Recently I had a friend reach out to me asking for my views and takes on COVID-19. She’s having a rough time convincing family members to take this virus seriously and wanted know, as a scientist, what I thought. Yes, I am a scientist, but I have been hesitant to write up this entry because I am not a virologist or an epidemiologist. Meaning, I’m not an expert. I do have a strong background in virology and I know how to interpret scientific studies. Part of my stay at home work project has been looking at numbers and infection rates. So everyday I see exactly why we should be taking COVID-19 very very seriously.

We have learned a lot about this virus in a very short amount of time. We know that it is spread person to person. COVID-19 has a much higher infection rate than MERS or SARS. You can have the virus, not have any symptoms and pass this on to other people who will have symptoms. Healthy people who become infected with COVID can suffer for months. People who are immunocompromised, diabetic, obese, already have lung issues often die. There are two drugs, TWO, that may reduce deaths and speed recovery. There are long term side effects that we are still researching. Areas that are seeing a decrease in infections are places that have followed CDC guidelines of wearing masks and social distancing. Areas that are seeing an increase in infection rates are places who have ignored those guidelines. Those same places are struggling to handle those infected because they do not have enough hospital beds or ventilators. Without a ventilator many of those infected with COVID will die. This is not belief. This is fact.

Here are some good resources:

• About COVID-19 Epidemiology

• Here’s What’ve Learned in Six Months of COVID-19

Now, do I think we should take this virus seriously? Well…YES! The obesity rate in this country is over 40%. That puts 40% of our population in the “at risk” category for this virus. That is just the numbers for the obese. It does not include immunocompromised or diabetic or lung issues. Any one who is going through chemo therapy is immunocompromised. About 650,000 people a year undergo chemotherapy in this country. Health wise this country is not in a good place to begin with. Infrastructure wise we are not in a good place either. We are still struggling to provide reliable testing. Our hospitals are struggling with being able to provide enough beds and proper care. Just to put things into some perspective, I work at a biomedical research facility that feels that it is still unsafe for all of us to come back to work without having proper testing. I have to pass two viral tests before I can go back to work and even then it will be at a restricted schedule.

There is no conspiracy here. Viruses don’t give a fuck about your beliefs. COVID-19 is a virus that needs to be taken very seriously.