On Wednesday afternoon, Hamlin parent Dr. Diana Montgomery met with Grade 7 students via Zoom to speak about COVID-19. Dr. Montgomery is a pediatrician with Private Medical and a Clinical Professor at UCSF.

Dr. Montgomery provided an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and also delved into the scientific aspects of how the virus acts on a cellular level.

She made the following points among others:

-The vast majority of COVID-19 cases are mild, current statistics put that number at 80.9%

-Many of the COVID-19 symptoms are similar to the common cold and the flu

-COVID-19 is not as scary as Ebola, Smallpox, or MERS, but it is very contagious

-COVID-19 expands through exponential growth with infected people spreading the virus to an average of two people

-We must flattened the curve because our capacity to take care of sick people is not unlimited and can overwhelm local hospitals

-Data shows that physical distancing is working in the San Francisco Bay Area and we are effectively flattening the curve