Flattening The Curve And Social Distancing: Understanding The Drastic Measures That Experts Keep Talking About

The New York Times: Flattening The Coronavirus Curve
At the end of February, Drew Harris, a population health analyst at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, had just flown across the country to visit his daughter in Eugene, Ore., when he saw an article on his Google news feed. It was from the Economist, and was about limiting the damage of the coronavirus. The accompanying art, by the visual-data journalist Rosamund Pearce, based on a graphic that had appeared in a C.D.C. paper titled “Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza,” showed what Dr. Harris called two epi curves. (Roberts, 3/11)

Stat: 'Flattening The Curve’ May Be The World’s Best Bet To Slow The Coronavirus
For many countries staring down fast-rising coronavirus case counts, the race is on to “flatten the curve. ”The United States and other countries, experts say, are likely to be hit by tsunamis of Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks without aggressive public health responses. But by taking certain steps — canceling large public gatherings, for instance, and encouraging some people to restrict their contact with others — governments have a shot at stamping out new chains of transmission, while also trying to mitigate the damage of the spread that isn’t under control. (Branswell, 3/11)

The Washington Post: Social Distancing Could Buy U.S. Valuable Time Against Coronavirus
With coronavirus cases in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia already starting to strain limited resources, including masks and lab tests, the United States is at a make-or-break moment that will depend on one of the most basic, but inconvenient and disruptive, public health tools in the book: social distancing. The best way to prevent a catastrophic explosion of cases in the next few weeks, many experts think, is to break potential chains of transmission by preventing infected people from coming in close contact with healthy ones, whether it means canceling conferences or relying on individual decisions to avoid crowded public transportation or postpone weddings. (Johnson, Sun and Freedman, 3/10)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: What Is Social Distancing? Will It Help Curb Coronavirus?
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people to begin practicing “social distancing.”It’s quickly become a buzz word, with memes and jokes from introverts have sprung up quickly online, social distancing is more than just an excuse to cancel plans and stay in. (Kueppers, 3/10)

Stat: Simple Math Offers Alarming Answers About Covid-19, Health Care 
Much of the current discourse on — and dismissal of — the Covid-19 outbreak focuses on comparisons of the total case load and total deaths with those caused by seasonal influenza. But these comparisons can be deceiving, especially in the early stages of an exponential curve as a novel virus tears through an immunologically naïve population. Perhaps more important is the disproportionate number of severe Covid-19 cases, many requiring hospitalization or weekslong ICU stays. What does an avalanche of uncharacteristically severe respiratory viral illness cases mean for our health care system? (Specht, 3/10)

Bloomberg: Can US Contain Coronavirus? Window Passed In Some Places: CDC 
The window for fully containing the coronavirus has passed in some parts of the U.S. and the White House will roll out plans later Tuesday to mitigate its impact. Vice President Mike Pence is expected later Tuesday to roll out a wider mitigation strategy for places dealing with outbreaks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said at a hearing in Washington on Tuesday. (Flatley and Armstrong, 3/10)

The New York Times: Flu And Coronavirus: Similar Symptoms, Different Fears
Is it the flu, a cold or the new coronavirus? Patients and doctors alike are parsing signs of illness to figure out who needs what tests or care and how worried they should be. "You have three different major viruses floating around at the same time," causing somewhat similar symptoms — but different levels of concern, said Dr. Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. (3/10)

The Washington Post: Is Is An Allergy, Coronavirus Or Flu?
Allergy symptoms can be debilitating: itchy, red, watery eyes; sneezing; runny nose and sometimes, coughing. This year, the coronavirus adds a layer of unease to the seasonal annoyance, especially in areas such as Washington, D.C., where pollen counts are already at moderate to high levels. With fear rising in tandem with the number of cases of covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, doctors worry allergy sufferers will conflate their routine reactions to pollen with coronavirus symptoms and overwhelm an already-strained health care system with panicked visits. (Bhanoo, 3/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Vs. Flu: Which Virus Is Deadlier?
The new coronavirus and the seasonal flu are similar in many ways. Both are respiratory diseases that spread through droplets of fluid from the mouth and nose of someone who is infected. Both are contagious, produce similar symptoms and can be deadly. But there are some major differences. While both produce many of the same symptoms—fever, cough and muscle aches—and are particularly hard on the elderly, they come from two different families of viruses. People have more protection from the flu because there is a vaccine and they are exposed to flu viruses every year. (McKay, 3/10)

CBS News: Coronavirus Versus Common Flu: Doctor Explains The Difference 
As public alarm about coronavirus grows, so does concern and confusion over what separates it from more familiar illnesses such as the common flu. CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook explains why the viruses are very "different things." (Elkind, 3/10)

The Washington Post: Who's At Greatest Risk From Coronavirus And How They Should Protect Themselves
The coronavirus is most brutal to the old and the chronically ailing. That is a vast cohort in the United States — millions of people — who are not blessed with youth and good health and who now face an enigmatic pathogen that no human immune system has ever encountered and for which there is no vaccine. Late Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new coronavirus guidelines that attempted to describe who is at higher risk and provide common-sense counsel on how everyone can protect themselves and their families and communities from covid-19, the flu-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus. (Achenbach and McGinley, 3/10)

