All About the Coronavirus

So far, 2020 has been a year of major challenges. Since this past winter, the coronavirus pandemic has put billions of lives at risk around the world. Although some nations have managed to mostly control the virus, other countries—including the United States—are struggling to do so. As of early August, global infections were growing faster than ever. 

Life in America continues to be seriously disrupted by the virus. Millions of students across the country will be attending school remotely—at least part of the time—this fall. And millions of workers who would normally head into an office each day are still working from home.

Many months into this health crisis, it’s normal to feel anything from worried to totally fed up. You likely have a lot of questions too. What exactly is being done to combat this health threat? Will the presidential election go as planned? And what might life be like the rest of this year? JS editors are here to help with some reliable answers.

Millions of people across the country have already been infected with Covid-19—the disease caused by the new coronavirus. More than 180,000 people have died from it. About a quarter of all known infections and deaths worldwide have been in the U.S.

To help prevent the spread of the virus, most states closed businesses temporarily this past March to stop the virus’s spread. That led case numbers to fall in April and May. But tens of millions of people lost their jobs as a result of the shutdowns, which devastated the U.S. economy.

Many states moved quickly to reopen businesses in an effort to boost the struggling economy. Health experts have cautioned that reopening businesses too early could lead to new coronavirus outbreaks. Indeed, many states that rushed to reopen have since seen a dangerous spike in cases. Some states have had to pause or backtrack on their reopening plans as cases have mounted. 

In the spring, the U.S. government provided trillions of dollars of aid to help people and businesses most affected by the pandemic and to spur the economy. Those funds have helped many families to afford food and rent and companies to stay in business. But many officials say much more assistance is needed. Democrats in Congress have pushed to get another large aid bill passed, but Republicans say it’s too costly. 

Early in the U.S. outbreak, President Donald Trump placed limits on travel from countries where the virus was spreading quickly. Health experts say travel restrictions, if they are strict enough, may delay but won’t stop the spread of disease. All along, they have said that additional measures—such as widespread testing and social distancing—are needed to contain the virus.  

Since March, Trump has focused on the fast development of a vaccine for the virus. Overall, however, he has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus and largely left it up to individual states to oversee their responses to it. 

Many health officials have warned that without a strong, coordinated federal plan to contain the coronavirus—in addition to the development of a vaccine—the virus will continue to spread. 

Indeed, in some areas of the country, hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients and medical workers have not had enough supplies to treat patients safely. Testing for the virus has been slow and inadequate in many places, according to experts. Many state leaders have requested more assistance from the federal government.

For millions of students, this school year will be as unusual as the end of the last one. Most of the largest school districts in the nation—including those in Los Angeles and Chicago—were offering only remote classes at the beginning of the school year. In other areas, students were doing a combination of virtual and in-person learning. (That approach is intended to reduce the number of people in school buildings each day.) And still other schools have fully reopened, with students attending in person and new safety rules in place. 

However, several schools that have already opened for in-person learning have reported cases of the virus among students and staff. As a result, some schools have had to quarantine affected people at home; others have had to send all students home and temporarily switch to remote learning.

Health experts say wearing face masks and practicing social distancing are key to preventing the spread of the virus. (Social distancing measures include staying home as much as possible, avoiding large gatherings, and keeping at least six feet away from others in public.)

Health officials also remind people to wash their hands frequently in addition to taking other precautions to stay healthy and prevent the spread of the virus (see our tips on how to avoid getting sick, below).

Experts have stressed that Americans should not panic about it—but should be cautious. They say people should carefully follow instructions from health authorities about how to help keep themselves and their communities safe.

Though most people who develop Covid-19 have mild cases, the coronavirus can cause serious illness. Some people who catch it need hospital care. Moreover, there have been large outbreaks across the U.S.—and the virus is still spreading. 

One key reason: Some people who contract the virus don’t have obvious symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, or a dry cough. They may not even realize they’re sick, which makes it easy to unknowingly spread the illness to others. That’s why officials say it’s extremely important for everyone—including those who are young and seemingly healthy—to wear face masks, practice good hygiene, and follow rules about social distancing.

Nations that have taken aggressive actions to combat the virus, especially early on, have generally had success in controlling it. Germany, New Zealand, and South Korea are three examples. To contain the virus, those nations made tests widely available and quickly isolated people who became infected with it. Their governments also tracked down people who may have come into contact with infected individuals and communicated clearly about what safety measures the public should be taking. Those nations have also taken strong measures to contain further outbreaks

Meanwhile, countries that initially downplayed the crisis and have not done enough testing, including Brazil and the U.S., have struggled to contain the virus.

It usually takes many months or even years to develop vaccines. But researchers are working with great urgency to create a vaccine for the new coronavirus in record time. (Read more about this here.) 

Some health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, say a vaccine could be developed by early next year. But others are skeptical that a safe and effective vaccine can be ready by then. 

Even after a vaccine is approved, it will take time for everyone to have access to it, experts say. Dr. Fauci says he believes that all Americans will be able to get vaccinated by the end of 2021.

For the most part, both Trump and Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, are campaigning virtually. They are posting videos and hosting live events online so voters can get to know them.

Meanwhile, polls show that many Americans don’t want to vote in person because of the threat of Covid-19. Many states have changed their rules to make it easier for people to cast ballots from home. In fact, more than 75 percent of voters will be able to vote by mail this election.

Still, voting in person on Election Day—November 3—is still an option. Election officials are being encouraged to implement protective measures, and many voting locations will have strict guidelines about social distancing and mask wearing. Some states will also let people cast ballots in person in the days leading up to November 3. Allowing more time for voting could help prevent crowding at polling places, which would cut down on the spread of the virus, experts say. 

In most recent presidential elections, the winner has become clear by late in the evening on Election Day. But with so many Americans expected to vote by mail, it’s likely that it will be days or even weeks before we know the winner this year, election officials say. Why? Counting the mail-in ballots will take time. 

As the virus continues to spread, health experts say more shutdowns may be necessary to control it. They continue to urge people to wear masks, practice social distancing, and wash their hands frequently.

Life may not get back to normal in many places for months. Though it can be frustrating to be stuck at home a lot, and largely away from friends, the situation will eventually end. Until then, Americans must focus on following guidelines from health experts for staying safe—in order to protect ourselves and our communities.