Hey folks. It's a good thing that I'm almost off Twitter these days, otherwise I would be spending way too much time there. (1/22)
Occasionally I get email messages from normal folks who have questions. I thought it might be fun to share some questions and answers. I fixed a few typos, but otherwise the questions are as presented. (2/22)
Apologies if some of this rehashes earlier messages, but I continue to evolve my thinking and communication on the subject. (3/22)
* Has there actually been a study that you know of that has tested multiple food samples (as there are literally thousands of different foods prepared in thousands of different ways). (4/22)
There have been no such studies to my knowledge. I think it's much more important that we direct any laboratories who have the capability of testing for the virus to test people. (5/22)
It will be much more effective in stopping COVID-19 spread if we test people rather than testing food. (6/22)
* How can we be sure that a warm piece of lettuce for instance can't transfer the virus. (7/22)
We cannot be sure. This is why I (and others like the FDA) have not made the statement "that food can't transmit the virus", only that we have no evidence the food has transmitted the virus. (8/22)
* I just have a hard time believing any scientist would eat a doughnut that a covid19 patient sneezed on that day or in most time or temperature variations. Am I wrong ? (9/22)
I realize your question is rhetorical, but the only way to find out would be to ask every single scientist. (10/22)
* Or would you eat the doughnut? (11/22)
No. But then I don't really like donuts either. (12/22)
* Or possibly your statement means exactly that there is no evidence either way. (13/22)
Let me try to phrase the statement in a different way that might be helpful. We have clear evidence that the virus is spread by people who are symptomatic (i.e. sneezing and coughing). (14/22)
We are starting to see evidence that the virus is spread by close association with people who are asymptomatic (i.e. not showing symptoms at the time of close association). (15/22)
Much of that information is coming from Chinese scientists who started studying this first because that's where the cases were. (16/22)
This asymptomatic spread has only been shown to occur where people are in the same place at the same time, or in the same place within a short amount of time. (17/22)
* I think this is a very important question as it is literally guiding millions of people's choices right now as they read these articles. (18/22)
If someone wants to sanitize their food packaging every time they come back from store, that's up to them and not up to me. I'm not doing it with the food that I buy at the store. (19/22)
I'm not recommending that my elderly parents do it with the food that was delivered to them by family members. (20/22)
I have heard from numerous people that saw advice that they needed to sanitize their groceries that this advice made them panicky and terrified. They were comforted by my recommendation that such extreme measures were not needed. (21/22)
Stay home if you can, wash your hands and use hand sanitizer, and take care of those who need it most. (22/22)
