Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

As one of the most destructive business sectors, the fashion industry is poised for change, and COVID-19 might just be the catalyst it needs to become a more sustainable and ethical industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on bad practices and unsustainable business models across industries, but one sector in particular has found itself at the forefront of this exposurethe fashion industry.

As one of the worlds most destructive business sectors, fashion is the worlds second worst offender when it comes to water pollution, according to the 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report, and is responsible for approximately 10 percent of all carbon emissions. Not to mention, with overproduction running 30 to 40 percent each season, more than 70 percent of clothes end up in a landfill and an estimated $500 billion value is lost every year due to clothing being barely worn and rarely recycled, The Business of Fashion reports.

As weve seen the crisis unfold, the issues of resilience, or lack thereof, and various aspects of the supply chain have come to the fore within both the fashion and apparel space, said Niall Murphy, CEO and cofounder of EVRYTHING, a tech platform providing digital identities for the worlds consumer products and a pioneer in bringing transparency to the fashion industry. And in other categories, weve seen businesses called out, actually, with dependencies in their source materials, their raw materials, their components within their supply chain that they didnt realize that they had because they dont have sufficient level of visibility across the supply chain.

Last week, Murphy was joined by Vanessa Barboni Hallik, founder and CEO of sustainable fashion brand Another Tomorrow; e-commerce pioneer Julie Wainwright, founder and CEO of The RealReal; and Kathleen Entwistle, private wealth advisor at UBS, for a discussion with Worth CEO Juliet Scott-Croxford about how the business of fashion is changing amidst COVID-19 and how sustainability, brand values and innovative technology will play a larger role in how consumers choose their apparel in a post-pandemic world.

Weve had challenge after challenge in both going fromwe couldnt hire fast enough to now we have to lay people off, Wainwright said. Weve boarded up all of our stores. Hopefully, we can start doing curbside pickup at some point, but its been tough. On the flip side, the company and the team have shown tremendous innovation. The management team, the directors, the entire company has innovated beyond scope. And so, were going to end up in a really unique position when we pull out of this, which were starting to see some light.

But as supply chains have globalized over the last several years, the issues facing the fashion and apparel industry cut much deeper than just the current crisis. I think fashion and sustainability has been a hard sell historically, Barboni Hallik said, noting that this unique moment could be seen as a test for the fashion industry because it really has allowed so many people in so many critically vital areas of the economy to become seen in a way and create that empathy.

All of the panelists agree that consumer education is critical. I do think the first thing is understanding and having the information out there and available to people, UBS Entwistle said.

One of the things that I think is challenging, in terms of getting consumers to think about clothing as an asset, is this really disruptive sales cycle that the industry is in, Barboni Hallik added. And I think its really positive to see that some of the world is changing, but its very difficult to train a customer to think about clothing as an asset, when the retail price is only the retail price for a month, two months at best. And then its 40, 50, 60 percent off. So, I think thats really challenging. I do think that the education piece and the communication piece is so important to actually enable customers to make better decisions. It was one of the major reasons why I started Another Tomorrow, because I found it just so incredibly frustrating to actually get any level of procurement information about how a product was made. Youre pretty much lucky to know what country its manufactured in, let alone how it was made.

But even more important than education alone is that education, at least according to Wainwright, is turned into policy.

Until laws change, even COVID isnt going to change some of the practices, Wainwright explained. So, laws have to change. We cant continue to produce so many goods that end up in landfill. Theres a truckload a second going into landfill as we speak; 50 percent of whats made doesnt sell. A lot of the luxury brands are still burning their bags because they can. Theyre still burning their things because they can. Burberry stopped. Burberry partnered with The RealReal. Were in conversations with other large brands. But until the governments really force it, COVID is not going to force sustainability. We view this as a serious issue.

Look, consumers, its going to be tough, Wainwright continued. Were at this pivotal point where what governments do to help their people get back to work and also their focus on getting a vaccination and preventative medicine, how much effort is going to determine every countrys economy, and thats a weird thing to say. As an entrepreneur, you like to think you chart your own destiny, but this is bigger than whatever any of us are doing here. Governments are going to help get people back on their feet. Theyre also going to help science help give us some form of living with this horrible situation.

I do think that Julies point is right, that theres a macro situation thats much bigger than any of us, Murphy added. And weve got to keep our eyes on how those things affect us. But I am tremendously motivated by the degree of collaboration, and just conversations like this, thats going on every day across industries where people are trying to work out how to find paths to solution. And that bodes well, thats what you want to see in humanity, is collaboration and working out how we solve each others problems together. And Im pretty optimistic about the fact that were going to dig ourselves out of this hole. Were going to dig ourselves out of this hole well.

Watch the full discussion from The Next Normal: Why Sustainability Is the Future of Fashion here:

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How the Current Crisis Could Impact the Future of Fashion Forever - Worth

There are any number of ways to measure the value of physicians advice for preventative measures, the current studys outcome was years free of chronic illness. The participants were Europeans involved in a number of longitudinal studies but all free of 6 chronic illnesses (type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarctions, coronary deaths, strokes, cancers, asthma, and COPD) at the beginning of the study;andwithinformation on their weight, smoking and alcohol history, and leisure activities. Roughly 116,000 individuals, average age 43, 61% women, were followed for a mean of 12.5 years.

Before jumping to the results, let's address the definitions and caveats. Weight was based on BMI, smokers divided into never, former or current, and activity based on self-reported activity or roughly 2.5 hours of moderate activity [1]. It was a European study, so drinking up to 2 glasses a day for women and 3 glasses a day for men was optimal, no alcohol was intermediate (you have to love the Europeans) ,any more was considered a poor lifestyle choice. Each choice provided a score of 0-2, with 8 being optimal.

As with many of these studies, the lifestyle choices were determined only once, at the beginning of the study, so behavior may have changed. More importantly, many of the people with healthy lifestyles but with a chronic disease already present at the beginning of the study were excluded. So, as always, apply as many grains of salt as you believe necessary.

