He Drove Her to the Hospital. She Gave Him the Coronavirus.

The reality that nature is in charge, not humans, shouldn't come as a surprise to humans. Sadly, the evolution of common sense, truth, etc. doesn't seem to be a part of what actions people are taking. All people, because it is not only flu season, and a very bad one at that, but the added corona virus running rampant around the world, humans shouldn't congregate in groups of any kind, whether cruising, religious, movie theaters, malls, restaurants, schooling, sports, etc. In fact, in the age of digital media, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have children learn from home. Oh, I forgot, who is going to stay home with the children, while the parent or parents are off making a living to borrow more money, to live the overextended consumer based, and entertainment seeking life, where few cook all their own food anymore, and everyone, at all times, is talking on their phone so much, that they don't watch where they are walking, and assume that you as a driver should know how important it is that they are on their phone, while walking. No, having had over 13 doctors in our family over 3 generations, I understand the nature of viruses, and humans. My relatives, most of them, had a background as Anabaptists against war, from Switzerland from over 500 years ago, persecuted and killed. Humans, not long for world, either humans will do each other in, or nature will take care of us.

I thought the Coronavirus doesn’t causing sneezing and runny noses?

No good deed goes unpunished.

"Most flights between Thailand and China have been canceled, although not all." And that right there is the crux of the problem. People are and have been managing to get out of China and spread the virus and now it is too late to contain. The W.H.O. should have been coordinating global efforts, but China took weeks to acknowledge there was a problem. China has been slow to address the food safety and hygiene issues that are part of the problem. People constantly spit in China and when I was there last year I saw people defecating and urinating in the streets, even in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. There needs to a global response to address to this, not piecemeal, as it is now. Finally the W.H.O. is raising the threat level, but we're now months into this and the horse is out of the barn.

Recommend that all taxi drivers work with their windows at least half down to avoid marinating in a hotbox of airborne virus for a full work shift.

That the taxi driver did not infect his family by taking simple precautionary steps is good news !

The signs keep piling up about gargantuan holes in our approach. One of our teachers just returned from France; a colleague asked if her temperature had been taken at the airport or if she'd been tested. Nope. If only I didn't keep seeing that infernal infection map at the end of "The Planet of the Apes." The genius of that movie was in leaving us (and many left the theatre before the coda, embedded in the credits, rolled, and that three minutes was the story) with the thought that it was not so much the rise of the apes as the fall of humanity through a pandemic. I'm fully aware that this is not that, but it has been very instructive to see the innumerable holes in the so-called firewar to contain this. If nothing else, it has confirmed something I've thought for ages now...we just don't learn, and cannot undo the Darwinian will to survive, one that ironically and paradoxically becomes the mechanism of death in a plague. Those seeking to flee on their own behalf inevitably imperil others. It seems to be hardwired into the pandemic code. We need to start working on protocols to keep people calm, to emphasize the efficacy of quarantine (still the number one defense if done properly) and to ensure that there is financial support for the sick and quarantined. Yet, we still can't manage something as basic and essential as checking incoming passengers --to be clear, ones coming from places with active outbreaks--at airports or giving communities test kits directly. Surreal.

Bangkok is densely populated an spread of infection will be speeded up in close spaces. If they were in an open air tuk tuk there would be a less of chance for easy spread. It is not clear which parts of the body the virus can be shed and passed on. One thing for sure a single infected person can be a person of mass transmission and every infected person positively identified should be quarantined and considered not safe for travel.

A lot of anecdotes here, but very little evidence presented regarding actual chain of infection. I get the pressure to file and prove your worth, but t is important that media don't add to panic or misunderstanding at this time

My hygienist said patients are wearing masks while seated in the waiting room, respecting others. But then the hygienist a mere six inches away to clean their teeth. If you’re coughing, sneezing and wheezing stay home!

How about academics? Older than their students. Playing support roles. Teaching hundred of students exposed to international travel?? And pushed to keep on doing so in the face of the pandemic to keep the money coming in. How about us?

How ignorant can adult be, to not know to never sneeze without turning one's head, covering one's face, etc? ....and especially considering a sneeze pretty much 'always' presents itself with a few seconds advance notice that's it about to occur...

This is the worst case of media craziness! You realize these types of headlines are not helpful at all

Thank you China for your total lack of transparency ,unwillingness to cooperate with the international community and your wild animal market places which spawned this in the first place

Worst tip ever. :o(

The weird thing, is that a regulation prohibiting hand shaking hasn't been issued. If you need to be sure to wash your hands, it's logical that you also need to avoid contamination. It wouldn't have to actually be enforced - it's purpose would be to provide cover to those who are reluctant to touch other peoples hands, under the current circumstances. Obviously, some kind of hand gesture could be substituted, like a hand shake motion, but without the actual contact. We are talking about a common sense, cost nothing move. It's a total mystery to me, why it hasn't been done.

