by Heather Boerner

BOSTON — Every morning, Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, zooms in on the number of new COVID-19 cases around the world, in the country, in the South, in Alabama, and in Birmingham.

So far, the number of cases in the United States has risen, as has the death toll. Although no cases have been reported in Alabama, they have been reported in two neighboring states: Georgia and Florida.

Marrazzo works closely with COVID-19 preparedness task forces in her state and at her university, and dons her white coat to provide updates to the state's media outlets. She knew she had to step up after learning that at least one in 10 healthcare workers were required to be in quarantine after potential exposure in the early days of the outbreak.

"I can't not be here to coordinate this," she said she remembered thinking. "I can't not be here to communicate with leadership. And I cannot not be here to work if I need to work."

Most years, Marrazzo attends the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), she told Medscape Medical News, but 5 days ago, she decided not to travel to Boston. Read more via Medscape