Interview with Dr. Saskia Popescu, AOMD Episode 032

Welcome to the episode number 32 of the Authors of Mass Destruction podcast. My name is Natasha Bajema, aka WMDgirl on Twitter. I’m a fiction author, national security expert and your host for this podcast. If you’re interested in science & technology, in reading good fiction, or want to write fiction based on technology, you’re […]

Welcome to the episode number 32 of the Authors of Mass Destruction podcast. My name is Natasha Bajema, aka WMDgirl on Twitter. I’m a fiction author, national security expert and your host for this podcast.

If you’re interested in science & technology, in reading good fiction, or want to write fiction based on technology, you’re in the right place. Before we get started, a few notes:The views expressed on this podcast are my own and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.The AOMD podcast is proud to be part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Check us out at www.authorsontheair.comIf you enjoy my podcast and want me to keep it up, I hope you’ll become a patron for only two dollars a month at Patreon at www.patreon.com – p a t r e o n / natashabajemaPersonal Update: I just finished the first draft of my new novel, Rescind Order, a technodrama set in the future about the threat of nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence. For my next project, I’m working on a dark comedy stage play entitled American Doomsday.My headline for this week is about the coronavirus outbreak, “8 questions about the coronavirus outbreak, answered,” published on Feb 2 on Vox.comCoronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China in late 2019First case in the U.S. on January 21More than 14,000 cases in China as of todayA few facts:A virus (not bacteria) – antibiotics don’t work – that spread from animals to humansCauses a respiratory infection, symptoms range from common cold to severe pneumonia, starts with fever, cough, shortness of breathLower death rate than SARS, but appears to spread more quicklySpreads from exposure to droplets – sneezing, coughing – appears to be spreading before symptomsHand washing is keyBoth the CDC and the State Department have issued their highest-level travel alerts for ChinaThe WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergencyRisk to public health in the US is considered lowR Naught – reproduction number – how contagious is an infectious disease – average number of people who will catch a disease from one contagious personIncubation periodContact ratePublic health preparednessThe reproduction number for the 2019 Coronavirus appears to be 1.4 to 3.3. Ebola – 2Seasonal flu – 1.3Measles – 11-18https://twitter.com/devisridhar/status/1223982163546247168?s=20https://www.healthline.com/health/r-nought-reproduction-numberLet’s go to my interview.