A huge influx of coronavirus patients has started to put a strain on hospitals in Moscow as Russias death toll rose to more than 100.
Moscow and many other regions have been in lockdown for nearly two weeks to stem the contagion, but hospitals in the capital are still being pushed to their limit, the Kremlin said.
On Saturday, dozens of ambulances queued outside a hospital handling coronavirus cases in the region immediately outside Moscow, waiting to drop off patients.
One ambulance driver said he had been waiting 15 hours outside the hospital to drop off a patient suspected of having the virus.
The situation in both Moscow and St Petersburg, but mostly in Moscow, is quite tense because the number of sick people is growing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on state television, news agencies reported.
There is a huge influx of patients. We are seeing hospitals in Moscow working extremely intensely, in heroic, emergency mode.
Russias coronavirus crisis response centre said hospitals were taking all possible measures to ensure rapid admissions and that cases of ambulances needing to wait hours to drop off patients was not a systemic issue.
Russia has reported 13,584 cases of the virus, and the authorities said on Saturday that 12 new coronavirus-related deaths in the last day had pushed the death toll to 106.
Peskov added that it would become clearer only in the next few weeks whether the country was nearing the worst point in its outbreak.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said on Friday that the city was far from reaching the peak of the outbreak, saying it was merely in its foothills.
On Saturday he said Moscow would introduce digital permits next week to control movement around the city to help enforce the lockdown.
He said residents will have to request the permits, which will contain a code that identifies the holder, in order to travel using motorcycles, scooters, cars, taxi services or the citys vast public transport network.
Sobyanin added that residents should be ready to present identification documents and their digital permit to law enforcement officers patrolling the city.
Unfortunately this is a necessity, Sobyanin wrote on his website. It is needed to protect the lives and health of many Muscovites, to overcome this calamity and to return to normal life.
A stronger police presence was visible on the streets of Moscow. Traffic police had set up check points on major thoroughfares on the outskirts of the city but were not systematically carrying out checks.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Russia recorded fewer cases of the new coronavirus than many western European countries, but its tally began to rise sharply this month.
Until late March officials were saying the situation was under control and that there was no epidemic in the country.
Im heading to the White House in the middle of a global pandemic not a phrase I ever imagined writing when I was a schoolboy in Britain thinking about a career in journalism. Downtown Washington resembles a deserted film set these days, most of its famed monuments and museums closed. At the White House gates a white tent has been set up; a medical worker zaps me with a device that takes my temperature and gives me the all clear.
After passing through security, I arrive at the West Wing briefing room, usually bustling like a railway station, but now sparsely populated by journalists, some wearing face masks.
My temperature is taken again and I sit down, several seats apart from the other reporters. When Donald Trump and his team emerge stage right, they seem less worried than us about physical distancing (yet the US president has twice been tested, with negative results, for coronavirus).
America has the greatest number of coronavirus cases in the world. It is a public health crisis, an economic crisis and this is where we in Washington come in a crisis of leadership. Trump, a property developer and reality TV star, was the first US president elected with no prior military or political experience. It was all a bit of a lark. Well, were not laughing now. He is the man in charge of America in its biggest emergency since the second world war. And it seems that historys verdict will be unforgiving: he is not up to the job.
I watch most of his daily coronavirus taskforce briefings, which sometimes run for more than two hours, from home (grateful for TV and steady broadband, though not always easy with two boisterous children) but get to go along about once a week and ask questions. Up close, the presidents stature (he is 6ft 3in), blond mat of hair and peachy face afford a certain perverse charisma.
This is the closest any of us will get to the court of George III, with its mix of awesome power and terrifying capriciousness
I was there one evening when, defying medical advice, Trump talked baldly about reopening the economy by Easter. It was just a little scary, this realisation that the most powerful person in the world is unhinged the closest any of us will get to the court of King George III with its mix of awesome power and terrifying capriciousness. Fortunately, on that occasion, Trump eventually bowed to the experts and kept the physical distancing guidelines in place until the end of April.
