Published Mar 11, 2020

Good Hard Facts On Coronavirus– A Noted Public Health Expert Explains

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We can also use some more reliable Coronavirus information. So we got one of the leading experts and here you go! Watch the tape above and read down:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (or COVID-19) has, as of March 11, affected 115,000 people worldwide, and killed more than 4,000. Naturally, many people are really worried about the disease — so we consulted public health expert, Dr. Waleed Javaid, of Mount Sinai, to provide some basics about the disease and how it spreads.

Dr. Javaid points out that a coronavirus is a specific type of virus, and there are currently seven types known to affect humans. Four of these viruses cause the common cold, one causes SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), one causes MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and one causes the current COVID-19.

“It seems like MERS and SARS and what we’re learning from the 2019 coronavirus as well can cause more severe illness, especially in the elderly, but it can also occur in the younger or immunocompromised [populations],” Dr. Javaid says.

When discussing how to reduce the risk of contracting the virus, Dr. Javaid stresses restricting non-essential travel, and following new Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommendations as they become available.

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Dr. Waleed Javaid is the Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai. Read More