The broad outline remains clear, prevention can add disease-freeyears to ones life, and are rarely as expensive as the cost of treatment, physically, fiscally, and psychologically. One wonders why the advice is so often unheeded. Why is it easier to take a pill than to go for a walk?

[1] This might include gardening, dancing, riding a bicycle at 10 miles per hour, or playing doubles tennis.

Source: Association of Healthy Lifestyles with Years without Major Chronic Diseases JAMA Internal Medicine DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0618

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The Valuation of Physician Advice - American Council on Science and Health

SAN DIEGO and CAMBRIDGE, England, May 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX), a biotechnology company developing long-acting therapeutics to transform the standard of care for patients facing serious fungal or viral infections, and Mundipharma today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its ReSPECT pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the company’s lead antifungal candidate, rezafungin, for the prevention of invasive fungal disease in patients undergoing allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). Rezafungin is a novel, once-weekly echinocandin being developed for both the treatment and prevention of severe fungal infections.

Johan A. Maertens, M.D., Ph.D., FECCM, Professor of Internal Medicine and Hematology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium and investigator in the ReSPECT study, said, Rezafungin has the potential to become the new standard of care to prevent invasive fungal disease in patients undergoing allogeneic blood and marrow transplants. The cocktail of preventative options used today has significant limitations, such as toxicities, hazardous drug-drug interactions and patient compliance. With one drug, rezafungin, given once-weekly, we may be able to overcome these substantial limitations to improve patient outcomes in this highly immunosuppressed population.”

Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara, added, The ReSPECT pivotal Phase 3 trial studying rezafungin for the prevention of severe fungal infections, along with our ongoing ReSTORE Phase 3 trial evaluating rezafungin for the treatment of invasive Candida infections, positions rezafungin to potentially become the first new antifungal approved for both the treatment and prevention of serious fungal infections in nearly 15 years. Patients with compromised immune systems face complex drug regimens when undergoing BMT and experience a high mortality rate if infected. Shifting the antifungal standard of care to a single once-weekly drug, rezafungin, which has the potential to protect against three deadly pathogens, could significantly transform the approach and outcomes for patients and health care providers alike.”

Cidara is supported in the ongoing development of rezafungin by Mundipharma, who will be responsible for bringing the therapy to patients outside the U.S. and Japan.

Brian Sheehan, senior vice president Innovation at Mundipharma commented: We are pleased to be working in partnership with Cidara Therapeutics on this promising therapy in an area that has seen little innovation in over a decade. The launch of this pivotal Phase 3 trial is an important milestone in our joint efforts to support vulnerable patients around the world.”

The ReSPECT trial is a global, randomized, double-blind, controlled, pivotal Phase 3 trial of rezafungin versus the standard antimicrobial regimen to prevent invasive fungal disease due to Candida, Aspergillus and Pneumocystis in subjects undergoing allogeneic BMT. Rezafungin, dosed once-weekly, will be compared to a daily regimen containing multiple drugs including fluconazole or posaconazole, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, also known as Bactrim, for 90 days, at which time fungal-free survival will be measured as the primary efficacy outcome. The trial will enroll approximately 462 adults with underlying conditions, such as acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome(s), lymphoma and aplastic anemia, across approximately 30 BMT centers.

Further information on the ReSPECT trial can be found at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04368559

About Invasive Fungal Disease Each year, an estimated 1.5 million people with compromised or suppressed immune systems die of invasive fungal infections worldwide.1 The current standard of care for the prevention of invasive fungal disease requires complex patient-specific plans and drug cocktails that are subject to change due to the underlying disease, toxicities and the local epidemiology of fungal infections.2,3 Patients who have received a blood and marrow transplant, cancer chemotherapy or solid organ transplant may receive prophylaxis to prevent deadly Candida, Aspergillus and/or Pneumocystis infections for several weeks to over a year, depending on the period of immunosuppression or development of Graft Versus Host Disease.3

About Rezafungin Rezafungin is a novel once-weekly echinocandin being developed for both the treatment and prevention of serious fungal infections, such as candidemia and invasive candidiasis. The structure and properties of rezafungin were specifically designed to improve upon a clinically validated mechanism, enhancing its efficacy and safety potential for patients. Cidara and its strategic partner Mundipharma are currently conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial with rezafungin for the first-line treatment of candidemia and/or invasive candidiasis (ReSTORE trial)4, as well as a second Phase 3 clinical trial of once-weekly rezafungin for prevention against invasive fungal infections in patients undergoing allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation (ReSPECT trial).5 Mundipharma has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize rezafungin in all markets outside of the United States and Japan, which are retained by Cidara.

About Cidara Therapeutics Cidara is developing therapeutics to improve the standard of care for patients facing serious fungal or viral infections. The Company’s portfolio is comprised of breakthrough approaches aimed at transforming existing treatment and prevention paradigms, first with its lead Phase 3 antifungal candidate, rezafungin, in addition to antiviral conjugates (AVCs) targeting influenza and other viral diseases from Cidara’s proprietary Cloudbreak antiviral platform. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit http://www.cidara.com.

About the Mundipharma network Mundipharma is a global network of privately-owned independent associated companies whose purpose is to move medicine forward. With a high performing and learning organisation that strives for innovation and commercial excellence through partnerships, we successfully transformed and diversified our European portfolio of medicines to create value for patients, payers and wider healthcare systems across important therapeutic areas such as Diabetes, Respiratory, Oncology, Pain and Biosimilars.

