DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: My son is going to the frontline of the coronavirus

The speed at which Covid-19 has spread around the world and threatened our way of life is astounding.

In late December, less than three months ago, China first warned the World Health Organization (WHO) of some “flu-like cases” in Wuhan.

On January 7, they had identified the cause: a coronavirus, part of a family of viruses including the common cold, as well as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome).

It soon became clear that this was a dangerous and highly contagious virus. But there was still hope that it, like SARS or MERS, would somehow disappear.

On February 2, we saw the first death outside of China and reports of outbreaks in dozens of countries, including the UK. Just a week ago, there was an ongoing hope that the spread of the virus could be controlled and it was possible to continue our current way of life without major disruption. Now that hope has disappeared. The virus is here, among us, and we have a fight over our hands. So what are we going to do?

The first thing to say is that I don’t feel personally threatened. Covid-19 is dangerous, but not on the same scale as some other pandemics.

I am in my early sixties and male which means I have an increased risk, but I am also in good health and I suspect that if and when I do get infected the results will be unpleasant but transient.

I think this will probably also be the case for my wife and children, and for the vast majority of people who become infected.

My mom Joan, who is 90, is the person in my immediate family that I am most concerned about. She is in good health and completely on the ball. Nevertheless, she must be at high risk. Until recently, she was quite active in the community, a regular church-goer and a supporter of the Church. Now she is following the advice to take a strict social distance. And that creates its own problems.

We would love to visit her, but of course we are worried about taking the virus with us – there is a chance that we can carry it in our hands or clothes, and virologists also think that some people, especially younger people, may be infected, but show little or no symptoms.

So it seems that, at least for a while, we’ll have to limit ourselves to chatting over the phone.

Much has been said about using FaceTime and Skype, both video calling apps that work from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

But Joan doesn’t have an iPhone and unfortunately I can’t reach her through the computer. I don’t want to paint her as incapable – it is just as likely that as she is, unable to make everything work.

Some of my brothers and sisters seem to be doing better and have had a video call. I wish I had solved this earlier. My mom is lucky to have younger neighbors who have offered all their help on things like shopping.

She lives near the sea, and I encourage her to take short walks and breathe fresh sea air – keeping the house well ventilated and going outside for a strange brisk walk, even if you practice social distances is really important, whatever you do age.

Mother is very stoic, but I am sure she will find it a wrench not to be able to go to church, see her friends and spend time with her children and grandchildren.

She told me it feels a bit like the early days of World War II with rationing, but, she says, “at the time, at least you could talk to your neighbors and family and draw strength from everything in the same boat.”

Social isolation is a dilemma that families across the country are struggling with.

The other member of my family that I’m concerned about is my son Jack, a junior doctor.

He will soon start a job in an intensive care unit at the hospital – the front line of the battle against Covid-19. Patients brought to these wards are likely to be highly contagious. Jack is young and fit, which means that he should, at least in theory, be less vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus.

However, many nurses, physicians and paramedics in China and Italy are said to have become seriously ill or have died caring for patients, despite being young and fit. I try not to think too much about this.

My wife Clare and I are doing what we can to stay healthy and avoid spreading the virus to others.

So we enthusiastically washed our hands in the past month and avoided kisses or handshakes (at least with other people!). We eat a healthy diet, high in fiber, protein and fermented foods.

We also go outside every day for running or brisk walks. We both practice mindfulness and stress-reducing exercises.

If you want to know how to do this and get tips on how to sleep better, I will post videos on my website, thefast800.com. Clare, a GP who makes the recipes for our books, will also post videos of healthy meals you can make, including those with canned and frozen foods. You can follow her on Instagram @drclarebailey.

We stopped eating out some time ago, and I feel deeply sorry for all those companies that will be struggling.

When I look to the future, I try to be as optimistic and positive as possible. Just as there are risks to underestimate the threat of Covid-19, there are also risks to overestimate the dangers. Worrying about the potential threat will damage your sleep and undermine your immune system.

We know that high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can suppress the activity of your lymphocytes – the white blood cells that help fight infection. So worrying about the virus can make you more vulnerable to it.

Once we’ve been exposed to Covid-19 – as most of us may be – there’s every reason to believe we’ll be immune to future outbreaks. Claims that people who become infected and recover, become infected again, appear to be false, and there is no evidence that Covid-19 mutates into anything nastier.

Scientists have learned a phenomenal amount about Covid-19 in a remarkably short time. Our best guess is that the drastic measures in place now will slow its progress and give us time to develop and deploy better, faster, more readily available tests, drug treatments and ultimately a vaccine.

We are facing a long fight. But I have no doubt that we will be victorious.