CORONAVIRUS FACTS & STATS
The WHO Has Officially Classified Coronavirus as a Pandemic and the U.S. Has Banned Travel from Europe
This felt inevitable, but it finally happened yesterday: The World Health Organization officially classified the COVID-19 coronavirus as a pandemic.
It's the first time they've escalated an "outbreak" to a "pandemic" since the H1N1 swine flu in 2009.
The official definition of a pandemic is when a new virus, quote, "emerges and spreads around the world, and most people do not have immunity."
The WHO says it is, quote, "deeply concerned, both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction" by world leaders.
But they say it CAN be stopped if people continue to take proper action, like washing their hands thoroughly and avoiding large gatherings . . . and if governments continue to take proper action with quarantines, strategic travel shutdowns, and testing.
Meanwhile, last night, President Trump banned travel to the U.S. from most of Europe, minus the U.K., for 30 days, starting Friday at midnight. The ban doesn't apply to U.S. citizens or their immediate family returning from Europe though.
The U.S. State Department also issued a Level 3 Global Health Advisory yesterday, urging U.S. citizens to reconsider ALL international travel. That's one level below its strongest warning.
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Michael Osterholm is an infectious disease expert out of the University of Minnesota and one of the foremost authorities on the topic of pandemics in the world.
With so much noise and misinformation circulating around about the coronavirus pandemic, it's CRUCIAL to listen to the experts to get the facts.
Michael did an interview with Joe Rogan on Tuesday, and here are some of the most important things he said . . .
1. The coronavirus isn't going away next week. He says the next three to six months could be like this. We're not going to have a vaccine anytime soon, so this is going to be our new normal for the time being.
2. This pandemic could be 10 to 15 times worse than a bad flu season. He's projecting 96 million cases, 48 million hospitalizations, and 480,000 deaths over the next three to seven months.
3. It's not just a disease for old people, although elderly people with compromised immune systems have the highest fatality risk. There have also been lots of horrible cases in people in their 40s and 50s. So far, it HASN'T been as serious in children.
4. There are about four days between when you breathe in and contract the disease and when you show symptoms. And as we've already heard, you ARE contagious during that time.
5. The primary method for transmission is breathing. So the best preventative measures are to avoid large public spaces and try to limit contact as best you can.
"Survivor" has postponed production in Fiji . . . "Riverdale"shut down production after a crew member had contact with COVID-19 . . . and the "Kids' Choice Awards" have been canceled, as have the "GLAAD Media Awards".
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