Trying to walk everywhere but must travel too far to walk on Sunday. Would you think taxi, uber or subway would be safest and most coronavirus germ free? I am thinking subway as I can move is someone next to me is coughing as opposed to an uber or taxi driver. But of course so many more people use the subways...

It is recommended that you sneeze into your elbow. If you sneeze into your hands, all your germs get transferred to the objects you touch.

The best place to be on the planet if you catch ANY disease is right here in America. However, I realize my saying that won't train anyone else to begin hating Pres. Trump.

In my view, the crux of this story is that the passenger sneezed into the driver's face, or at least made no effort to contain her sneeze and its droplets. The driver was sprayed with virus. There are parts of the world where public coughing, sneezing, and spitting happen with what would seem to be zero regard for other folks. China is one. Handwashing is essential but if someone sneezes into my face, it won't reverse that.

During the Black Plague in Europe, grave robbers would cover their faces with scarves doused with a combination of herbs to keep from contracting the plague — we call it Thieves Oil today, and it’s an essential oil you can buy for an oil diffuser. All throughout flu season, I burn this oil constantly, and I have avoided the flu for 3 seasons now. I’m not suggesting that Coronavirus can be combatted with medieval oils, but I do wonder if it might be at least helpful, especially for those who have frequent contact with the public. The first thing I do when I get home is wash my hands and face and crank up the oil diffuser and as someone with a weak immune system due to MS, it has kept me illness free.

What would be the price tag in our country if you had to stay in a hospital isolation ward for 14 days...without good insurance?

The virus is going to spread and there will be quarantines. I saw Trump again this morning saying the virus would just miraculously "disappear" like the flu does every season. We have no evidence of this. While I do no like politicizing an emergency, my confidence in Trump and Pence to adequately manage this situation is extremely low. Everyone is going to have to clear public comments through Trump or Pence - this means the information we receive isn't necessarily going to be truthful based on their track record. I feel this is what is most troubling about this situation - because the Trump Administration has such a history of lies, many of us simply are skeptical of what they say. I DO trust the CDC and NIH - but will they be allowed to do their jobs? Why did the Trump Administration eliminate the entire pandemic section - because Trump didn't want to pay people for "doing nothing" - he has concept of planning and preparedness. We will have to rely mainly on state and local governments in this emergency.

P.S. Would be nice if the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, and the NIH would put out a public service ad INFORMING people about proper hygiene when coughing, etc.! Years ago I was trained to volunteer as a hospital chaplain, here’s some tips on staying healthy: 1. Never touch your face, nose, eyes when you’re in public. 2. Always sanitize your hands when you’ve been in public; say, you’ve been grocery shopping, once in your car, sanitize! 3.When you get home from work, you’ve been out all day in public, REMOVE your shoes at the door AND wash your hands thoroughly ! Change out of your street clothes. Place them in hamper for laundering. 4. Clean your door knobs, virus, germs, yuck...can live there for weeks. Finally, stay hydrated, lots of water.

Good grief--and how many people did the poor taxi driver then pass it on to?

At our house, we are keeping a close watch on the lady in California’s Central t has become ill with the coronavirus. She had not traveled outside the country nor knows anyone who is sick. When she was at the small rural hospital in her area, the doctors had to beg and forex the CDC to send a test to test her! THIS should not be happening! South Korea is testing thousands of their citizens! We are, supposedly, the “wealthiest nation” on the planet! THE TESTS SHOULD BE FREE FOR ALL OF US! The incompetence of Trump and his sidekick, Pence, will be disastrous for us! Cut funding to Trump’s wall, and FUND the CDC and NIH!!!

So many possible scenarios to consider. If I get a bad “flu” and think I should be tested for COVID-19, do I go to my internist’s office or the ER? And, how do I get there, if for some reason my husband can’t drive me? Maybe he’s not feeling well too. If I do get a mild case, am I obligated to inform the management company of my building? What if I’m too sick to walk my dogs? My dog walker is not a young guy. Should I stop going to the movies? What about synagogue? Is Pence going to issue guidelines so that we can protect ourselves and others? Or, do we rely on our common sense, advice from friends and the media? Seems like other countries are way ahead of us. Surprise surprise. Our leadership is shockingly inept.

With the mask shortage here it's not helping. Also it seems people in the US believe waring masks is not necessary. A co-worker argued that masks are for people who are already sick, to prevent spreading. People are probably also afraid to look strange wearing masks in public. At this stage and current situation, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd feel more comfortable taking the subways or buses regardless of what other people think or look at me.

Who doesn't know that public/private transportation, public/private health centers, public / private hospitals etc. maximize human infectious disease exposure including coronavirus?

All service industry employees are at an incredibly heightened risk for contracting the virus. Think restaurant servers, grocery store clerks, fast food workers, hotel maids, etc. — the very population with the least access to healthcare services and the least financially-able to weather a positive diagnosis and resulting illness.