Its also a presidential election year. Trump can no longer hold campaign rallies with big crowds. He has turned the daily briefings into a substitute, still airing grievances, spinning untruths, bullying reporters and narcissistically promoting his favourite brand: himself. I have, you know, hundreds of millions of people, he mused on April Fools Day. Number one on Facebook. Did you know I was number one on Facebook? I mean, I just found out Im number one on Facebook. I thought that was very nice, for whatever it means.
The wartime president Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk that said: The buck stops here. Trump adheres to the opposite view. Having downplayed the virus for so long When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, thats a pretty good job weve done, he said on 26 February and failed to prepare resources, he is now, extraordinarily, trying to sell a potential death toll of 100,000 Americans as a success. Even for this master of razzle-dazzle, it would be quite a magic trick.
Typically, in times of national crisis, there is a default expectation that leaders will speak the truth, or mostly (lets not forget George W Bushs weapons of mass destruction). But with Trump that assumption no longer holds. His briefings would come with a government health warning were it not for the fact he is the government.
Amid this confusing torrent of bluster, there are also medical experts dispensing genuine information, showing predictive models, urging people to maintain physical distancing, advising on the wearing of face masks. It therefore becomes an intensive exercise in trying to sift fact from fiction.
American TV networks are having a lively debate about this. Should they show the broadcasts with a 30-second delay to allow fact-checking interventions? Should they show them at all? Increasingly, some are issuing disclaimers at the start and cutting away before the end.
At the Guardian our rolling coverage of the briefings includes real-time fact-checking from a team of reporters. It is important not to allow Trumps baseless claims, for example his pushing of an unproven drug, to hang in the air unchallenged. Our reporting is determined to hold the powerful to account. What did the president know and when did he know it? And why didnt he act?
For example, one article explored how it could be that the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported in South Korea and the US on the same day 20 January yet one country took swift action to curb the outbreak while the other is still lurching towards catastrophe. Jeremy Konyndyk, who used to lead the governments response to international disasters at USAid, told the Guardian: We are witnessing in the United States one of the greatest failures of basic governance and basic leadership in modern times.
For a journalist, this most peculiar presidency already felt like the story of a lifetime. Now it has collided head-on with another story of a lifetime. But day by day, I am also witnessing the unfolding of an American tragedy. For three years, Trump thought he could define events. In the end, he discovered, events will define him.
More than 100 COVID-19 patients in San Diego County are being treated at Intensive Care Units (ICU) and many of them are on ventilators. Among those responsible for running the machines are respiratory therapists.The coronavirus outbreak has made the job especially challenging.
As a front care worker, I have to not only worry about transmitting this disease to other people in the hospital but what about my own family. What about my friends. Ive had to come home to these people, and its dangerous, said Vill Miranda, a respiratory therapist at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
During the health emergency, respiratory therapists have to work very closely with people who are infected with COVID-19.
Ive actually had two patients that Ive taken care of. Its a lot of time to get into these patients' rooms. I strongly suggest people follow the guidelines, do what theyre asked of and try and stay safe, Miranda said.
The word of warning comes as San Diego County rushes to get hundreds of more ventilators. There were at least 477 ventilators available to local hospitals on Saturday, according to the County of San Diego. The county has ordered 125 more and has requested 600 from the State of California.
In the coming weeks, hospitals across thecountry are expected to see more patients, and therapists with specializedtraining will be needed.
The job of a respiratory therapist hassuddenly become more dangerous, but Mirandas training has helped him take onthe challenge.
Im actually a former Marine and my mentality is actually a little different because I just go in and say, this is the job I choose to do and this is the mission Im going to complete, Miranda said.
Miranda says some of his fellow therapists have broken down and are scared to go into some rooms. Thats why he urges people to follow public health guidelines.
The State of California is calling on more respiratory therapists to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak. Trained professionals can apply for the State Health Corps by visiting its website.
How to Help in San Diego County During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Find out what you can do to lend a hand during these difficult times.
The following is a release from the Indiana State Department of Health:
INDIANAPOLIS As the number of novel coronavirus cases continues to rise, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) is partnering with local health officials in four communities to hold free drive-thru testing clinics for healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers who have symptoms of COVID-19.
Clinics will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 13-17 at the following locations:
Participants should bring a drivers license or other State of Indiana-issued identification card and documentation of place of employment. Only symptomatic individuals will be tested. Tests will be conducted as long as supplies last and will be limited to one individual per vehicle.
