Because this pandemic of coronavirus is "new," finding out what it's really all about is still pretty fluid. Researchers, scientists and medical professionals are working day in and day out to find a vaccine for this virus that has taken the lives of thousands around the globe.
According to an article I read at yalemedicine.org, basically everything dealing in medicine has stages, and this COVID-19 pandemic, although constantly evolving, is likely no exception. That is exactly why it is so crucial that the population adheres to social distancing and other the restrictions so we can all be good.
Right now it's still not clear how the coronavirus will cycle through, but according to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) in studying the flu, here are the phases for a pandemic:
- Investigation phase - new type of virus in animals and/or humans is identified and investigated
- Recognition phase - recognizing potential for continued transmission of the virus
- Initiation phase - person to person transmission is confirmed
- Acceleration phase - those who are susceptible get infected by the virus
- Deceleration phase - cases begin to decline
The height of the illness happens after the acceleration phase, then comes the deceleration phase where the number of illnesses begin to drop. During a pandemic there are so many countries involved in the spread of a virus that every area of the world can be in a different phase and the length of the phase depends on how the public responds. In other words, we HAVE to do what we are told by officials and medical experts so this virus can be contained. Please.