Abstrakt
We read with interest the paper by Coccolini et al. We note that this is the "very first" report of SARS-CoV-2 in the peritoneal fluid in a patient know to be or at least highly likely to be COVID-19 positive.
We understand the need for rapid reporting during this pandemic, but there is also a need to be measured, and not alarmist. We would have thought that the first report was acceptable, but the "very first" is rather emotive use of language! Furthermore, as the patient was already tested as COVID positive had the authors known the peritoneal fluid was positive for the virus, would they have changed anything about their level of SARS-CoV-2, PPE or how they undertook the surgery on the particular patient? We find the whole text rather emotive, with statements like "thousands of health care workers have been infected and died amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak." Sadly, a number of healthcare workers have died but this is a publication in a medical journal rather than journalism.
We acknowledge the need for speedy transmission of knowledge in the current time, but hope that medical journals will continue to ask the right questions of authors, and keep emotive writing to a minimum.