"Be informed, but don't panic," advises Dr. Sean Beckmann to concerned Americans.

What do we need to know about Coronavirus or 2019-nCoV

Questions we discuss in this Podcast Episode

There's a lot of misinformation out there about the coronavirus, particularly on social media, what facts can you give us about the virus and how it spreads?

The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Is asymptomatic transmission of this virus occurring?

How is the virus transmitted?

What are the symptoms?

What is the incubation period?

Viruses have the ability to reproduce rapidly, how adaptable are they in terms of survivability?

I read that "In the lower temperatures, the virus could survive on a stainless steel surface from 5 to 28 days at all humidity levels."  How long can the virus survive on say, a shipping crate coming from China?

Can you discuss treatment? Prevention?

The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory urging Americans to reconsider traveling to China, along with the CDC.The U.S. government-chartered a plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the outbreak started, and other Americans.

What are the safety precautions taken when these diplomats return to the U.S.? Are they tested for the virus, quarantined for a period of time?

Who is most at risk of contracting the coronavirus?

"The preliminary fatality rate for 2019-nCoV hovers around 3%—which is low, but still concerning because of the number of cases accumulating."

The number of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza stands at around 6.7% according to the CDC.

Why do you think this virus is especially hard on seniors?

Can this virus mutate?

[Tweet ""Be informed, but don't panic," advises Dr. Sean Beckmann to concerned Americans of the Coronavirus"]

Is China sharing accurate, truthful information on the numbers, and if the numbers are higher, what is the benefit of not reporting the truth?

How prepared are U.S. hospitals for testing for this particular strain?

The director-general of the World Health Organization has flown to China to meet with government officials and health experts trying to contain the spread of 2019-nCoV.UN health chief visits China to help with virus containment.(article removed)

What the Chinese government has to say

President Xi Jinping has called the outbreak a grave situation and said the government was stepping up efforts to restrict travel and public gatherings while rushing medical staff and supplies to the city at the center of the crisis, Wuhan, which remains on lockdown with no flights, trains or buses in or out.Chinese travel agencies have been told to halt all group tours, and concern is growing over the potential impact of mill...