Interview with Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch

Chatting with Dr. Issac Bogoch CTV’s Madison Erhardt speaks with Dr. Isaac Bogoch about why some people more likely to spread the COVID-19 virus, how safe is air travel now, and when will we see a vaccine.

Barrie — CTV's Madison Erhardt gets the latest from infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch to find out why some people, are more likely to spread the COVID-19 virus, how safe air travel is at the moment, and when we might see a vaccine.

Madison: Growing research suggests that most people who are infected with COVID-19 aren't actually spreading the virus; it's only a small population who are spreaders, why is that?

Dr. Bogoch: If someone is infected with this virus regardless of who they are, they certainly can transmit it to other people, but for whatever reason, some people just seem to shed much more virus to the area around them compared to others. There is this often-cited 20–8O rule where about 20 per cent of the infected population is responsible for about 80 per cent of the infections.

Madison: WestJet and Air Canada are selling middle seats again, what are your thoughts on this?

Dr. Bogoch: It's Interesting. When we look at the infection transmission on an airplane, especially with an infection like this, its surprisingly not as common as what people might believe, clearly if we put more people into a crowded space, the risk goes up, but I don't think it goes up that significantly. You still have to put on a mask, you still have to practise hand hygiene, but the way that the airplanes are cleaned and the way that airflow is conducted in an airplane significantly lowers the risk of infection.

Madison: Where do we stand on the vaccine front?

Dr. Bogoch: There are about 140 to 150 vaccines that are currently under development, and about 60 or 70 are in human trials right now; the rest of them are in a more laboratory setting. We are probably going to hear about the effectiveness of one of those vaccines that is in a very large and advanced human clinical trial later in July or early August. I think we would have to get lucky to see vaccines administered in community setting in 2020. It is probably more likely in 2021, having said that it is still possible.