The country continues to struggle with testing
as the virus spreads through new regions.
Rachel
Feltman Updated: 6 hours ago This post has been updated.
The US now has more than
600,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease
caused by a novel coronavirus first detected in Wuhan, China, in
December and now spreading on every continent save for Antarctica. The States
became the epicenter of the new pandemic in late March, with the case count
surging past China’s and the hardest hit European nations’ as New York
increased its testing capacity. The country now has more than triple the number
of cases detected in Italy and Spain, which are both also experiencing
devastating outbreaks, though the rate per
million people remains (at least for now) below either country’s.
“Had we had done more
testing from the very beginning and caught cases earlier,” Jennifer Nuzzo, an
epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, recently told The New York Times, “we would be
in a far different place.”
Experts suspect the actual
number of US cases is higher than currently reported: While President Donald
Trump has repeatedly claimed the nation is leading the pack in testing its
residents, it’s tested a far lower percentage of the population than other
hard-hit countries. So far the country has dispatched around three million
COVID-19 tests, which means it’s tested just more than 9,000 people per million
residents. Italy has tested at nearly twice that rate, and dozens of
countries have surpassed the US’s testing stats as well. Case numbers
in the US are further clouded by the fact that the majority of tests have
occurred within the New York area, which is considered the national hotspot for
the disease. Infection rates in other regions are almost certainly under
reported.
Testing has increased in
recent weeks, but a diagnosis is still hard to come by outside of a hospital
visit—and hospitals in hotspots are increasingly overwhelmed. A recent surge in at-home deaths in the New York City area could
also be artificially deflating COVID-19 fatality rates; even if the deceased
showed relevant symptoms, they aren’t being tested for the virus. At-home deaths are now being added to the COVID-19 death tally for
people known to have been exhibiting symptoms before their demise. False-negative test results could also lead to an
underestimation of the number of cases, given the country’s large population
and high rates of infection.
What is
COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the disease
caused by the novel coronavirus. You can read more
about the virus and what we know about its origins here. Common symptoms of
COVID-19 include fever, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. Symptoms are mild
in the vast majority of cases, and the virus may spread even with no noticeable
symptoms present. This is part of why COVID-19 has spread so prolifically: With
new data, the CDC reports that as many of 25 percent of contagious COVID-19 carriers may feel
totally fine. These individuals likely spread the disease to others while
carrying out normal activities like working, shopping, and socializing without
keeping proper distance.
While COVID-19 is mild for
most, the virus can lead to deadly pneumonia or heart problems in some patients. This is especially
common in those over the age of 60, as well as people with underlying health
problems. But hospitals around the world are also reporting many
life-threatening and even fatal cases in young, otherwise healthy patients. In
the US, hundreds of people under the age of 50 have died so far.
The risk may be lower for a
teenager than it is for a senior, but that risk is far from nonexistent. No one
should assume that COVID-19 would not put their life in peril.
How
serious is COVID-19 in the US?
As of Wednesday, the US had
more confirmed far more COVID-19 cases than anywhere else in the world.
The country
has at least 600,000 confirmed cases and nearly 25,000 deaths.
New York is the current
epicenter of the disease in the US, with hospitals reporting shortages of protective gear for workers
and life-saving ventilators for patients. Some states, including New York,
are working on solidifying guidelines that determine who should
receive life-saving care when there are not enough resources to go around.
But while New York is
facing a healthcare crisis, COVID-19 isn’t done spreading elsewhere. Outbreaks
in prisons and assisted care facilities are proving particularly
difficult to contain. Florida and Louisiana are seeing surges in both cases and
fatalities, and the disease is also gaining more traction in inland states.
Even people living in areas with no known cases of COVID-19 should stay home as much as possible and adhere to the rules of
social distancing.
New York’s density, large
population, and high rate of tourists and business travelers makes it an
obvious place for the virus to crest first, but COVID-19 will likely hit other
cities—and even rural areas—just as hard. At least 20 states now have more than 5,000 cases, and at
least 42 have more than 1,000.
More than 22 million people in the US have filed for unemployment in the
last month due to the temporary shuttering of businesses across the
country. The Senate voted unanimously to pass an unprecedented $2.2
trillion stimulus bill on March 25, which was then approved by the House
of Representatives. You can read more about what the stimulus bill would mean for you here.
Current projections suggest
that if most Americans stay home and avoid contact with others, the worst of
the country’s first wave of COVID-19 will pass by June. See when your state is projected to see the most cases.
Should I
be staying at home to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19?
Yes. Everyone should be
practicing social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the
curve. Even people who live outside the current hotspots for the disease should stay
home as much as possible.
Ideally, you should remain
at least six feet away from all other people, but maintaining contact with your
family members is okay as long as you’re all doing your best to avoid getting
close to individuals outside the household. Even if you don’t have symptoms,
spending as much time alone as possible means you’re lowering the risk that you
will catch and spread COVID-19 to someone vulnerable.
Implementing preventative
social-distancing measures will reduce the number of people who are sick at one
time. Without such measures, many people get sick all at once,
leading to a tall, narrow curve. Social distancing can flatten the
curve—just as many people may get sick overall, but they’ll be spread out over
time. For a health care system, especially an overwhelmed one, it’s far better
to have a million people sick over the course of a year than have that same
million sick in the span of three months.
The Washington Post has an excellent interactive graphic to demonstrate the
importance of social distancing, if you don’t understand why it’s
important.
How
serious is COVID-19 globally?
There are now around two million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide,
affecting at least 177 countries on every continent except for Antarctica, and
some 127,000 people have died. While diagnoses and fatalities have tapered off
in China, where COVID-19 originated in December, and South Korea, which was one
of the first concerning hotspots for the disease, they continue to rise rapidly in several other places.
There are also concerns that largely-recovered countries could see
multiple waves of the disease, as cities ease restrictions and people begin
to behave more normally.
What can
I do to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
Proper
hand washing (instructions here) is still the best
defense we have against a disease like COVID-19. While hand
sanitizer is less effective, it’s a good substitute in a pinch—here’s a DIY recipe
if your local stores are sold out.
While the evidence
for the efficacy of face masks remains murky, the CDC now recommends that
everyone in the US wear them when leaving the house. The hope is that this
low-cost, low-risk intervention—implemented en masse—will help cut
down disease spread from asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. Here is a guide to buying or making a mask with whatever
material you’ve got.
It is also important to
practice social distancing if you’re able, even if your area is not yet
considered to be in the midst of an active outbreak, and to be diligent about
washing your hands if you have to go out and interact with people. Do not go
out to bars or restaurants; ordering takeout (or, even better, delivery left at
your front door) is the best way to get food from your favorite local business.
Trips outside the home should be limited to isolated exercise (jogging by
yourself in an area without crowds, for example) and getting essential medicine
and groceries, while maintaining six feet of distance from other people. You
should clean your hands frequently and avoid touching your face while out
conducting essential errands.
It’s possible to help
people working on the front lines, even while limiting your time outside your
home. Find out if you have any supplies you can donate to your local
hospital here.
No comments:
Post a Comment