Updated Proposal Involving the Business Community Regarding Suppression of COVID-19

Update: A cheap, paper test, is already available. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7Sv_pS8MgQ&t=662s Go to around 11:00 for less math.

An open letter to the business leaders of the nation.

We are doing testing all wrong; how to eliminate COVID-19 in 60-90 days

The failure of leadership in Washington is manifest, so it may be up to the business community, in concert with academia and a few astute politicians, to save us from ourselves.

There is a way to stop COVID-19 in its tracks without massive disruptions or waiting for vaccinations. It will, however, require coordination on a national level. It could guarantee returning to normal in 90 days from its inception. It avoids the mask controversy and focuses solely on what is needed to open up the economy. It will require cooperation and dedication, but we have those, it just requires someone or a group to get us to focus. Business needs to take charge.

Daily the reports of the number of cases increases, as does the number of tests being conducted. Yet what happens if you do test positive? Is there a national plan for those who test positive? Are they expected to deal with it on their own? Do they sequester themselves? Their families? Their contacts? Everything seems hit or miss. A recent study published in Nature notes that asymptomatic people viral-shed more and for longer periods than symptomatic individuals so testing has to broaden to include nearly everyone.

A task force of prominent business and academic science leaders needs to convene to design a coherent strategy that would include funding, research and development, and public relations. Washington can’t or won’t do it. Production and distribution a test that is reliable and produces immediate results can be the responsibility of academia. Waiting a week to find out a result is too long. Everyone needs to be tested on the same day and the results have to be known immediately. The University of Illinois has developed a saliva test that gives close to immediate results. Find the funding to validate this test and produce millions of tests. (https://www.modernhealthcare.com/technology/university-illinois-screen-students-covid-test-developed-campus). If our wealthiest businessmen aren’t willing to fund it individually, create a corporate entity that can sell stock. Sell the stock as an investment.

As far as where and when to conduct the tests, develop a procedure. One idea would be to use polling places and/or post offices as testing sites. As soon as they become available, and we would need millions -- there’s a profit motive there -- train and equip volunteers or paid staff to administer the tests. Pick three days, each three weeks apart from the first day. Declare each a holiday, and test everyone on each of those days. Create a caroot-and-stick approach.

Those who test positive will be required to be isolated (enforced by electronic monitoring) with their families for three weeks or until such time as everyone in the family tests negative. They will receive a monetary stipend (or if employed continued salary by their employer) and instructions on how to get food delivered as well as free internet service via hotspot and a laptop if they don’t have one. There will be penalties for those who violate the quarantine. If sick they will receive free medical attention funded by Medicare. Those who don’t show up for testing will be required to isolate for two weeks to be enforced by law enforcement. But build in incentives. If there are enough incentives, participation should be close to 85-90%

Incentives will be needed to get everyone to get tested. It could be just like needing a driver's license to drive a car. Those who test negative will receive a certificate and would be free to go to work or whatever. That will help open the economy and permit opening the schools without any issues. It will pull those who might be contagious out of the public square.

This national testing day will continue every three weeks. . By that time the virus should have been completely isolated and die out.

Yes, it will require leadership, but the result is a thriving economy so the incentives for business to step up should be huge. It would require a non-partisan task force to design and implement, but this needs to be treated as a national emergency that threatens all of us. This is an opportunity for companies to participate in a positive way. They can donate time, materials, whatever so it becomes a matter of national pride and competition to see who can do the most.

The sooner we start the sooner we can get out from under this nightmare.

I collected some concerns from assorted friends and responded to each. I’m sure there are plenty of smart people who could come up with better ideas and solutions if given the opportunity.

Comment: What are the chances of requiring 100% of the population to do the same thing on the same day every two or three weeks for three months? Zero. It's an interesting idea which, sadly, has absolutely no chance of happening.

Response: I think if there were push from the top in concert with national businesses and incentives we could get at least 85% the first week, hopefully more the second. The biggest problem I see is not participation but finding leadership to promote the idea. The polling places are already there and if people see a potentially very positive outcome you might very well get a large enough percentage. I think it's worth a try as the potential outcome is so beneficial for everyone. To do nothing is to wallow in misery and a disastrous economy for at least another year.

Comment: Logistically possible, yes. Politically possible, no. But the idea of testing everyone as often as possible, and allowing those who are negative to go about their business, does makes sense and might be doable.

Response: Isolation for those testing positive is the key, but it would require a carrot as well as a stick. It's the approach used well in South Korea. I think if you got businesses behind it (they have a lot to gain by reducing COVID) it could become the patriotic thing to do. Biden should at least be out there with a plan. Currently, there is nothing, and we can't count on Trump to do anything. Some infrastructure is already there, i.e. polling places, post offices and election judges could be the testers, supplemented with health personnel. The key is to isolate those who are positive, but give them an incentive to isolate themselves and their families.

Comment:I agree all this is good and probably necessary, but you seem to ignore that you live in the land of the anti-vaccers, where something like 70% of the population believes that angels intervene in their daily lives. People here are way too stupid to do anything as sensible as the testing protocol you describe.

Response: Agreed and that's why it would have to be a mandate, but you get businesses on board who agree to hire or reemploy only those people who have the certificates. You don't make it a government by force, rather a carrot, i.e., just like a driver's license you need this to get employed and this is how you get the certificate. It's free and you build in other incentives and make it look like it comes from the business community, not the government even though the government would bear most of the cost, but that cost would be far less than the chaos we now face.