Gargle Lavage as a Safe and Sensitive Alternative to Swab Samples to Diagnose COVID-19: A Case Report in Japan
Makoto Saito, Eisuke Adachi, Seiya Yamayoshi, Michiko Koga, Kiyoko Iwatsuki‐Horimoto, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi
Abstract
August) 893 itself [6]. This pandemic will pass, what will stay is the damage created by labeling people who are foreign as dangerous, by putting ourselves first and others last, and by having a very narrow scope of our sense of responsibility in the response to this pandemic. Now is not the time to have this "us against them mentality. " There can be strength in cross-collaboration at all levels to resolve this pandemic. Even in the setting of social distancing, families and communities can remain strong by staying virtually connected and by being creative around problem solving to make provision for food, shelter, and child care. But our sense of duty doesn't need to stop with us. Globally, there is a need to create an environment for shared learning regardless of ideology. This is necessary to inform public health responses but also to share knowledge and resources for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. As COVID-19 continues to spread to now also affect low-resource countries that, under regular circumstances, have very limited capacity for intensive care, I hope that we will not repeat the mistakes of the past as seen with the HIV epidemic where lifesaving drugs were only available in highresource countries, leaving impoverished nations with limited or no access to lifesustaining therapies. COVID-19 is not an Asian problem, it's not a European or even an American problem. It's a global problem that involves each of us and we should all be invested in coming up with solutions for ourselves, our neighbors, and for the world.