The ReMarker editor-in-chief Sam Ahmed ’20 interviewed Dr. Suzanne Y. Wada, an Infectious Diseases physician who has spent the majority of her professional life at UT Southwestern in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Currently, she is providing primary care and infectious disease care in an HIV Clinic at Parkland.

Sam Ahmed: Could you explain social distancing in scientific terms?

Dr. Suzanne Y. Wada: This virus is very infectious and transmissible from human to human. The idea of social distancing (and being 6 feet apart) is that theoretically if you cough or sneeze, you won't transmit the virus through respiratory droplets to another human if you are not in close proximity (at least 6 feet apart). Respiratory droplets from coughing are thought not to travel more than 6 feet. Social distancing is the idea that physical space between people will prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Social distancing, avoiding close proximity to other humans is difficult to do, but an absolute necessity in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sam: What do you think about the response from the United States government? What are we doing right, and what are we doing wrong?

Dr. Wada: The message from the United States government, county and state governments needs to be transparent and uniform. When the message is not uniform, it is confusing and alarming to the public.

I totally agree with current shelter-in-place and social distancing in Dallas County.

Early on, COVID-19 testing was not easily available. COVID-19 testing has improved significantly. You have to have data to really know what is going on.

Sam: President Trump believes that we will be able to reopen the country by Easter, what do you think about this timeline? What timeline do you have in mind for the United States?

Dr. Wada: I think President Trump wants to be positive and optimistic which is a good thing. But from an Infectious Diseases standpoint, I find it hard to believe that things will change by Easter. I think the next week or two will be very telling. What happens in New York City will be very important to watch. Outbreaks of COVID-19 could continue to occur in other areas of the United States, so the themes of shelter-in-place and social distancing may very well continue.

Again, I hope there is transparency and an overall uniform message from the US government, county and state governments; obviously, there may be some variation depending on the incidence of COVID-19 in a particular location.

Sam: Looking at China who is on the other side of the curve now, how did they get there, and what should we be taking from them?

Dr. Wada: When you see pictures of China during the height of their infections, the streets were empty. There were no cars or people on the streets. Being a physician, I drove to work today and though the traffic was definitely lighter, there was still a considerable amount of traffic. China's ability to shut the cities down with their version of shelter-in-place for a number of weeks made a huge impact.

Sam: Do you think people realize how bad this situation actually is?

Dr. Wada: I think that in the last week or so, people realize that this is bad and could get worse. People are listening more and keeping social distance. I have seen this with my daughter and her friends, all seniors in high school. And we are all watching what is happening in Italy, Spain and of course, New York City.

Sam: What is your advice for every American and every human in this world to do their part in stopping the spread of COVID-19?

Dr. Wada: Every individual, regardless of age, as best they can, must adhere to social distancing and shelter-in-place mandates to decrease the transmission of the COVID-19 virus from human to human. We must use hand sanitizers and wash our hands frequently throughout the day.