Yes and no. It’s complicated.
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, we didn’t know what we were up against. We suspected that touching a surface that had been touched by an infected person might transmit the disease to us. We thought that Covid-19 was like the flu. Things have turned out differently.
- Touching surfaces that an infected person has touched has not turned out to be a major mode of transmission.
- Covid-19 is like the flu in that both diseases are caused by viruses, but the similarity ends there.
Staying away from sick people in a time of pandemic is a very good idea. However, how can you tell whether the people you encounter are infected with SARS-CoV-2?
Generally, we can tell someone is sick because they exhibit the symptoms of a disease. Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to fourteen days after a person has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Those symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Diarrhea
- There are more, but you get the idea
It makes sense to stay away from anybody who exhibits one or more of these symptoms. For the person who exhibits such symptoms, self-quarantining is necessary, to protect everyone else. This is all well and good, but it is not enough. It is possible to have the disease, be highly infectious, and nonetheless show no symptoms at all. This dangerous situation is discussed in a peer-reviewed article appearing in JAMA Network Open, the online publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article, titled SARS-CoV-2 Transmission From People Without COVID-19 Symptoms, emphasizes the fact that avoiding symptomatic people is not sufficient to protect yourself.
People who become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus fall into three categories:
- Symptomatic: They exhibit symptoms, some becoming seriously ill, and some of those dying.
- Pre-symptomatic: They become infectious before showing any symptoms. They develop symptoms after they have already had a chance to infect others.
- Asymptomatic: They never develop symptoms, but they can nevertheless pass on their infection to others.
Public-minded people who are symptomatic will self-isolate for 15 days to protect those who they would otherwise encounter. It would be great if everybody in this situation acted in this way. We know however, that for a variety of reasons, many do not. This is unfortunate and costs lives. But it is not the worst. More disease transmission occurs from pre-symptomatic people who become infectious before they exhibit symptoms, and from asymptomatic people who become infectious, but never exhibit symptoms. I can’t imagine anything more heartbreaking than to be asymptomatic and to unknowingly infect a loved one who then goes on to die from Covid-19.
Given the very real possibility of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission, taking all the well-known precautions such as mask wearing and social distancing, remain critical, even after you and most of the people you interact with are vaccinated. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the most lethal enemy that humanity has faced in a century. It deserves our utmost respect and diligence. If we don’t stamp it out decisively, it will mutate into ever more dangerous forms and continue to take a grim toll for years to come.
BIO:
Allen G. Taylor is a 40-year veteran of the computer industry and the author of over 40 books, including Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now, Get Fit with Apple Watch, Cruise for Free, SQL For Dummies, 9th Edition, Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies, Database Development For Dummies, Access Power Programming with VBA, and SQL All-In-One For Dummies, Third Edition. He lectures internationally on astronomy, databases, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also teaches database development and Crystal Reports through a leading online education provider. For the latest news on Allen’s activities, check out his blog at wwwallengtaylor.com or contact him at allen.taylor@ieee.org.