Essential workers are those identified by Governor Eric J. Holcombs executive order (https://bit.ly/2UQxqVt).
Due to patient privacy laws, media will not be able to videotape individuals as they are being tested.
To date, 7,435 Indiana residents are known to have contracted the novel coronavirus, including 537 additional cases reported Saturday. More than 39,000 test results have been reported to ISDH. A total of 330 Hoosiers have died.
A list of counties with cases is included on the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at www.coronavirus.in.gov. Cases are listed by county of residence. Private lab reporting may be delayed and will be reflected in the map and count when results are received at ISDH. Beginning Monday, April 13, the dashboard will be updated at noon each day.
The dashboard also has been updated to make corrections based on updated information provided to ISDH.
As coronavirus cases in Michigan continue to increase, Wexford County is now reporting its first death.
District Health Department #10 says it was a man in his 60s who was hospitalized on April 4.
On Saturday, both Alpena and Lake County reported their first cases of COVID-19.
Other Northern Michigan counties with new confirmed cases are:
Emmet County: 1
Grand Traverse County: 1
Otsego County: 2
ChARLESTON, W.Va. (DHHR) The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 5:00 p.m., on April 11, 2020, there have been 15,819 residents tested for COVID-19, with 591 positive, 15,228 negative and six deaths. The sixth COVID-19 associated death is an 82-year old woman from Wayne County with underlying health conditions.
These are considered official numbers reported to the state, which will in turn, be reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Medical providers and laboratories are required to report positive test results to DHHR.
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of cases from the local health department to the state health department. Its not uncommon for the local level to report case numbers first and then officially report it to the state.
CONFIRMED CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (4), Berkeley (91), Boone (1), Braxton (1), Brooke (3), Cabell (22), Fayette (2), Greenbrier (3), Hampshire (4), Hancock (7), Hardy (2), Harrison (28), Jackson (23), Jefferson (48), Kanawha (83), Lewis (2), Logan (8), Marion (32), Marshall (6), Mason (8), McDowell (5), Mercer (8), Mineral (4), Monongalia (81), Monroe (1), Morgan (6), Nicholas (2), Ohio (21), Pendleton (1), Pleasants (1), Preston (6), Putnam (11), Raleigh (5), Randolph (4), Roane (2), Summers (1), Taylor (3), Tucker (4), Tyler (3), Upshur (3), Wayne (17), Wetzel (3), Wirt (2), Wood (18), Wyoming (1).
As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested.
A dashboard is available at www.coronavirus.wv.gov with West Virginia-specific data, including new information on the health status of COVID-19 positive patients and other information. A Frequently Asked Questions document has been developed regarding case counts and can be found here.
A healthcare worker washes her hands during her shift at an intensive care unit (ICU) at the General ... [+] University Hospital where patients infected with the COVID-19 are treated in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A single person with COVID-19 may be more likely to infect up to 5 or 6 other people, rather than 2 or 3, suggests a new study of Chinese data from the CDC. Its not clear if this higher number applies only to the cases in China or if it will be similar in other countries.
If the higher number does remain true elsewhere, it means that more people in a population need to be immune from the diseaseeither from having already had it or from a vaccineto stop it from circulating.
The new study, published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, shifts the R0 for COVID-19 from about 2.2 to about 5.7. With the lower number, only 55% of a population needs to be immune from COVID-19 to stop its spread through herd immunity. Herd immunity refers to enough of a population being immune to a disease that the disease cannot travel through it.
But if more people get infected from a single person with COVID-19, then more people need to be protected from the disease to stop it from continuing to spread. With an R0 of 5.7, approximately 82% of the population needs to be immune to reach herd immunity and stop the disease from spreading easily through the population, the researchers concluded.
The new calculations also estimate the incubation periodthe time from being exposed to the virus and developing symptomsto be an average of 4.2 days, which is in line with most other estimates (though symptoms can still take up to 14 days to show up).
Because people can be contagious before realizing they are infected, identifying and isolating patients, plus following up with people they interacted with, will only work to contain COVID-19 if only a small number of people with the disease arent aware theyre infected.
