Friday, February 7, 2020

The Novel Coronavirus/ Do you need to be wearing a mask?

The Novel Coronavirus

I worked a shift at Noe Valley Peds this week and it was lovely being there. While I was there an email alert and update from the Health Department was sent about the Novel Coronavirus. Of course it is all over the news. Not surprisingly people want to know how worried they need to be and also if they need to be wearing masks.

Over the many years that I have worked as an advice nurse I have seen dozens of scary viruses make headlines. Thankfully most of them have quieted down soon after stirring us all into a tizzy.


As a quick summary, coronaviruses are not new. They are a large and diverse group of viruses, many of which are animal viruses. 

Coronaviruses are zoonotic. That’s a great cocktail party word. It means that some strains can be passed between animals and humans. Prior to this new one that was first recognized in 2019, only six coronaviruses were known to affect humans. Four of these predominantly caused only mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms. In fact they are thought to be responsible for 10-30% of all colds. Two of the six have been strains that have been responsible for more severe illnesses. The one that leaps to my mind is SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.)

I remember when that was starting to circulate. My girls were teens at the time. They were taking a flight and I tried to convince them that they should wear a mask on the plane. They refused. I remember the conversation.

“Masks are so dorky”

My response of “better dorky than dead” did not change any minds. They kept the masks in the carry on. Happily for all involved they survived.

The other more severe strain is called MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). That one made its first appearance in 2012. It is known for its ability to pass from camels to people. If you are not riding camels in the Arabian peninsula, you likely don’t need to worry too much about catching it.


The strain that is going around now is called a Novel Coronavirus because it is new and until now was not seen in humans. It was first identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. It was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 30, 2020.
The incubation period seems to be between 2 days and 2 weeks.

Common signs of infection include fever, respiratory symptoms, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Fevers occur in 98% of the cases. Many of these same symptoms are what you can expect from the flu. Most cases are not serious and people recover without intervention. In the worst cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Older adults with prior health concerns are the ones being hit the hardest. Early estimates are that the mortality rate for this is between 2-3%. This might decrease as more studies are done. Because some people might actually not show any symptoms at all getting an accurate count is a challenge. One of the big dangers of course is that because it is new, this is not something most people have immunity to, making it terribly contagious.


My heart goes out to all the folks in China who are dealing with this, but for my local patients at this time, I would say that there is no need for panic. The health department is doing an amazing job trying to stop the spread here.

This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and CDC will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available.


Hopefully in several weeks we will be able to see that we were able to contain it. As things stand right now, we need to be more concerned with the flu which is actively circulating.

Standard recommendations to prevent any infection from spreading include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. Sneezing into your elbow is a good tip and one worth modeling and teaching to your kids. Avoid touching hands to faces, especially the mouth, nose and eyes.

If you can, avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. This is especially important if you have a young infant or someone in the family with a compromised immune system.

If you are getting sick and you have recently traveled to China or have been exposed to anyone who has been in the impacted areas, it is essential that you let your doctors office know that before simply showing up there.

Make sure you thoroughly cook all animal products and wash your hands especially well after contact with any animals (especially camels.)

You will note that wearing a mask is not on the list.

If you have been one of my readers for a while then you already have a box of N95 masks in your house, right?? I like all of us to be prepared.

But, while it is nice to have them, masks are more useful if you are sick and wearing one to keep from spreading than they are at protecting you from catching something.The N95 masks, if they are fit properly with a nice tight seal, can offer some protection, but they aren’t hazmat suits. 
Also, good luck getting one that fits your young child. You then need even better luck having them keep them on! In general many studies feel that masks offer a false sense of security.

What you should focus on is avoiding crowds and encouraging good hand washing. Here is a do it yourself science project to help your kids see the importance of hand-washing.

I read about a brilliant “hands on” experiment that you can do at home with your kids. Take several pieces of bread. Store them in some baggies, and monitor the pieces to see what gross stuff grows on them.

One piece should be untouched by hands...use clean tongs when you place it in the baggy

One piece should be touched by hands that were cleaned with soap and water

One piece can see how well the just hand sanitizer worked.

One piece should be rubbed all over your phone or computer keyboard.

No comments:

Post a Comment