Now that the coronavirus is a pandemic, what does that mean and what should I do?
With nearly 135,000 cases of novel coronavirus worldwide — and the new cases outside China growing 13-fold over the last two weeks — the World Health Organization Wednesday labeled the outbreak as a pandemic, or global outbreak.
As of Thursday, the coronavirus, which causes the illness COVID-19, has led to nearly 5,000 deaths in 127 countries and territories. The number of affected countries has tripled in the past two weeks, another cause for using the term pandemic, WHO said.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher,” WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. “WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.”
In South Florida, cases are also growing. On Thursday night, the Florida Department of Health announced 15 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, including five in Broward and two in Palm Beach County.
The new Broward cases included a 28-year-old woman, a 25-year-old woman and 20-year old woman from Texas who was diagnosed in Broward. Other Broward cases include a 68-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man. The Palm Beach cases included a 73-year-old man and a 74-year-old man.
South Florida leaders have canceled major events including Jazz in the Gardens, Ultra Music Festival and the Miami Open tennis tournament. Scores of conferences, sporting events and performances have also been canceled or postponed.
“This is an event that is a once-in-a lifetime event,” said Dr. Randy Katz, medical director of emergency services for Memorial Regional Hospital during a Facebook Live held by the city of Hollywood Thursday. “When things like this happen, there are a lot of unknowns. And when there are unknowns, there is fear.”
To help ease that anxiety, we have tackled some questions surrounding the coronavirus.
So what does a pandemic mean?
The WHO’s Ghebreyesus said the term “pandemic” was appropriate because of the disease’s global reach. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a pandemic as something that has “spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
As of Thursday, 127 countries, or two-thirds of the world’s countries, had confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
An epidemic is when an outbreak is contained to a certain area, according to the CDC. This is the first time a coronavirus has sparked a pandemic, WHO said.
“There is reason to be cautious,” said Dr. Jefry Biehler, senior medical director for quality at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the chair of the department of pediatrics at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.
“People need to keep calm and do what they can to stop the spread,” Biehler said.
When was the last time the W.H.O. declared a pandemic?
In 2009, a pandemic was declared after a new strain of H1N1 influenza began to spread. The pandemic lasted about a year and involved nearly 61 million cases in the United States, with over 12,000 deaths. Worldwide, the CDC estimated there could have been as many as 575,400 deaths.
Prior to 2009, there were three other pandemics in 1968, 1957 and 1918.
The 1918 flu pandemic was considered the worst in history because more than 50 million people died from the flu. Advances in medicine, including vaccines, have helped to improve mortality rates, according to the CDC.
Biehler said the medical world has “come a long way since 1918.”
“We are much more prepared,” he said. “But there are a lot more people than there were back then.”
What is the difference between the seasonal flu and pandemic flu?
While the seasonal flu happens annually, usually between December and February, a pandemic flu is rare, according to the CDC.
With a pandemic flu, people often don’t have any immunity because it’s a new strain and there are no vaccines or medications to treat it. That means a pandemic flu can affect healthy people, the CDC says.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified to Congress Wednesday that COVID-19 can be at least 10 times “more lethal” than the seasonal flu.
How long does a pandemic last?
A pandemic flu can spread fast and happen in waves, according to the CDC. There is no way of knowing how long a pandemic can last, but the 2009 pandemic lasted about a year.
Part of the issue is the time it takes to develop a vaccine, which can take years.
Also, because it’s a new strain, not a lot is known.
Memorial’s Katz said it will be up to everyone to do what they can to stop the spread and shorten the life span. That means washing your hands, keeping your distance from others and staying home when you feel the first signs of sickness.
“We don’t know the life cycle because we’ve never seen this virus,” he said.
Katz suggested it can be months before leaders have a thorough grasp on the spread.
What’s the difference between isolation, quarantine and social distancing?
People who are infected should be isolated for at least 14 days, so as to not spread the disease.
But a new study raises the possibility that people who get the coronavirus could be contagious for a lot longer than the two-week quarantine period.
Researchers looking at cases in China say patients could spread the virus for up to 37 days after they start showing symptoms, according to the study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
Many people are self-quarantining because they have been exposed to a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Because the disease is easily spread through droplets, quarantining is a good idea if there is any risk of a person having the virus, Katz said.
Katz added that another reason is that a person may be contagious before they show symptoms.
As for social distancing, leaders are stressing avoiding places where a lot of people gather or where the risk of spread is higher.
“I am recommending to local municipalities and private entities to strongly consider limiting or postponing mass gatherings in the state of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a trip to Miami Thursday.
The CDC encourages everyone to be cautious when it come to COVID-19. People who are sick should avoid going out, people over 65 or who have a compromised immune system should avoid public places and everyone should be careful when it comes to washing hands and spreading germs.
“Now is the time to act,” Katz said. “We need to start changing the way we live.”
If I am sick, will I be tested for coronavirus?
With the increased demand, Katz said medical professionals are following Department of Health Guidelines and not everyone is tested.
Healtcare workers at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami said they have been “begging” the state Department of Health for clearance to run tests, said Martha Baker, a registered nurse and the president of the union representing nurses and doctors at Jackson.
“Mass testing is not available,” Memorial’s Katz conceded.
He said certain people are tested for different reasons, but generally if a person is young and healthy and doesn’t meet any other criteria, the best option is to stay home and recover.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Now that the coronavirus is a pandemic, what does that mean and what should I do?."
