Dr. Siegel 'deeply disturbed' by images of partiers at Lake of the Ozarks
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel supports calls for Missouri Memorial Day weekend partiers to self-quarantine after not social distancing.
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
In the absence of an effective therapeutic or vaccine for COVID-19, the best weapons in our arsenal to combat it are our behavior and sense of responsibility.
We are five months into the biggest health care crisis of the 21st century with confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in over 212 countries and territories around the world and no end in sight.
Some countries, like China and New Zealand, have been able to suppress the outbreak while others, like the United States, are still struggling to do so. The reported number of confirmed or presumed cases in the U.S. is now over 1.5 million, but the actual number is likely five to 10 times higher.
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: CORONAVIRUS COLLATERAL DAMAGE – HERE'S WHY WE MUST OPEN SMARTLY, SAFELY AND SOON
Many states were able to “flatten the curve,” meaning they have effectively reduced the number of new COVID-19 infections and the resulting health care system interactions by imposing social distancing measures like shelter-in-place orders.
More from Opinion
Besides not overloading the health care system all at once, flattening the curve actually bought us time to bring online the tools, resources and infrastructure we need to keep the virus in check: ramping up diagnostic testing so that any person who needs to get tested can, regardless of symptoms; building out a contract tracing workforce and surveillance systems for tracking; and preparing for future peaks and valleys that are inevitable without a vaccine.
Flattening the curve was made possible by people's behavior. But the goal wasn’t to just accomplish this and then go about our daily business. The virus doesn’t have an on or off switch.
Rather, to achieve any sense of normalcy, we must be able to control the virus. And that requires the continued cooperation of every single person. Our individual behaviors have an impact on the trajectory of this pandemic. One person has the potential to ignite new chains of transmission.
There’s still a long way to go before we put COVID-19 behind us. No government, no state and no country is out of the woods.
While the verdict is still out on many of the key questions related to COVID-19, one thing is certain: this is a highly transmissible virus. And other key risk factors such as distance, time, environment and activity can influence a person’s risk of contracting COVID19.
There’s still a long way to go before we put COVID-19 behind us. No government, no state and no country is out of the woods. Suppression of the virus requires widespread testing, isolating the infected, the ability to conduct contact tracing, quarantining the exposed and ensuring adequate health care capacity.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER
Our best protection is to change the way we behave. That means complying with public health recommendations such as keeping at least six feet from others, covering your mouth and nose with a face cover when in public, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often.
There will be flareups and hotspots so we must continue to be vigilant. As more states begin to ease restrictions, our behavior could mean the difference between life or death.
Best of Opinion
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.