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In a Washington Post op-ed, Joseph G. Allen, an assistant professor of exposure assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard University offered reasons for optimism amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Allen, who is also the co-author of “Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity" said that “to help get through this storm, we must keep track of positive developments.”
In his piece, Allen offered six positive developments that could provide hope as cases of COVID-19 continue to spike throughout the country.
Among the positive developments Allen mentions:
- Scientists have now engineered clones of these antibodies — what we call monoclonal antibodies — and they are showing to be effective both therapeutically and to prevent infection.
- Rapid, low-cost saliva tests are on the way, which could “change our ability to slow outbreaks where early detection is everything. It would also help consumer confidence and slow down this economic crisis.”
- Wearing masks has become largely common practice after it’s been proven that they are effective in curbing the spread of the virus.
- “Consensus has finally emerged that airborne spread is happening.”
- There is some science showing that past exposure to common-cold coronaviruses might be playing a protective role for some people.
- Vaccine trials seem to be working, and drug manufacturers have already said they might be able to deliver doses by October.
“For the first time in history, nearly every scientist in the world is focused on the same problem,” Allen said. “This is starting to pay real dividends.”
The complete op-ed in the Washington Post can be found here.
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