You’re probably thinking “First, zeptoseconds, then speeches and dancing, and now Swiss cheese? How are they related?” I’ve used the concept of discrete time intervals to make a point. Each discrete time interval of seemingly separate tasks can be put together to make up something that can be greater than each individual part—in this case, a way to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Swiss cheese concept is credited to Dr. James Reason who applied it to safety in many industries, but it fits here very well. For example, wearing a seat belt every time you drive reduces the risk of serious injury. But a specific type of collision, say hitting another vehicle from behind that doesn’t have operational brake lights, could still cause serious whiplash. In a time interval too fast for human response, a sensor sends a signal to deploy an airbag to limit injury, and there are now sensors that will automatically brake to stop the car. Different actions performed in discrete time intervals put together can make driving safer.

The Swiss cheese idea is that while there are holes in any single slice, the holes don’t extend the entire brick of cheese; any single hole will eventually get blocked. If you have enough safeguards, the combination of imperfect strategies will work together to lower your risk. I’m adding time to it to illustrate how little time it can take.

Four Steps to Keep Yourself Healthy

1. Wear a mask all the time when in public. Using my five-year-old grandson Riley as an example, it takes no more than 10 seconds to put on a mask. (He and his classmates wear masks all day in kindergarten, so don’t tell me it’s too hard to do; here’s more on masks.)

2. Social distance and spend no more than 15 minutes in any single encounter (four hours in a poorly ventilated space with strangers is just asking for trouble). A shorter time is better.

3. Clean and sanitize surfaces regularly. This may take up to 10 seconds for the surfaces we encounter frequently.

4. Wash your hands often with soap and water; sing the ABC song to make sure you scrub long enough. Or use a hand sanitizer with 70%+ alcohol, and the virus is destroyed within 30 seconds.

Any single strategy has holes, but used together, we can keep the risk for ourselves and others very low.

The Bottom Line

My point this week is to demonstrate that you have enough time to reduce the COVID risk for yourself and others. Small discrete acts can add up to a powerful strategy; doing enough of them helps put the odds in your favor. As I said before, there’s nothing to fear. Just respect the virus and act accordingly.

If you’re a U.S. citizen, make sure you vote next week. With everyone glued to the election results, including many readers in other countries, I’m sure your attention will be elsewhere so Paula and I are taking next week off. The leaves and the mulch await, and I’ll work on getting prepared for some great new ideas for the New Year.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: doi: 10.1097/QMH.0b013e3182418294.