Safe Harbor Statement Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, whether we can successfully develop rezafungin, establish it as a new standard of care or whether rezafungin can overcome limitations of existing therapies, whether the Phase 3 development program for rezafungin will be successful and be approved both for treatment and prevention of serious fungal infections, or whether as a therapy it will protect against deadly pathogens and transform the approach and outcomes for patients and healthcare providers. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the success and timing of Cidara’s clinical trials; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; changes in Cidara’s plans to develop and commercialize its product candidates; Cidara’s ability to obtain additional financing; Cidara’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its product candidates; the success and timing of Cidara’s discovery and pre-clinical programs; the loss of key scientific or management personnel; and the impacts of global health crises, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Cidara’s Form 10-Q most recently filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Cidara undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

INVESTOR CONTACT: Brian Ritchie LifeSci Advisors (212) 915-2578 britchie@lifesciadvisors.com

MEDIA CONTACT: Karen O’Shea, Ph.D. LifeSci Communications (929) 469-3860 koshea@lifescicomms.com

MEDIA CONTACT: (Ex-US and Japan) Helen Rae Makara Health Communications +44 (0) 7503 652 311 / +44 (0) 23 81 247 327

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Cidara Therapeutics Doses First Patient in Pivotal Phase 3 ReSPECT Trial of Rezafungin for Prevention of Invasive Fungal Disease in Patients...

Since 1972, staff members at Home Start, a San Diego-based nonprofit with offices around the county, have dedicated ourselves to effectively prevent and treat child abuse. It is the cornerstone of our overall mission: to assure the safety and resiliency of children by strengthening families and their communities.

Our mission today is more important than ever before. As the nation and world battle the devastating social, physical, health and emotional ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, one critical issue we must address is the safety of children now most at risk of abuse.

Last month, the World Health Organization published a joint leaders statement on the hidden dangers of violence against children during the pandemic that outlined what a collective response must include: maintaining essential health and social welfare services, including mental health and psychosocial support ... and communicating with and engaging parents, caregivers and children themselves with evidence-based information and advice.

In addition, similar warnings from state and local officials are confirming what our own program staff are observing daily: Parents most affected by the coronavirus shutdowns are more stressed than ever.

Throughout San Diego, families sheltering in place are cut off from school, work and friends. Domestic violence reports have surged as the challenges of forced isolation, lost wages and concerns of well-being have increased exponentially. Extended school closures mean fewer eyes on kids to report concerns about potential abuse. Child abuse reports have plummeted, and organizations like Home Start are deeply concerned that dire situations and the destructive undercurrent of violence impacting children are going unreported and unnoticed.

The prevalence of domestic violence in our region without the added factor of a global pandemic is demonstrated by the number of incidents reported to San Diego County law enforcement. In 2018, there were 17,513 domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement in the county, a 4% increase from the prior year, according to the Criminal Justice Research Division of the San Diego Association of Governments.

Read more on child abuse during the novel coronavirus pandemic:

The American Journal of Preventative Medicine confirms Home Starts experience that homelessness and domestic violence are companion problems. The coronavirus crisis has magnified this for single women facing job and housing instability. Many have children, making domestic violence a driving factor of the swelling population of homeless families in our region.

Almost 80% of the 14,000 to 15,000 households Home Start serves per year have children who have witnessed domestic violence or experienced abuse or trauma.

How deep is this tragedy? According to Every Child Matters and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, five children every day in America die from abuse and neglect and more than half a million children suffer neglect or abuse every year. Again, these statistics predate the coronavirus crisis.

In the fight against child abuse, knowledge is our strongest weapon. The more we know about it, the more we can do to help those who have already been victimized and to prevent it from happening again.

Children of abuse often feel isolated and vulnerable. They are starved for attention, affection and approval. If mom is struggling to survive, it is difficult to be present for her children. If dad is so consumed with controlling everyone, he also is not present for his children. These children become physically, emotionally and psychologically abandoned.

The emotional responses of children who witness domestic violence may include fear, guilt, shame, sleep disturbances, sadness, depression, and anger (at both the abuser for the violence and at the abused for being unable to prevent the violence).

Physical responses may include stomachaches and/or headaches, bed-wetting and loss of ability to concentrate. Some children may also experience physical or sexual abuse or neglect. Others may be injured while trying to intervene on behalf of their mother or a sibling.

Sometimes you think you see adults abusing children in public and you dont know whether you should get involved, or how. Is it your business when you see parents hitting, slapping or otherwise hurting their children? Can you help?

The answer is yes.

You should try to help if, in your evaluation of the situation, the child could be physically hurt, his or her overall well-being is threatened, or you are uncomfortable with a situation involving a child. If you cannot help by talking to the parent, or the situation is more serious than you can handle, then report the incident.

Coping with coronavirus

The pandemic sweeping the globe has changed everyones lives, and we want to hear how its changed yours. If youd like to write an op-ed for us on a subject related to the virus, make it 700-750 words and send it to us with your name and a phone number so we can reach you.

We recognize that deciding what to do when you suspect child abuse or neglect can be a difficult and confusing process. Remember, you do not need to make a decision about whether abuse or neglect occurred; you are just reporting your concerns.

If you think that a child is in immediate danger, call your local police or 911. You then have other options. Contact the Sheriffs Department at (858) 565-5200, remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477, submit an anonymous tip online at http://www.sdcrimestoppers.com or contact the countys Child Welfare Services Hotline at (858) 560-2191.

Child abuse prevention is a community responsibility, and even more so as we deal with the unprecedented isolation and fears of this coronavirus pandemic. You can make a difference in the life of a vulnerable local child. Together, we can all commit to being more vigilant and involved in helping to protect our children.

Tancredi-Baese has been the CEO of Home Start since 2007. She lives in Normal Heights.

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Commentary: Child abuse reports are down during the pandemic, raising concerns of unreported abuse - The San Diego Union-Tribune

As new cases of coronavirus mount in the Ohio Valley, health officials are bracing for an onslaught of patients and what could be unprecedented demand for beds, medical staff and specialized equipment.

Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia have disproportionately high rates of people vulnerable to serious illness from COVID-19. But the regions capacity to treat them has been sharply reduced by the closure of some 21 hospitals over the past 15 years. An analysis by the Ohio Valley ReSource shows some of the communities where hospitals have closed have some of the nations poorest health outcomes, making them especially vulnerable.

Still more hospitals in the region are being closed now, even as the pandemic unfolds.

