Thoughts on identifying asymtomatic spread of COVID-19
4/23/2020, 6 p.m.
In order to systematically detect the presence of an invisible asymptomatic pathogen like COVID-19, you must deploy a multilayered systematic approach to identifying the problem and eradicating it.
The easiest way to detect asymptomatic infection and monitor ongoing asymptomatic transmission is to give everyone a flu test repeatedly every two to three weeks. Flu tests are ubiquitously available. I call it the “fog the mirror” technique.
The first cases of coronavirus were detected not with COVID-19 tests, but with negatives of normal flu tests. Once you generally get a false on a standard flu test, you can funnel those samples into the less available COVID-19 tests. This technique will help you isolate and monitor invisible transmission and allow you to see the patterns.
In electronics, a person initially may detect a situation with a multimeter and then go forward with an oscilloscope for more accurate detail. However, when there are not enough oscilloscopes, you go back to using the multimeter to get you through.
If you initially came upon the coronavirus situation using a standard flu test, you can default to that test to narrow the testing criteria for the less available COVID-19 test. This also more accurately directs the virus testing better than current protocols because you don’t have to wait for severe symptoms to then administer the test, which is what you need to detect asymptomatic transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
J.R. STALLINGS
Mineral
