Let’s talk about how far we’ve
come with this coronavirus.
And how much more we still have to figure out.
Since the very start of the outbreak
and throughout the pandemic
there’s been a lot of debate,
a lot of science
and for some of us
a lot of confusion.
There’s plenty we’re still learning
from how we avoid getting sick
to how we deal with it when we do.
And what the future looks like.
So here’s our most recent episode on COVID-19
updated with expert guidance
to help us understand the pandemic.
And stay safe.
Science is always evolving.
It’s just how science works.
Someone does a study, publishes it
then others either confirm the results
or point out the mistakes.
But that all takes time.
And when the pandemic started
time wasn’t on anyone’s side.
There was a lot of uncertainty back then
and governments had to rely on the information available.
And the main body that’s been putting that information out
is the UN’s World Health Organization.
So we spoke to their lead scientist
dealing with the coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2,
to take us through what we knew then
and what we know now.
We’ll get to superspreading events later.
But first let’s go over how this virus behaves.
From the moment a person is infected
it can take up to fourteen days for symptoms to appear.
But usually it’s between five and six days.
Some people can infect others just before they get symptoms.
This is known as presymptomatic transmission.
Other people never develop symptoms but can still spread the virus.
This is called asymptomatic transmission
but it doesn’t appear to be as common.
It’s why we have to act like everyone’s sick
because a lot of the time we just don’t know who is.
Now, the WHO says that on average
a person spreads the virus to two or three other people.
It’s what’s called the reproduction number.
It can be less.
That means some people don’t pass the virus
to others at all.
But it can also be a lot higher under certain conditions.
That’s when you have a superspreading event.
What seems to be happening
is that a small number of infected people
about ten to twenty percent
are responsible for around eighty percent of transmission events.
For example a singer in the US state of Washington
infected 53 people at a choir practice.
There was superspreading at a megachurch in Seoul.
At a football game in Italy.
And it’s still happening.
Scientists have always known that respiratory viruses
spread through small particles.
It’s what we explained back in April.
You can catch it from someone coughing, sneezing
or speaking a little too close to you.
But what if the droplets linger
Well those particles can linger on surfaces and in the air.
If particles are larger they tend to travel a certain distance
let’s say about a metre, and then fall to the ground.
Scientists call these droplets.
But if they’re smaller they can stay suspended in the air for longer
and potentially travel much further.
Scientists call these aerosols.
So if she has COVID-19
and she’s talking to me from across the room
There’s poor ventilation here.
and neither of us is wearing a mask
the aerosols might still reach me.
And that could infect me if enough of the virus
reaches my eyes, nose or mouth.
It all depends on the environment.
Scientists talk about the three C’s
close interactions, crowded areas
and closed off spaces without proper ventilation.
But no matter the environment the advice is the same.
Things like washing your hands
keeping a distance of at least a metre
and wearing a mask.
But there are still people who refuse to wear masks.
Now Children can spread this virus.
But for some reason they don’t seem to get as sick.
And if children do get it they’re way less likely to die.
By mid-July in the US the Centers for Disease Control
said the virus had killed more than 150,000 people
but only seventeen of them were under the age of five.
But a few young people who got COVID-19
have also come down with a mystery illness.
They’re calling it PMIS.
So lots of research is still happening.
Particularly with vaccines.
The numbers keep changing
but there are about 170 vaccines in development.
Close to thirty are being tested on people.
Russia says it’s already rolling out its vaccine
called Sputnik V.
But Germany’s warning against rushing through
approvals and says a vaccine won’t be ready
to give to everyone before next year.
We just have to sit tight.
In the meantime
we have treatments that doctors say are helping.
Like steroids which can reduce the chances
of someone dying from COVID-19 by twenty percent.
But the WHO recommends them only for patients
who are very sick.
They say they can actually be harmful if used for mild cases.
There’s other stuff scientists are still working out.
Like why COVID-19 can be so tough on some people.
So there’s a lot more to figure out
But all anyone really wants to know is
when can our lives go back to normal.
The WHO says that's already possible
but that’s a new normal.
We have to take the right precautions.
But they say we don’t need anymore countrywide lockdowns.
So we know what we need to do to stay safe.
And we know a lot more about how this virus spreads.
Now we’ve just gotta learn to live with it.
Science evolves.
And the guidance on COVID-19 gets updated all the time.
So the best way to stay informed
is to access those organisations that research
this stuff day in and day out
like the WHO and others who issue health advice.
Stay safe and I’ll see you next week.