However, when 20% of transmission is driven by unidentified infected persons, high levels of social distancing efforts will be needed to contain the virus, highlighting the importance of early and effective surveillance, contact tracing, and quarantine, the authors wrote.
Like all studies, this one has limitations that mean the conclusions must be taken with a grain of salt. The researchers are using publicly available information to develop models, and models are only as reliable as the data and assumptions that go into them. Future data and calculations could shift understanding of this disease and its contagiousness further.
What Does R0 Mean?
Scientists measure how contagious a disease by its basic reproduction number, referred to as R0 (pronounced R nought). The R0 refers to how many people a single infected person will infect in a population.
For example, the R0 of influenza is 1.3, which means, statistically, one person with the flu will infect 1.3 others in the population. (Obviously you cannot infect one third of a person, but this mean that 3 people together with the flu will, on average, infect 4 other people.) The R0 of measles is estimated between 12-18 though theres debate about the exact rangeso a single person with measles will infect about 12-18 people in a population thats vulnerable to it (where no one has had it and no one has been vaccinated).
The R0 is calculated based on how fast an outbreak grows, how long it takes for a person exposed to the virus to become contagious (latent period), and how long an infected person is contagious (infectious period). The longer someone is contagious, the higher the R0 is. The authors relied on other researchers estimates that it takes approximately 7-8 days between the time an infected person shows symptoms and the time until someone they infect shows symptoms (the serial interval).
If that number is accurate, the researchers estimate the R0 of COVID-19 to be about 5.8. If they expand that period a little bit to 6-9 days to allow more margin for error, the R0 is 5.7.
The estimated R0 can be lower if the serial interval is shorter, the authors wrote. However, recent studies reported that persons can be infectious for a long period, such as 1-3 weeks after symptom onset, so they believe its unlikely that the average time between a person being infected and then passing along the disease is shorter than 6 days.
Why The Change Now?
Why has it taken this long to determine an accurate R0? First, the change is based on updated data, and it could change again with more recent, more accurate data. Its hard to study an emerging disease when youre still collecting data, and testing has been all over the map, literally. Different countries have used different tests and testing protocols, and varying strategies can influence how data is collected.
The authors point out that not having reliable diagnostic protocols early in the outbreak, changes to how cases are identified and tracked, and overwhelmed healthcare systems can throw a wrench into how well researchers can estimate the growth of an outbreak.
The early R0 of 2.2-2.7 was based on two things: early cases recorded in Wuhan before January 4, and on international flight data combined with infected people outside China.
Because of the low numbers of persons traveling abroad compared with the total population size in Wuhan, this approach leads to substantial uncertainties, the authors wrote. Basically, too little data existed to make reliable estimatescommon challenges associated with rapid and early outbreak analyses of a new pathogen, the authors add.
Calculating more reliable estimates takes time because it requires getting the most accurate data possible on surveillancethe total number of cases, including estimating those that havent been tested or identified yet.
The new study also uses data from China to estimate the growth of COVID-19 cases, but the researchers collected data from throughout Chinanot just Wuhanand included highly specific data from travel within China. The new calculations also will not be perfect, but they should be more precise and closer to being accurate than the previous ones.
The researchers used multiple modeling approaches, including one that relied on reports of 140 cases of COVID-19, mostly in China outside of Hubei Province (where Wuhan is the capital city). Although this number is relatively small, these cases represent many of the first or the first few persons who were confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in each province, where dates of departure from Wuhan were available. Since the researchers had details on when those people were diagnosed and when they left Wuhanbased on mobile phone datathe estimates have a better chance of precision and accuracy.
What Does This Change Mean?
The new R0 applies specifically to data collected in China. How contagious SARS-CoV-2 is in other countries remains to be seen, the authors wrote. Given the rapid rate of spread as seen in current outbreaks in Europe, we need to be aware of the difficulty of controlling SARS-CoV-2 once it establishes sustained human-to-human transmission in a new population.
That much is now obvious to people following the news on COVID-19s spread.The authors recommend the same strategies to control the disease that youve likely been hearing about.
Our results suggest that a combination of control measures, including early and active surveillance, quarantine, and especially strong social distancing efforts, are needed to slow down or stop the spread of the virus, the authors wrote. If these measures are not implemented early and strongly, the virus has the potential to spread rapidly and infect a large fraction of the population, overwhelming healthcare systems.
