To understand why #COVID19 is such a threat, it helps to understand our full arsenal of weapons against infectious disease—and why most of them aren't going to help right now.
I summarized the main techniques/strategies here a few months ago: rootsofprogress.org/weapons-agains…
I summarized the main techniques/strategies here a few months ago: rootsofprogress.org/weapons-agains…
Our technology for antiviral drugs, unfortunately, is not nearly as advanced as that for antibiotics. There's no such thing as a broad-spectrum antiviral.
A paper last year by @AmeshAA and @T_Inglesby pointed out how useful this would be in a pandemic: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
A paper last year by @AmeshAA and @T_Inglesby pointed out how useful this would be in a pandemic: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
2. Vaccines: Could work against #SARSCoV2, but unfortunately they take time to develop. I have heard 12–18 months for a coronavirus vaccine, and that's fast. Vaccines are a long-term solution but can't fight an emerging pandemic.
And again, there's no such thing as a broad-spectrum vaccine—the whole way a vaccine works is by stimulating production of *specific* antibodies by your immune system.
3. Sanitation and other environmental control: #COVID19 spreads directly person-to-person through respiratory droplets. This makes it one of the more difficult types of diseases to control.
Contrast with cholera and typhoid fever, which are waterborne. Filtration and chlorination help a lot here.
Or malaria and yellow fever, which can be attacked by reducing insect populations.
Or malaria and yellow fever, which can be attacked by reducing insect populations.
In those cases, there's something *in between* the people that can be controlled.
But direct person-to-person spread is the hardest to control, because people don't like to be controlled, and social contact is too valuable.
But direct person-to-person spread is the hardest to control, because people don't like to be controlled, and social contact is too valuable.
To summarize the challenge of #COVID19:
• Antibiotics don't work because it's a virus
• It's too new for us to have a vaccine
• It doesn't spread through any intermediary we can control (like water or insects)
It spreads directly person to person, with no immunity or cure.
• Antibiotics don't work because it's a virus
• It's too new for us to have a vaccine
• It doesn't spread through any intermediary we can control (like water or insects)
It spreads directly person to person, with no immunity or cure.
This is why, despite all the amazing medical advances of the last 100 years, we still lack effective tools against #COVID19.
And why our best tools right now are hygiene (especially hand-washing) and minimizing contact (“social distancing”)—and why these things are so important.
And why our best tools right now are hygiene (especially hand-washing) and minimizing contact (“social distancing”)—and why these things are so important.
Someday, maybe we will have:
• broad-spectrum antivirals
• much faster vaccine development
• or some other way to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies
It's a good reminder that we still need *lots* more progress, as I wrote here: rootsofprogress.org/the-plight-of-…
• broad-spectrum antivirals
• much faster vaccine development
• or some other way to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies
It's a good reminder that we still need *lots* more progress, as I wrote here: rootsofprogress.org/the-plight-of-…
This thread now in blog post form: rootsofprogress.org/our-best-weapo…
