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COVID-19 Questions and Answers

Compiled by Dr. J. Epple-Farmer - 05/2020

Click the question to see the answer:

How serious is the coronavirus?

(3/8/20) Video from PBS Nova (6min)

How did the coronavirus outbreak begin and what were our concerns here in the U.S.?

(03/19/20) Video from PBS News Hour "Confronting Coronavirus" (57min)
In this program, news correspondents discuss the beginning of the outbreak, shed light on what health precautions everyone should take, as well as the pandemic's economic impact. This special feature includes interviews with officials, dispatches on the crisis from around the world, plus a virtual town hall with curated questions from viewers across the United States

How did the U.S. become the country with the worst known coronavirus outbreak in the world?

(4/21/20) This video from PBS Frontline "Coronavirus Pandemic" is documenting the U.S. response to COVID-19. From Washington State to Washington, D.C., this documentary examines what happens when politics and science collide. (55 min)

In what animal did the coronavirus originate, how fast does it spread, and what does the virus do to your body?

This is a good college-level nursing video from Ninja Nerd Science that explains COVID-19's epidemiology and pathophysiology as we understood the situation in March of 2020. (50min)

This is an April update from Ninja Nerd Science explaining the virology and updated world epidemiology of COVID-19. (48min)

Is COVID-19 a man-made or an accidentally released virus?

(4/16/20) Scientists are unsure. In this video from PBS News Hour, we see that from the moment the novel coronavirus was identified, there were questions about its origin. This April 16th video report suggests U.S. diplomats are now concerned about a lab in Wuhan, China -- the city where the outbreak began. (6min)

Are there racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths?

All data says YES! This topic is discussed in the following videos that come from the Basic Black program broadcasted on PBS.

(3/20/20) COVID-19 & Communities of Color (27min)
COVID-19 has had a global impact, but communities of color in the U.S. are more at risk when health disparities, lack of wealth and xenophobia are taken into account.

(4/17/20) Racial disparities and COVID-19 (27min)
Reports around the U.S. indicate black and brown people, especially African Americans are contracting and dying from COVID-19 at an alarming rate, raising questions about healthcare for people of color.

Are there people spreading COVID-19 that are not sick?

Yes! There are both asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals that that are spreading COVID 19.

In this video from PBS News Hour, they discuss what being sick and symptomless mean with the spread of the coronavirus. (6min)

How do viruses make the leap from animals to humans?

(8/02/16) This documentary investigates the rise of spillover viruses like Zika, Ebola and Nipah that can make the leap from animals to humans. It explains how human behaviors spread diseases and what science can do to anticipate and prevent epidemics around the world. (56min)

How do coronavirus tests work? (7min)

How might scientists create a vaccine to the coronavirus? (6min)

How does soap kill the coronavirus? (4min)

Video by Vox

How have disease epidemics of the past effected human history? (12min)

(10/24/2014) In this Crash Course World History episode, John Green teaches us about disease and the effects that disease has had in human history. Disease has been with mankind since the beginning, and it has shaped the way humans operate in a lot of ways. John provides examples from the Black Death, the Great Dying, and the modern medical revolution to illustrate how disease has changed the world.

This web page was designed in collaboration with the Lincoln University College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences - Cooperative Extension and Research - Media Center

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The links below will direct you to external resources that you may find useful during this pandemic: