Coronavirus Q&A: Dr. Marty Makary answers viewers' questions on 'Special Report'
Do wipes kill COVID-19? Is coronavirus absorbed through the skin? Insight from Dr. Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins health policy expert and a Fox News contributor.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marty Makary, professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, joined "Special Report with Bret Baier" to answer more viewer questions regarding the continuing coronavirus outbreak and the possiblity of opening up the economy.
CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
How do you think [the Trump admistration is] going to come to [the decision to open up the economy] knowing what you know about where we are now?
Dr. Marty Makary: Well, we had some very encouraging news today, and we have the benefit of looking at Europe and countries like Italy and Spain. We are behind them in terms of this pandemic. So as they start to go back to work and decide who goes back to work, first we can learn some lessons, "Makary said. "Generally speaking, these pandemics are symmetrical. And if you look at the different curves and the models the peak usually represents, you're right at the halfway point. So I'm still feeling good about June as a time when we're going to green light, hopefully a little bit sooner. But I'm planning on June.
I've been wiping my cash with disinfecting wipes. Do the wipes kill germs and help deter the spread of COVID-19?
Makary: Anything helps because this virus is a fragile virus. It doesn't do well in the in the environment, doesn't do well with wind and U.V. light. So wiping something down for 10 seconds is better than five seconds. 20 seconds is better than 10 and soap is better than with nothing. And certainly alcohol is the most effective.
Has absorption through the skin been fully ruled out? If medicine can be delivered topically, what stops a virus from being absorbed?
Makary: That's right. Small molecules and medications that are very small can diffuse through the skin. And some medications are topical. But this virus is selective to the respiratory cells, to the mucosa. It is primarily an infection of your airway tract in your mouth and mucous membranes. So, no, it does not have any evidence of passing through the skin directly.
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I would like to know about the second wave of the virus. We have projections on a plan for this. Also, do we have a plan for the 51 percent of infected that get reinfected?
Makary: We should not be surprised when there are some cases in the fall. We may want to think of this almost as a chronic disease until we have a therapy. But historically, this the final waves in the fall after the big waves in the winter are much smaller. In 1918, that was about a quarter to a third the size. And hopefully now that we've got everybody programed and wired in on social distancing and good hand washing techniques and other good hygiene, we might be able to go into preparation mode quickly and manage this in a way that acts like the seed of flu come this fall.
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