How Contagion Works

One of the challenges of COVID-19 is the need to know more about the virus and how it spreads. In this brief essay, British actor David Thorpe conveys the author's enthusiasm for explaining (in layperson's terms) the math behind pandemics and relays his heartfelt pleas that we make the necessary sacrifices to contain the virus's spread. Writing from ground zero in Italy, Paolo Giordan, a physicist and novelist, brings scientific rigor, storytelling, and compassion to his work. It's a quick listen--indeed, it was written in a matter of days while the author was in lockdown. Nonetheless, it's a thoughtful and compelling dispatch from the early days of an unprecedented global event. D.B. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine