I am Assuming I will Contract the Disease
As an ER doctor, I am probably going to contract Covid-19. I am slightly worried about this, but all evidence at this time points to an over-estimation of the severity of the disease. There is likely reporting bias in favor of recognizing and reporting only severe cases. Most of the mortality is in older individuals with pre-existing cardiopulmonary problems. That said, this does appear to be more severe than current strains of influenza, so some precautions are reasonable. Follow my twitter feed for updates, and see the bottom of this page for links to high-quality sources and primary literature on the topic.
Current Strategy
Overall, I agree with Amesh Adalja @ameshaa who thinks that containment is not a viable strategy at this point. It’s likely that many if not most people will be exposed to this virus at some time. The only good reason I can think of to actively try to avoid exposure now, is that this virus may be less robust in a month or two when weather warms. If you are able to avoid infection this season, there is a chance of being vaccinated (if it is developed in time) before next season when this virus is likely to return.
Inviduals at High Risk
Lastly, if you do have a history of cardiopulmonary disease such as heart failure or COPD, attempting to avoid infection to the best of your ability is a very good idea. Anyone who begins to feel short of breath should seek immediate medical care.
My goal here is to provide distilled, accurate, and timely information. Please feel free to leave feedback, comments, or questions below and I’ll do my best to respond. You can also contact me using the contact page.