North Texas doctors urge people to social distance themselves, not to gather in crowds
DALLAS - The CDC says groups of 50 people or more should be restricted for the next two months due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
President Donald Trump warned the public on Monday against eating out in restaurants. One local doctor says following the guidelines and others will help slow the spread of the pandemic here at home.
There's a lot the medical community doesn’t know about COVID-19. But what they do know is that folks over 60 seem to be virus vulnerable. They also know social distancing, not gathering in crowds and handwashing may make the difference.
Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Steve Lau is part of the North Texas Preferred Health Partners.
“We've found that this COVID-19 virus is not airborne, so it’s spread through droplets,” he explained. “So people that cough or sneeze can release droplets for up to a six-feet radius.”
So that’s why you strongly agree with this social isolation of large groups, even groups of 50 people?” asked reporter Shaun Rabb.
“Even though the CDC says crowds of 50 people and up, I’m saying even 10 people and up I’d be a little cautious,” Lau replied.
"It’s not airborne, but it can live on surfaces and doorknobs?” Rabb asked.
“That’s right,” Lau said. “The estimate is up to three days if on an ideal surface at a temperature that does not kill the virus.”
“So we keep hearing about washing our hands, and that hand washing is better than sanitizer. How so?” Rabb asked.
“That is key,” Lau said. “The studies have shown that there is virtually no virus left after you've washed your hands for 20 or 30 seconds.”
As far as medicine goes, Dr. Lau says over-the-counter medications do not have an impact on the novel coronavirus.
“It has no impact, but that’s a great question,” Lau said. “Because we're telling our patients if you have drainage, but it’s the same drainage that you’ve had during allergy season, go ahead and treat your allergies because we don’t want to confuse your allergies with COVID-19 symptoms.
“Why are we hearing the next eight weeks? What are we expecting in the medical community?” Rabb asked Lau.
“I think Dr. Fauci from the National Institutes of Health is very accurate,” he said. “We are seeing the upswing. And until we see the growth rate or the number of cases plateau, we don’t know how this will pan out. I think we have to be careful. We don’t want to be paranoid and start hoarding things. You can live your life. And I think if you’re reasonable with washing your hands, distancing yourself and not traveling unnecessarily, I think we'll see a downturn in 30 to 60 days.”
Dr. Lau stresses if you are feeling like you are coming down with something, call your doctor. However, don't show up at the office.
The testing has to be done at hospitals that have personal protective equipment for the health care professionals and a proper isolation room. If you do have the virus, you don't want to expose others.
With more uncertainty about the coronavirus, FOX 4 wanted to answer some questions you may have. FOX 4’s Allison Harris took those questions to Dr. Diana Cervantes, who teachers at the UNT Health Science Center and was chief epidemiologist at the state level during the Ebola response in 2014. Watch the full Q&A in the video player below.