密歇根新闻广播 防治新冠要保持距离

 

The first two cases of COVID 19 were confirmed by the state late Tuesday night, leading Governor Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency. Multiple universities across the state have cancelled in-person classes through late April. As Michigan begins dealing¹ with what is now officially a pandemic, medical historian Dr. Howard Markel said that it is not time to panic.

“[COVID-19] is not something we have to fear. It is something we have to have legitimate² concern [about] and take action against.”

COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus, which means it’s one that health officials and doctors have not dealt with before. Markel said the unknown nature of the virus is what makes it so scary to people. But the novelty of the virus itself doesn’t mean that health officials are completely unprepared, said Markel. Many of the strategies used in previous epidemics³ will be useful during a COVID-19 outbreak, including what’s known as “social distancing.”

Social distancing involves people avoiding contact with each other in order to stop the spread of the virus through a community. It can include actions like cancelling large events and working from home. Shutting down schools and businesses are the “nuclear option of public health tools,” according to Markel. He said actions like this are only taken when the threat of real danger from mass infection is greater than the risk of social disruption.

Markel said that while these actions may seem extreme, it’s important for preventative measures to be put into place sooner rather than later.

“Too late is not good. I would err⁴ on the side of too early. The history of public health officers is littered with officers who have either made the call too early and then people have complained, or too late and then people either get sick or die.”

While the virus doesn’t keep Markel “up at night,” he said he does have some concerns. One is the overwhelming amount of information about COVID-19 people have to sort through and understand.

“There is so much media, there are so many sources that the hype, I feel, is more virulent⁵ than the virus itself.”

Because of this, doctors and health officials play a key role not only in treating those sick with the virus, but also assuring and informing the public.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

3 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

4 err   

vi.犯错误，出差错

参考例句：

• He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
• The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。

5 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。