Testing is the best way to fight COVID-19

Apr 03, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

The lockdown of the entire society with restricted movement only slow down the spread, it cannot stop SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Testing will be a more effective and data driven way to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Countries such as Israel and South Africa still have spreading of Covid-19 and deaths even though they have strict laws that quarantine their population.
It will be expensive to test many people from each area then zoom in on a particular area once the virus is detected. But it will pay for itself with the saving of life and the resumption of economic activities.
There is a company Biosensors in South Korea that produce 350,000 testing kits a day. Testing the blood for an increase white blood cell count will be a preliminary test to help identify people who need confirmatory test.
It is impossible to fight an enemy you cannot see. Testing locates the Covid-19 and can help us focus resources where it is needed. If we do not strategically test aggressively, our health system will eventually become overwhelmed by the Covid-19 heath crisis. I use to teach graphing the spread of viruses and because they spread exponentially, containment is difficult. Testing is our best tool to fight this pandemic. Curfew and social distancing (impossible if I live with several people) and state of emergency only slow down the spread; elimination should be the goal.
Yours truly,
Brian Ellis Plummer