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6 HE ALTH • Spring 2020 As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across Massachusetts and the world, health officials urge people to be smart and think about how their actions impact others. • By Kaitlyn Mode C OVID-19, better known as coronavirus, has trampled its way across Asia, swept through Europe and, to much American's dismay, touched down in the USA. As of March 18, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases in all 50 states with a total of 7,038 infected persons and 97 deaths. With cases popping up across the country and social media spreading some of the pandemic's darkest rumors and conspiracies, it's no surprise citizens are stocking up on hand sanitizer and hoarding face masks and toilet paper. But are these measures enough to ward off a community outbreak and stop future transmissions? To answer this question, it's important to first understand who among the population is at risk. According to the CDC, "early information out of China shows that some people are at higher risk for serious illness than others. Those people are older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease." Studies show young, healthy persons may not be as susceptible to COVID- 19; an unsettling twist for scientists considering asymptomatic persons may be unknowingly spreading the disease within their communities. "Everyone thinks that they're going to die if they catch, but that's just not true," said Dr. Robert Finberg, chair of the Department of Medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Medical School in Worcester. "Healthy young people are not at high risk. It's the elderly, specifically those over 80, and those with severe immune dysfunctions, who are dying. It's our responsibility as a community to protect them." People are becoming overly consumed about self-preservation when, in reality, the data shows illness will be mild for the majority who get sick, Finberg said. UMass Memorial's biggest concern is Source: CDC Coronavirus in New England As of March 16, here is how many cases each New England state had confirmed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Massachusetts 164 Connecticut 26 Rhode Island 21 Maine 14 New Hampshire 13 Vermont 1 to 5 PROTECT and PREPARE