Garth Rattray | COVID-19 misconceptions are everywhere

An indeterminate number of individuals are adamant that anti-COVID-19 protocols are unnecessary. They opine that we can’t hide from the virus, that we should accept the natural course of events and, “… who fi dedd, dedd and who fi live, live”. Essentially, they believe in herd immunity.

Herd immunity is achieved when enough citizens, about 70 or 75 per cent, become exposed to the virus by infection or injection (vaccine). The remaining unexposed citizens will be protected by those already exposed, immune and no longer carrying or transmitting the disease.

Although unpleasant, I am duty-bound to make it known that I don’t agree with many of the statements made during a JNN Special Event interview with Michael Sharpe, featuring a medical colleague. The subject matter can impact the well-being and lives of our citizens, as well as the economic survival of our island. My colleague opined that our response to COVID-19 is “hysterical”. He asserted that this plague is seasonal, and that the virus dies above 26 degrees centigrade.

However, no scientific body has definitively labelled COVID-19 ‘seasonal’. The journal Nature stated on October 15, 2020, that “Respiratory viruses tend to be seasonal, including the two most common flu viruses, but the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 seems to be a year-round nuisance”. And, a Brazilian paper, which posited a relationship between COVID transmission and ambient temperature, made several conclusions including, “There is no evidence supporting that case counts of COVID-19 could decline when the weather becomes warmer, in temperatures above 25.8°C”. The warm outdoors reduces transmission but, the scientific fact is that “…you can catch COVID-19, no matter how sunny or hot the weather is”.

My colleague additionally said that, because the SARS-CoV2 virus is 0.125 microns, masks are less than 50 per cent effective – very limited. However, the SARS-CoV2 virus is between 0.06 and 0.14 microns and it never flies naked though the air; it is always bound to something larger that itself – like large and small droplets. N95 masks will prevent viral transmission 95 per cent of the time. Surgical and double-layered cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose also provide an appreciable degree of protection.

It is important to note here that properly worn masks are very good at source control; that is, they keep infection from spreading to others. We also know for a fact that properly worn masks either stop or reduce the dose (viral load) of infections getting into the wearer. Masks are vital in our fight against COVID-19. Far Eastern countries have been accustomed to wearing masks for decades; they have managed to flatten their curve far better than Western nations.

During the interview, my colleague also claimed that Jamaicans are 99.99 per cent asymptomatic. But worldwide scientific experts in the field steadfastly conclude that about 80 per cent of people infected with SARS-CoV2 will be asymptomatic. He compared SARS-CoV2 to the common cold. Although SARS-CoV2 is a corona virus, it is far more dangerous than the common cold. Donald Trump made that same comparison and was severely rebuked for it. My colleague emphasised that non-communicable diseases, trauma and violence claim more lives annually than COVID-19, and labelled Jamaica’s COVID-19 deaths as “minuscule”. This statement undervalues the precious life of every individual and diminishes the trauma and bereavement of the thousands of Jamaican families so far impacted by this horrible plague.

HERD IMMUNITY

My colleague ends the interview by announcing that pumping tax dollars into COVID-19 vaccinations is not justifiable. But here is the problem; we are going to achieve herd immunity either through infection or injection (vaccination). With our population nearing three million, choosing the herd immunity route of infection means that approximately 2,250,000 Jamaicans will be infected. Sadly, approximately two per cent of our infected brothers and sisters will die from the disease; that’s 45,000 fatalities. We are baulking now, and we were at 258 deaths five days ago. It seems logical that, since trials suggest that the vaccines are safe and immunogenic (efficient at mounting an immune response), they are far better choices for achieving herd immunity.

Our healthcare system was under severe strain long before this plague came along. Citizens were having to sit in chairs, in emergency rooms across the island, for days until a bed on the ward became available. Essential beds, equipment, disposables, and manpower were deficient for many years. Poor people are dying because of the lack of financial resources needed to access private healthcare. Despite upgrades, this pandemic is making our bad situation much worse. Already, due to a multiplicity of factors, some hospitals are operating beyond their capacity.

Therefore, if those who rail against or choose to ignore the anti-COVID-19 measures become sick, they should isolate at home and not burden our overextended healthcare system. Don’t use up the precious resources that those of us who tried hard to avoid the virus deserve. If their symptoms become unbearable, if they find that they develop pneumonia or suffer kidney failure, a stroke, heart attack, heart failure or clots in their blood vessels, they should accept the consequences at home.

And if their family members, relatives and friends become infected, they should explain to them that they helped to cause their problem and keep them at home, no matter what. After all, most should survive and perhaps contribute to the much-vaunted herd immunity.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.