According to the World Health Organization, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has morphed from an epidemic (a disease outbreak that is confined to one or more geographic areas) to a pandemic.
So, what is a pandemic, and what does that mean for you and your family?
What is a pandemic?
Why we need to flatten the curve
The effect of the novel coronavirus has been dire in Italy, which made news by being the first country in the west to impose a nationwide lockdown. Severe infections there have overwhelmed the capability of their medical system — and the same thing can happen here.
“We are 10 days from the hospitals getting creamed,” former homeland security adviser Tom Bossert told NBC News. To avoid this, measures must be taken to flatten the outbreak curve.
“This requires coordination and implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions. School closures, isolation of the sick, home quarantines of those who have come into contact with the sick, social distancing, telework, and large-gathering cancellations must be implemented before the spread of the disease in any community reaches 1%,” Bossert wrote in an op-ed published by the Washington Post.
History tells us that these actions work: In 1918, both the cities of Philadelphia and St. Louis had parades planned to promote the sale of war bonds. But with that year’s onset of a flu pandemic, St. Louis cancelled their parade. Philadelphia allowed theirs to happen. “The next month, more than 10,000 people in Philadelphia died from pandemic flu, while the death toll in Saint Louis did not rise above 700,” the CDC says.
The nation is taking this to heart. St. Patrick’s Day parades in Boston and New York have been cancelled. Communities around the country are announcing school closures, bans on large gatherings, restrictions on visitors to nursing homes, and the like. The organizers of large gatherings like SXSW and Coachella have cancelled or postponed their events. As of this writing, both the NBA and MLB have suspended their 2020 seasons and more are expected to follow suit.
