The key to beating coronavirus is in our hands
We are more than a month in to the coronavirus epidemic, with 28,000 cases confirmed in China, at least 564 dead and another 24,000 cases suspected. Naturally, at some point, we all start to wonder whether or how we ought to be doing something to avoid this thing.
It was this thought, as much as any journalistic impulse, that took me along to a briefing on the virus held by Chatham House with David Heymann, the man who led the World Health Organisation’s response to the Sars outbreak, this week.
I began to take notes furiously – stymied only by a leaking pen that turned my fingers blue – before I realised that the bottom line was quite straightforward. They don’t know how fast it spreads, they don’t know exactly what can or can’t transmit it, they don’t know how deadly it is, they don’t know for sure how many people have it and they don’t know when they will know. They do know – or think they know – that it isn’t “aerosolised”, which is to say, it doesn’t spread by sneezing. This is good news, because sneeze droplets are apparently a very efficient way for a virus to get around.
As for my personal interest in precautions, I took on board four main points. Firstly, keep a couple of metres away from suspected cases. Secondly, face masks protect other people from you more than they protect you from the virus. Thirdly, surgical gloves do protect you, because we are most likely to pick up germs on our hands before transferring them to the face, where they get into mouths or eyes. Fourthly, on that note, wash your hands all the damn time and don’t, whatever you do, touch your face before washing. In fact, touch your face as little as possible.
“Fine,” I thought. “I can do that. Not touching my face? Simple.”
Before heading out, I popped into the ladies’ and caught sight of myself in the mirror. My face was streaked with blue ink.
“Well,” I thought. “That’s me done for.”
In many parts of China, it is now illegal to go out without a face mask. This is less than ideal for a surveillance state policed by facial recognition cameras everywhere. Fortunately, there is still work for the police’s enforcement drones: chase down people not wearing masks.
Footage published by The Global Times shows a drone following an old lady around in Inner Mongolia. “Yes, auntie, this is the drone speaking to you,” says an echoing voice. “You shouldn’t walk about without wearing a mask.” Another shows a man on his own in the fields trying to get some manual work done. “Uncle, we are in unusual times. Why did you come outside without wearing a mask?” says the Wizard of Oz voice from the sky. “Isn’t it comfortable to stay at home with food and drink?”
Let’s just pray the food and drink outlast the virus.