An expert on pandemics is urging people take COVID-19 seriously

“This is much more serious than a bad flu, this has the capacity to kill many more people than die even in the most severe seasonal influenza years.”

LEARN FROM LESSONS OF THEPAST... AND TAKE COVID-19SERIOUSLY.

NINE ON YOUR SIDE'SBRIAN BRENNAN HAS MORE ON WHATTHIS PROFESSOR SAYS HAS SLOWEDTHE SPREAD OF DISEASE BEFORE.THIS LAB IS GATHERING SAMPLESTO TEST FOR EVIDENCE OF THECORONAVIRUS.

MICHAEL WOROBEYDEPARTMENT HEAD, ECOLOGY ANDEVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY WE WILLBE USING THIS TO SEE IF WE CANFIND TRACE EVIDENCE OF THEGENETIC MATERIAL ON SUFACESPEOPLE ARE TOUCHING.

MICHAELWOROBEY IS THE DEPARTMENT HEADOF ECOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITYOF ARIZONA AND AN EXPERT ONPANDEMICS.

HE LED A STUDY ONTHE SPANISH FLU... A VIRUSTHAT KILLED 20 TO 50 MILLIONPEOPLE ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARSAGO.

MICHAEL WOROBEYDEPARTMENT HEAD, ECOLOGY ANDEVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY THISOUTBREAK I DONT THINK IS GOINGTO LOOK QUITE AS BAD, BUT ITIS LOOING LIKE A REALLYSERIOUS OUTBREAK.

WOROBEY SAYSTHE CORONAVIRUS IS VERYDIFFERENT FROM THE INFLUENZAVIRUS THAT BROKE OUT IN 1918.YOUNG ADULTS WERE HIT THEHARDEST THEN... BUT THECORONAVIRUS IS MOST DEADLYAMONG OLDER PATIENTS.

BUTWOROBEY DOESN'T WANT PEOPLE TOBE COMPLACENT.

MICHAEL WOROBEYDEPARTMENT HEAD, ECOLOGY ANDEVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY THIS ISMUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN A BADFLU, THIS HAS THE CAPACITY TOKILL MANY MORE PEOPLE THAN DIEEVEN IN THE MOST SEVERESEASONAL INFLUENZA YEARSWOROBEY SAYS IMPORTANT LESSONSWERE LEARNED IN 1918... CITIESTHAT IMPOSED SOCIAL DISTANCINGMEASURES WERE ABLE TO SLOW THESPREAD DOWN AND GIVEHEALTHCARE SYSTEMS A CHANCE TORESPOND.

MICHAEL WOROBEYDEPARTMENT HEAD, ECOLOGY ANDEVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY THEY HADA MUCH BETTER TIME OF ITBECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TOSPREAD IT OUT OVER A LONGERHAUL AND I THINK THAT WILL BEIMPORTANT FOR THIS PANDEMIC.WOROBEY SAYS THE SAME AGE OLDMETHODS PROTECT FROMINFECTIOUS DISEASE.

QUARANTINETHE SICK, LIMIT EXPOSURE, ANDWASH YOUR HANDS.

BRIAN BRENNANKGUN9 ON YOUR SIDE.