Times of the Islands Spring 2021

talking taíno
Opposite page: Although we are thick in the midst of dealing with COVID-19, the first pandemic in the Americas may date to the arrival of
Christopher Columbus.
Above: This vintage etching circa 19th century by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky depicts the landing of Christopher Columbus.
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
Pandemic
How much of Taíno depopulation was the result of disease?
Today’s “Talking Taíno” is brought to you by the letters R and N. First R—not the pirate’s favorite letter
(which actually is the C)—but R 0 (“R naught”), the mathematical term that indicates how contagious an
infectious disease is. We invited Lindsay to join us because she wrote her dissertation on R 0 , and has
spent her young career modeling infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19, malaria and zika.
The arrival of vaccines will help us to “turn the corner,” but unfortunately, we’re still a long way from the
end of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Lindsay Keegan, Betsy Carlson, Michael Pateman and Bill Keegan
Times of the Islands Spring 2021 31