AEROSMITH: 'Don't Spread The Disease'

Legendary rockers AEROSMITH are the latest musicians to stress the importance of international solidarity as we address the effects of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

There have been more than 169,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

Earlier today (Monday, March 16),the members of AEROSMITH — all of whom are either in their late 60s or early 70s — took to their social media to share the following message: "#BeatTheVirus - You may have it and not know it. Don't spread the disease. Stay home as much as you can. Wash your hands often and try to keep 6 feet apart. Now is the time to engage online and not in person. It is not just about you, it's about us... All of us!"

There is no known cure yet for the flu-like virus, which originated in China.

Officials have made it clear that the elderly — especially those with heart, lung and immunological conditions — are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, with at least 25 deaths linked to one nursing home in Washington.

In Italy, which has one of the oldest populations in the world, one hundred percent of the people who have died have been over 60, and the vast majority over 80.

According to the Centers For Disease Control And Protection (CDC),coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person — between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet),and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.