As the novel coronavirus spreads — and fears over the virus seem to spread even faster — how do we separate fact from fiction? And how well are we, as a nation, responding to this pandemic? USA TODAY’s Editorial Board has been meeting with leading experts. Below, watch short video interviews or click the links for the full Q&A.
Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General and director of the CDC
July 15
With 32 states adding COVID-19 cases faster than in the worst spring week, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board spoke Wednesday with Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Satcher, 79, is now director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and a professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. His new book, “My Quest for Health Equity: Notes on Learning While Leading,” is due out later this summer.
Francis Collins, National Institutes of Health director
June 24
As COVID-19 cases continued to spike in the South and West, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board spoke Tuesday with Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Collins, 70, led the international Human Genome Project and is noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes.
Dr. Caitlin Rivers: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
June 17
Amid concerns about coronavirus spikes caused by reopenings or mass protests, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board spoke Tuesday with Dr. Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, about the state of the pandemic.
Randi Weingarten: American Federation of Teachers president
May 28
This week, as U.S. coronavirus deaths topped 100,000 and President Donald Trump tweeted that “schools in our country should be opened ASAP,” the USA TODAY Editorial Board spoke with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The teachers’ union has issued detailed guidelines for reopening schools.
Dr. Michael Osterholm: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy director
May 12
As the number of U.S. deaths attributed to COVID-19 approached 81,000 on Tuesday, the USA TODAY Editorial Board spoke with Dr. Michael Osterholm, one of the nation’s leading epidemiologists. Osterholm, 67, is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and co-author of “Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.”
Dr. Tom Inglesby: Hopkins expert on pandemics and infectious diseases
April 28
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States topped 1 million and states began reopening, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board spoke on Tuesday with Dr. Tom Inglesby, a leading expert on pandemics and infectious diseases. Inglesby, 53, is director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Marc Lipsitch: Harvard epidemiologist
April 8, 2020
As daily coronavirus-related deaths reached new highs in New York and nationally, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board spoke Wednesday with Dr. Marc Lipsitch, one of the nation’s leading epidemiologists, about the state of the pandemic. Lipsitch is a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard’s Center of Communicable Disease Dynamics.
Tom Frieden: Former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
March 24, 2020
Dr. Tom Frieden, one of the nation’s leading experts on public health and infectious disease, spoke with USA TODAY’s Editorial Board on Tuesday as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that the new coronavirus is “spiking” in his state and President Donald Trump said he wants “the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.” Frieden, 59, is a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former New York City health commissioner.
Scott Gottlieb: Former commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
March 9, 2020
As the stock market was plunging Monday amid coronavirus fears, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019, met with USA TODAY’s Editorial Board to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak. Gottlieb, 47, did a residency in internal medicine at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center and is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Anthony Fauci: Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Feb. 17, 2020
With China taking extreme measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and previously quarantined American cruise ship passengers returning to the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s point man on infectious diseases, spoke with the USA TODAY Editorial Board about the latest coronavirus developments. Fauci, 79, has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus experts on what to do and U.S. response to the pandemic