The Virus

Virus 4th June 2020
Let’s call her Tanya.  A real doctor at the hospital.  She had been looking after her husband for a week – then decided his temperature was too high and she took him to hospital.    He had the virus.  But surprise, she had it too.  No symptoms.  Her husband got really sick for 2 months.  Tanya got tested all through that time and she still had the virus but had no symptoms and was not sick at all.
When he got better, the test for antibodies (to prevent future infection) showed he had a high level of antibodies protection.  But Tanya did not show any antibodies at all.
This means that some people just get the virus and sits in them without any symptoms at all … and can be passed on.  Some people just seem to be immune although they are carriers.
They have tried to find out how common this is.  Studies say maybe 40% of people carry the virus but have no symptoms.  Children carry the virus but have no symptoms.  But elderly people nearly all get the symptoms.
This is why it is not good to wait until symptoms appear … everybody needs to be tested, especially in closed places like care homes.
South Korea has been quite successful in this – they make everyone wear a mask outside on buses, trains, shops to stop people who do not have symptoms passing on the virus.  Face masks do not protect the wearer but protect other people who are in contact.
The bad news is that having a vaccine is no good for the people who are carriers but who do not have symptoms – people like Tanya.  Social distancing is the only answer for now.

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