Post Lock Down Covid Outbreaks ...

[WiseMonkey]

Singapore was touted as being a good example of how to contain covid19. Their main focus was in targeting people entering the country with rigorous testing and quarantining which saw a large drop in cases and an easing of community restrictions. However much less community testing was conducted and now the spread is getting away on them and there is a 60% increase in local transmission.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world...-19-cases.html

Countries' health authorities need to heed this example and test, test, test for community spread, it's going to take a mammoth effort but has to be systematically carried out until the virus is contained. IMO this has to happen before there can be any relaxing of lockdown protocols, anything less will take countries back to square one or worse. The larger the country the longer it will take.

Many economies are in strife now but another lockdown (following a previous one) would be even more damaging economically

[ErinKC]

I saw this about Singapore. One of my sole sources of information during this is Dr. Fauci, the infectious disease expert here in the US. He is so honest and so sensible. He does predict a recurrence in the fall, but believes like you that we can keep that much more controlled with testing. He hopes that by then we'll have the rapid tests deployed and perhaps an antibody test so people can know if they've had it already. He thinks under those circumstances, you can limit how many people need to be locked down - you test, you know you're positive in 15 minutes, you isolate, etc... There would, of course, still be the issue of asymptomatic carries, but hopefully may more people have had this without symptoms than we know and by the end of the year we'll have a bit more immunity throughout communities.

[Gary A]

I think the problem is more to do with the incubation period of COVID-19 rather than asymptomatic cases. People can have the virus for up to 14 days without showing symptoms and they are most likely infectious throughout that whole period.

This is what’s strange about this particular type of coronavirus, as most other types are not at all infectious until symptoms are present. This is why SARS and MERS were so easily contained, people displayed symptoms very early when infected and could be isolated before they had the chance to infect others.

There’s still not too much evidence to say that asymptomatic cases are actually that infectious to others. Most people diagnosed while not showing symptoms went on to display symptoms later. These are known as pre-symptomatic cases, and it’s most likely this that’s causing rapid spread.

[WiseMonkey]

I saw this about Singapore. One of my sole sources of information during this is Dr. Fauci, the infectious disease expert here in the US. He is so honest and so sensible. He does predict a recurrence in the fall, but believes like you that we can keep that much more controlled with testing. He hopes that by then we'll have the rapid tests deployed and perhaps an antibody test so people can know if they've had it already. He thinks under those circumstances, you can limit how many people need to be locked down - you test, you know you're positive in 15 minutes, you isolate, etc... There would, of course, still be the issue of asymptomatic carries, but hopefully may more people have had this without symptoms than we know and by the end of the year we'll have a bit more immunity throughout communities.

Yes a rapid test would be an invaluable tool as large proportions of the populace could be screened and quarantined if positive. There are some antibody test kits being trialed at present and hopefully they will prove very useful also.

But in reality until a vaccine is created, trialed and then rolled out, social distancing and isolation (lockdown) is likely to continue. If countries have closed their borders (to anyone other than returning countrymen who would be in automatic quarantine), they will have to remain closed until after a vaccine has been given to the general public. Anything less than this could be a set back with dire consequences.