Our best hope: reducing the rate of transmission
- Until a vaccine is available, the best we can do is reduce the rate of transmission from infected to susceptible people.
- This is why hand washing (for 20 secs, with soap and water) and social distancing works: it reduces the opportunity for the virus to be transmitted.
- If we can reduce the rate of transmission, we might not be able to stop the infection but we should be able to reduce the rate at which it spreads. In other words, we #flattenthecurve, ensuring that our health care system is not overwhelmed by very sick people.
- This infographic, by @oliviaphamnow does a great job explaining the idea:
