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Re: Playing with a cold

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-09-27 19:35

Colds are caused by viruses that mutate very quickly. That's why there's no vaccine yet, and you keep getting them.

However, once you get a cold, you become immune to re-infection by that particular virus version. Thus you can continue to play without getting that cold again.

Germicides such as alcohol have no effect, since the infecting organism is a virus, not a germ. If you feel "safe" using it, go ahead, but it has no actual biological effect.

Viruses can't survive for very long once the sneeze droplets by which they are transmitted evaporate. Thus your clarinet won't get "infected."

You of course keep swabbing out the clarinet to prevent mold and keep water from soaking into the end grain of the wood, and you clean the mouthpiece to remove mineral deposits from evaporating saliva.

Ken Shaw

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