No symptoms doesn’t mean no danger

Up to a quarter of those who contract COVID-19 don’t show symptoms but can still spread it. And the rest can likely transmit the virus up to 48 hours before symptoms arise, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield. “This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country,” he told WABE-FM in Atlanta.

How is the U.S. healthcare system doing? Hospitals face critical shortages of medical supplies. This week, the United States received its first shipment of imported N95 masks since February. Masks and respirators aren’t the only things in short supply. Nearly a quarter of New York City’s emergency medical service workers and 16 percent of its police force are out of commission due to illness. Some help is on the way from around the globe: A Russian military plane is en route to the United States with more medical equipment, and Taiwan said it would send 2 million masks.

Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s report of physicians buying up drugs that could fight the disease.