Companies are hiring their own epidemiologists to help deal with the pandemic

Grubhub wasn't sure how to safely deliver meals during a pandemic. The familiar food safety rules of temperature and sanitation were not enough. Did drivers need masks? Hand sanitizer? What could be done better? Skin care company Dermalogica also had questions, including whether its worldwide staff of skin therapists could gently poke and prod customers.

So both companies hired an epidemiologist trained in infection prevention to provide answers. Kavita Trivedi, who works at the San Francisco Veterans' Administration Medical Center, finds herself continually consulting for a variety of companies desperate to know how to navigate a world saddled with the novel coronavirus...