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What COVID-19 Has Taught Us About Infectious Disease
COVID-19 is bad. There’s no way to sugar coat it. The virus has killed thousands, caused vast economic disruption, and left millions suffering from new or exacerbated mental illness.
But the battle against COVID-19 may have some silver linings; and one of them is how much we have learned about infectious disease in general, and about how to deal with and fight it. Here are a few things:
We Should All Own Masks
Don’t throw away those reusable cloth masks after the pandemic. Certainly don’t throw away the pattern if you’ve been making them.
Yes, there will come a day when you won’t have to wear one every time you leave the house, but masks, even cloth masks, reduce the spread of respiratory disease in general.
If you have respiratory symptoms, even if it’s just a common cold, wear a mask when you go out. Consider wearing a mask if you are going into a situation where exposure risk is high, such as to your doctor’s office.
Universal masking is particularly vital for COVID-19 because of the long incubation period and high rate of asymptomatic spread. But strategic masking can keep us all healthy and support the economy.