News Room

Social distancing is working, but timing and discipline are everything. Those are the takeaways of new research emerging into the effectiveness of mitigation measures aimed at the spreading novel coronavirus that demonstrates communities that acted more quickly and aggressively had better results than those that implemented partial, or gradual measures.

Santa Clara County, for example, imposed social-distancing restrictions starting on Feb. 10. A shelter-in-place order was implemented on March 17. By contrast Miami-Dade County waited until March 12 before it issued a state of emergency. 

The people living in communities hardest hit by the coronavirus tend to be low-income, elderly, and those with underlying health issues. Recent data revealed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that older folks are by far the most vulnerable, accounting for 80% of fatal cases in China and the U.S.

Several metro hospitals were planning major expansions to handle spiking patient loads, while rural hospitals continued to struggle treating uninsured patients amid the closure of seven rural hospitals in recent years.

The European Covid-19 epicenters of Italy and Spain are emerging from the worst of the virus and cautiously looking at how to ease lockdowns. Will the US follow soon?