The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Pandemic: Controversies in the Light of the Scientific Evidence

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic triggers antagonistic reactions, between those who consider this to be a benign infection and those who classify it as a severe one, some who find the measures excessive and some that believe them to be insufficient. This infection is usually asymptomatic or mild, and only rarely is severe or critical, with lethality rates that are two to three times those of the seasonal flu. Nevertheless, the number of patients in need of admission to the hospital and of intensive care is variable from region to region, and might overwhelm the health system. Scientific evidence supporting the mitigation measures is scarce, and control groups inexistent, with data that shed doubt on real life effectiveness of lockdowns, contact tracing, disinfection of surfaces, objects and hands, school closures and mask use, on reducing the number of new cases. Interventions put in place to strengthen the hospital system might be insufficient and, in Portugal, there are no defined recommendations to avoid unbeneficial admissions to Intensive Care Units. A monitoring system to analyze the hospital system’s capacity and to adjust it to real time needs would be paramount, not only for the present pandemic, but also for future similar situations.