So, how worried should people be about COVID-19? What do they need to do to keep themselves and their loved ones safe?

There is reason for concern about COVID-19, the coronavirus that has spread to 50 countries after breaking out in China. As of Thursday morning, the disease had killed about 2,800 people. An estimated 82,000 people have come down with it.

Nearly all the victims are in China. Cases in other nations are reported in single and double digits, for the most part. Sixty cases have occurred in the United States. Patients here are being quarantined.

COVID-19 is from a type of disease caused by a certain virus. It is related to the common cold and to influenza. But the new malady is more deadly than the flu. Worldwide, slightly fewer than 1% of those who contract it die. In China, the percentage is between 2% and 4%.

The federal government and private companies are working feverishly to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. Just as important, efforts are underway to produce new medicines to treat the disease’s symptoms.

For now, the key advice is simple: Don’t panic. Don’t call in sick for work and don’t pull your children out of school. Instead, follow common sense precautions against any viral disease. Don’t cough into a hand, then use it to shake hands. If you cough or sneeze, do so into the crook of your elbow. COVID-19, like colds and the flu, is spread in the form of tiny droplets expelled into the air by coughs and sneezes from those suffering from the disease. Wash your hands frequently. Be especially cautious in preparing, serving or consuming food or drinks.

If you come down with a cold or the flu and your symptoms seem extreme, see a health care provider.

COVID-19 already is a serious outbreak. It will get worse. But reacting irrationally to it could create problems too.