Like Love, you can not get the Corona Virus through your skin! For you to fall in love or get infected with the Coronavirus, it has to get UNDER YOUR SKIN! As scientific people, we like to deal with scientific facts and not conjecture. We listened to Sheila Kalas, President of Fitness Plus, Inc. talk to one of her clients, who is an epidemiologist (studies infectious disease and viruses). Her client was certified by and worked at the CDC for 30 years and was credited for developing all protocols related to the HIV virus. She took the time to educated us about this current virus.
We thought it would be helpful to share these facts with you, so you can make educated decisions on the choices you make over the next several weeks, regarding where you go and who you see, etc. and how you should view President Trump and Governor Cuomo interest in the intersection between public health and the health of the economy.
FACTS:
- This virus is a type of virus called a “lipid enveloped” virus. This means that the virus is encapsulated in an envelope of oil/fat. Many viruses you are familiar with are this type.
- Lipid enveloped viruses are one of the easiest viruses to kill. The lipid bilayer envelope of these viruses is relatively sensitive to desiccation, heat, and detergents, therefore these viruses are easier to sterilize than non-enveloped viruses, have limited survival outside host environments, and typically must transfer directly from living host to another living host.
- This virus is NOT an airborne virus. You can not catch it from someone who is in the same room with you and you just breathing the air they are breathing.
- This virus is spread by coming in contact with “droplets” from a person who is infected. Droplets come from sneezing or coughing.
- If someone’s infected droplets land on a surface, the virus can stay alive, but not for a very long time, as drying out kills the virus. The reports of the virus living for hours of days on some surfaces is skewed. The only way the CDC gets this information is by doing their own experiments on the virus. These experiments use a very strong culture of the virus which is then kept in the most favorable environment to keep the virus alive. Scientists work hard to keep it alive in the lab. In the real world the virus can die quickly just being exposed the moving air, sunlight, heat, etc
- If you wash your hands after coming in contact with things outside your home; grocery store, etc., you will be fine. Even if there was some of the living virus on something you touched you would have to not only touch it with good contact, you would then have to put your hands in/on your mouth, nose or eyes. The virus can not penetrate your skin. It needs to enter your body to get you infected.
- Viruses are contagious and this one is strongly contagious. In other words, if you somehow get this virus inside your body, it is more likely you will get infected than some other viruses. Sometimes we are exposed to the flu virus or other viruses and they get into our body and we don’t get infected. This virus has a higher “success” rate of infecting people if they do get the virus inside their body.
So, stay away from anyone who is sick, coughing or sneezing. Do NOT be afraid that walking near somebody can expose you to the virus. Wash your hands frequently and try not to touch your face.
The major reason for the spread of the virus is people being in prolonged, close contact with someone who is infected.
The intersection between Corona illness and the health of the economy depends upon how good we are at keeping the virus from getting under our skin. We believe we may be better than we think.