Social distancing: What it is and why it's the best
tool we have to fight the coronavirus
Thomas Perls (The Jakarta Post) -
● Sun, March 15, 2020
As the coronavirus spreads into more and more communities, public health
officials are placing responsibility on individuals to help slow the pandemic.
Social distancing is the way to do it. Geriatrician Thomas Perls explains how
this crucial tool works.
What is social distancing?
Social distancing is a tool public health officials recommend to slow the spread
of a disease that is being passed from person to person. Simply put, it means
that people stay far enough away from each other so that the coronavirus – or
any pathogen – cannot spread from one person to another.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes social distancing as
staying away from mass gatherings and keeping a distance of 6 feet or 2
meters – about one body length – away from other people. In New York City,
for example, theaters have closed temporarily, many conventions around the
world are being canceled and schools are closing all across the U.S. I’ve
stopped taking the train during rush hour. Now I either work from home or
drive in with my wife, or I take the train during off-hours so I can maintain the
6-foot distance.
Social distancing also means not touching other people, and that includes
handshakes. Physical touch is the most likely way a person will catch the
coronavirus and the easiest way to spread it. Remember, keep that 6-foot
distance and don’t touch.
Social distancing can never prevent 100 percent of transmissions, but by
following these simple rules, individuals can play a critical role in slowing the
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spread of the coronavirus. If the number of cases isn’t kept below what the
health care system can handle at any one time – called flattening the curve –
hospitals could become overwhelmed, leading to unnecessary deaths and
suffering.
Flattening the curve is another way of saying slowing the spread.
There are a few other terms besides social distancing that you are likely to
hear. One is “self-quarantine.” This means staying put, isolating yourself from
others because there is a reasonable possibility you have been exposed to
someone with the virus.
Another is “mandatory quarantine.” A mandatory quarantine occurs when
government authorities indicate that a person must stay in one place, for
instance their home or a facility, for 14 days. Mandatory quarantines can be
ordered for people who test negative for the virus, but have likely been
exposed. Officials have imposed mandatory quarantines in the U.S. for people
on cruise ships and those traveling from Hubei province, China.
Why does social distancing work?
If done correctly and on a large scale, social distancing breaks or slows the
chain of transmission from person to person. People can spread the
coronavirus for at least five days before they show symptoms. Social
distancing limits the number of people an infected person comes into contact
with – and potentially spreads the virus to – before they even realize they have
the coronavirus.
It’s very important to take a possibility of exposure seriously and quarantine
yourself. According to recently published research, self-quarantine should last
14 days to cover the period of time during which a person could reasonably
present with symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. If
after two weeks they still don’t have symptoms, then it’s reasonable to end the
quarantine. Shorter quarantine periods could happen for asymptomatic people
as tests to rule out the virus become widely available.
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Why is social distancing so crucial?
At the moment, it’s the only tool available to fight the spread of the
coronavirus. Experts estimate that a vaccine is 12 to 18 months away. For
now, there are no drugs available that can slow down a coronavirus infection.
Without a way to make people better once they fall sick or make them less
contiguous, the only effective tactic is making sure hospital-level care is
available to those who need it. The way to do that is to slow or stop the spread
of the virus and decrease the number of cases at any one time.
Who should do it?
Everyone must practice social distancing in order to prevent a tidal wave of
cases. I am a geriatrician who cares for the most vulnerable people: frail older
adults. Certainly, such individuals should be doing all they can to protect
themselves, diligently practicing social distancing and significantly changing
their public ways until this pandemic blows over. People who are not frail need
to do all they can to protect those who are, by helping to minimize their
exposure to COVID-19.
If the public as a whole takes social distancing seriously, overwhelming the
medical system could be avoided. Much of how the coronavirus pandemic
unfolds in the U.S. will come down to individuals’ choices. --- Thomas Perls,
Professor of Medicine, Boston University This article is republished from The
Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
