What can you do?

Epidemiology Revisited

 

Flattening the curve, social distancing, pandemic, quarantine...there are a lot of terms being thrown around these days and to the average person, these terms probably do not make much sense. Many questions may be crossing your mind and how you as an individual can help. This is a public health problem, what can I do since I am not a doctor? Can I make any significant contribution as a regular citizen? Does it really matter if I go out into the public? In this section, we will delve into what actions we as individuals, whether involved in medicine or not, can take right now in order to lessen the severity of impact this pandemic will have on your country. Our examples will be specific to the United States, but please be mindful that different measures are being implemented throughout each of the 50 states. Here, we explain concepts so that you have a better understanding of the important role you play in this pandemic. 

 

Flattening the Curve and Social Distancing

 

What is this curve that so many people keep mentioning? Essentially, the “curve” is the number of people who are sick at a certain point in time since the first diagnosed case of an illness. By slowing the spread of Covid-19, this curve is flattened as the amount of people who are sick decreases. As a result, hospitals, clinics, physicians and other healthcare workers are not impacted by a massive surge of patients at the same point in time. This tactic is also known as mitigation, which is the process in which the harm that Covid-19 can cause is decreased such as decreasing the numbers of patients hospitalized at the same time. 

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You want protective measures put into place when working to flatten the curve. The main point here is that healthcare systems have a certain capacity: the amount of patients that can be admitted at the same time for a certain type of illness. This represents a line on the flattening the curve graph you have probably seen everywhere on the news. The end goal is to implement protective measures that flatten the curve (the daily number of cases) to be at or below the line of healthcare system capacity. Healthcare systems are working to raise the line (increase capacity). Individuals such as yourself, are working to flatten the curve by social distancing and quarantining. While we are slowly flattening the curve and raising the line, South Korea has crushed the curve. We need to work together in order to reach a point where we also can claim with pride that we have “crushed the curve.” [1]

 

Social distancing and quarantine are two of the most important public health measures that could help slow the spread of Covid-19, and both are things that you can do yourself. Social distancing, explained in the most simple terms, is the prevention of gatherings of groups in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. You do not want the virus to circulate throughout a population without a means to monitor transmission. It is important that people stay at least 6ft apart from each other and wear masks in order to decrease odds of virus transmission. Social distancing refers to entire communities, not just individuals. However, individuals make up a community. One of the most important things we can do is practice social distancing and wear masks when out in public for means that are deemed appropriate by your state of residence. You may be sure of your personal situation of not having Covid-19, but you cannot be sure of others and whom they may have come in contact with. By staying 6ft apart, practicing proper hygiene and using masks when appropriate, you can ensure your own health safety and the safety of others. The asymptomatic nature of this virus makes it hard to be 100% certain of who you can interact with besides the people you immediately live with, thus by social distancing you are helping to flatten the curve. [2]

 

If you have been exposed to Covid-19, then you must quarantine. This means that you must stay at your home or some isolated place away from other people for a certain period of time, with the average quarantine period being at least 14 days.  Quarantine is something we have the power to do without any formal government mandate. If you feel as if you have been exposed, whether it be through travel or human contact, then quarantine and stay away from any and all individuals during this time.  

 

REFERENCES:

[1] Goldman, L. (2020, March 15). What are the rules of social distancing? Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2020/3/15/21179296/coronavirus-covid-19-social-distancing-bored-pandemic-quarantine-ethics

[2] Resnick, B. (2020, March 3). What is "social distancing," and how can it slow the coronavirus outbreak? Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2020/3/3/21161232/coronavirus-usa-quarantine-isolation-social-distancing

[3] KQED Science (2020, March 30). Coronavirus: When will we know if California is flattening the curve? Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/science/1960326/coronavirus-when-will-we-know-if-california-is-flattening-the-curve

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