The Enormous Impact Social Distancing Can Have On The Spread Of A Deadly Virus

The Washington Post: Why Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Spread Exponentially, And How To 'Flatten The Curve'
After the first case of covid-19, the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus, was announced in the United States, reports of further infections trickled in slowly. Two months later, that trickle has turned into a steady current. (Stevens, 3/14)

The Associated Press: How It Spreads, Infects: Coronavirus Impact Comes Into Focus
The medical impact of the new coronavirus is coming into sharper focus as it continues its spread in what is now officially recognized as a pandemic. Its true fatality rate isn't yet known, but it seems 10 times higher than the flu, which kills hundreds of thousands around the world each year, the United States' top infectious disease expert told lawmakers last week. (Marchione, 3/15)

ABC News: COVID-19 Can Last A Few Days On Surfaces, According To New Experiment Findings 
As scientists scramble to understand more about the novel coronavirus, a new government-funded experiment shows that the virus can survive on surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for up to three days. Though preliminary, the experiment emphasizes the importance of diligently sanitizing cellphones, plastic and metal surfaces regularly to prevent the spread of SARS-COVID-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (Kumar and Salzman, 3/13)

Stat: The Coronavirus Likely Can Remain Airborne. It Doesn’t Mean We’re Doomed
When a new virus blasts out of the animals that harbored it and into people, experts can usually say, thank goodness it’s not like measles. That virus is more contagious than any others known to science: Each case of measles causes an astronomical 12 to 18 new cases, compared to about six for polio, smallpox, and rubella. Each case of the new coronavirus is estimated to cause two to three others. The reason the measles is so, well, viral, is that the microbe is so small and hardy that it is able to stay suspended in the air where an infected person coughed or sneezed for up to two hours, making it one of the only viruses that can exist as a true aerosol. Now there are conflicting reports on whether the new coronavirus can. (Begley, 3/16)

ProPublica: This Coronavirus Is Unlike Anything In Our Lifetime, And We Have To Stop Comparing It To The Flu
As a longtime health care reporter, I see the unfolding coronavirus pandemic as representing everything I’ve read about — from the early days of epidemiology to the staggering toll of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic — but had not covered in my lifetime. And still, I have been caught off guard by the pushback from top elected officials and even some friends and acquaintances who keep comparing it to the flu. (Ornstein, 3/14)

The New York Times: A Timeline Of The Coronavirus
The coronavirus, which surfaced in a Chinese seafood and poultry market late last year, has spread to more than 135 countries, killing more than 5,300 and sickening tens of thousands of people in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a pandemic. Here’s a timeline of the outbreak so far. (Taylor, 3/14)

Stat: With The Coronavirus, Drug That Once Raised Global Hopes Gets Another Shot
A decade ago, a group of chemists cooked up a compound they simply called 3a and that, in lab experiments, fought off a number of different viruses. One was a type of coronavirus. Now, the descendant of that molecule — Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir — is being rushed to patients with infections from the novel coronavirus in hopes that it can reduce the intensity and duration of Covid-19 and ease the burden of the pandemic on health systems. (Joseph, 3/16)

CIDRAP: US Takes More Big Pandemic Response Steps; Europe COVID-19 Cases Soar
In another development, researchers who monitor syndromic surveillance systems reported some of the first signals that might reflect increased activity due to COVID-19. On Twitter, Marc Lipsitch, DPhil, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, noted that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flulike illness latest chart shows a slight increase, though flu testing is declining. "Only one week so far but best evidence I know for widespread COVID-19 in the absence of viral testing," he said. "Something to watch carefully in each region." (Schnirring, 3/15)

Kaiser Health News: Former Federal Virus Hunter Says U.S. Needs To Act Before New Germs ‘Kick Your Door In’ 
When the federal government decided to investigate the threat viruses in animals posed to humans, Dennis Carroll helped lead the charge. Carroll directed the pandemic influenza and emerging threats unit at the federal Agency for International Development (USAID) for nearly 15 years. In that time, he spearheaded Predict, a project that identified more than 2,000 zoonotic viruses, or germs in animals ― the viral “dark matter,” as he characterizes it — that could also sicken people. (Heredia Rodriguez, 3/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Food Delivery’s Big Coronavirus Test: Can It Deliver?
For food-delivery companies, the new coronavirus poses a complex puzzle: It could boost customer demand but batter the restaurants that supply the food and threaten the health of workers who deliver it. Initial signs from areas like Seattle that were hard-hit early on by the U.S. outbreak show robust orders for food delivery, as employees are urged to work from home and schools close. But customers also are cutting back on actual visits that are important to restaurants’ profitability. (Haddon and Rana, 3/15)

The New York Times: Mapping The Social Network Of Coronavirus
The offices of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University sit 10 floors above Boston’s Back Bay. Wraparound windows offer a floating panorama of the city, from Boston Common to Fenway Park, as a half-dozen young analysts toil quietly at computers. At 10 a.m. on a recent morning, with the early calls to the World Health Organization and European doctors complete and the check-in with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scheduled for later, Alessandro Vespignani, the institute’s director, had some time to work the room. In a black blazer and jeans, he moved from cubicle to cubicle, giving each member of his team the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic. (Carey, 3/13)

