The World Health Organization has updated the disease caused by the novel coronavirus to a pandemic.
As they define it, a pandemic is the spread of a new disease that most people are not immune to.
This comes the same day that the governor of New York called into question the number of people who have been tested. The U.S. now has more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the virus, and since testing is still growing, that number is expected to rise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that more than 8,500 specimens have been tested for the coronavirus. Since multiple specimens are required for every person, the number of actual patients with virus is far lower.
We know that these news stories can be scary to read, but we want to remind our readers that the recovery rate for the virus is very high, and is going to climb as more cases come out. Most people will only exhibit mild to moderate symptoms if infected.
We remind you to be smart, wash your hands, and be patient while containment efforts continue.
