Coronavirus: How long will we face shutdowns?

Dayton Daily News

A public health study guiding the nation’s extreme social distancing measures says that school closures and other shutdowns may be needed until an effective vaccine is available several months from now.

In press daily press conferences Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton has pointed to a study from Imperial College in the United Kingdom, which describes public health measures used in the 1918 influenza pandemic and being used now.“Non-pharmaceutical interventions” – promoting hand washing and respiratory etiquette, closing schools and social venues, mandating social distancing, home quarantine of suspected cases – are the best ways to slow transmission, public health officials say. Layering multiple interventions is more effective than relying on just one or two, the study says.

Dr. Amy Fairchild, dean of the Ohio State University College of Public Health, said more COVID19 testing capacity would help limit the time Americans spend under shelter-in-place orders because infections could be identified and isolated more quickly. Dr. Fairchild said a COVID19 vaccine probably won’t be available until next year under the best case scenario.