In the last 72 hrs my phone has exploded with calls/texts/emails of people who have tested positive and are asking for advice. Thus I put together a 🧵with answers:
1. If I have symptoms and my RT is neg do I don't have COVID? Maybe or maybe not. Get a 2nd test 24 hrs later. 2. Can I gather with family for Christmas? Yes but everyone vaccinated (ideally boosted), without symptoms and a negative RT the day before and right before the gathering (double negative RT).
3. Where can I get a RT? In Atlanta Viral Solutions for sure.

Today marks 5 months from the date China notified @WHO of an outbreaks of atypical pneumonia in Wuhan. Since then 6.2 M cases and > 300K deaths have been notified from 213 countries (US 1.8 M cases and 105K deaths). We have learned a lot about #COVID19 since then: Transmission: this is a respiratory infection with most transmission occurring from close contact "person-to-person" through respiratory droplets when the person talks or coughs. Is 6 ft distance enough to prevent transmission? Probably not which is why masks are recommended.

A few thoughts after hearing Trump: at this point, we are past containment. Containment is basically futile. Containment efforts won’t reduce the number who get infected in the US.
Now we’re just trying to slow the spread, help healthcare providers deal with the demand peak. Social distancing is critical now to "flatten the curve", to lower the peak of the surge of demand that will hit healthcare providers. And to buy time, in hopes a drug can be developed.
How many in the community already have the virus? No one knows.
We are in mitigation now.