How to navigate the coronavirus media cycle

Dr. Nina Shaprio of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is used to fielding questions on diet and exercise from her personal network. Currently, she’s being asked about just one thing: the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

How far will it spread? How severe is infection? What precautions can I take?

While the news media is oftentimes sensationalist, she says, COVID-19 has traveled across the globe with startling speed. That said, she encourages a broader picture to be taken.

“The severe cases are what we are hearing about [but] the majority of this disease is a mild case,” she explains. “We’re going to start to hear about very mild cases once the testing becomes much more widespread.”

As for staying informed on the prevalence of COVID-19, and what precautionary measures we can take as individuals, Dr. Shapiro advises we seek out websites that avoid opinion pieces and incentive structures designed to bring in an audience. Websites such as who.int and cdc.gov, for example, provide just the data and cut-and-dry recommendations.

“It is digestible and readable,” she adds. “It’s not just for scientists to read.”

• • •

Join us for members-only access to Dr. Nina Shapiro and to many more of UCLA’s #1-ranked faculty ► westward.ucla.edu