Out of lockdown as experts warn the pandemic’s true toll will never be known
DARIO ALESSI
Florian in Venice, Italy, on Friday as the world continues taking the first tentative steps out of lockdown
Professor Dario Alessi heads a world-leading research team at Dundee University generating antibodies that will help researchers to better understand Covid-19 biology and could help in the development of drugs to prevent infection. We asked the professor, a dad of two, how he is handling the Covid-19 risk at home and outside. doing it with a mask. I can’t see there would be any more risk in going to any country in Europe than there is walking through a city in the UK. But it would be unwise to travel to any country where the infection is not being controlled and the death rate is not coming down significantly. There is a slight risk in getting on a plane because you won’t be a metre separated from people you don’t know. But the airflow on planes is fantastic – it gets changed and filtered. I’d avoid the toilets. You are more likely to have contact with the bugs that might be there from the previous occupant.
I tend to, but not because of the Covid situation. There are other pesticides and herbicides on fruit and vegetables and I have always given them a quick rinse. I do not cleanse parcels or packaging. The risks are so small. The chances of getting a viral particle through touching a letter is low. Virus in the population is now, as I understand it, less than one person in a thousand and probably, going forward, that is going to become one person in 10,000 or 50,000.
Dario Alessi
I don’t. The risk of infection by walking past somebody for a fraction of a second is low, but I would wear a mask if I went on an aeroplane or a crowded train or bus. At work you might be relatively close to somebody for a period of time, so a mask may help. Going onto the street or in shops, it may reduce your risk very slightly and may help you not to infect somebody else. I don’t wear gloves in shops. You are still touching things with gloves on, and they create a lot of plastic waste. It is better to wash your hands frequently.
I am thinking of going on a UK barge holiday with my family. This year, maybe people should stay in the UK. There are so many beautiful places to see and support. If I had to fly I would be very comfortable
I am strongly in favour of children carefully and cautiously going back to school in August. It’s been said that a child is more likely to be hit by lightning than to die from Covid-19. You have to think of the risks versus the benefits. They have missed nearly six months of education and contact with their friends. This is very serious. It is going to have a lot of damaging effects for them long-term. Monitoring, testing and tracing (of the disease) is important and any flare-ups will need to be nipped in the bud. Other countries have gone back to school and I haven’t heard of a second wave of infection happening. We should be very encouraged by other countries that have gone back carefully and slowly. I am quite optimistic.
I walk up steps because I like to get the exercise but if I had to use a lift I would be OK with that. It’s better to try to have it by yourself, or with just two people and stay apart.