185 - Pandemic: COVID-19 vs 1918 Spanish Flu

What the Hell is going on right now? Why is the world in lockdown? Today I try and answer some biology basics: What is a virus? What is a coronavirus? Why is the governmental reaction to COVID-19 so much more severe than it was to SARS back in 2003, or MERS in 2012, or the H1N1 outbreak of swine flu in 2009? I also interview Amy Ward, MS, RN, CIC, someone with a masters degree in infection prevention and epidemiology, to get a feel for what the medical community thinks of this pathogen. We break down how COVID-19 kills, what treatments are being explored, and I also go over a timeline of the 1918 Spanish flu to get a feel for how much worse that virus was and understand what we're trying to avoid with our current employment of "social distancing" and "shelter in place" measures. One of the most informative Sucks yet! Stay safe, and, this too shall pass. Hail Nimrod!

World Health Organization COVID-19 information: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

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