Last week, I wrote an article expressing my perspective on the COVID-19 “coronavirus” virus. I continue to stand by everything in that article for keeping yourself safe from illness and keeping your immune system strong. Since that time, we have more information from both China and Italy, which warrant a different and more conservative response.

First, I’ve learned a great deal more about how this virus is spread. I’ve always been taught that you are most contagious when you have a fever. This is definitely true and with this virus in particular, you are also contagious before you have symptoms. And, some people never even have symptoms. If it helps, think about the herpes virus. You can show no signs of a cold sore or genital lesion and still “shed” the virus to your partner. That’s why the herpes virus (yes, it’s a virus) is so contagious. You don’t know you’re giving it to someone because you have no symptoms. The latest data is showing that the COVID-19 virus causes symptoms right around 5 days after exposure. That means that for 5 days, you are potentially infecting everyone you meet. Even worse, it’s thought that this virus may be able to survive in the air on dust particles.

Second, I see so many people stating, “it’s only deadly to the elderly”. This is not true. It could be deadly for anyone with a respiratory or other chronic condition. How many people can you name right now who have asthma? They are at risk, as well as people with many heart-related conditions, diabetes, and more.

One of the big differences between this virus and regular seasonal flus is that everyone is getting sick around the same time. What’s happening in Italy is that the hospitals are overwhelmed. When I worked in the hospital in my last community, we would have 1-4 patients on a ventilator at one time. I have no idea how many ventilators were actually available, but I bet it wasn’t that many. If respiratory distress happens to hundreds or thousands at once, healthcare providers have to choose who gets a ventilator and who doesn’t. I’m thankful that’s not my decision to make!

I’m so proud of our leaders for canceling large events. I also feel we should go ahead and cancel non-essential events of all sizes. If we stop the spread, we won’t overwhelm our hospitals and we’ll keep our elderly and others with chronic conditions safe. I keep seeing people posting in events that if you’re sick, don’t come. I believe this is missing the boat–remember, you’re contagious before you have symptoms.

All of this said, I don’t think panic is necessary. I love people’s ideas of how to support their communities, like buying gift cards now to use later. My husband and I both own small businesses. Our concern for our finances over the next month is real. I’m already seeing a decline in the number of wellness visits at my clinic. At the same time, I feel strongly that if we quarantine ourselves for a short-time, we could possibly avoid a longer term crisis.

My parents are turning 80 this year. That makes them elderly and yet, they still have a wonderful quality of life. I surely don’t want this virus to be the end of them. Let’s not panic. Let’s be smart. Let’s make it a priority to protect each other. Stay home right now as much as possible and if you do go out, take care to protect yourself and those around you.

Please comment below if you have any further helpful additions to this. You can also sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this page. I’ll be updating everyone best I can as new information comes to light.