About COVID-19
Where can I learn about symptoms and transmission of COVID-19?
Various organizations provide information regarding COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, risks and resources. Notable trusted sites include:
Global Organizations:
- World Health Organization (WHO): Novel Coronavirus | Situation Reports | Disease Outbreak News
- World Economic Forum: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
U.S. Organizations:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Situation Summary
- Department of Health and Human Services: Business Pandemic Influenza Checklist
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Key Elements of Departmental Pandemic Influenza Plans
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: NIOSH- Coronavirus
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Novel Coronavirus
What do we mean by “flattening the curve” and will this virus be less of a problem in the hot summer weather?
Public policy is to "flatten the curve" in other words to try to decrease infection rate now to avoid overwhelming hospital capacity. Here is a link to a study from the Imperial College in London showing the potential impact of COVID-19 without effective social distancing.
Some believe that COVID-19, like influenza, might cause fewer infections in the summer; however, this is a new virus and it remains unclear whether we will see a decrease in infections this summer.
As with any rapidly changing event, we recommend reviewing updated information on a regular interval so that you can stay current with new developments, changes in assumptions, new discoveries and trends, and ongoing lessons learned.
Are you aware of any guidelines or resources that might assist physicians making decisions regarding allocation of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Healthcare organizations will need to look to their internal counsel for guidelines and best practices in making these decisions. We have identified the following sites as independent resources for additional information:
- Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19
- The Toughest Triage — Allocating Ventilators in a Pandemic
- Revealed: official guidance for doctors to decide which coronavirus patients get critical care - Based off Italy but great info from their lessons learned
- COVID-19 rapid guideline: critical care in adults
- COVID-19 patient care protocols with the latest best practices and CDC guidance algorithms
- Ethical Framework for Health Care Institutions & Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Coronavirus: Tiered staffing recommended to bolster critical care
Additional resources
Are there any resources that provide a state-by-state breakdown of rules, regulations, orders and declarations?
We have located several independent resources that track these items:
