Experts explain the quick spread of COVID-19

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — The concerning spread of the coronavirus can be linked to a few factors.

Associate Chief Medical Officer at Charleston Area Medical Center Dr. Shelda Martin said the virus is moving quickly because it is new and no one has built up an immunity to it.

"Respiratory viruses love cold, dry weather, and we are just coming out of winter. This respiratory virus, COVID, is something we have not seen before. Normally, we've seen the flu and some people carry immunity to that. This is something the general public has not seen, so we don't see immunity," Martin said.

Often times people don't see symptoms, according to Dr. Ivan Martinez, an associate professor and research scientist at West Virginia University.

"80% of the people that get infected with the virus, do not show any type of symptoms, or show very mild symptoms. These people never go to the hospital. They don't know they are actually infecting more people," Martinez said.

Both Martinez and Martin said the spread of the virus around West Virginia makes sense, with people going out of the state to make direct contact with COVID-19, and then bringing it back and infecting others.

How effective is social distancing? Martinez says it is crucial, especially when those people don't realize they don't have the virus.

"If you are in contact with 10 people and 10 people get infected, they go to another place and those 10 people infect --we're talking about a rate of 2 to 4 -- they can infect another 10-40 people. Just imagine how that can grow and grow," Martinez said.

Martin compared social distancing to paying monthly bills.

"What if I gave you all of your bills on the first day of the month? Could you pay them all on the first day of the month? The chances are, probably not. It's the same thing with this virus. With social distancing, if people aren't out and about trying to do their daily business and getting exposed to the virus, we're going to see less people becoming infected," Martin said.

Experts are hoping to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 soon, so that the spread can be stopped.

"Will we see it again? We don't know the answer to that. Certainly, in the fall, if it were to come back, we're going to have a number of people who have seen it and would be immune. We should have some immunity."

Martinez added that he anticipates the virus to spread in parts of West Virginia, but he does believe the state's sparse population will be beneficial.