Click to hear Liam's story about how Ohio Valley health care systems are handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Tiffany Wilburn-Meeks has lived in eastern Kentucky's Greenup County for most of her 38 years. And the hospital her family has always relied on is only a five-minute drive away.

Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital is where she would go if she was sick growing up, and its where she was considering taking her 23-month-old daughter Darian for speech therapy. Its also where her mom, Judy, would go if an asthma attack turned for the worst.

But I think if she'd had to go to Kings Daughters [Hospital], I don't know that she would have survived the drive because it's 10 or 15 more minutes down the road.

But by May, her family wont be able to rely on Our Lady of Bellefonte anymore. The 220-bed hospital with more than 1,000 employees started by a congregation of Catholic sisters in 1953 with the blessing of the pope via telegram will close its doors.

That would leave 35,000 people in Greenup County without a hospital, forcing those who need intensive medical care to drive to Kings Daughters Hospital in Ashland. This comes as many Ohio Valley public health officials are bracing for the coronavirus to reach their communities.

While the number of confirmed cases in her region have not reached levels in larger cities, she knows the number will grow.

If it does, there's no way that Kings Daughters is going to be able to handle that, she said. It is terrifying, and I'm afraid that people will die as a consequence of the hospital closing.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Kings Daughters Hospital said they were working daily with Our Lady of Bellefonte to potentially expand the capacity of Kings Daughters if patient needs surge due to coronavirus.

Wilburn-Meek started an online petition to try to call attention to the situation and save the hospital, but she isnt optimistic shell be successful. And more than a dozen communities across the Ohio Valley are facing a similar situation.

Our Lady of Bellefonte will join at least 21 other hospital closures in the Ohio Valley within the past 15 years. The Ohio Valley Resource estimates those 21 closures represented more than 1,000 hospital beds in total.

Some shuttered hospital sites are now vacant parking lots. Some have been turned into addiction rehab facilities or urgent care facilities, but those often have limited or no in-patient services.

These closures have left a hollowed out healthcare infrastructure in the Ohio Valley, and leading healthcare professionals worry that the loss of hospital beds, skilled staff and equipment combined with a population that is especially vulnerable to COVID-19 disease could hinder how well the region can respond to the coronavirus.

Running Out

For 15 years, Marlene Moore was lead nurse of the intensive care unit at Ohio Valley Medical Center in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia. She would make determinations about who would be admitted and who would be discharged, who would be transferred to other departments and hospitals, and helping younger nurses with questions and assistance.

That time came to an end when the company that owned OVMC and another hospital in nearby Martins Ferry, Ohio, announced last year both hospitals would close. Along with Belmont Community Hospital also closing, three hospitals in total last year shuttered in the Wheeling metropolitan area.

It was just devastating, because especially at our smaller hospitals, the employees know everybody. I mean, from housekeeping, to dietary to the lab, to all the departments, Moore said. It affected the whole valley.

Moore started working last month at what is now the only hospital in town, Wheeling Hospital, where a coronavirus patient is currently being treated.

She said because Wheeling Hospital often has many beds filled with patients having other needs, those needing a bed for coronavirus treatment may have to travel a half-hour or more to hospitals in Steubenville, Ohio, Columbus or Pittsburgh.

And its the kind of people her hospital tends to serve that has her particularly worried.

We have such an older population here. And if you get several that come in at the same time with severe respiratory distress, you're going to run out of ICU beds, you're going to run out of ventilators, you're actually going to run out of places to treat these people, she said.

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study found West Virginia led the nation in how vulnerable its population is to coronavirus because of old age and preexisting conditions. More than half of all adults in West Virginia and more than 45% of all adults in Kentucky were at high risk of serious illness from coronavirus because of advanced age, pre-existing conditions, or both.

A report from Kaiser Health News also found there are only 325 ICU beds for more than 12,000 people over the age of 60 in Ohio County, where Wheeling is located. People over the age of 60 make up 28% of the countys population.

According to an Ohio Valley Resource data analysis, 4 of the 18 counties that lost hospitals over the past 15 years also have some of the worst health outcomes in the nation. Those counties have some of the countrys highest rates of chronic respiratory disease deaths, cardiovascular disease deaths and diabetes prevalence.

Amid closures, remaining Ohio Valley hospitals are reinforcing their capacity for beds, equipment and personal protective equipment for worst case scenarios.

A statement from the West Virginia Hospital Association said hospitals are canceling or rescheduling elective surgeries to free up more beds, in compliance with a state emergency order. Hospitals are converting different departments into infectious disease units, and developing alternative treatment sites. One hospital in Athens, Ohio, has now set up a triage tent to treat potential patients outside.

Rising Costs

Even if Ohio Valley hospitals are able to accommodate a surge of coronavirus patients, the financial toll it could take could devastate rural healthcare providers.

A report last year from Navigant Consulting showed that 16 rural hospitals in Kentucky about a quarter of all rural hospitals in the state were at high risk of closing due to unstable financial situations. Some of the reasons cited for financial struggles include population loss with fewer people to serve, and more patients insured through Medicare and Medicaid, which often undercompensates hospitals for treatment.

Those ongoing challenges will only be made worse by the pandemic.

The payment mechanism for treating these patients is not clear at this point. The unusually long length of stay I think is a concern with the very sick of these patients who typically end up, or have ended up, on ventilator care, which is very expensive and resource intensive to deliver, said Bud Warman, Kentucky Hospital Association Vice President and former CEO of Highlands Regional Medical Center in east Kentucky. They haven't always had potentially this much volume of wants to deal with.

The American Hospital Association is asking for $100 billion from Congress to offset anticipated coronavirus costs, while some rural hospitals struggle to ration protective medical supplies. A bill being considered by the Kentucky Senate would also provide a loan program for struggling rural hospitals.

Warman also said when hospitals have closed in Appalachia, there are often few options remaining for the people the provider served.

In some cases, they just don't have adequate transportation to get them that longer distance, Warman said. If they're deciding between food on the table or traveling 50 miles to see a doctor or to seek health care, oftentimes, they make the choice for food on the table. It sounds dire, but the fact is in many parts of our state, many parts of Appalachia, that is the case.

