COVID-19: Interview With the Head of the DuPage County Health Department

Coronavirus particle, illustration. Different strains of coronavirus are responsible for diseases such as the common cold, gastroenteritis and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). A new coronavirus (2019-CoV) emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The virus causes a mild respiratory illness that can develop into pneumonia and be fatal in some cases. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. Once inside the cells, the particles use the cells’ machinery to make more copies of the virus.

In case you missed it, I wanted to make sure to share again the interview I did with Karen Ayala, the Executive Director of the DuPage County Health Department.

Ayala does a fantastic job of laying out the basic facts, giving practical advice and cutting through the nonsense you read on social media.

The interview came in the wake of the cancellations of the downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade, the Southside Irish Parade and the Northwest Irish Parade, as well as cancellations of celebrations in St. Charles, Naperville and East Dundee.

As of the posting of this blog, the Plainfield Hometown Irish Parade is planning to go on as scheduled.