In other words, if we dont test early, identify cases quickly, isolate those people, and continue social distancing, it will be difficult or impossible to control the disease.
But the authors do offer a note of hope: Fortunately, the decline in newly confirmed cases in China and South Korea in March 2020 and the stably low incidences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore strongly suggest that the spread of the virus can be contained with early and appropriate measures.
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As people of color die from COVID-19 at a disproportionately higher rate, the importance of Black scientists is more critical than ever. U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, acknowledged that Black Americans are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, due to health disparities and historic racism surrounding housing, education and employment.
Despite representing slightly under a third of the population in locations such as Chicago, Milwaukee and the state of Louisiana, Black Americans represent 70% of deaths from COVID-19.
Why focus on Black scientists fighting COVID-19? Because the younger generation cant be what they cant see. Representation is important in inspiring children who will someday become the medical professionals and scientists that help us battle diseases such as COVID-19.
Plus, diversity helps us reduce the marginalization of people of color, especially when it comes to medical care and health outcomes. Unconscious racial bias can result inunequal health outcomes, and this is more likely when medical professionals dont understand the culture of the community they are based in.
Earlier this year, 100 Black scientists were featured in the journal Cells CrossTalk blog. Some of these featured Black scientists include individuals working on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We feature four below:
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett is a viral immunologist at the National Institutes of Health. She is leading the effort to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, which has moved into Phase 1 at record speed. Her prior research had focused on mRNA as a method to promote an immune response against virus, which may work for SARS-CoV-2.
Dr. Tomeka Suber is on the front lines as a pulmonologist and is an expert in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Dr. Christopher Barnes is an HHMI Hanna Grays Fellow at California Institute of Technology. While he isnt on the front lines, he is helping find a cure by crystallizing antibodies to fight against COVID-19. This research is needed as scientists race to develop a vaccine or cure.
Dr. Michael Johnson isa professor at the University of Arizona investigating if copper could be used to alter the binding of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. When the spike proteins (which give coronavirus its name), interact with our cells, the proteins require zinc. Copper could potentially block the virus from being able to access zinc and stop coronavirus from entering our cells or replicating once it is inside. Research is still in early stages on a virus similar to SARS-CoV-2. The scientists hope that copper, in conjunction with other treatments, will deliver a solid one-two punch to COVID-19.
We are all in this pandemic together, but some of us will be hit harder than others. We wont be able to change this within the time of the pandemic, but as we move to diversify STEM fields, we must remember that representation and visibility can make all the difference to a young generation that is finishing their school year at home during a pandemic.
Many of these children will be inspired to help others as medical professionals and scientists. It is up to us to provide examples of excellence from people that look like them.
Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing readers free access to critical local stories about the coronavirus during this time of heightened concern. See more coverage here. To support journalism like this, please consider donating or become a subscriber.
Another Utahn has died from the coronavirus, the Utah Department of Health announced on Saturday.
The fatality brings the states death toll to 18, after four deaths were added to the count on Friday. The patient was a Wasatch County man older than 60 who had been fighting the virus at a Salt Lake City hospital for nine days, a spokesman for that countys health department said. The man also had underlying health conditions.
Our community here in Wasatch County is like family and we are very saddened to lose one of our residents, Wasatch County Health Director Randall Probst said in a statement late Friday offering condolences.
The state Health Department was reporting 2,206 confirmed cases statewide as of Saturday, roughly a 5% increase from the day before. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 stood at 190, up by seven cases since Friday.
News of the Wasatch Countys mans death came as Davis Hospital in Layton reported the first COVID-19-infected patient treated there is now recovering at home and getting better every day.
The 50-year-old woman, who The Salt Lake Tribune has agreed not to name to protect her medical privacy, said she thought she had nothing more than a bad case of the flu in early March. She battled the illness for about two weeks on her own before her shortness of breath, cough and extreme fatigue significantly worsened.
It just didnt get any better and just continued to progress, you know, with body aches and no appetite, the woman said from her Layton-area home, where she is now recuperating under the care of her husband.