Whats Left

In central West Virginia, Michael Brumage is leading one of the remaining options for those without easy access to a hospital.

As Chief Medical Officer of Cabin Creek Health Systems, he directs several Federally Qualified Health Centers that provide preventative care and substance abuse treatment, often for people who are low-income or uninsured. His experience also extends across multiple organizations: Brumage serves as director of the Preventative Medicine Residency Program in the WVU School of Public Health, was former executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, and former health officer for Kanawha County and Putnam County, West Virginia.

His staff is preparing to treat patients who have respiratory symptoms outside of the centers in order to prevent the spread of the virus inside their buildings, and theyll also have curbside service for those with respiratory symptoms.

Our public health system has been underfunded for many, many years, at the federal, state and local levels, Brumage said. So we're fortunate, I think that there are federally qualified health centers, that there are free and charitable clinics that are able to pick up the slack.

But even with his centers, there are still intensive, in-patient services that he cant provide, that a hollowed out healthcare infrastructure has left lacking.

Brumage was born in Fairmont Regional Medical Center in Fairmont, West Virginia. So was his sister. Hes had several relatives whove been hospitalized there over the years. The hospital is set to close this week.

It's befuddling to me how they can close this hospital during a pandemic, when there are going to be so many more beds that need to be filled. It staggers the imagination, Brumage said.

While a hospital is being built to replace Fairmont Regional, Brumage is worried that it will be too late for the demand for hospital beds, ventilators and skilled staff needed to respond to the pandemic.

There will be many competing economic priorities once this clears to restore the American economy, Brumage said. But shame on us if we don't invest in our public health infrastructure, and if we don't invest in our overall health infrastructure, and if we don't look for ways to make health care equitable for all Americans.

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Ohio Valley Facing Pandemic With A Health System Hollowed Out By Hospital Closures - WKU Public Radio

What are the telling signs that you may have the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19?

The main list of acute symptoms at this time is actually quite short and can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We're emphasizing fever plus a notable lower respiratory tract symptom -- cough or trouble breathing," said infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Being able to identify those symptoms and act upon them when necessary is critical.

Here's what you need to know.

Fever is a key symptom, experts say. Don't fixate on a number, but know it's really not a fever until your temperature reaches at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) for children and adults.

"There are many misconceptions about fever. Average daily temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), but we all actually go up and down quite a bit during the day as much as half of a degree or a degree," said Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

"So 99.0 degrees or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit is not a fever," he stressed.

When you check for fever, don't rely on a temperature taken in the morning. Instead take your temp in the late afternoon and early evening.

"Our temperature is not the same during the day. If you take it at eight o'clock in the morning, it may be normal," Schaffner explained.

"One of the most common presentations of fever is that your temperature goes up in the late afternoon and early evening -- it's a common way that viruses produce fever."

Coughing is another key symptom, but it's not just any cough, said Schaffner. It should be a dry cough that you feel in your chest.

"It's not a tickle in your throat. You're not just clearing your throat. It's not just irritated. You're not putting anything out, you're not coughing anything up," Schaffner said.

"The cough is bothersome, it's coming from your breastbone or sternum. and you can tell that your bronchial tubes are inflamed or irritated," he added.

Shortness of breath can be a third -- and very serious -- manifestation of Covid-19, and it can occur on its own, without a cough. If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath, that's a sign to act, experts say.

"If there's any shortness of breath immediately call your health care provider, a local urgent care or the emergency department," said American Medical Association president Dr. Patrice Harris.

"If the shortness of breath is severe enough, you should call 911," Harris added.

In addition to difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, the CDC lists emergency warning signs for Covid-19 as a "persistent pain or pressure in the chest," "bluish lips or face" -- which indicates a lack of oxygen -- and any sudden mental confusion or lethargy and inability to rouse.

Get medical attention immediately, the CDC says.

This trifecta of symptoms -- fever, cough and shortness of breath -- are not the only signs of sickness that have been seen in cases of Covid-19.

Many other symptoms can resemble the flu, including headaches, digestive issues, body aches and fatigue, which can be severe. Still other symptoms can resemble a cold or allergies, such as a runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.

Most likely, experts say, you simply have a cold or the flu -- after all they can cause fever and cough too. One possible sign that you might have Covid-19 is if your symptoms, especially shortness of breath, don't improve after a week or so but actually worsen.

An odd symptom that might flag a Covid-19 infection in its early stages was recently identified by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

In a statement on their website, they said symptoms of anosmia, or lack of sense of smell, and dysgeusia, or lack of taste, should be used to identify possible Covid-19 infections.

"Anosmia, in particular, has been seen in patients ultimately testing positive for the coronavirus with no other symptoms," the statement says.

It has long been known in medical literature that a sudden loss of smell may be associated with respiratory infections caused by other types of coronaviruses.

The same applies to conjunctivitis, a highly contagious condition also known as pink eye. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the thin, transparent layer of tissue, called conjunctiva, that covers the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelid.

Reports from China and around the world are showing that about 1% to 3% of people with Covid-19 also had conjunctivitis.

But this novel coronavirus, also called SARS-CoV-2, is just one of many viruses that can cause conjunctivitis, so it came as no real surprise to scientists that this newly discovered virus would do the same.

Still, a pink or red eye could be one more sign that you should call your doctor if you also have other tell-tale symptoms of Covid-19, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Overall, "I think we're getting a little bit more insight into the types of symptoms that patients might have," said CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the CNN's New Day news program.

"In a study out of China where they looked at some of the earliest patients, some 200 patients, they found that digestive or stomach GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms were actually there in about half the patients," Gupta said, adding that "fever and cough and shortness of breath" still appear to be the prevailing symptoms of Covid-19.

"At this moment, the current guidance -- and this may change -- is that if you have symptoms that are similar to the cold and the flu and these are mild symptoms to moderate symptoms, stay at home and try to manage them," Harris said, with rest, hydration and the use of fever-reducing medications.

