Most people seem to be getting the message: social isolation protects you and everyone else. Stay home, don’t the spread virus. A majority of people also seem to understand that we will need to do this for another 6-10 weeks.

As new information comes out daily the biggest challenge is sorting the accurate from the rumors and unsubstantiated information.

The United States has the fastest increase and the largest number of coronavirus infections anywhere in the world. New hot spots are beginning in Chicago, Detroit, and New Orleans. The US mortality rate has inched up to a little over 1.4%. There are not enough ventilators to handle a worst-case scenario of hospitalizations.

I am very concerned that the lack of adequate PPE (personal protective equipment) for front-line healthcare workers will lead to infections and illness that will deplete the numbers of available personnel. I have heard that providers are calling in sick, fearful of getting infected. There is a dire need for N95 masks, surgical masks, protective gowns, and face masks.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that this flu season we are facing an exceptional threat. The latest figures (as of March 8, 2020) show more than 106,000 reported cases of COVID-19 (aka, the coronavirus) in at least 70 countries, with more than 3,600 deaths globally, including 19 in the U.S., officially surpassing the death toll during the 2002 SARS epidemic.

It is prudent for people to think about how to avoid face-to-face contact with others if the coronavirus comes to your neighborhood. Here's how we can protect ourselves from contracting the virus and spreading it to others...