Bookmarks (3) clear filters

Until just now, the World Health Organization did not want to call COVID-19 a pandemic. Today they decided to start using that word. Read more...

If you want to describe how an infectious disease spreads, one handy number is what epidemiologists call R0 (“R naught”), the disease’s basic reproductive number. Right now, scientists are trying to figure out the R0 for the new coronavirus from Wuhan, China. So far, it seems to be a little bit higher than for the…Read more...

Coronavirus may make for grabby headlines, but so far it’s just not that big a risk to most of us. There are only a handful of cases worldwide, and if you haven’t been to Wuhan, China, your cough is probably just a garden variety cold. Still, if you’re worried, do this with your nervous energy: get your damn flu shot.Read more...