Coronavirus Made Simple

By Devi Nampiaparampil, MD, MS

Hospitals and healthcare workers struggle to keep up with the demand as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads across the U.S. and throughout the world. 

Hundreds of millions of people are social distancing, quarantining, and sheltering in place to slow down the spread of the virus. The stock market is plunging and the global economy is heading into a recession because of the virus and because of the measures we are enforcing to stop it. Schools are closed. Restaurants, bars, and gyms are closed in many areas of the country. Major sports events, concerts and shows have been cancelled. Perhaps our greatest asset in this fight against the new coronavirus-- healthcare workers-- are becoming infected on the front lines. In the midst of this crisis, Doctor Devi explains what you need to know in a concise and easy-to-understand Question and Answer format.

Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, a Harvard-trained doctor and a professor at NYU School of Medicine, breaks down the issues in this clear and compassionate handbook. What makes this virus so dangerous? How can I protect myself and my family? How did this happen?

If you haven't watched the news, if you aren't keeping up with social media, if you're not sure if you should be concerned… it's okay. This book will quickly bring you up to speed on the virus, what's happening with treatment and prevention, the history of the virus, and the public's biggest concerns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, MD, MS
• Release date: Mar 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393907329

Book preview

Names to Know:

COVID-19:   Coronavirus

Infectious

Disease 2019;

the new coronavirus

SARS:   Sudden Acute

Respiratory

Syndrome;

an old coronavirus

MERS:   Middle Eastern

Respiratory

Syndrome; ‘another old coronavirus

Influenza:   The flu virus

Wuhan:   The city where the

new coronavirus first appeared

Hubei:   The province

surrounding

Wuhan

Diamond Princess: A cruise ship that

became the site of

an outbreak near Japan

Grand Princess:  A cruise ship that

became the site of an outbreak near California

Kirkland:   A hotspot in the

state of Washington

New Rochelle: A hotspot in the

state of New York

Boston:  A hotspot in the

state of Massachusetts

The Fed:   The Federal

Reserve Bank

CDC:    Centers for

Disease Control;

federal agency managing infectious disease

FDA:    Food & Drug

Administration; federal agency regulating legal drugs

NIH:    National Institutes

of Health; federal

agency managing medical research

NIAID:    National Institutes

of Allergy & Infectious Disease; federal agency

managing research on infectious disease

The Players:

Donald Trump:  President of the U.S.

Mike Pence:   Vice President of

the U.S.;

directs the U.S.

response to

COVID-19

Barbara Birx:  U.S. Coronavirus

Response Coordinator;

appointed by President Obama to coordinate the U.S. response to AIDS

Robert Redfield:  Director of the

CDC

Anthony Fauci:  Director of the

NIAID

Jerome Adams:  U.S. Surgeon

General

Xi Jinping:   President of the

People’s Republic of China

Do I have to worry about my parents and my kids?

As of mid-March 2020, the numbers of people infected with the new coronavirus have increased extremely rapidly each week. This is probably from a combination of two things. First, the virus is actually spreading. The CDC estimates that one person with the virus will, on average, spread it to between two and four people. This number is just an estimate based on the data we have so far. Some people think one infected person can spread it to more people than that.

As more people get infected, the number of cases increases exponentially. Think about exponential increases.

Imagine you borrowed $1 from a loan shark at a 100% interest rate per day. In one day, you would owe $2. In two days, you would owe $4. In three days, $8, four days $16, five days $32, six days $64 and seven days (just one week) $128. That’s how this virus appears to be doubling.

Second, because more people are being tested, we are getting more positives. In the initial stages in the U.S., there was a severe shortage of tests. The number of people infected with the virus and being tested was low. Now that more tests are becoming available and those people are being tested, the number of people counted as being infected with the virus is going up. But they may not all be new cases. Those folks might have been walking around for a long time with the virus. Part of it has to do with the timing of the testing.

This dramatic increase in the rate of people testing positive for coronavirus has caused a lot of fear. In early March, the actual number of people infected in the U.S. was low, so the chance of any given person catching coronavirus appeared to be low.

As of mid-March, there were about 4,000 Americans testing positive for the virus. The U.S. is composed of over 330,000,000 people so the chance of coming into contact with someone with coronavirus still appeared to be low. But with the number of people infected increasing exponentially, that could change very soon.

On top of that, being near someone with coronavirus doesn’t mean that you will get it. The CDC reported that the primary method of spread for the virus is close contact, which means contact within less than 3 feet. If you stand at least 6-10 feet away from other people, that might offer some protection.

The data we have now suggests that people who are older and people who have multiple medical problems are more at risk for serious complications and death than others. About 80% of adults who are infected recover. That leaves 20% of adults in danger of severe illness or