I just decided I wasnt getting better on my own, but I never in a million years thought I had the virus whatsoever, she said.
The woman never exhibited a fever but was hospitalized for pneumonia and doctors deemed her travel history reason enough to test for COVID-19, the hospital said.
A human-resources executive, the woman said she travels regularly in the southern U.S. for her job. She said shed grown more cautious on flights and in airports, practicing social distancing, washing her hands frequently and being wary of commonly touched surfaces.
"I was very diligent about using appropriate precautions and I still got it, she said.
During four days of intense treatment at Davis Hospital, she was kept in a negative air-flow room and limited to communicating with friends and loved ones via her smart phone. Her only direct human contact was with hospital workers in protective gear.
It was really kind of surreal. You know, youre sitting in a room by yourself. Youve got television and your phone, basically, she said. Youre pretty much out there on your own and I cant imagine being in there long term, you know, like some people are.
After IV treatments and extensive coaching on self-care and quarantine procedures from hospital staff, the woman said she was sent home for two weeks of full isolation. Her first craving upon leaving the hospital, she said, was for strawberry ice cream.
We dont have any, her husband told her. Well, youre going to have to go to the store and get some, she replied. It was one of those, just gotta have it things.
She was initially confined to her bedroom, taking her own temperature and reporting it daily when a nurse would call to check in. That was followed by less strict period of self-quarantining, where she could move around inside the house and interact with her husband, who has shown no signs of the disease.
The woman called the process of self-quarantining challenging but necessary to protect others.
On Monday, she got a clean bill of health after a visit to her physician, she said in a statement from the hospital.
Its been a slow recovery process, but Im getting there, the woman said, estimating that shes at about 75% of her usual self. Im looking forward to putting this all behind and getting used to a new normal.
One of her main comforts now, she told The Tribune, is venturing outside. It just feels like fresh air and sunshine go a long way.
Her cough persisted Saturday as she spoke and she said her energy is still depleted. I just try and do one thing at a time, you know, maybe load the dishwasher, then take a little while and then maybe later Ill change a load of laundry or something, the woman said.
I dont overdo it, she said, because I dont want to have a setback.
But the woman has also been heartened, she said, by an outpouring from friends, neighbors and especially her employer, who she described as fantastic. Her circle is delivering meals and much-needed supplies to her door or through the mail and helping with a host of errands.
"That has just been phenomenal, said the woman, who added she was able to work from home a few days last week and hopes to work more starting Monday.
She called COVID-19 the illness of a lifetime.
This will change me forever, the woman said. I think its going to take a long time for me to get comfortable again with going out in public, traveling or gathering with a large group of friends.
She said she wanted to share her story as a reminder to others to follow social distancing guidelines.
I want to emphasize the importance of staying in and staying safe, she said. Please comply with all precautions so you dont give the illness to anyone else who may not be able to recover.
One of the nurse practitioners who helped in the womans hospital treatment also had a message for the public, she said in a statement.
Im not afraid to care for my patients, but I am very careful, said the nurse, whos name was not released by the hospital. Knowledge gives me comfort and confidence in treating people. Its reassuring to see how proper treatment of the virus leads to a livable outcome.
A majority of people with COVID-19 are expected to have relatively mild symptoms that resolve at home.
While around 80 percent of COVID-19 cases are mild, even this mild infection can be a problem.
Before you even know you have an infection, odds are youve spread the virus to three other people. If theyre 70 or older, theres about an 8 percent chance theyll die.
Ive gone to work sicker than that. Im sure you have, too, said Cassie Garret, whose wife, Celeste Morrison, recently recovered from COVID-19.
Her description of the virus is what makes it all the more deadly: Even before people develop serious symptoms, they can spread the disease.
Even if people are feeling fairly well, theyre highly contagious and thats the real danger, said Dr. Robert Murphy, a Northwestern University infectious diseases specialist and global health expert.
And even for mild cases, COVID-19 can take a serious toll.
Morrison, a 37-year-old web developer who lives 60 miles north of Seattle, started to feel run down the evening of Monday, March 2.
First came the cough and extreme fatigue. Then her temperature rose to 99.7F (37.6C). Nothing too worrisome, so she decided to just work from home for a few days.
