LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Public health experts at UNLV and Southern Nevada Health District hosted a live online discussion on Monday to talk prevention of COVID-19 and what the future may hold.
During the online discussion, doctors said it will take a minimum of 12 to 18 months before we see a vaccine that could work.
“We don't know what happens 12 months after you're infected- if you can get infected again or if you get it once and that's it,” said Dr. Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the UNLV School of Public Health. “We haven't had more than three to four months of experience with this virus so we can't say what is going to happen in a year, two years, five years down the road. There's a lot of things we don't know and that makes it challenging to make decisions about using a vaccine, if we even have one.”
Doctors do know this: staying home, washing your hands, and staying at least six feet away from people does minimize the risk of catching the virus. If you’re living with a person who has COVID-19, those tasks are more important than ever.
Doctors say ideally, you should keep someone who is sick isolated in their own bedroom with one person designated at their primary care taker.
“If you are in a situation where that person doesn't have their own room or something like that, keeping windows open improves air circulation and makes it less likely these particles stay in the air for a long period of time,” said Dr. Vit Kraushaar, Medical Investigator at Southern Nevada Health District.
Dr. Kraushaar says in a perfect scenario, everyone with cold or flue like symptoms would be tested for COVID-19, but it’s not feasible right now because of lack of resources. They are asking people with mild symptoms to stay home.
