[DaFace]

Originally Posted by eDave

We are a team of medical experts following COVID-19's progression closely. Ask Us Anything.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus...rts_following/

There's some good stuff in there. A few that stood out to me:

The spectrum of disease still being defined but ~80% of people have mild disease and around 20% moderate to severe disease that requires hospitalization. - Dr. Carlos Del Rio

It is possible to stay uninfected! Yesterday in a press briefing, Dr. Nancy Messonnier at the CDC said that the secondary attack rate among family members of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is 10.5% so far. So that means that about 1 in 10 family members who have been exposed by a relative have gotten sick.

If you or a loved one gets sick, the advice I’ve seen from public health officials is to try to put a mask on them (that may be hard, given the scarcity of masks in the U.S. right now), and isolate them from others. The recommendation is to try to have them use their own bedroom and bathroom separately from the rest of the family. Of course, wash your hands and disinfect common contact surfaces frequently. - Brenda Goodman

Q: Will this end anytime soon(like in 2-3 years)? Or we will get used to it.
A: This remains an open question. It is possible, for instance, that the virus moves quickly across the globe and ultimately burns itself out. Or, this virus can become what we refer to as ‘endemic’ and becomes a part of our normal repertoire of viruses we have to contend with each year. This was, for instance, the case with H1N1. The virus emerged in 2009 and spread across the globe infecting many millions. Now, it has become part of the repertoire of viruses we expect to deal with each year - and vaccines are in development to help tackle the virus. Time will tell what course this particular virus takes. - Michael Mina, MD, PhD

The most common symptoms according to the WHO are: fever, tiredness, and dry cough. There are some reports of aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and diarrhea. (They seem to be mild and progress gradually - which seems somewhat different than flu, which can “hit you like a ton of brick” and cause rapid onset of symptoms - but again information is still evolving.)

Some people who are infected don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell at all. Most people (about 80%) recover without any specific treatment. For those that get severely ill, they can also have trouble breathing.

At this time we know it can be transmitted through droplets when someone sneezes or coughs- especially within 6 feet of you. And these droplets can survive on surfaces (so touching your eye/nose/mouth after touching surface that is contaminated can also spread infection. There are also some reports of fecal transmission. - Neha Pathak, MD

Q: Why should I worry or not worry? I see panic from some and total calm from others
A: I think it is important to 1) take this seriously and stay aware of the global and local situation, 2) be prepared, and 3) of course, not panic.

For many there are excellent local (e.g. at the city, state, province level) online resources that will let you know about what is happening with regards to the COVID-19 epidemic and response. Local public health websites tend to have good information on this. For a more global perspective, the WHO has a terrific website and even has a “myth busting” section where some of the more alarmist or conspiracy theory type issues are addressed (link below):

https://www.who.int/emergencies/dise...c/myth-busters

Knowledge and preparation guided by quality data will alleviate fear, anxiety, and panic. - Isaac Bogoch, MD