That advice does not apply if you are over age 60, since immune systems weaken as we age, or if you are pregnant -- anyone with concerns about coronavirus should call their healthcare provider, according to the CDC.

It's unclear whether pregnant women have a greater chance of getting severely ill from coronavirus, but the CDC has said that women experience changes in their bodies during pregnancy that may increase their risk of some infections.

In general, Covid-19 infections are riskier if you have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease or asthma, heart failure or heart disease, sickle cell anemia, cancer (or are undergoing chemotherapy), kidney disease with dialysis, a body mass index (BMI) over 40 (extremely obese) or an autoimmune disorder.

"Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their physician early in the course of even mild illness," the CDC advises.

To be clear, you are at higher risk -- even if you are young -- if you have underlying health issues.

"People under 60 with underlying illnesses, with diabetes, heart disease, immunocompromised or have any kind of lung disease previously, those people are more vulnerable despite their younger age," Schaffner said.

A history of travel to an area where the novel coronavirus is widespread (and those parts of the world, including the US, are going up each day) is obviously another key factor in deciding if your symptoms may be Covid-19 or not.

If you have no symptoms, please do not ask for testing or add to backlog of calls at testing centers, clinics, hospitals and the like, experts say.

"We do not test people with no symptoms because it's a resource issue," Schaffner said about the assessment center at Vanderbilt.

"However, we are emphasizing that people who have this small cluster of important symptoms -- fever and anything related to the lower respiratory tract such as cough and difficulty breathing -- reach out to be evaluated."

If you do have those three signs, where should you go?

"If you have insurance and you're looking for a provider or someone to call or connect with, there's always a number on the back of your insurance card; or if you go online, there is information for patients," Harris said.

"If you don't have insurance, you can start with the state health department or the local community health centers, those are officially known as federally qualified health centers," Harris advised, adding that some states have a 1-800 hotline number to call.

"If there is a testing and assessment center near you, you can go there directly," Schaffer said. "It's always good to notify them that you're coming. Otherwise, you need to call your healthcare provider and they will direct you what to do."

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Coronavirus symptoms: A list and when to seek help - WKTV

Members of Navy Forward-Deployed Preventive Medicine Units (FDPMU) and Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) embarked several 7th Fleet ships March 14 to help combat the risk of and provide laboratory batch testing for COVID-19 onboard the ships.

Teams are embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and have the ability to batch test Sailors onboard who present with influenza-like illness symptoms, instead of only sending samples to be tested ashore.

This capability provides early-warning surveillance for the medical teams to be able to identify if a COVID-19 case is onboard a ship, but does not individually diagnose sailors. If a batch were to test positive for COVID-19, the medical teams would take additional measures, such as isolating the Sailors whose samples were in the batch, and depending on the Sailors symptoms, potentially medically evacuating them off the ship to a shore facility for testing.

To date, no cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed aboard any U.S. 7th Fleet Navy vessel.

The team here in 7th Fleet has taken COVID-19 seriously from the beginning and has many public health measures already in place, said Capt. Christine Sears, U.S. 7th Fleet Surgeon. The FDPMU and NMRC augmentation teams provide additional depth in our ability to combat this virus.

Teams embarked the ships to provide at-sea testing and to ensure the U.S. 7th Fleet operating forces are ready to combat a possible outbreak while maintaining mission readiness. The teams provide additional capabilities in addition to the U.S. 7th Fleets isolation procedures.

The teams are comprised of a variety of specialized Navy Medicine personnel to ensure force health protection of the fleet, and may include: a microbiologist, medical laboratory technician, preventive medicine officer, preventive medicine technician.

As a medical service corps microbiology officer, this embark gives us the chance to demonstrate some of our skillsets to the fleet, and what we bring to the fight, said Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Pavlicek, Blue Ridge COVID-19 testing team lead. This capability allows us, the Navy, to protect mission readiness and protection of our Sailors.

To ensuring force health protection of the fleet, other medical specialties or logistical components can be scaled up or down to meet mission specific requirements in the mitigation, health surveillance, and casualty prevention.

The 4-person team aboard America was the first to bring COVID-19 testing capability to a U.S. Navy ship.

This is the most advanced laboratory capability that Navy Medicine has placed forward deployed, said Cmdr. Brian Legendre, team lead and preventative medicine officer for the preventative medicine team aboard America.

We can make force health protection decisions in real time, enhancing the health of the crew while minimizing any potential outbreak of COVID-19, added Lt. Cmdr. Danett Bishop, team microbiologist.

The FDPMU teams aboard the USS America and the USS Blue Ridge are from Navy Environmental Preventative Medicine Unit Six based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and work to facilitate and educate using preventive medicine practices and provide additional laboratory capabilities. The team embarked with USS Theodore Roosevelt is assigned to the Naval Medical Research Center based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Currently, the teams are only authorized to perform surveillance testing and not individual testing. This means that the results cannot be linked to a particular patient for diagnostics, but would enable the team to detect COVID-19s presence on the ship based off of the results.

Since we are performing surveillance testing, the results of COVID-19 present, or not present can help inform the force health protection posture and provide valuable insight for the senior medical officer and outbreak response team, said Pavlicek.

The teams are equipped with two testing capabilities, including the BioFire Film Array and the Step One RT-PCR System. The BioFire Film Array will test for a dozen different respiratory diseases, while the Step One RT-PCR System allow for complex COVID-19 tests at sea, if necessary.

As the U.S. Navys largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet operates roughly 50-70 ships and submarines and 140 aircraft with approximately 20,000 Sailors.

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NASHVILLE -- What are the telling signs that you may have the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19?

The main list of acute symptoms at this time is actually quite short andcan appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus,according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We're emphasizing fever plus a notable lower respiratory tract symptom -- cough or trouble breathing," said infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Being able to identify those symptoms and act upon them when necessary is critical. Here's what you need to know.

Fever is a key symptom, experts say. Don't fixate on a number, but know it's really not a fever until your temperature reaches at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) for children and adults.

