COVID-19 DIAGNOSISCOVID how to cope with a COVID-19 infection when you’re away If you’ve chosen to travel and live abroad in the middle of a pandemic (or are thinking about doing so), one of your biggest worries may be the chance of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. While you’re right to be concerned, there’s no reason to live in fear. If you’re ready to be a risk-taker, now is the time to learn how to prepare for the possibility of a COVID-19 infection, and to learn how to take care of yourself or your partner if you do become infected. A little bit of background SARS-CoV-2 isn’t the first coronavirus to infect humans. Actually, coronaviruses are pretty common. They’re usually associated with mild respiratory illnesses similar to the common cold. (In fact, coronaviruses are responsible for about 20% of colds.) A few coronaviruses, such as the ones responsible for SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome), which caused an epidemic in Toronto in 2003, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and of course, COVID-19, cause severe infections. The others are nothing a healthy person needs to worry about. You’re most likely to become infected with a coronavirus if you’re in close proximity to an infected person. The coronavirus can spread through close personal contact (such as a handshake or a hug), through respiratory droplets expelled when someone coughs or sneezes, or by touching an object contaminated with coronavirus and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth without having washed your hands. Estimating COVID-19 risk We’ve repeatedly heard the ways to help prevent COVID-19: stay at home as much as possible; stay away from people (except for members of your own household); wear masks; practise social distancing; and wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. All good advice, but it doesn’t answer the questions which many of us may have. Is it safe to go to the beach? What about a restaurant? Does having a party outside lower people’s chances of getting infected? For snowbirds going south, there are several tools available to help you get an idea of that risk. MyCOVIDRisk estimates your relative risk based on what you are doing and where you are located in the United States. For example, four hours at a backyard barbecue in Clearwater with 10 people not wearing masks is a low-risk activity, while two hours in a restaurant with 30 other people, all wearing masks, is high risk. Another tool, the19 and Me COVID-19 Risk Score Calculator, provides a numerical score that helps to estimate your risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 or developing a severe case, based on your location in the United States, whether you are living with conditions that put you at risk of severe disease, your vaccination status, the safety precautions which you take, and how likely you are to come into close contact with other people. The COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool calculates risk based on the location and the number of people attending an event. Here, “risk level” is the chance that at least one person at the event will be COVID 19-positive. With a few clicks, you can obtain this information for any county in the U.S. or (if you’re travelling internationally) for any country worldwide. by Alexis Campbell Risk assessment tools for use when travelling U.S. ONLY: MyCOVIDRisk mycovidrisk.app 19 and Me COVID-19 Risk Score Calculator 19andme.covid19.mathematica.org U.S. AND EUROPE: COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu CSANews | SPRING 2021 | 35
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