Brown Alpert Medical School's Ranney on What We Know - And Don't Know - About Coronavirus
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Brown Alpert Medical School's Ranney on What We Know - And Don't Know - About Coronavirus
Ranney is a regular on national news giving insights into the constant battle at Rhode Island Hospital against the disease.
On Sunday, Ranney took to Twitter to provide followers with insights into how little we know about COVID-19.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSLIDES: RANNEY ON WHAT WE KNOW -- AND WHAT WE DON'T KNOW -- BELOW
BIO:
Ranney, MD MPH, is a practicing emergency physician and researcher, focusing on the intersection between digital health, violence prevention, and public health.
She is a Fellow of the fifth class of the Aspen Health Innovators Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
This story was first published 5/24/20 5:20 PM
Brown's Ranney Lists What We Know - And Don't Know - About Coronavirus
#1 What We Don't Know
We don't yet know the true case fatality rate. (e.g.: if you catch it, how likely are you to die?) Scientists agree that the CDC's #s are likely underestimates; but it's AT LEAST 4x more deadly than the flu, if infected; & will infect far more ppl.
Source: JAMA Network
#2 What We Don't Know
We don't yet know *exactly* how it's transmitted. Definitely by droplets. But maybe aerosols? Maybe fomites? ----> For now: best practice in the non-healthcare setting is mask, distance, and hand-washing
Source: CDC
#3 What We Don't Know
We don't fully understand why & how it causes a wide variety of clinical syndromes. For example, although we have growing clinical knowledge, the new multi-inflammatory syndrome observed in kids is very much a black box.
#4 What We Don't Know
Relatedly, we don't know what works to treat #COVID19. Remdesivir may decrease hospitalizations.
Proning may decrease intubations.
Hydroxycholoroquine WORSENS outcomes.
Plasma from recovered pts: Maybe.
That's all we've got, folks. Still waiting on 100s of ongoing trials.
#5 What We Don't Know
We are not totally sure about the efficacy of those home-made masks. We know that masks work, period. But what kind of fabric masks work, for whom, at what distance? Still TBD.
(Wear them! But don't feel immune.)
Source: NCBL
#6 What We Don't Know
We don't yet know how long immunity lasts. Once you get it once, will you be immune for a month? A year? A lifetime? Will this be like the common cold, or like smallpox? We're hoping for the latter.
Source: JAMA Network
#7 What We Don't Know
We don't know how long people are infectious.
Source: Korean CDC analysis of 285/447 (64%) who retested #SARSCoV2 positive post #COVID19
[Right pointing backhand index]
Viral cell culture (n=108): 0% pos
[Right pointing backhand index]
Contacts traced (n=790): only 3 ill, all w/ other exposures
[Right pointing backhand index]
These ppl are not re-infected or still contagious. It's old, dead virus.
Source: KCDC
#8 What We Don't Know
And we of course don't yet know when/whether we'll have a safe and effective vaccine.
#2 What We Do Know
We know that to decrease transmission & deaths, we need a combo of (a) Social distancing (b) Testing (c) Isolation & Contact Tracing of Sick People (d) Adequate PPE.
Source: CIDRAP
#3 What We Do Know
We also know that if you're close to someone who's infected, inside, for a period of time, you too have a high risk of infection. And... 1 selfish person, who goes out & about when ill, can get a lot of other people really sick :(
Source: CDC
#4 What We Do Know
Lastly, we know that underlying social & economic inequalities worsen disease.
Source: New Yorker
