Curiosity Daily Podcast: COVID-19 Myths and FAQs with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Epidemiologist

Epidemiologist Amesh Adalja answers frequently asked questions about COVID-19 in this special bonus episode. Dr. Adalja is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, and will help you understand what we know and what we don’t know as of this week.

March 18, 2020

Episode Show Notes:

In this episode, Dr. Amesh Amalja answers these frequently asked questions about COVID-19:

  • What do we know for sure in terms of transmissibility, symptoms, severity of symptoms, mortality rate, incubation period — or is our understanding about everything evolving?
  • What do we know about risk factors for specific comorbidities?
  • Why comparisons to the seasonal flu are fair to make?
  • If the virus isn’t as risky to children, then why are we closing schools?
  • What is going to be accomplished by discouraging or limiting large groups of people getting together?
  • Are you at a higher risk for more severe symptoms if you have had exposures to multiple different people who are carrying the virus?
  • Why don’t we just expose young and healthy people to the virus to build up immunity?
  • How much safer are we if everyone practices hand hygiene and social distancing?
  • Any other coronavirus myths worth discussing?
  • How long will it take for us to see the full impact of the pandemic and how will we reassess the extent of the damage in the future?
  • Will this virus die off in the summer?
  • What are the best medical sources to follow for coronavirus updates?

Additional resources recommended by Dr. Amesh Adalja, an expert in emergency medicine and infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019:

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