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Insight

 

Insight creates conversation to build community, exploring issues and events that connect people in our region. Insight covers breaking news and big ideas, music, arts & culture with responsible journalism, civil discussion and diverse voices.

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Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
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  • Health Care
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Interview: Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Dean Blumberg On What To Know About Coronavirus

Thursday, February 27, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
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NIAID-RML via AP

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab.

NIAID-RML via AP

A patient who may be the first U.S. community-transmitted case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is being treated at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. According to the UC Davis Medical Center, the patient was transferred from another hospital several days ago and is a resident of Solano County. 

UC Davis pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Dean Blumberg joined Insight guest host Randol White this morning to discuss coronavirus and what you should know about it.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Interview Highlights

On issues with testing for coronavirus

The testing has really been limited from the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. They've had very strict criteria, and many physicians and health care providers have been wanting to test for more widespread transmission. So we're hopeful that more widespread testing will be available soon, so that we can get an idea of how far this virus has reached into the community, who's getting infected and who's at risk.

On how worried people should be

To put this in perspective, I would say it's somewhere in between panic and nonchalance. On the one hand, the reason that there's so much concern is that this is a novel virus and nobody's ever been exposed to it before. That means everybody is susceptible to infection with it. If you come in contact with somebody who is symptomatic and transmitting this virus, you're most likely to get infected. So that's the scary part. 

Now, the part that's reassuring is the vast majority of people who do get infected with this virus are mildly symptomatic, or might even be asymptomatic. Most people will have a cold and they will recover. So far, it's been reported that about 20% of patients have more severe disease and about 2% of patients are dying. That's very concerning, but I believe that those numbers are probably lower than that, and that we're not detecting mild or asymptomatic disease. So when we do start doing more widespread testing, those numbers are going to drop.

On how the coronavirus spreads

It's transmitted by coughing or sneezing ... primarily by droplet transmission, meaning the droplets are relatively large, and will only be airborne for about six feet after somebody coughs or sneezes. So if you're farther away from somebody than six feet, the chances of getting infected when they cough and sneeze are really low. Those droplets can contaminate surfaces. And so if you do touch contaminated surfaces and then touch your face, you can get transmission that way too. And that's why we're recommending frequent hand washing… 

I think for coworkers, if you're sick, don't go to work. Be nice to your coworkers: Don't go to work and don't go to school. Stay home. If you do touch frequently touch surfaces such as gas pumps, door handles shopping carts, you don't know where that person's hands have been. So yeah, I do recommend washing your hands. And personally, I always carry around some alcohol hand gel.

On whether workers or visitors to the UC Davis Medical Center should be concerned

Not at all. No. The infection prevention program at UC Davis is robust and completely on top of this. The patient has been isolated appropriately from the get go. There's no chance of transmission to other patients or visitors to the Medical Center.

On the anxiety around coronavirus

Some people are anxious about many different things in life, and so people have to put that into perspective. I can tell you, if you put it into perspective, we've had more than 16,000 deaths in the U.S. already this season from influenza ... so I would be worried about that. And yet we know that the overall vaccination rate against influenza in the U.S. is about 50% every year. So a lot of times, logic doesn't really take over and people are very fearful and they still don't do the right thing to protect themselves.

    More about Coronavirus

  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Coronavirus In California: Latest Updates And Resources

    The coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in California and around the world. Here are resources and all our coverage at CapRadio and NPR.

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    A Guide: How To Prepare Your Home For Coronavirus

    Thursday, February 27, 2020
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week urged the American public "to prepare in the expectation that this could be bad." Here are some of the steps you might consider.
  • NIAID-RML via AP

    UC Davis Confirms New Coronavirus Case Being Treated At Sacramento Medical Center Is First Of Unknown Origin

    Wednesday, February 26, 2020
    A new case of coronavirus disease COVID-19 diagnosed in Northern California and being treated in Sacramento is the first case in the United States of unknown origin, according to officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Financial Market Jitters, Global Trade And The Coronavirus

    Tuesday, February 25, 2020
    On Monday, global stock markets tumbled more than 3 percent, apparently in reaction to the continuing spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19. The latest increase in cases hit South Korea, Iran and Italy.

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