The current corona virus pandemic has put international health in perspective. This is a respiratory disease and it is spread by coughing the virus into the air. A photograph of a cough indicates that the particles form a cone at about a 60-degree angle and lasts for about six feet. The virus may then last a few hours to 24 hours on hands and objects such as door-knobs and keys. This is easily controlled by frequent hand washing and a simple facial mask. Personal quarantine in our homes for the two week incubation period will control the spread.

We have had the flu pandemic in the last century with numerous deaths from respiratory failure. Flu is still with us but vaccination has brought it under control. This is continued to be controlled by yearly vaccinations. Although the flu virus changes year-to-year, CDC anticipates the minor immune variations and because of overlap we continue to control flu epidemics for over 100 years.

Although the current pandemic started in China and progressed to Italy and then world-wide, some very important lessons should be learned. This virus is a form of flu and we have had the SARS, acute respiratory syndrome pandemic in which the United States had no deaths.

There have been no new cases in China after mid-March indicating that the epidemic there is controlled and essentially terminated by the simple methods stated above: Personal masks, hand washing and rubber gloves when we touch objects, and self-quarantine in our homes except for very necessary activity.  Korea has passed its major involvement and should be infection free by the end of this month. Dr. Ogan Gurel explained the Korean strategy for containment of the COVID on March 25, 2020

Italy with it’s government healthcare, has passed the 20,000-infection rate and it is so severe yet that they are requiring ventilators to sustain breathing in those that have so severe lung involvement that they require respiratory support to sustain life. Ventilators are the last and usually unnecessary requirements except for the severe “SARS-XoV-2” or the resultant disease that comes from it; COVID-19” pneumonia. This complication is avoided by respiratory control of spread of the virus.

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Canadian Medicare does not give timely access to healthcare, it only gives access to a waiting list.

–Canadian Supreme Court Decision 2005 SCC 35, [2005] 1 S.C.R. 791

http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2005/2005scc35/2005scc35.html

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