During the whole pathetic episode of last year, people turned wildly against physical things. No sharing of pencils at schools if they are even open. No salt and pepper shakers at tables. No more physical menus. They were replaced by QR codes. Phones, tables, door handles, super market products and public transport seats probably all give you Covid. Touchless is the new way.
Already early on studies showed that the physical-phobic frenzy was baseless. But all thee reports have been totally ignored. Authorities not only recommended, even mandated measures and instructions to avoid touching and clean, scrub and wipe all surfaces.
On April 5, the US authority CDC declared publicly that “in most situations, the risk of infection from touching a surface is low.” Basis for this change is the following:
“Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) studies have been conducted to understand and characterize the relative risk of SARS-CoV-2 fomite transmission and evaluate the need for and effectiveness of prevention measures to reduce risk. Findings of these studies suggest that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the fomite transmission route is low, and generally less than 1 in 10,000, which means that each contact with a contaminated surface has less than a 1 in 10,000 chance of causing an infection.”
Many billions have been spent on cleaning and a hysteria has been created. The science apparently changed. But it will take years before people get the news and act on it. Once the myths of surface transmission of a respiratory virus are unleashed, it will be hard to go back to normal.
Experts have known this all along but it has been totally ignored. Even today people are still focusing on surface cleaning and there is still no evidence that anyone has ever gotten Covid-19 by touching a contaminated surface.
The question is: How many years will it take people to come to terms with the embarrassing and scandalous reality that last year’s science was made up and turned out to be wholly false?
Sven Franssen