The New York Times: How To Protect Older People From The Coronavirus
Amid the uncertainty swirling around the coronavirus pandemic stands one incontrovertible fact: The highest rate of fatalities is among older people, particularly those with underlying medical conditions. Of the confirmed cases in China to date, nearly 15 percent of patients over 80 have died. For those under 50, the death rate was well below 1 percent. There is no evidence yet that older people are significantly more likely to acquire the coronavirus than younger people. But medical experts say that if people over 60 are infected, they are more likely to have severe, life-threatening disease, even if their general health is good. (Hafner, 3/14)

The New York Times: What Are The Rules For Play Dates During The Coronavirus Crisis?
Schools and day care centers are closing, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling us to limit close contact with others if the coronavirus is known to be spreading within our community. But what does close contact mean, exactly? Should we stop letting our kids have play dates? Is it OK to go to the museum or playground or indoor trampoline park? And what about birthday parties? (Moyer, 3/13)

CNN: How To Keep Coronavirus Fears From Affecting Your Mental Health 
Coronavirus! Yes, it's a serious situation, and yes, it deserves your vigilance and attention. But the constant spring of information, precautions and warnings, whether it's straight from the CDC or some recirculated, dubiously-sourced post on Facebook, can take a real toll on your mental health.When does caution become overreaction? When does staying informed cross the line into, well, too much information? (Willingham, 3/14)

The New York Times: The Workers Who Face The Greatest Coronavirus Risk
Nurses and doctors rank high. But so do hairdressers and dentists. (Gamio, 3/15)

The Washington Post: OCD And Anxiety Disorder Treatment Can Be Complicated By Coronavirus Fears
People who are wrestling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders are feeling an even heavier burden in these stress-producing times. Much of the news about coronavirus feeds their already heightened concerns about contamination, being sick or general discomfort when the future is uncertain. Washing hands, avoiding crowds, and for some with possible exposure — twice daily temperature taking — have become urgent public health recommendations instead of excessive behavior requiring treatment. (Vander Schaaff, 3/14)

Los Angeles Times: How One Man's Coronavirus Created A Global Web Of Potential Infection
Contracting the new strain of coronavirus was stressful enough for one 55-year-old Washington, D.C., aerospace consultant. But tracking down and calling the people he came into contact with may have been just as bad. “Are you sitting down? I got bad news,” he told people at least a dozen times. The consultant was diagnosed Friday with the illness, one among the early waves of known cases in the United States. (Bierman, 3/15)

NBC News: Social Distancing Could Have Devastating Effect On People With Depression
As the coronavirus advances across the country, more Americans are staying in their homes. That sort of "social distancing" is considered essential to slowing the spread of the virus and easing the burden on the beleaguered health infrastructure. But for those suffering from depression, especially those who struggle with suicidal thoughts, it is definitely not what the doctor ordered. (Sacks, 3/16)

The Washington Post: If You Feel Sick And Are Worried About The Coronavirus, Call Your Doctor. Don’t Rush To The ER.
Uh, oh. You wake up feeling crummy. Your throat hurts; maybe you have a cough. You are definitely anxious. What should you do? Can you get tested to rule out the novel coronavirus? (McGinley, 3/13)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Can Stay Infectious For Days On Surfaces
Scientists studying the novel coronavirus are quickly uncovering features that allow it to infect and sicken human beings. Every virus has a signature way of interacting with the world, and this one — SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease covid-19 — is well-equipped to create a historic pandemic. The coronavirus can be shed by people even before they develop symptoms. That pre-symptomatic transmission has helped it become a stealth contagion, spreading through communities before they know what hit them. (Achenbach, 3/13)

The New York Times: 5 Ways To Help Your Community Combat Coronavirus (While Still Social Distancing)
The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is ticking steadily upward, and with it are Americans’ collective anxiety levels. But stockpiling massive caches of toilet paper and bottled water for insular forts will only lead to more shortages and more stress. Instead, the best way for us all to prepare is by looking out for one another. (Misra, 3/15)

ABC News: What We Know And Don’t About The Americans Who Died From Coronavirus 
As the novel coronavirus continues to claim lives in the United States, experts are investigating what factors increase some people’s risk of dying from the virus. So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not released a summary of basic demographic information about the people who have died, but according to information collected by ABC News' Medical Unit, the majority of deaths have been among people in the 70s, 80s and 90s. (Salzman, 3/14)

The Hill: SARS-CoV-2 In People And The Environment: What's Coming? 
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged out of China in December 2019 is a highly infectious pathogen with the potential to rapidly overload health care systems and inflict substantial mortality around the world. An effective vaccine for this virus is under development and although moving quickly, will not be available to protect the most vulnerable for another year. The average case fatality rate for this virus has been estimated to be at least 1 percent, but this estimate is expected to vary geographically as a function of health care capacity, baseline population health and other socio-demographic factors. (Gerardo Chowell and Lisa Casanova, 3/15)