Garret recalls Morrison saying her lungs started to feel weird a few days later. I told her that, per literally everything I was reading, she should only go to the doctor if it was really serious, Garret told Healthline.
But later that week, Morrisons lips, fingers, and toes were tinged blue. They headed to the local emergency room.
Morrison tested negative for the flu, but her X-rays pointed to pneumonia. A nurse said theyd run a COVID-19 test, the results of which would be available in 24 to 48 hours.
In the days that followed, Morrisons fever bounced from 97.1F to 102.8F (36.2C to 39.3C).
She felt ill and had fatigue and a fever. Her symptoms worsened. She still hadnt received her coronavirus test results, so she visited a local clinic doing drive-thru COVID-19 testing on people with respiratory symptoms.
The clinic looked at Morrisons medical records and found the ER never ordered the COVID-19 test. They swabbed her nose, and 2 days later the test results came back: She had COVID-19.
Morrison quarantined herself in the bedroom and slept through most days. The virus completely wiped her out, zapping away her energy for 12 days.
Garret knew her wife would be OK; shes young and otherwise healthy. It was the rest of America she worried about.
I am terrified of the way this is progressing in her, for the rest of the country, Garret said. Everyone goes to work when they feel gross and have a slightly elevated temperature.
Elizabeth Schneider, 37, went to a house party in late February. A few days later she woke up feeling a bit run down.
She went to work anyway, figuring she just needed to take it easy and go to bed early that night. Halfway through the day, though, she started feeling feverish and went home to nap.
She awoke to a 101F (38C) degree fever. By nighttime, her fever spiked to 103F (39.4C), and she was shivering uncontrollably.
The fever was quite high, I was pretty surprised about that. Normally when you get a cold, maybe you get a 100-degree fever or something like that, but a 103-degree fever is pretty serious, she said.
Schneider took some over-the-counter pain medications and went to bed early. The next day, her temperature was back down to 101F (38C).
She soon got word that a dozen other people from the house party also felt sick.
Many of them had gone to a hospital and tested negative for the flu. Frustrated they werent also tested for COVID-19, the group decided to do at-home nasal swab COVID-19 test kits through University of Washingtons Seattle Flu Study.
Seven people tested positive, including Schneider. But by the time they received the results a week later, mostly everyone had already recovered, and there was no longer a need to self-isolate.
This whole time I thought I had just contracted the flu, Schneider said. On a scale of 1 to 10, she rates the illness at 6.5.
She was most struck by how depleted she felt and how long the illness lasted, which for her was 11 days. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep, Schneider said. It definitely knocked me out.
Like Schneider and Morrison, the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 are going to have more moderate symptoms; some wont have any symptoms at all.
But they can easily transmit the virus to people who will develop a much more severe illness, need to be hospitalized, and potentially die.
If youre young and youre healthy and you have no underlying health conditions, like me, you most likely will be in the majority that has mild to moderate symptoms and will recover on your own without the aid of any medication or hospitalization, Schneider said. But please be cognizant of the fact there are people who are going to contract more serious forms of this.
Because weve never seen this virus before, theres no immunity in the population like we have with the flu, according to Murphy. It can spread readily from person to person, more quickly than other respiratory infections like the flu.
How someones body reacts to the virus comes down to what Murphy calls the host-pathogen interaction: You have the pathogen (in this case the new coronavirus), and then you have the host, or how an individuals immune system gears up and responds.
Does the host mount a good immunologic response that can get rid of the virus, does it not mount a good enough response so the virus is more lethal, or does it mount too much of an immunologic response and you have as much trouble from the immunologic response as you do from the virus? Murphy explained.
We need to get used to social distancing, Murphy says, as its currently our best bet at blunting the spread of the disease.
If we dont continue to adhere to strict social distancing, the cats out of the bag, Murphy said, and the virus will rip through the country.
Until we have enough immunity in the population to stop the virus from spreading, Murphy suspects things are going to get worse before they get better.
Around 80 percent of people who get COVID-19 will likely experience mild symptoms.
While this may be reassuring to some, thats exactly why the infection is such a threat.
Before you even realize youre sick, you could easily pass it on to people who have a greater chance of developing complications, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.