I am a bus driver and this thought runs across my mind every day which now makes work a scary setting. My anxiety has been through the roof and I’m debating whether I should quit, take a leave of absence, or just ride it out and wait for my company to lockdown and tell us to stay home. I have medical insurance, but if I voluntarily “go” on my own will I lose it? If things get out of control in CA/ Bay Area and my job is shut down will I be laid off? Will I still get a check? I’ll still NEED to buy groceries for my family .. So many questions, Pray for me & my co workers.

How many of the taxi and Uber drivers in the United States have health insurance? How many of the people making deliveries to homes, working in restaurants and groceries, and cleaning offices have health insurance? And of those that do have health insurance, how many have deductibles and co-payments so high that the thought of going to the doctor is enough to discourage them? How many of these people have paid sick leave that enables them to stay home when they are ill? And how many have a union that will ensure that they can stay home when they are ill without risking getting fired, with a further possibility of an eviction or repossession of their car and ending up living on the street? These are things that civilized societies have for everyone (or nearly so) that protect you from the impact of epidemics: universal health care, universal paid sick leave laws, and union contracts and "just cause termination laws" that protect people from unfair firings.

I have full confidence that Pastor Pence will be able to 'pray away' this pandemic the same way he prayed away the Indiana AIDS outbreak he helped shepherd into existence because of his incompetence, ignorance and ill will toward 'others'.

Two commenters yesterday shared what their countries are doing to prevent making others sick. In one Eastern European country you call 211 and someone comes to your home, takes a sample, and advises you from there on. In one London borough they have a “drive-in” testing center, then people self-isolate for two days while waiting for results. Good ideas to slow the spread of the virus,

If it's risky to travel in a taxi, am I supposed to feel safe riding the IRT at rush hour?

I’m more fearful of countries which are not accurately detecting the coronavirus cases and deaths. Indonesia has yet to report a single case despite having a population of 273m, and surrounded by COVID 19 hit countries. There are daily flights between Indonesia and Wuhan. NYT reported earlier that 5000 Chinese tourists are running free in Bali, unable to return home and not having temperatures taken. There had been at least two recent deaths with symptoms suspiciously similarly to those of COVID 19 and yet the lab tests came back negative. It cannot be attributed solely to blessings from God, as proclaimed by an Indonesian minister.

So much misinformation going around: I just heard the NYC Health Commissioner, on the radio, reassure a caller, an Uber driver, that the likelihood of transmission between passenger and driver was highly unlikely. Ditto between subway passengers. Either she’s trying to tamp down fear or she simply doesn’t know. And this from a local official in a city with decent public health policies — unlike the current Federal administration.

There is some very good news in this story. Mr. Thongsuk fully recovered from the virus after 14 days in an isolation unit at a Bangkok hospital, and because he was sensible enough to eat in isolation no one in his family got sick ... at least not so far. Mr. Thongsuk also wore a mask when he drove his cab after having been infected but we do not know if the mask was sufficient enough protection for his passengers. We can only hope it was. That bad news is that several other drivers where infected but we do not know if their passengers were wearing masks or not. If the contagion spread to drivers from infected passengers who where wearing masks, then COVID19 is far more insidious than our simple -- perhaps simplistic -- attempts to wall it off. More troubling is the Japanese tour bus driver and his guide who became sick, which is bad enough. However, there were most likely other passengers exposed to infectious agents whom we know nothing about. Also problematic is that Mr Thongsuk acted in good faith, believing the Thai government had already been screening passengers entering he country from China. It wasn't and who knows how many more Thai's have been exposed to the virus. And if more Thai's become ill, will hospital care be available for them at the same level of proficiency received by Mr. Thongsuk? If COVID19 breaks out across the US, will our hospitals be as capable as Thailand's? Not likely b/c beds have been eliminated for the sake of he bottom line.

Why do people still not cover their face when they sneeze? I just don't get it. It's the rudest, most selfish thing imaginable.

Who would sneeze all over someone else's face? It's not PC to say so but travelers from certain parts of the world just don't have the same manners and hygiene that we expect. Fact.

Terrified to commute to work on the NYC subway. Entered the train yesterday as someone was coughing on me without covering their mouth. Why haven’t they started announcements and signage as reminders?

In my area school bus routes are ALREADY cancelled today due to a shortage of drivers. The drivers tend to be older, at least 50 , often even older than that and semi-retired . Now imagine if schools stay open but so many drivers are ill or test positive that school has to be cancelled anyway. It’s plausible. Maybe even likely. Also keep in mind that many of the presidential candidates, along with Mr Trump, are over 70. I wouldn’t wish this virus on anyone so please no jokes or comments about hoping any politicians would get ill. This could have serious repercussions in an election year, no matter which party one supports. Or next year if the virus re-emerges, as expected. .

So what’s it going to be in NYC? We need to ask Mike Pence, I guess. Good luck with that one.

What a lovely Modern Love column story.