 Hello, I'm Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham, your Navy and Marine Corps Surgeon General. As the name suggests, the novel coronavirus we have been fighting for the last several months is a new virus. Because of this novelty, we didn't know much about it when it first started spreading. Over the last several months, your Navy Medicine team has been working diligently to better understand the virus through our own work and in collaboration with the CDC and our sister services as well as others around the globe. We're continuously working with Navy leadership to tailor our policies and public health practices to match that emerging science. In this video, I'll cover some of the recently learned facts about this coronavirus and best practices to prevent spreading. Because we are still learning, I expect additional data will become available, but this is the most current information we have today. We know that this virus spreads primarily and most easily through respiratory droplets. Physical distancing from an infected individual remains the best thing you can do to prevent the transmission of this virus. In general, six feet away from others is enough distance to dramatically lower your exposure. However, when people are exercising or shouting and breathing out forcefully, then the distance the droplets can travel increases. General protective equipment such as cloth, face coverings worn over your mouth and nose can reduce the risk of spreading infectious droplets to others. Recent evidence indicates that many who are infected with this virus have minimal symptoms that they may not recognize as COVID-19. Because of this, it is recommended that all persons wear a cloth face covering when social distancing cannot be maintained or is directed by your local government. One of the symptoms identified as frequently occurring in younger individuals in the combined CDC Navy report on the USS Theodore Roosevelt is the sudden loss of taste and smell. If you have these symptoms, notify medical immediately. If you do become infected, it has been determined that smoking is likely to make the illness worse. If you smoke or vape, consider giving it up as added protection if you become infected with COVID. The Navy already recommends stopping the use of tobacco products, and your Navy medical provider can help with evidence-based interventions to support quitting. For those with mild symptoms, those symptoms peak after approximately seven to nine days from onset and are then followed by a gradual recovery. While most recover from the infection without long-term symptoms, there have been some reports of prolonged residual fatigue and respiratory symptoms. For those with more severe symptoms, requiring hospitalization and ventilation, recovery times are naturally slower and may include after-effects of complications to specific organ systems. Evidence indicates that after exposure to the virus, it may take up to 14 days to develop symptoms, and this is why we do 14-day restriction of movement before deployments. Fortunately, individuals are unlikely to be infectious beyond eight days after the onset of symptoms. For active duty who are younger, the symptoms tend to be milder. Times of stress, like the COVID-19 pandemic, may increase risk of emergence or reemergence of mental health symptoms, such as problems sleeping, anxiety, grief, and acute stress. For help, Navy Medicine has promoted the concept of no wrong door, which means that sailors, Marines, and their families can seek care in mental health clinics, primary care settings, Navy and Marine Corps installation counseling centers, waterfront clinics, and through embedded mental health programs. Overall, though we are learning more and able to adjust our activities to minimize transmission, this is still a virus we will have to contend with for the near future. As we learn more, we'll continue to adapt. As I mentioned, this will likely not be our last update, but we will make every effort to ensure you have the latest information. As your SG, the health and well-being of our force is my top priority. I take this responsibility seriously, and with your help, we can get through this together and continue our very important mission for our country.