"There are many misconceptions about fever. Average daily temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), but we all actually go up and down quite a bit during the day as much as half of a degree or a degree," said Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

"So 99.0 degrees or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit is not a fever," he stressed.

When you check for fever, don't rely on a temperature taken in the morning. Instead take your temp in the late afternoon and early evening.

"Our temperature is not the same during the day. If you take it at eight o'clock in the morning, it may be normal," Schaffner explained.

"One of the most common presentations of fever is that your temperature goes up in the late afternoon and early evening -- it's a common way that viruses produce fever."

Coughing is another key symptom, but it's not just any cough, said Schaffner. It should be a dry cough that you feel in your chest.

"It's not a tickle in your throat. You're not just clearing your throat. It's not just irritated. You're not putting anything out, you're not coughing anything up," Schaffner said.

"The cough is bothersome, it's coming from your breastbone or sternum. and you can tell that your bronchial tubes are inflamed or irritated," he added.

Shortness of breath can be a third -- and very serious -- manifestation of CoOVID-19, and it can occur on its own, without a cough. If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath, that's a sign to act, experts say.

"If there's any shortness of breath immediately call your health care provider, a local urgent care or the emergency department," said American Medical Association president Dr. Patrice Harris.

"If the shortness of breath is severe enough, you should call 911," Harris added.

In addition to difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, the CDC lists emergency warning signs for COVID-19 as a "persistent pain or pressure in the chest," "bluish lips or face" -- which indicates a lack of oxygen -- and any sudden mental confusion or lethargy and inability to rouse.

Get medical attention immediately, the CDC says.

This trifecta of symptoms -- fever, cough and shortness of breath -- are not the only signs of sickness that have been seen in cases of Covid-19.

Many other symptoms can resemble the flu, including headaches, digestive issues, body aches and fatigue, which can be severe. Still other symptoms can resemble a cold or allergies, such as a runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.

Most likely, experts say, you simply have a cold or the flu -- after all they can cause fever and cough too. One possible sign that you might have COVID-19 is if your symptoms, especially shortness of breath, don't improve after a week or so but actually worsen.

An odd symptom that mightflag a Covid-19 infection in its early stageswas recently identified by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

In a statement on their website, they said symptoms of anosmia, or lack of sense of smell, and dysgeusia, or lack of taste,should be used to identify possible COVID-19 infections.

"Anosmia, in particular, has been seen in patients ultimately testing positive for the coronavirus with no other symptoms," the statement says.

It has long been known in medical literature that a sudden loss of smell may be associated with respiratory infections caused by other types of coronaviruses.

Overall, "I think we're getting a little bit more insight into the types of symptoms that patients might have," said CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the CNN's New Day news program.

"In a study out of China where they looked at some of the earliest patients, some 200 patients, they found that digestive or stomach GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms were actually there in about half the patients," Gupta said, adding that "fever and cough and shortness of breath" still appear to be the prevailing symptoms of COVID-19.

"At this moment, the current guidance -- and this may change -- is that if you have symptoms that are similar to the cold and the flu and these are mild symptoms to moderate symptoms, stay at home and try to manage them with rest, hydration and the use of Tylenol," Harris said.

That advice does not apply if you are over age 60, since immune systems weaken as we age, or if you are pregnant -- anyone with concerns about coronavirus should call their healthcare provider,according to the CDC.

It's unclear whether pregnant women have a greater chance of getting severely ill from coronavirus, but theCDC has said that women experience changesin their bodies during pregnancy that may increase their risk of some infections.

In general, COVID-19 infections are riskier if you have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease or asthma, heart failure or heart disease, sickle cell anemia, cancer (or are undergoing chemotherapy), kidney disease with dialysis, a body mass index(BMI)over 40 (extremely obese) or an autoimmune disorder.

"Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their physician early in the course of even mild illness," theCDC advises.

To be clear, you are at higher risk -- even if you are young -- if you have underlying health issues.

"People under 60 with underlying illnesses, with diabetes, heart disease, immunocompromised or have any kind of lung disease previously, those people are more vulnerable despite their younger age," Schaffner said.

A history of travel to an area where the novel coronavirus is widespread (and those parts of the world, including the US, are going up each day) is obviously another key factor in deciding if your symptoms may be Covid-19 or not.

If you have no symptoms, please do not ask for testing or add to backlog of calls at testing centers, clinics, hospitals and the like, experts say.

"We do not test people with no symptoms because it's a resource issue," Schaffner said about the assessment center at Vanderbilt.

"However, we are emphasizing that people who have this small cluster of important symptoms -- fever and anything related to the lower respiratory tract such as cough and difficulty breathing -- reach out to be evaluated."

If you do have those three signs, where should you go?

"If you have insurance and you're looking for a provider or someone to call or connect with, there's always a number on the back of your insurance card; or if you go online, there is information for patients," Harris said.

"If you don't have insurance, you can start with the state health department or the local community health centers, those are officially known as federally qualified health centers," Harris advised, adding that some states have a 1-800 hotline number to call.

"If there is a testing and assessment center near you, you can go there directly," Schaffer said. "It's always good to notify them that you're coming. Otherwise, you need to call your healthcare provider and they will direct you what to do."

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New coronavirus symptoms to look for and when to seek help - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City

A decades-old malaria drug -- that has recently prompted debate and confusion -- will be tested in Seattle and New York to see if it could treat coronavirus patients.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are used to treat malaria (and sometimes other ailments such as lupus or arthritis). It is among potential treatments that UW Medicine is studying in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We currently dont know if hydroxychloroquine works, but we will learn in as short a timeframe as possible what the outcome is, said principal investigator Ruanne Barnabas in a statement.

Barnabas is an associate professor of global health in the University of Washington schools of Medicine and Public Health.

The hypothesis around hydroxychloroquine is that it could prevent a virus from entering a cell. That hypothesis has not yet been proven. Evidence that the drug could help fight the virus has so far been anecdotal. Only a couple small studies have touched on it.