CBS News: CDC Tells High-Risk Adults To Prepare Accordingly For Coronavirus Outbreak 
The cleaning crew arrived in full hazmat gear at the nursing home that's been ground zero in the coronavirus epidemic. Some 21 residents at the Kirkland facility have now tested positive for the virus. Families are on edge and have been forced to communicate through a window. With the virus now in 10 nursing homes in King County alone, Governor Jay Inslee is sounding the alarm: imposing some of the strictest requirements in the country for older adults at all long-term facilities in the state, including limiting visitors to one per day;  requiring visitors to wear special protective gear; and screening employees for symptoms before each shift. (Vigliotti, 3/10)

The Washington Post: Why Doesn’t Coronavirus Make Kids Sick With Covid-19?
One of the few mercies of the spreading coronavirus is that it leaves young children virtually untouched — a mystery virologists say may hold vital clues as to how the virus works. In China, only 2.4 percent of reported cases were children and only 0.2 percent of reported cases were children who got critically ill, according to the World Health Organization. China has reported no case of a young child dying of the disease covid-19. (Wan and Achenbach, 3/10)

The Wall Street Journal: How Vulnerable Are Children To The New Coronavirus?
Only 2% of the patients in a review of nearly 45,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases in China were children, and there were no reported deaths in children under 10, according to a study published in JAMA last month. (In contrast, there have been 136 pediatric deaths from influenza in the U.S. this flu season.) Three percent of Covid-19 cases occurred in people over 80, while 87% were in those 30 to 79 years-old.About 8% of cases were in people in their 20s. Those 10 to 19 years old accounted for 1% of cases and those under 10 also accounted for only 1%. A separate study looking at the number of infants hospitalized for Covid-19 in China between Dec. 8 and Feb. 6 found only nine infected babies. (Reddy, 3/10)

NPR: What To Do If You Think You've Got Symptoms Of COVID-19
If you or someone in your household is sick with a fever and cough you may be dealing with another symptom: the fear that you have coronavirus. What are you supposed to do? First of all, don't panic. Remember that it's still flu and cold season in the U.S., and seasonal allergies are starting up, too. Unless your symptoms are getting dramatically worse or you feel short of breath, you may not need to seek medical treatment (though it's OK to call your doctor and ask). (Godoy and Simmons-Duffin, 3/10)

The New York Times: How Coronavirus Hijacks Your Cells
The intricate journey of the virus that causes Covid-19. (Corum and Zimmer, 3/11)

The Wall Street Journal: The Stress—And Stress Relief—Of The Gym During Coronavirus
The gym, an escape and haven in the day-to-day lives of millions, has become yet another source of anxiety in the age of coronavirus. As cases of Covid-19 rise in the U.S., health officials are urging people to practice social distancing. That could make spin classes and yoga sessions seem more harmful than healthy. Yet many fitness fanatics crave exercise more than ever and are forging forward, while taking precautions. (Murphy, 3/10)

The New York Times: Can I Boost My Immune System?
As worries grow about the new coronavirus, online searches for ways to bolster the immune system have surged. Are there foods to boost your immune system? Will vitamins help? The immune system is a complex network of cells, organs and tissues that work in tandem to protect the body from infection. While genetics play a role, we know from studies of twins that the strength of our immune system is largely determined by nonheritable factors. The germs we are exposed to over a lifetime, as well as lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, diet and exercise all play a role in the strength of our immune response. (3/10)

The New York Times: 5 Ways To Help Teens Manage Anxiety About The Coronavirus
People of all ages are concerned about the spread of the coronavirus, and teenagers, as a group, tend to experience emotions especially intensely. If you are raising, teaching or otherwise caring for an adolescent who is feeling very nervous about it, here are five things you can do. (Damour, 3/11)

Kaiser Health News: How To Avoid Coronavirus? Lessons From People Whose Lives Depend On It
Andrea Amelse knows hand-washing. For the past eight years, she’s been washing her hands pretty much every time she passes a sink. When she’s near a bottle of antibacterial gel, she uses it. She makes a point of avoiding people with contagious illnesses, even though it can be uncomfortable to ask to work from home or miss a date with friends. And she makes sure she gets plenty of sleep, not always easy at age 25. (Barry-Jester, 3/11)

Boston Globe: Long-Term Care Facilities Move To Restrict Visits From Family Members 
Skilled nursing and assisted living homes across the nation will begin screening all visitors and restricting entry to all but essential health care workers in an effort to prevent new outbreaks of coronavirus, operators of the facilities said Tuesday. Citing new guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trade groups representing long-term care residences housing 2.5 million older Americans said they’ll screen all family members, employees, contractors, and government officials before permitting them to enter ― and telling family and friends to stay away. (Weisman, 3/10)