Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 10

A Runner’s
The rapid spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the
announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a State of
Emergency in South Africa, has seen all running events cancelled
until at least mid-April, and likely for a period of time after that as
well. We therefore asked medical doctor and avid runner Caroline
Lee to share her medical expertise on this frightening virus, and
what we can do to minimise our risk.
known how long the virus can survive outside a person. It is essential to wash
hands often and avoid touching the face for this reason. The virus is fragile and can
be destroyed by soap and water. It is also advisable to stand at least one metre
away from the next person to limit breathing in the droplets.
As yet unconfirmed, it is believed that the virus can be transmitted before
symptoms appear or in patients who never show symptoms of the infection. So,
you may be spreading the infection before you are even aware yourself that you
have been infected. The incubation period of the coronavirus – the length of time
between infection and when symptoms appear – is between one and 14 days. That
is why if you suspect you have been infected, stay at home and self-isolate for 14
days to prevent passing it on to others.
‘CO’ stands for corona, ‘VI’ stands for virus, ‘D’ for disease, and ‘19” stands for
2019 – the year it was first identified. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of
viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe disease,
such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) in 2003 and Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) in 2012.
COVID-19 is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously
identified in humans. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms,
fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases,
infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure
and even death.
How is the virus spread?
COVID-19 spreads from person to person in close proximity, similar to other
respiratory illnesses such as influenza. As the virus is an entirely new strain, there
is no existing immunity in anyone it encounters. It therefore spreads rapidly and
easily. Some level of immunity will develop over time, but those with lowered
immunity, such as the sick or the elderly, are most likely to develop severe illness or
die from the infection.
Droplets of bodily fluids, such as saliva or mucus, from an infected person are
sprayed into the air around them and onto surfaces by coughing or sneezing. You
can limit the danger of spread by coughing or sneezing into a tissue and throwing
the tissue away. Wearing a mask when sick can also limit droplet spread, but is not
completely effective in preventing infection.
Infection can be passed onto another person by breathing in the droplets, or by
touching the surfaces with their hands and bringing it up to their faces. It is not
This is Really Serious!
This novel coronavirus is not just a bad flu. Emerging consensus is that
containment may have been possible a few weeks ago, but is no longer realistic
until we have a vaccine, which may still be at least 12 months away.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates mortality rates of up to 3.5%.
The best case scenario is South Korea at seven deaths in 1000 cases of infection
(0.7% mortality), but that is because South Koreans are on average younger, and
they have done everything right from the earliest stages of the outbreak: Massive
roll out of aggressive testing (including drive-through testing) coupled with radical
transparency, public support and early containment measures.
Italy, however, is now the country with the largest number of infected cases outside
of China. Many Italians continued normal activities and socialising, and did not
take the lockdown measures seriously until the infection cases and death rate rose
exponentially over the last three weeks, from seven deaths on 25 February to now
over 2150 deaths on 17 March.
On top of that, Italy reports that 10% of their cases require not only hospitalisation,
but also ICU care, which may extend beyond three to six weeks. With nearly
28,000 confirmed cases in that country, 10% means 2800 patients with severe
illness requiring ICU within the space of three weeks. This has overwhelmed the
country’s medical resources, and many patients have died, and will continue to die,
due to unavailable ICU beds and medical care.
Flatten the Curve to Prevent Disaster
The majority of infected people will have a mild disease that gets better without
any complications, but up to 10% may require hospitalisation, and a percentage of
those will require ICU care. If the spread of the virus is not contained aggressively
from early stages, the rapid exponential spread of the infection can result in a huge
number of infected people needing medical care at the same time, which would
overwhelm our healthcare system capacity.
In South Africa, we are still in the early, flat stage of the rise in infections, but if we
don’t limit social contact between people, the exponential spike in cases is inevitable.
128 events
MARCH
2020 a start,
/ www.modernathlete.co.za
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Cancelled ISSUE
races and
is just
and we need to do more. Fortunately,
there are a number of steps we can implement to curb the spread of the virus.
1. Teach the public about self-protection and safety measures.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or with an alcohol-based
hand-rub, to kill off the viruses on your hands.
• Maintain social distancing of at least one metre between yourself and
someone who is coughing and sneezing. Coughs and sneezes may spray
small liquid droplets from the mouth or nose which may contain the virus. You
can breathe in the virus if you stand too close
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces and can
pick up the virus, which can be transferred to your eyes, nose or mouth, and
infect you
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Make sure you and people around you cough or
Tobias
What does COVID-19 stand for?
For most people, infection results in a mild flu-like illness. Signs of infection include
fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases,
it can lead to pneumonia, multiple organ failure and even death. Those that get
severe illness tend to be older and have other associated conditions, such as
diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, immunosuppression,
etc., but people of all ages can become infected and die from the disease.