Epidemiologist Amesh Adalja answers frequently asked questions about COVID-19 in this special bonus episode. Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and will help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week.
Epidemiologist Amesh Adalja answers frequently asked questions about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in this special bonus episode. Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and will help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week.
In this episode, Dr. Amesh Amalja answers these frequently asked questions about COVID-19:
Additional resources recommended by Dr. Amesh Adalja, an expert in emergency medicine and infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019:
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/coronavirus-myths-and-faqs-with-dr-amesh-adalja-epidemiologist
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. In this special bonus episode, you’ll get answers to some frequently asked questions about COVID-19, from epidemiologist Amesh Adalja.
CODY: Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and he’ll help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week.
ASHLEY: We’re just gonna dive straight into the interview today to get you the facts, and then Cody and I will unpack what we learned at the end of our conversation. We hope you stick around!
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
[FULL INTERVIEW, UNCUT]
[ad lib banter about the stuff he talked about:
What do we know for sure in terms of transmissibility, symptoms, severity of symptoms, mortality rate, incubation period — or is our understanding about everything evolving?
What do we know about risk factors for specific comorbidities?
Why comparisons to the seasonal flu are fair to make?
If the virus isn’t as risky to children, then why are we closing schools?
What is going to be accomplished by discouraging or limiting large groups of people getting together?
Are you at a higher risk for more severe symptoms if you have had exposures to multiple different people who are carrying the virus?
Why don’t we just expose young and healthy people to the virus to build up immunity?
How much safer are we if everyone practices hand hygiene and social distancing?
Any other coronavirus myths worth discussing?
How long will it take for us to see the full impact of the pandemic and how will we reassess the extent of the damage in the future?
Will this virus die off in the summer?
What are the best medical sources to follow for coronavirus updates?]
[Quote in case we want to use: Dr. Anthony Fauci [FOW-chee (like DOW or COW)] has been called the country’s top expert on infectious diseases and has served as scientific advisor for every president since Ronald Reagan (so he’s been doing this for 36 years). Quote:
“ When you’re dealing with an emerging infectious diseases outbreak, you are always behind where you think you are if you think that today reflects where you really are. That’s not word speak. It means, if you think you’re here (and he gestures with his left hand way off to the left), you’re really here (and he gestures with his right hand), because you’re only getting the results. Therefore, it will always seem that the best way to address it were to be doing something that looks like it might be an overreaction. It isn’t an overreaction. It’s a reaction that we feel is commensurate which is actually going on in reality. So take a look at the guidelines. Read them carefully. And we hope that the people of the United States will take them very seriously, because they will fail if people don’t adhere to them,” unquote.]
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then: wash your hands, and stay curious!