4 minute read
i don’t mean to brag, but my hands are really dry. i wash them a lot. i keep my distance. i have the luxury of working from home.
because a full-scale forensic investigation was impossible, i asked dr. raywat deonandan, an epidemiologist and professor at the university of ottawa to weigh in.
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rd: i haven’t got a clear answer for you, but i have some possibilities. for one thing, a lot of my doctor friends are reporting there’s a common cold epidemic going through their offices. in fact, it’s quite prevalent in a lot of places, and it’s very contagious.
[b.c.’s public health officer] bonnie henry recently said that the common cold right now is more contagious than covid. maybe. we measure contagiousness based on the reproduction number. wikipedia says the reproduction number for the common cold is between 2 and 3 . and right now, the reproduction number for covid is about 1.2, 1.3 across the country because of the endeavours we put into place [such as hand washing, face coverings and distancing]. it is arguable that the common cold right now is more contagious.
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rd: (laughs) you could totally blame your kids for the common cold because they touch a lot more surfaces, which makes it difficult to control infection via children. it’s also one of the reasons cold-like symptoms have been taken off of the list of things that compel covid testing. and, frankly, if you look at the actual probability of symptoms of the virus, it’s the dry cough and the fever that seems to be most prevalent, for children, at least. it’s better to focus on the high probability things like a fever.
mw: is there anything about the way we’re living now — staying indoors and staying away from other people — that might be changing how our bodies deal with germs? that is, are we more susceptible if we’re sealed off from the outside world?
rd: i get that question a lot. my feeling, not being a microbiologist, is that you get plenty of challenges to your immune system every day, especially if you don’t live alone. if you live with people, if you live with kids, if you have a pet that’s licking your face all the time— you get a massive dose of germs on a daily basis. if your window is open, you’re breathing fresh air, but you are also getting all kinds of stuff from outside that’s challenging your immune system. hence, the allergies.
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rd: a lot. stress is a great predicator of immune response. i’m not a virologist or an immunologist, so i’m not speaking authoritatively about this, but there’s a common understanding that stress levels will effect your hormonal balances, which then makes you more susceptible to infection. good sleep, good nutrition, a low-stress environment — all this contributes to being overall healthy and resilient. it’s not a panacea — it’s not going to make you invulnerable to infection — but it does lower your risk of infection and increases your likelihood of recovering from infection quickly.
rd: get your flu shot.
