Covid Advice #11 (08/30/2020):
Better to Overdo It
than to Under-do it
Better to Overdo It
than to Under-do it
- from Dr. Dennis Fong -
Some people think I am overdoing it. There's no need, they say, and all this precaution is ruining the economy. Others say, if I follow all that advice, I will just be scared all day long. And some say, my goodness, it's so much trouble!
Let me answer these four points one by one.
First of all, I say there's a need. We still don't know what the long term effects of Covid are. For one thing, even with mild cases, most people who've had Covid feel tired or short of breath or both for months after. Also, often even in mild cases the lungs turn white, and we don't know what Covid does to the lungs long term. What's more, we know that it can affect every organ in the body. That's because Covid enters human cells through a protein on the cell surface called the "ACE2 receptor", and every human cell has that protein. It just happens that lung cells have the most, that's all. Worse, unlike every other virus we know, Covid causes wisespread clotting in the blood stream. So people can get strokes and heart attacks, and in mild cases it can be silent ones where the damage will show up down the line. So don't get it. Don't gamble with your health, it might be for life.
Second, as for all the precaution ruining the economy, I say it's just the opposite. Robust self protection is what will ensure the economy recovers. Even after the vaccine comes out we will need self protection to complement it. Not taking Covid precautions will actually sabotage the economy. Just like I said back in May in my Advice #6, if people don't use robust protection and the number of deaths and the number of work force sick and disabled escalate, as it looks set to this winter, that will ruin the economy.
As for being scared all day long if one follows what I advise, that's also just the opposite. You should feel less scared. You should feel safer. I was feeling scared when I went to the store before I figured out the "suit" that I've put up in a video on this site, but since I figured it out, I no longer feel scared. I feel safe and secure instead. Don't waste time feeling scared; just do it. Keep doing it and you will get used to it, and you will feel safer and more secure.
As for all the time and trouble doing robust self-protection, just think: if you get Covid and it turns out to have life long effects, it could be a lot more time and trouble. And it might only be for a few more months; vaccines should be out soon. Just do it, keep doing it, and you will get used to it. Then it will be like a habit and it will be a lot less time and trouble.
Again, I hope this turns out to be wrong, but many experts expect the number of deaths to really increase this fall and winter. Like I said before on this website, because Covid is a little glob of fat it melts in the heat but is solid in the cold. So while at room temperature on your table-top Covid lives at most 2 days, in the fridge it lives for 1 month and in your freezer it lives for 5 years. Therefore, in the summer you might get some on your hair, but you don't roll around on your pillow and the Covid doesn't get on your face and then into you until night time, and by then the Covid is dead. In winter, however, a couple degrees colder and Covid lasts a lot longer, so what gets onto your face from your hair would still be alive and you would get Covid. Same with clothing -- being fatty, Covid likes sticking to hair and clothing. So you need more robust protection than what they say on TV: when you go out to where there are people you need a hood for your hair and you need outer clothing.
Vaccines won't come out until the end of this year at the very earliest and even so, you might not get vaccinated until February. Therefore you still need to get through the winter.
So don't be afraid to overdo it. Much better to overdo it than to under-do it and get it. Don't worry about other people approving or disapproving; march to your own drum. It's your health and it might be for life.
Take the time and trouble. All we need is to get through the winter. By the way, the vaccines look very promising. Once again, don't be afraid to overdo it.
Wish you happiness! Stay healthy and stay safe!
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