While it’s important not to be reactionary or alarmist, it’s also critical that the public has an awareness of what the COVID-19 coronavirus is, and what it isn’t. It’s also important to know what the response from our government and health organizations might be in various scenarios should the coronavirus spread widely in the United States.

In order to have a reasonable discussion about this virus, it’s important not to politicize it, which is already happening in our hyper-polarized society. Some news accounts blame Republicans and Trump for gutting government services and not being prepared, while some headlines aim to minimize the virus’ threat in an effort to jab Democrats. This distracts from gaining an objective understanding of what the threats are and aren’t. While we shouldn’t panic about this virus, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it seriously and prepare for what could become a pandemic. It’s not alarmist to take reasonable precautions.

Chances are, you’ve had a version of the coronavirus. The coronavirus is a family of viruses, several of which cause some of the common colds, according to the CDC. Covid-19 is a new version of the virus and unlike the milder forms, this infection attacks the lungs. While 80 percent of cases are mild, the remainder are more serious and are particularly dangerous for those over the age of 65. While you may have heard the new coronavirus is no different than the flu, it’s important to understand why that’s not the case.

The flu kills about 0.1% of people annually compared the 2.3% mortality rate of the coronavirus in the China province where the outbreak started. That means the coronavirus’ mortality rate is 20 times that of the flu if those statistics hold. Recent data puts the death rate at 3 percent. But those numbers are fluid . It’s possible milder cases are going unreported, which would lower the mortality rate.

Currently, the flu is more of a concern in the United States. But warnings from health experts say it’s not a matter of if the novel coronavirus will proliferate in the U.S., but when. The virus is about as contagious as the flu, according to health officials.

On Feb. 28, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease wrote that containment, such as temporary travel restrictions to China, may have slowed the virus down, but its ability to transmit efficiently is a cause for concern. About four people infected with the coronavirus resulted in more than 600 people catching the disease on the Diamond Princes cruise ship, some of whom have died.

“If the disease begins to spread in U.S. communities, containment may no longer be a realistic goal and response efforts likely will need to transition to various mitigation strategies, which could include isolating ill people at home, closing schools and encouraging telework,” a report on the NIH website says.

The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that people plan for the virus’ arrival and spread. “Now’s the time for businesses, hospitals, community schools and everyday people to begin preparing,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases director.

How to prepare? Recommendations from the CDC include staying home when you’re sick with respiratory disease symptoms and washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing and sneezing.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) upgraded the risk of the coronavirus to “very high,” its top level of risk assessment. WHO emergencies programs director Dr. Mike Ryan said the risk level is intended to be a “‘reality check’ for governments, since healthcare systems were still unprepared,’” according to a BBC report.

“Get ready,” Ryan said to governments last week. “This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready. You have a duty to your citizens. You have a duty to the world to be ready.”