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Coronavirus spread could last into next year, but impact could be blunted, CDC official says
By Andrew Joseph @DrewQJoseph
March 9, 2020
A top federal health official said Monday that the evolving coronavirus outbreak could persist in the United States into next year, while stressing that public health interventions could still reduce the spread of the virus and cases of illness and death.
“As the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the U.S. will at some point, either this year or next, get exposed to this virus,” Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on a call with reporters. “And there’s a good chance many will become sick.”
Messonnier noted, however, that officials do not expect most people to suffer severe cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. She pointed to data from China, where the outbreak began and thousands of cases have been reviewed, that showed that some 80% of cases were mild and only a few percent were critical.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever and cough. In more serious cases, it can cause pneumonia. There have been more than 500 confirmed cases in the United States, and more than 20 deaths.
Messonnier, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, used the press briefing Monday to urge Americans who face higher risks of developing more severe disease, including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, to take precautions and prepare. Such steps include avoiding crowds and contact with people who are sick, and frequent hand washing.
She also said that high-risk Americans should stock up on their medications and groceries, and that family members of those high-risk people should create a plan should they get sick and they can no longer help their relatives.
“You may need to identify backups,” Messonnier said.
She added: “I understand these recommendations may not be popular and that they may be difficult for some people.”...
Read more: https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/09...ut-impact-could-be-blunted-cdc-official-says/
By Andrew Joseph @DrewQJoseph
March 9, 2020
A top federal health official said Monday that the evolving coronavirus outbreak could persist in the United States into next year, while stressing that public health interventions could still reduce the spread of the virus and cases of illness and death.
“As the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the U.S. will at some point, either this year or next, get exposed to this virus,” Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on a call with reporters. “And there’s a good chance many will become sick.”
Messonnier noted, however, that officials do not expect most people to suffer severe cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. She pointed to data from China, where the outbreak began and thousands of cases have been reviewed, that showed that some 80% of cases were mild and only a few percent were critical.
The most common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever and cough. In more serious cases, it can cause pneumonia. There have been more than 500 confirmed cases in the United States, and more than 20 deaths.
Messonnier, the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, used the press briefing Monday to urge Americans who face higher risks of developing more severe disease, including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, to take precautions and prepare. Such steps include avoiding crowds and contact with people who are sick, and frequent hand washing.
She also said that high-risk Americans should stock up on their medications and groceries, and that family members of those high-risk people should create a plan should they get sick and they can no longer help their relatives.
“You may need to identify backups,” Messonnier said.
She added: “I understand these recommendations may not be popular and that they may be difficult for some people.”...
Read more: https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/09...ut-impact-could-be-blunted-cdc-official-says/