PAULINE RAJSKI/Daily 
The University of Michigan club rowing team raises money for Mott’s Children’s Hospital on the Diag Wednesday afternoon.

What 
is 
coronavirus? 
Where did it start?
COVID-19 
is 
the 
most 
recently 
discovered 
strain 
of coronavirus. It was first 
identified 
in 
humans 
in 
Wuhan, China in December of 
2019. Coronaviruses, a large 
family of zoonotic viruses, 
cause infections that span a 
wide spectrum of severity, 
from common colds to more 
severe respiratory diseases. 
Older 
populations 
or 
people with existing medical 
problems are most at risk 
for serious infections. The 
most common symptoms of 
COVID-19 are fever, tiredness 
and dry cough, however, other 
flu-like symptoms can occur 
and in extreme cases, patients 
experience 
respiratory 
complications 
and 
trouble 
breathing. Most people can 
recover from a COVID-19 
infection 
without 
intense 
treatment. 
How 
can 
I 
avoid 
contracting coronavirus?
COVID-19 spreads via small 
droplets 
from 
the 
mouth 
and nose that are circulated 
through the air when infected 
people 
breathe 
or 
cough. 
When 
an 
infected 
person 
coughs or exhales the droplets 
can be inhaled by individuals 
within a three-foot radius. 
People 
can 
also 
become 
infected 
by 
coming 
into 
contact with surfaces — such 
as doorknobs and railings — 
that droplets land on and then 
touching their mouth, nose or 
eyes. The risk for contracting 
COVID-19 can be lowered by 

taking precautions including 
washing 
hands 
frequently, 
avoiding contact with your 
face, practicing responsible 
respiratory hygiene, staying 
home when sick and avoiding 
others who are sick.
Is the virus in Michigan? 
On March 10, two cases of 
COVID-19 were confirmed in 
the state of Michigan and Gov. 
Gretchen Whitmer declared a 
state of emergency. Testing 
for COVID-19 is occurring 
at the state level for patients 
who are exhibiting strong 
symptoms of the virus and 
with likely exposure due to 
travel history.
Who should be worried 
about coronavirus?
COVID-19 
infections 
in 
children and young adults 
are generally mild. It can 
cause 
serious 
illness 
in 
some cases, with about one-
fifth 
of 
infected 
people 
requiring hospital care. The 
demographics most at risk for 
contracting a serious infection 
as a result of COVID-19 are 
elderly people and those who 
have 
underlying 
medical 
conditions such as high blood 
pressure, diabetes or heart 
problems. 
What should I do if I feel 
sick?
Individuals 
experiencing 
cough, 
fever 
or 
difficulty 
breathing should seek medical 
attention. People who feel 
sick with other symptoms 
should stay home from classes 
or work to decrease the risk 
of spreading any infection 
to others. If you feel sick 
it is best to practice self-
isolation or social distancing 
and avoid public areas and 
transportation, 
minimizing 

contact with other people, 
wearing a facemask when 
around 
others 
to 
avoid 
spreading 
droplets 
and 
practicing good hygiene such 
as frequent hand washing and 
cleaning high-touch surfaces. 
What 
resources 
are 
available on campus right 
now?
As 
during 
a 
normal 
school 
year, 
Counseling 
and Psychological Services, 
housed in the Union, will 
continue to provide counseling 
and support to students. The 
English Language Institute 
and International Institute 
will work with international 
students to develop a plan 
for the rest of the semester 
if needed. University Health 
Service 
will 
continue 
providing care to students. 
But if you feel sick, stay home 
and call UHS or your primary 
care physician. 
What is the difference 
between social distancing, 
isolation and quarantine?
According 
to 
Joseph 
Eisenberg, 
chair 
and 
professor 
of 
epidemiology, 
“isolation is being three to six 
feet away from people so that 
particles being emitted won’t 
reach you. Quarantine means 
being alone and not in contact 
with people. Isolation is more 
about an ill patient being kept 
away from the population.” 
Social 
distancing, 
on 
the 
other hand, refers to making 
a concerted effort to stay 
away from others to lower the 
possibility of contracting the 
virus. Eisenberg said all three 
efforts are beneficial. “All 
measures help slow the spread 
of the disease,” Eisenberg 
said. 

Is social distancing really 
an effective way to stop the 
spread of the virus?
Eisenberg 
said 
much 
remains unknown about how 
the virus is spread.
“We don’t know a lot about 
the virus, we theorize it is via 
droplet 
spread,” 
Eisenberg 
said. “There are two ways 
this works: On an individual 
level, you are less likely to 
become sick and then on a 
population level, by reducing 
the efficiency of the spread.”
How can you tell if you 
have 
symptoms 
for 
the 
coronavirus or the flu?
While 
they 
may 
have 
similar symptoms at first, 
coronavirus 
is 
marked 
by 
fever and coughing that has 
the possibility to turn into 
pneumonia. While a vaccine 
exists for the flu and there 
is 
antiviral 
medication 
dedicated to treating the flu, 
neither is available for the 
coronavirus at this moment 
since it is so new. 
Are measures like washing 
hands and maintaining a 
six-foot 
distance 
really 
effective?
Eisenberg 
said 
these 
measures can help limit the 
spread of infectious diseases. 
“Slow the spread so that 
even though you have the 
same number of cases, the 
peak is smaller but hospitals 
are less overworked, which is 
important because hospitals 
are built to capacity based 
on the flu season,” Eisenberg 
said. 
What 
measures 
should high and low-risk 
individuals take?

2 — Thursday, March 12, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

TUESDAY:
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FRIDAY:
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MONDAY:
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THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk

Steven Tukel @TukelSteven
why doesn’t @UMich have us enable two factor authentication on 
our bodies againt Coronavirus

Ruchita Lodha
@ Ruchitalodha
Endless spring break. #COVID19 
#umich

Moriah @Moriah_lewis17
im taking my classes online 
getting my degree on my own 
time

Andy Reed @andykreed
UMich having Euchre as an 
IM sport is peak Midwest

help
@cherryburnettte
The only good thing about 
today is that the person 
working the UMich Bell tower 
played “Take It Off” by Kesha

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Epidemiologist explains what 
we know about COVID-19

Joseph Eisenberg, chair and professor of epidemiology, talks virus

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HANNAH MACKAY 
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