A Brigham and Women’s doctor calls for improvements in measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 – including masking, testing and quarantine – after the first case of a variant strain of the virus was detected in Massachusetts.
The first case of the coronavirus variant cluster B.1.1.7, which was initially detected in the UK, is in a Boston woman whose test was positive for COVID-19 in early January. The woman, who is about 20 years old, traveled to the UK, but the test was negative before returning to the United States. She fell ill the day after arriving in Boston.
Although the virus variant is not known to cause more serious illnesses, it is believed to be more contagious. Experts are raising concerns that the new version will lead to an increase in cases in the United States, which in turn will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a severe alert that the variant is expected to become the dominant source of infection in March in the United States.
“I want to emphasize that we are deeply concerned that this strain is more transmissible and could accelerate outbreaks in the United States in the coming weeks,” said Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director of infectious diseases at the CDC, according to the New York Times. “We are sounding the alarm and asking people to realize that the pandemic is not over yet and it is by no means time to throw in the towel.”
Dr. Abraar Karan, an intern at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, wrote on Twitter on Monday that, with the virus variant spreading more effectively, the interventions used to stop the spread of COVID-19 also need to be accelerated .
“Each of our interventions must be much more effective,” he wrote.
Masks, testing, screening, isolation, quarantine and vaccination need to be improved, he said.
“Other countries have used isolation spaces outside the home – our efforts here have started, but they did not seem to increase,” wrote Karan.
When quarantining the home, people need to wear masks at home, he said. Paid time off is also essential to ensure that people are isolated and stay at home after possible exposure. Otherwise, individuals will do whatever is necessary to put food on the table, he said.
Karan said that at this point in the pandemic, it is not enough that public health messages in particular depend only on wearing masks.
“We need to give people some additional, actionable health guidance based on scenarios that can catch them off guard,” he said.
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• lower the windows when sharing a ride or when taking public transport, if possible• avoid eating together at home during lunch breaks at work
• minimize time in shared public spaces, even using 😷, such as supermarkets
I’m sure that collectively we can make a much longer list!
– Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) January 19, 2021
For example, Karan said the messages should include telling people to open windows on public transport or to ride a bicycle if possible, avoiding eating together at home during work lunch breaks and minimizing time spent in shared public spaces. (like grocery stores), even when wearing masks.
“We need to do everything we do better and more effectively,” wrote Karan.
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• Tracking – needs to be much faster; digital tracking was used in other countries, NY and others tried an opt-in system through applications, it is not clear how this happened• Isolation – other countries used isolation spaces outside the home – our efforts here started, but did not seem to catch on
– Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) January 19, 2021
4 / Ventilation – the need to encourage smarter strategies in everyday situations; open windows in walking actions; windows open at home / workplaces; reinforce the notion of avoiding “shared air”
We need to do everything we do better and more effectively #Covid-19
– Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) January 19, 2021
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