The Tour Chief is fortunate to be friends with two medical doctors who are also cyclists. Michael Sills specializes in internal medicine in metro Detroit and answered our questions via email. Robert Tanz is a pediatrician in Chicago, and is also a teaching professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. I got him to sit for a phone interview. My questions for these two were similar- looking for the how’s and why’s of Covid-19,  and also reviewing some facts which continually get forgotten by the public.

This obvious question was easy for both our doctor friends. Covid-19 as a medical threat ranks as a 10, and has earned pandemic standing. The simple reasons are the lack of natural immunity in humans, plus the relative ease of contagion in the disease.

Maybe you read about the funeral which lead to their first cluster infection  in Georgia. Perhaps you know about the choir practice in  Washington or the  birthday party in Chicago , each with similar disastrous results. But as Dr. Tanz tells it, the real threat might be explained by looking at Italy:

“Bergamo, Italy, is the epicenter of the worst of their disease. Forty thousand residents went to Milan for a soccer match against  a team from Valencia Spain, who sent 5000 residents. The whole outbreak in Italy began 5 days after the match, and simultaneously the outbreak in Spain began 5 days later. Guess where: Valencia! It tells you how infectious this virus is.”

The standard response in the US has been to use Social distancing to slow the disease and keep people safe. “Stay at home orders are intended to flatten the curve and it’s working.” said Dr. Sills. “The rates of incoming can be better managed now…and we have a better idea statistically who is more likely to get sick.”

Generally speaking, hospital capacity is not an issue today. “Here in Chicago, we’re on a plateau, we’ve flattened the curve” said Dr. Tanz, “One thing that people don’t understand fully is that flattening stretches out the pandemic for a longer period of time. (people) are impatient with the lockdowns, it’s frustrating. Sometimes we lose sight of what the real goal should be because we’re impatient…”

“As we start to open up” said Dr. Tanz, “no matter who’s plan we follow, there’s a real likelihood of an increase in cases. And that’s where testing comes in. The purpose of widespread testing for the virus is to identify people who are positive and take them out of circulation. Then, the object in public health, is to track down their contacts and find out who might have been exposed.”

If you’ve been exposed, a 2-week quarantine is standard. If you test positive, then more-restrictive isolation is recommended. Rules will vary by state, and managing this is a significant issue. As Dr. Tanz says, “There are mental health and social services needed. They need food, or a source of income to pay for the food. There’s a potential for mental health issues- we already know this is happening.”

The test being used today only looks for active virus, so it truly is a historical document. “There’s two reasons you change from negative to positive” said Dr. Tanz, “One, it’s not a very good test; it misses 20% to 30% of the positives. The second is the incubation period, from when you come into contact with the virus until you have enough virus in your body to turn positive. It’s frustrating, but all we can do is work with what we’ve got.”

What do facemasks do for us? There’s an amazing variety out there, sometimes worn in unusual style. “First, anything is better than nothing. The purpose of them is to keep the wearer from exposing someone they come into contact with. As I told my medical students yesterday” Dr. Tanz continued, “it’s like Aretha Franklin and R-E-S-P-E-C-T. You don’t spit or sneeze on someone on purpose; you wear masks so that you don’t sneeze on them by accident.”

“I don’t think masks are necessary when you’re out alone for a walk” he said, “but you should have one with you in case you can’t maintain physical distance from others.”

Sidebar- for the last few years, one of our tour swag items has been a head cover. It’s a great surprise to hear that several of our guests have been using them as facemasks!

Statistics now show that most states are over the initial hump, and this has led to protests and demands to remove all restrictions. This week the Wisconsin Supreme Court even took away powers from the governor, leaving city and county municipalities to decide what is appropriate. Everyone wants a return to normal, but there are cautions. As Dr. Sills put it, “No matter how long the stay at home orders last, the virus will still be around, and the rate of contagion will pick up. We need to have an effective vaccine, or enough people with effective antibodies. I would release stay at home orders… in a smart way. Those that are statistically not at risk, I would release right away but they need to be especially careful to avoid spreading it around .”

There are real concerns even for small tours this summer. Guests need to understand the risks of travel. Our lodging partners need a plan, and all our dining partners have to be open and able to handle a group.  If a guest exhibits symptoms of Covid, how many in the tour group have to be quarantined? Who makes that call?

Dr. Tanz was immediate and succinct with his answer: “My opinion would be that everybody on the tour needs to be in quarantine. All the places you’ve stayed, the appropriate thing would be for you to call and say ‘we’ve passed through there, and someone in our group has symptoms consistent with Covid’ and the restaurant or hotel owes it to you in the same way.”

This may leave people afraid to get far from home, yet a quick survey of our summer guests shows that over 75% are ready to travel. Our two doctor friends have cancelled tours this summer and are going to stay close to home for the most part. One exception- Bob Tanz is expecting a grandchild soon, in Arizona.

How important is the flu vaccine, a vaccine which ranges in effectiveness of 10% to 70% and changes each year? According to Dr. Tanz, “More important than ever, and get it in August or September. The reason for that- it’s not guaranteed effective- is that it’s your best chance of making sure you don’t get the flu.”

Think of it- if you avoid getting the flu and thus avoid putting strain on the healthcare system next winter, you free up resources to deal with a second round of Covid. You could help save someone else’s life without even lifting a finger.

At Bike Tour Vacations, we’re still waiting on developments to know if we can tour in July & August. Until then, more study and research into best practices for this season.

If you would like to read the full transcript of our interviews, just ask and we’ll send the document over. As always, your opinion or comments are welcome. Please share them here.

Thanks for reading, and keep on pedaling!

The post Crisis Management & Covid-19 Part 2: Interview with the doctors appeared first on Bike Tour Vacations.