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How to Prepare for a Possible Coronavirus Pandemic
CDC says to expect a potentially ‘severe’ disruption to everyday life
Follow Elemental’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here.
The person leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Nancy Messonnier at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is preparing herself and her family for a possible pandemic that could cause “severe” disruption to everyday life as businesses curtail activity, schools possibly close, and social gatherings are discouraged.
“I had a conversation with my family over breakfast this morning,” Messonnier said today in a conference call with reporters. “And I told my children that while I didn’t think that they were at risk right now, we as a family need to be preparing for significant disruption to our lives.”
Messonnier, who directs the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, sounded the most concerning tone yet that COVID-19, as the disease is called, will likely become a pandemic. “The fact that this virus has caused illness and death, along with sustained person-to-person spread is concerning,” she said. It meets two of the criteria for a pandemic. Meanwhile, she said, “the world moves closer to meeting the third criteria: worldwide spread of the…
