Calm down!

I’m reluctant to write this, but here goes: I don’t worry about getting Covid-19. Here’s why: I don’t know anyone who has the virus. In my county (population 275,000), there are, as of this writing, only 115 cases; two have died.

In Washington state, one of the first people to be diagnosed with the disease is a man who had traveled to Wuhan, China, in January. None of the people he was with on his return home contracted the disease—not his Uber driver, his lunchmates at a restaurant, or the other patients at the clinic where he was first seen. In New York City, one of the first people to die of the disease was a doorman. Except for his mother, with whom he lived, none of his family, friends, or co-workers contracted the disease. His mother’s case was mild. Prince Charles had the disease; his wife, Camilla, did not get it. And so on.

As a rule, to become infected, you inhale virus-laden droplets from an infected person who has sneezed or coughed, or maybe shouted. If you get the virus on your hands, you can get the disease by touching your face (it enters through your mouth, nose or eyes). 

In response to the question of whether you can get the disease if the virus lands on your clothes or hair, one infectious disease expert describes the process: “You have to have someone who sneezes [or coughs, or whatever], and they have to have X amount of virus in the sneeze. Then there has to be so many drops that land on you. Then you have to touch that part of your hair or clothing that has those droplets, which already have a significant reduction in viral particles. Then you have to touch part of your face. When you go through the string of events, that makes it a very low risk.”

In Washington state, a bunch of square dancers contracted the disease, as did revelers at Mardi Gras in New Orleans as well as attendees at a Bar Mitzvah in New Rochelle. In these close-contact environments, a sick person has plenty of opportunity to spread the disease. But of course, we are no longer in close contact with crowds. By the way, in New York City, there are 28,000 people per square mile.

I know. Laboratory studies show that the virus droplets can become aerosolized and linger for a bit in the air, and that the viruses can live for a time on hard surfaces. But what are the chances of your catching the disease that way, especially if you live in an area where few people (relatively speaking) have the disease? Pretty slim, I’d say.  

I take this disease seriously: it’s deadly and widespread. I’m all for sheltering in place and social distancing. Still, if your circumstances are similar to mine, I think your chances of getting it are remote. So don’t go overboard with the Clorox. According to poison control centers, people are poisoning themselves with it.

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