COVID Herd Immunity, Health Care Capacity, and the Risk of COVID during Air Travel

A trustworthy update on the science, and the future of the coronavirus pandemic, What should people do?

By Mark D. Harris

Three major issues are in the news recently about COVID. The first involves the possibility of herd immunity to the virus. The second is whether the US health care system will be overwhelmed. The third discusses the likelihood of SARS-COV2 transmission during air travel, especially pertinent during the holiday season. Scientists practicing science are generally reliable, but scientists practicing politics generally are not. Furthermore, the media should be acknowledged but never trusted. Here is some information you can rely on.

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COVID-19 – Danger, Prevention, and Treatment

Right and left media alike shout through megaphones to their devoted fans, an echo chamber in which volume counts for more than truth. Neither side has a monopoly on facts, or science. Whom do you trust to understand the COVID-19 pandemic now?

By Mark D. Harris

Mainstream news organizations shriek every day about how Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is devastating the world and how the US government is fumbling America’s response. Liberals scream that we need to spend more money on the problem, and conservatives oppose governors who close businesses and order individuals to wear masks and stay home. Young adults stay home to escape the virus, despite being young, having no underlying medical problems, and not even knowing people who have been infected. Experts proclaim that “life will never be the same again” while ordinary Americans, like regular citizens from all countries, just want to do a good job at whatever work they do, support their families, and have a rewarding life. Fear is now fever, reporting is desperately biased, and the pandemic has become more political than viral. Many friends and partners in the MD Harris Institute ask about the crisis, and here are our most recent answers.

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Social Distancing, Public Health, and the Bible

Leprosy lesion on chest

Social distancing is an important public health measure to slow or stop the spread of many diseases. God’s instructions to the Hebrews in the Bible were primarily for holiness, but also had important health benefits.

By Mark D. Harris

I was at the auto parts store last week buying brake pads to replace the old ones in my daughter’s Prius. An elderly woman walked in, donning a mask and gloves, and carefully staying at least six feet away from others. When a clerk approached her and when other customers walked by, she retreated. I walked the long way down a separate aisle to get around her, trying to provide the space that she needed. Given her increased level of risk, and the fact that she didn’t seem grumpy, I appreciated her caution.

Social distancing, putting space between people who may infect each other with a disease, is the major way that individuals and governments throughout the world are trying to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It has worked many times in history, such as in the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, a far deadlier disaster than the current plague. The nation, and indeed much of the world, has been staying at home, or at least away from others, for over six weeks. Public health experts have used many other interventions for infection control as well. This article will discuss social distancing and other public health actions against infectious disease.

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Coronavirus (COVID 19) in the environment

COVID-19 may persist longer in the environment than we realized. If so, the risk of infection is greater than we think

By Mark D. Harris

COVID-19, also known as the Wuhan virus or the coronavirus, fills the news of the world today. Universities all across America are canceling in-person instruction and chasing students out of their dorms. Municipalities and other organizations are canceling school trips and limiting large gatherings. The National Basketball Association has halted its season, cruise lines are stopping services, and stock markets are swooning around the world.

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