It's easy to take a virus that has only struck 4,744 people (as of March 16, 2020) in a country of 320 million. Until you look at the rate of replication.
What makes Novel Coronavirus unique is that it is so infectious, the numbers of people infected is doubling every 2.5 days, and quadrupling every 5 days. When the numbers of affected individuals is multiplying, not just adding, it is known as "exponential growth."
The government got a late start, and thus far, people have not been taking the virus seriously. If we continue at the same rate - and our rate of infection hasn't changed since March 1st, we will be on track to have 77 million people infected in one month.
What can you do today to help the spread of the virus?
- If you feel unwell, have a fever, cough or respiratory symptoms, stay home if you can.
- Wash your hands and all touched surfaces frequently.
- Remain six feet away from persons whenever you can.
- Avoid parties, crowds, and non-urgent travel
- Call your doctor if you feel ill. Do not walk into the medical office.
Coronavirus can cause fever, feeling unwell, cough, and shortness of breath. And in addition, it can cause conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink-eye.
As for your eye health and macular degeneration, keep taking your eye vitamins. Macular degeneration doesn't take a break when there's a community virus.
Paul Krawitz, M.D.
Dr. Paul Krawitz is a board-certified ophthalmic surgeon and university clinical professor of ophthalmology. He serves as President and CEO of Shop VisiVite and is a physician partner at OCLI, a world-renowned ophthalmologic practice on Long Island, New York.
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