As veterinary surgeons, we study the spread of animal diseases, and diseases which can spread to humans (known as zoonoses) people have been asking me about COVID-19.
Individual risk is of course important, if you have an existing health condition, or you are an older person, you need to avoid crowds, wash your hands, don’t stand too close to people, don’t touch your face, and wash your clothes frequently too.
The wider issue however is ‘flattening the curve’.
Flattening the curve means that we need to reduce the chance of the extreme peak in cases happening - as this will completely overwhelm our healthcare system, meaning people that otherwise may have survived with appropriate care, will die.
We have to put measures in place NOW to do this. Close the stable door NOW, not after the horse has bolted.
Closing schools, working from home and stopping mass gatherings, is about reducing the exponential spread of the virus, not about your individual risk.
Reduce spread now, and we will reduce the number of cases at the virus peak. If we don’t reduce spread now, then we remain on course to hit that peak, and a significant number of people will die.
