Given that the coronavirus seems to be a major topic of conversation these days, we thought it would make for the perfect topic for our first edition of Pursuing Health Pearls. These are short, ideally 10-15 minute podcast episodes (although this one was a bit longer!) meant to offer succinct, high-yield info on common health concerns. You can listen to the episode in audio format, or you can read a more detailed write-up in the blog post below.

In this article, well first shed some light on what coronavirus is, how it is transmitted, who is at highest risk, how we can decrease our risk, and what to do if you think you are infected. Then well talk some numbers about the scope of the outbreak and try to put it into context with other major public health concerns.

Its important to note that our understanding of the coronavirus is evolving day by day. The information in this blog post and accompanying podcast are accurate as of this writing but will likely change with time. The information presented here has been gathered primarily from the CDC and WHO, and we recommend you use these as well as your state or local health department for the most up-to-date information as the outbreak continues to evolve.