond. That is, wear a mask, stay six feet away from people, and stay home as much as possible, he said.
Dr. Diamond added: “Behavior is really what is going to make the biggest difference.”
Remy Tumin contributed reporting.
