“We're thinking about Covid-19 the wrong way. It's not a 'wave' – it's a wildfire. Like a fire, the virus relentlessly seeks out its fuel, humans, and will keep spreading as long as it has access to that,” write Michael T Osterholm and Mark Olshaker in a concise letter in The Guardian.
Read MoreMinnesota Public Radio provides an interview with Dr. Michael Osterholm. A message he’s been repeating lately is the importance of aerosol transmission and good circulation in buildings. Listen or read here.
We also encourage you to listen to his weekly podcasts. In the latest episode, "No Time to Rest," Dr. Osterholm highlights vaccine safety, face shields, and how to respond effectively to misinformation. His two-part series on reopening schools has resonance to reopening churches (parts one and two).
Read MoreDr. Michael Olsterholm, epidemiologist and Lutheran, talks with Terry Gross how the coronavirus will be with us for months and “may come and go, but it will keep transmitting until we get at least 60 or 70% of the population infected and hopefully develop immunity.”
Olsterholm is far more concerned with transmission through the air rather than surfaces, stressing it’s how much time you spend in enclosed spaces.
And he dislikes the term social distancing. "It's physical distancing…don't socially distance. If there was ever a time when we all need each other, it's now," he says. "We need to start an epidemic of kindness right now to take on this pandemic of this virus."
Read MoreDr. Michael Osterholm—certainly on everybody’s top 5 Lutheran epidemiologists list—has a weekly podcast through the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
In the latest episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the role that asymptomatic individuals might play in COVID-19 transmission, the issue of repeat PCR testing and "chronic infection," the latest updates on masks, and studies assessing the effectiveness of shutdowns in reducing illness. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.
Read MoreDr. Michael T. Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at University of Minnesota, introduces us to their Effective COVID-19 Crisis Communication report. They stress six key principles:
Don’t Over-reassure
Proclaim Uncertainty
Validate Emotions—Your Audience’s and Your Own
Give People Things to Do
Admit and Apologize for Errors
Share Dilemmas
