IT’S BEEN LESS than six months since the first known case of coronavirus surfaced in China, and less than two since the threat of the virus overtook normal life stateside and phrases like “social distancing” and “contact tracing” became lodged in our collective vocabulary.
From rising unemployment statistics to promising drug trials, new information about this pandemic emerges constantly, and dozens of theories about how the disease spreads and can be treated get advanced or disproven on any given day. In recent weeks, the debate has raged over whether or not to reopen and meatpacking plants have emerged as dangerous new hotspots.
We’ve put together a guide to everything you need to know about this pandemic—be it how to keep your children entertained or how this outbreak is affecting the economy. We’ll be updating it regularly to help you keep track of all aspects of this rapidly evolving situation
When It Became a Pandemic
The 2019 coronavirus is one of the hundreds we know of, and one of seven known to infect humans. These viruses affect the lungs and also cause fever and sometimes gastrointestinal problems. The WHO declared the coronavirus situation a global emergency in January and a pandemic in mid-March.
Covid-19 Symptoms
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 are dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Others include diarrhea and loss of smell or taste. Some people develop severe blood clots. The disease is mercurial—fairly mild for some and fatal for others. Scientists can’t say definitively why, but women are less likely to die than men. We know that older people, especially those with underlying health issues, are more at risk. And children fare better than adults, but for babies, toddlers, and kids with other conditions the disease can be severe
Social Distancing and Safety Issues
Social distancing is about staying away from other people for long enough to slow the spread of the virus. When you do have to be near others, like at the grocery store while delivering food or going for a walk, the CDC recommends staying 6 feet away from others. To enforce this, many states have implemented shelter in place orders, though many Americans don’t know what their state’s guidelines are.
How Long Coronavirus Lasts on Surfaces
Coronavirus can last for up to two or three days on some surfaces, so it’s important to regularly clean and disinfect your home and belongings, especially things you’re touching all the time like doorknobs, remote controls, and counters. You’ll want soap or disinfectant, but if you can’t find any in stores you can also make your own sanitizer.
Wearing and Making Masks
The CDC recommends wearing a mask in public places where social distancing measures are hard to maintain. Surgical masks should be reserved for medical workers and first responders, but all you need to make a cloth mask are a t-shirt and two rubber bands.
Testing and Treatment
The US is still struggling to meet the demand for testing. Many companies are developing tests that can test patients at the point of care and produce results quickly, and four were recently approved by the FDA. Plus, antibody testing is becoming more widespread, though the results are mixed so far and the FDA recently tightened its regulations.
Covid-19 Treatments
At the moment, there’s no definitive treatment for Covid-19. Some researchers are investigating chloroquine, the malaria drug touted by President Trump, but there's little evidence that it's a viable treatment. Others are looking into using an anti-influenza drug, the antiviral Remdesivir, or Crispr to treat the disease. Vaccine development is also underway. Clinical trials have begun for two promising candidates, though it's probable a vaccine won’t be available until early next year. And even then, it won't be available to everyone at once.
For the time being, generic drugs could prove helpful to those battling Covid-19. Blood from recovered patients is also promising, though getting it to those in need is a challenge. Most of all, it’s important to remember that finding treatments take time and there are a lot of dubious theories circulating online. Whatever you do, please don't try drinking bleach.
Meanwhile, hospitals are redesigning their facilities and retooling readily available devices to accommodate the huge influx of Covid-19 patients. Elsewhere, engineers and manufacturers are racing to make more ventilators and PPE.
What to Do If You or a Relative Is ILL
Whether you’re raising a family or living alone, it’s best to isolate at home and keep your space clean. And whether you’re sick or healthy, it’s important to look after your mind and body.
Epidemiology and Tracking
We know that the virus is passed from person to person when someone coughs or sneezes, or when someone touches a surface it has landed on. But there’s still some uncertainty about how likely the virus is to spread through the air and whether your risk of catching it is the same when you’re outdoors.
Outbreaks spread exponentially at first but that rate slows over time, especially if additional measures are taken to flatten the curve. And some researchers are exploring the possibility that the virus could return seasonally like the common cold.
How Other Countries Have Handled It
Some countries have opted for a strict lockdown. Others, like South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, seemed to have squashed the curve early on thanks to widespread testing and tracing efforts. Though travelers coming from the US and Europe later spurred an increase of cases, there’s still a lot for the US to learn.
How Coronavirus Is Being Tracked
To build useful models and fully understand the coronavirus, we need to know how it has spread. Right now, lots of countries are either using smartphone apps and location data to track the spread of the virus or are working to put a contact tracing system in place.
To mitigate the concern that this contact tracing would be an infringement of privacy, companies like Apple and Google are collaborating on a Bluetooth-based system that would track coronavirus and notify people who have been exposed without surveilling users.
Beyond smartphones, some countries and workplaces have started using thermal cameras to detect potential fevers, and wearable devices and sewage surveillance may also prove helpful. And some city and state officials are skeptical about digital tracing, employing thousands of people to do the tracing instead.
Staying Sane
From video games to streaming services, we’re living in the golden age of digital entertainment! You can cope with cabin fever by working out, meditating, or getting really into bread baking like everyone else on the internet. And if you’re really feeling ambitious, you can always do your taxes.
How to work from home
Even if you’re lucky enough to be working from home, staying productive out of the office is an adjustment. The right gear and a good internet connection make a world of difference. So does mastering the art of Zoom.
Keeping in touch with others
Staying social is important for staving off isolation while we’re all sheltering at home. A well-placed joke and sense of self-awareness can go a long way. And if you’re a parent, it’s worth noticing how this may be affecting your child or teenager differently.
Business and Economics
As unemployment rates and death tolls still climb, it’s evident that this pandemic is affecting everyone. But the way it’s hitting some of America’s most vulnerable populations—children without an internet connection at home, people without a home to shelter in—illuminates many of the chasms that divide society. It's been particularly distressing to see the disease's disproportionate impact on communities of color.
How its changing different industries
From airlines to influencers, every industry will be changed by this pandemic. Those that have adapted quickly—whether that means taking your business online or placing robots on the assembly line—indicate that embracing technology may be necessary for survival. For essential businesses, this crisis has spurred new conversations about workers’ basic protections and benefits. And when those of us working remotely do return to the office, it likely won't look the same.
How the pandemic might affect climate change
You’ve probably seen pictures of newly car-free city streets and unpolluted skies, but the pandemic’s effect on climate change hasn’t been uniformly positive. Single-use plastic is making a comeback, the government is rolling back emissions regulations, and the renewable energy industry is taking a serious hit. Not to mention, dealing with natural disasters is much harder when we're also faced with a pandemic.
Government Interventions
Recently, more and more states have started reopening their economies, even as some businesses choose to stay shuttered. This comes at a time when some are protesting sheltering in place and others don’t even know they should be staying home. To coordinate decision making, states in the Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast have formed unprecedented regional alliances.
What the federal government is doing
So far, the federal government has failed to speak with a unified voice, denying the very real toll of this pandemic rather than take decisive action to mitigate its effects. Despite expert advice to the contrary, the president has expressed his eagerness to get people back to work. This comes after the White House ignored warnings dating back years about the threat of a pandemic.
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