Don't Panic!

From a leading virologist, Dr. James Robb

  • If you have a runny nose and sputum, you probably have a common cold

  • Coronavirus pneumonia is usually a dry cough with no runny nose.
  • Drink plenty of water!

Watch What You Touch!

  • Wash hands for at least 20 seconds! 
  • Don’t touch your facewith unwashed hands. (meds and eyedrops)
  • It’s not the air, it’s the droplets
  • If it drops to any surface it will live for several hours.
  • On fabric it can survive for hours. Normal laundry detergent will kill it.

Flu hits hard every year – what’s new?

  • This is a new kind of virus – we have no defenses
  • It is spreading globally very fast! == pandemic
  • Many teams working worldwide to understand and treat it
  • Scientists collaborating worldwide, sharing early drafts of papers

Seasonal flu vs COVID-19

  • Speed of spread
  • Up to 2 weeks before diagnosed
  • Lack of vaccine or treatment
  • Risk of overwhelming our healthcare system
  • Much higher potential for fatality
  • …consider everyone as affected, including YOU

Flattening the Curve

  • Slow the spread of the disease.
  • So our hospitals can cope.
  • So doctors and scientists have time to find treatments.

Robin Martinez and Joyce Graff talk about the coronavirus and how to protect yourself in these exceptional times.

Robin, in addition to her work with Powerful Patient, is the lead moderator at SmartPatients.com, where you will find discussions among people affected by a wide range of medical conditions.

This is our first video show.  The audio will continue to be available as a podcast, and the videos will be available here and through Youtube.

Stay informed! And make sure you are getting the best information from reputable sources:

Check your local resources!  Many communities are setting up resources of their own, especially to protect vulnerable people.  Food for families whose income has been impacted by the shutdowns,

PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD information you find in your email, Facebook, Twitter etc unless you have verified that it is in fact true.  There is a great deal of rumor and misinformation out there.  It may be a hoax.  One of the hallmarks of a good hoax is “name-dropping”.  Just because it says that “Bill Gates says…” or “the Mayo Clinic says…” does not mean it is true.  Check the source website (e.g. https://www.mayoclinic.org/) or see