Coronavirus: Don't Worry, Be Happily Informed
Reason's science correspondent explains who is getting infected, how to protect yourself, and why nobody should be freaking out. Yet.
If you're freaked out by the coronavirus—the growing pandemic that is shutting down travel from China, Iran, Italy, and elsewhere and has been the cause of at least nine deaths in Washington state—stop what you're doing and listen to the new Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie. It's 30 minutes that will give you peace of mind.
Ronald Bailey, Reason's science correspondent, provides comprehensive information about the origins and extent of the coronavirus (also known as COVID-19), which steps are being taken to slow its spread, and whether the United States, President Donald Trump, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are up to the task of battling a sickness that has already disrupted global trade and travel. The short version: COVID-19 is a serious problem, especially for older, sicker people with pre-existing medical problems, but its ultimate effects will be "like a particularly bad flu season, with a case-fatality rate somewhere between 0.2 and 0.5 percent."
Audio production by Ian Keyser.
