An Open Letter to Teens:

What you do right now matters, and I want you to understand why. This is what I think you should know about COVID-19:

It’s new. This strain of coronavirus, which causes flu-like symptoms (i.e. cough, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath) didn’t exist before this winter. This is important because it means no one is immune.

It’s so contagious. It spreads like the common cold, or worse. It lives in spit and snot. It lives on metal or plastic services (think, your phone case or public railings) for days.

It has the potential to be deadly. About 1% of people who get it will die. That’s 1 in 100.

There’s a good chance you will catch it. Current estimates are that about half of all the people in the world will get coronavirus this year. People, that’s 1 in 2. That’s like, either you, or your lab partner.

Fortunately, you’ll probably be fine. When you catch it, you might not even notice. Most people with coronavirus don’t get super sick. In fact, some people, especially young people, get infected and don’t feel a thing. Sigh of relief, right?

Sorry, no. When you catch coronavirus, it uses you to reproduce. The virus turns your nose into a virus-making machine, so you’ll spread it without even knowing it.

Look guys. This isn’t about you. This is mostly about older people. Your grandma, the nice lady at the coffee shop makes your chai. It’s also about people with things like asthma, high blood pressure, or diabetes. When these folks get coronavirus, it’s much more likely to turn into severe pneumonia. The infection goes to their lungs, and can make it difficult for them to breathe.

Hospitals can help many of those people. But here’s the thing: Hospitals can’t help if everyone gets sick at once. There literally isn’t enough room. And there aren’t enough beds, nurses, masks, tests, medicines, ventilators, or oxygen tanks to go around. What we are trying to minimize is everyone getting sick at the same time.

This virus took us by surprise. Doctors need time to figure out the best ways to treat this. We’re kicking into gear now, but we need time.

This is how you can help: Slow it down. Stay away from people. Don’t go places where germs hang out. Literally, stay in your house. Don’t become a walking virus reproduction center.

Staying home won’t stop the virus (because you’re going to have to go out eventually), but if we slow it down, we can catch up. Do your part, buy us some time. People, do you hear me? If there’s ever a time to rock your introverted side, it’s now. Read a book, go for a walk, bake muffins, play an instrument, meet up with your friends on Skype. Do that, and save lives.