If you’ve been reading the headlines lately, you’ve likely heard of the coronavirus (formally called 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV), which has been causing a stir since the first emergence of cases in the United States. Doctor Radio (Ch. 110) medical director and NYU Langone Health Professor of Medicine (with a specialization in infectious diseases) Dr. Marc Siegel, MD, hosted Doctor Radio Report: Coronavirus — Facing the Fear & Facts to set some things straight about the epidemic. You can hear the full special On Demand below.
During the special report, Siegel teamed up with a disease expert who needs no introduction, Dr. Anthony Fauci — MD, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — as well as Dr. Mark Mulligan, the Thomas S. Murphy, Sr. Professor in the Department of Medicine and a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Mulligan is also the Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, and Director of the Vaccine Center at NYU Langone Health.
Throughout the nearly 50-minute special, the doctors touched on everything from the semantics of describing this strain of coronavirus as a “pandemic” to clinical treatments and how the virus is spread. When it comes to public fear, Fauci’s primary takeaway is that while the risk among the U.S. public is low, it’s also an uncharted and changing situation that citizens should monitor closely. Later in the program, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Nancy Messonnier, MD, to speak on the efforts to contain the virus.
The good news? Messonnier noted that the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been working on supplies and reagent resources for state and international relief efforts that should ideally reach health departments by the end of the week.
Last week, NYU Langone Health Otolaryngologist and Doctor Radio host Dr. Sean McMenomey paired up with University of Texas Heath School of Public Health Epidemiologist Catherine Troisi, MD, to set the record straight on all things coronavirus during The Otolaryngology Show. Listen On Demand below!
During this informative and reassuring half-hour, McMenomey and Troisi dove into fact vs. fiction of the virus while also arming listeners with invaluable preventative tips. The discussion of the coronavirus drew many parallels to the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, which fortunately was contained due to fast-acting public health efforts. Though the jury is still out on whether or not those who are asymptomatic can spread the illness, symptoms can range from the common cold to severe respiratory distress.
While the public attention is understandably on the coronavirus for now, both McMenomey and Troisi stress the prevalence of the flu, which is both more widespread and deadly in the U.S., having caused thousands of deaths (including 39 children) this year alone. If you haven’t received the shot yet, it’s not too late — flu season can last all the way until March.