UW's study aims to gauge the effectiveness of known drugs on the virus both as a preventative measure and as a treatment after a person is infected. It's budgeted for $9.5 million, drawn from funds provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

UW is asking anyone within western Washington or New York who has been in close contact with a COVID-19 case to contact their health care provider to see about participating. Researchers are seeking 2,000 people.

More information on the study can be found here.

Chloroquine was invented in the 1930s to treat malaria, which is a parasite and not a virus like coronavirus.

President Trump reportedly said Monday that the federal government will know whether the malaria drug is an effective coronavirus treatment within three days. Chloroquine is reportedly being used to treat about 1,100 COVID-19 cases in New York.

I think were going to have a good idea over the next three days because its been used now in New York at my request -- 1,100 people," Trump said. "Its been used. I think thats better than testing it in a laboratory. But the doctors tell me no.

UW Medicine says its study will take eight weeks, however. Results are expected by summer.

Hydroxychloroquine grabbed headlines in recent weeks after Trump called the drug a game-changer. That statement has been walked back by medical experts on the White House's own Coronavirus Task Force. Still, the information coming from the White House has concerned medical officials and other experts who warn about making promises that have not been tested.

After hearing such comments, however, some doctors reportedly started hoarding the drug. Others say that chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine should be used earlier when treating COVID-19 patients.

The CDC has warned against using forms chloroquine to treat coronavirus after an Arizona man died and his wife was hospitalized after the two consumed chloroquine phosphate. The wife told NBC they were afraid of getting sick and took the chemical after hearing the president talk about it.

"We saw his press conference, it was on a lot actually," the woman told NBC.

While the chemical the couple consumed had chloroquine in it, it differed from the drug meant for humans. Rather, it was intended to be used to kill parasites in fish tanks.

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Seattle researchers to study malaria drug treatment of coronavirus - KUOW News and Information

Often overlooked today in favor of World War II, the first World War was a global conflict the scale of which had never been seen at the time. Millions of French, German, British, and Russian soldiers passed away during the fighting, as well as over 100,000 Americans.

Foolishly, when the war first started in the summer of 1914 most of the nations involved promised their citizens that it would be a quick and decisive contest, and predicted victory parades by Christmas. In reality, the vast majority of Europe was in store for four years of bloody and brutal warfare. By the time the Great War finally ended in 1918 all of the nations involved were ready for peace and a return to normalcy. Unfortunately, nature had other ideas.

Just as the carnage finally came to an end, the most lethal modern strain of influenza reared its viral head. The Spanish flus origins are still debated to this day. Ironically, however, its universally agreed upon that it certainly didnt come from Spain. The Spanish flu received its name simply because neutral Spain was the only country willing to openly report on the new deadly disease at the time.

Wherever it came from, the Spanish flu wreaked havoc on an even larger scale than the war had, infecting an estimated one-fifth to one-third of the planets population and killing as many as 50 million people. World War I killed 17 million for comparisons sake.

All of this just goes to show that while the current COVID-19 pandemic is definitely a new challenge for todays generation, it isnt all that unique within the context of human history. From the black death in the middle ages to the cholera pandemic exactly 200 years ago, mankind has periodically been faced with such challenges.

Fast forward to now, and weve all begun to self-isolate and hunker down in our homes for the foreseeable future. These social-distancing measures arent fun, theres no getting around that, but a new analysis of Spanish flu mortality rates and statistics conducted by the Loyola University Health System has some reassuring news. These policies worked 100 years ago during the Spanish flu outbreak in the United States, and theres no reason why they shouldnt work again this time around.

Dr. Stefan E. Pambuccian, a Loyola Medicine cytologist, surgical pathologist, and professor & vice-chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, analyzed three research projects from over 100 years ago that focused on the spread of the Spanish flu in the US.

According to his analysis, cities that quickly responded to the Spanish flu and enacted sweeping isolation and prevention measures saw much lower disease and mortality rates. Preventative strategies like school and church closures, mandatory mask-wearing in public, a ban on all mass gatherings and events, and strict hygiene practices were incredibly effective then, providing all the more reason to have faith were taking the right approach today. Cities that acted quickly, such as Kansas City, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, had 30-50% lower infection and mortality rates than other US cities that didnt act in a timely manner.

Conversely, the city of Philadelphia failed to take swift action at the time and ended up suffering the highest death rate of any US city. Just 10 days after Philadelphia recorded its first case of Spanish flu, the city held a World War I victory parade that saw 200,000 residents gathered in close quarters on the street. In retrospect, that decision cost thousands of lives.

Theres a great deal of talk these days about flattening the curve, or the idea that social distancing isnt going to completely stop COVID-19 but it will slow its spread enough for hospitals not to be overrun with new patients. Legitimizing this idea, Dr. Pambuccians work found that proactive cities during the Spanish flu pandemic saw a much greater delay before hitting peak mortality. These delays ultimately helped lower the overall mortality numbers in said cities.

The stricter the isolation policies, the lower the mortality rate, Dr. Pambuccian comments.

Its estimated that 675,000 Americans died due to the Spanish flu, and just like today, there were a number of citizens at the time who were skeptical about the effectiveness of social distancing measures.

There was skepticism that these policies were actually working, Dr. Pambuccian adds. But they obviously did make a difference.

The US, and the rest of the world for that matter, are in a much better position today than we were 100 years ago to deal with a pandemic. Thanks to modern technology, an advanced understanding of viral diseases, and higher overall living quality, there are reasons to be optimistic. Nonetheless, however, social distancing is going to be key to beating this virus.

Although the world is a much different place than it was 100 years ago, the efficacy of the measures instituted during the 1918-19 pandemic gives us hope that the current measures will also limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Pambuccian concludes.

You probably heard it countless times from your history teachers growing up: those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Well, history is telling all of us to stay home for the next few weeks, and its in all of our interests to heed its warning.

The full study can be found here, published in the Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology.

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Lessons we can learn from the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918 - Ladders