Steve Cameron blog: WHAT’S UP, DOC?

Still here.

I’m not a doctor.

I don’t even play one on TV.

But even as a non-medical person, I think I’m entitled to ask a question on behalf of you, me, everybody.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

On Wednesday afternoon, I first heard from the C.D.C that the contagious period for asymptomatic people with the coronavirus is likely about two days.

Then another doctor, who studied the outbreak in China, said it’s five days (or until you begin to show symptoms).

Then there remains our original standby, 14 days.

Hey, it WAS 14 days, right?

I didn’t dream that.

So now here’s Dr. Robert Redfield, executive director of the C.D.C speaking during a radio interview, suggesting that maybe the entire population should wear masks – because infected people can transmit the virus for two days without feeling symptoms.

“This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country, because we have asymptomatic transmitters and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic,” Dr. Redfield said.

C’mon…

Either give us something that’s right, a fact we can understand, or just say you don’t know.

The issue that’s brought this to the surface is whether or not people without the virus, or who don’t KNOW if they have it, should be wearing masks to protect the public.

Frankly, I thought every last one of us should have been doing that from the beginning.

How many people got exposed to this thing because we didn’t?

We’ve now been in lockdown for up to a month, give or take.

And all this time, we’re holed up in fear, reduced to soaking up information from the president, Dr. Fauci, the C.D.C, the WHO, the FDA, various scientists and virologists from every part of the world, yada, yada.

We just want to know when we’re safe, and since that’s almost out of the question, what can we do to give ourselves the best possible shot at reaching the end of this pandemic with our bodies and minds intact?

I mean, the government has stumbled around and can’t seem to get test kits out to various states.

The richest nation on Earth, and we don’t have enough protective masks and gowns for our medical providers.

Frankly, I shudder just trying to talk about the test kit fiasco.

Maybe we can still grab some from Lithuania or Luxembourg.

Those various bureaucratic bobbles may be almost impossible to comprehend, but…

At least we should have enough information on how to behave, and what’s in the public interest – not to mention our own.

I’m trying to ignore Trump’s pronouncements about a miracle, or that COVID-19 is just like the flu.

On the other hand, there are platoons of doctors advising the president about putting the giant U.S. machine into action – what the medical community needs, how to access it, how to keep ourselves and each other safe, etc.

Right this minute, however, I read and listen to all these specialists, and either they don’t know any more than I do…or they don’t want to be “spokespeople,” and maybe get in trouble.

Look, can you experts just answer the one simple question?

Should we all be wearing masks in public?

Seems to me that, yeah, it would help keep each other safe.

In Wuhan, doctors and social workers discovered that when everyone was masked, there was more a sense of the whole community fighting together.

So what do you say?

Masks?

You’re welcome to join the blog. Any time, on any subject. Or with any opinion that doesn’t get us sued.

scameron@cdapress.com

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