Stop the Coronavirus: The Science of Washing Your Hands
It seems surreal: Twenty seconds of handwashing with plain soap and water are powerful enough to destroy microscopic coronavirus particles and help prevent the spread of the disease to yourself and others. But the science is real. Thanks to their molecular makeups, soap and water, combined with regular handwashing, can kill the coronavirus and other […]
Does Everyone Over 60 Need to Take the Same Coronavirus Precautions?
She knew it wasn’t a good idea and her daughter would disapprove. Nonetheless, Barbara Figge Fox, 79, recently went to four stores in Princeton, New Jersey, to shop for canned goods, paper towels, fresh fruit, yogurt and other items. “I was in panic mode,” says Fox, who admitted she’s been feeling both agonizing fear and […]
Why the Coronavirus is Worse than the Flu and When to Seek Medical Attention
With its symptoms of high fever, cough and body aches — and its potential to be severe — the coronavirus has drawn comparisons to the flu. However, make no mistake: The new coronavirus is no flu. Even though both are spread through respiratory droplets, the coronavirus is affecting people with far more severity and rapidity […]
View from the Frontline
A day in the life of an emergency medicine physician preparing for the coronavirus Meeta Shah, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and associate chief medical informatics officer at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She assisted in developing a video visit platform for triaging coronavirus patients through Rush’s current virtual care services. Here’s her first-person account […]
Seattle Nurses Scrounge for Masks to Stay Safe on Pandemic’s Front Lines
As the caseload of patients with the new coronavirus grows, masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are in short supply — and nurses in Washington state are resorting to workarounds to try to stay safe. Wendy Shaw, a charge nurse for an emergency room in Seattle, says her hospital and others have locked up […]
Op-Ed: Lessons from 9/11
We Must Act Swiftly to Beat Back COVID-19 On the morning of 9/11, the trauma director of the New York hospital where I was working mobilized a team of anesthesiologists, nurses, surgeons and surgical residents — myself included — to Ground Zero to care for the wounded. Amid the chaos, ashes and whirling office paper, […]
Amid Pandemic, Programs Struggle to Reach Vulnerable Seniors Living at Home
Close down group meals for seniors. Cancel social gatherings. The directive, from the Illinois Department on Aging, sent shock waves through senior service organizations late last week. Overnight, Area Agencies on Aging had to figure out how to help people in their homes instead of at sites where they mingle and get various types of […]
Take a Deep Breath: Making Risk-Based Decisions in the Coronavirus Era
Just last week, it seemed okay to have lunch out or maybe meet up with friends for a game of pickup soccer. Now, in the fast-moving world of the coronavirus response, that’s no longer the case. More and better social distancing is required. But what’s still acceptable? We reached out to public health experts, who, […]
As Coronavirus Testing Gears Up, Specialized Swabs Running Out
The two top makers of the highly specialized swabs used to test patients for the novel coronavirus are straining to keep up with the demand, even as both the Italian and U.S. governments are working with them to increase production, including at a key manufacturing site in the midst of Italy’s outbreak. The nasopharyngeal swabs […]
Facing a Surge, Chicago-Area Hospitals Are Fighting for Coronavirus Tests
Photos courtesy of Rush University Medical Center With a fever, a cough and trouble breathing, Chicago resident Deborah Lielasus, who lives in North Center, was worried that she had COVID-19. Because she is 60 years old and immunocompromised due to autoimmune myelitis — both coronavirus risk factors — she was extra-concerned. She feared that her […]
Former Federal Virus Hunter Says U.S. Needs to Act Before New Germs ‘Kick Your Door In’
Above photo: Dennis Carroll waits to be interviewed for the Netflix production of “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak.” Carroll for 15 years directed the pandemic influenza and emerging threats unit at the federal Agency for International Development (USAID) that helped identify more than 2,000 zoonotic viruses, or germs in animals. (Courtesy of Dennis Carroll) […]
Coronavirus Pushes Hospitals to Share Information About Stocks of Protective Gear
Above photo: Tom Cooper, Nashville General Hospital’s supply chain director, inspects a box of N95 respirators. The hospital is among a small group of pilot sites now sharing data about the inventory of its protective equipment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Blake Farmer/WPLN) Masks, gloves and other equipment are crucial as healthcare […]
How to Avoid Coronavirus? Lessons from People Whose Lives Depend on It
Andrea Amelse knows hand-washing. For the past eight years, she’s been washing her hands pretty much every time she passes a sink. When she’s near a bottle of antibacterial gel, she uses it. She makes a point of avoiding people with contagious illnesses, even though it can be uncomfortable to ask to work from home […]
How Chicagoans Can Protect Themselves and Others from the Coronavirus
Tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce your risk of infection and keep others safe, at home, at work and at school.
The Coronavirus: What Chicagoans Need to Know
Update March 9, 2020: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. will likely occur. “Current circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will cause a pandemic,” the CDC says. While data so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, the CDC […]
