Yet the release omitted another key addition, a fellow who we are coming to think of as “Dr. Sean.”

In the 9 p.m. prime-time slot at Fox News on Tuesday, Dr. Sean emphasized the collective responsibility of all Americans to comply with the public health measures urged by federal, state and local authorities across the land. He’s really on top of all these measures, Dr. Sean is. “Take the following crucial precautions over the next couple of weeks. Do it why?” Dr. Sean said to his viewers. “Because we love our grandmothers, our grandfathers, our older moms and dads. They are the most vulnerable. They are the most at risk.”

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Dr. Sean, you see, has reviewed the relevant medical literature and can outline the entire coronavirus decision tree on live television: “If you feel sick, stay home. If the kids feel sick, keep them at home. Anyone in your house tests positive for the coronavirus, keep the entire household at home.” Dr. Sean might have added a comment about self-isolation.

What do folks such as Nesheiwat and Makary and Saphier and Siegel have over Dr. Sean? Not too much! Listen to the prime-time doc explain other contingencies: “If you are an elderly person or someone with these underlying medical conditions or you have a compromised immune system or autoimmune disease, or you went through chemotherapy and radiation, you need to stay away from other people on your own,” counseled Dr. Sean on Tuesday. “If possible, work from home. Avoid discretionary travel. Avoid big, social gatherings. Avoid nursing homes. Avoid large group settings.”

Bolding added to highlight a point of possible confusion for viewers of the 9 p.m. offerings on Fox News. A while back, the host of this same hour made a statement apparently contradicting the advice of Dr. Sean: “Now, we have some on the left literally whipping this country into a frenzy, some promoting extreme measures immediately: Close schools immediately, day care centers, businesses, mass transit systems and the cancellation of any large gathering," said this particular host. According to the show transcript, the host was a man named “Sean Hannity.” Surely no relation to Dr. Sean, though they look a lot alike.

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This “Sean Hannity” character also blamed liberals for playing up the pandemic: “The apocalypse is imminent and you’re going to all die, all of you in the next 48 hours, and it’s all President Trump’s fault,” said “Sean Hannity” on Feb. 27. “Or at least that’s what the media mob and the Democratic extreme radical socialist party would like you to think. They’re now sadly politicizing and actually weaponizing an infectious disease, in what is basically just the latest effort to bludgeon President Trump.”

Dr. Sean, by contrast, opened his Tuesday night program by expressing his support for social distancing. “It works, and everybody’s got to do it,” said Dr. Sean, who also offered supportive words for the mobilization against the coronavirus. The Defense Department, noted Dr. Sean, is doing everything from releasing additional ventilators to preparing for overflow from hospitals. The National Guard is pitching in to assist states with their countermeasures. “It’s [an] all-hands-on-deck" situation, said Dr. Sean.

Thanks to Dr. Sean, Fox News viewers are getting the latest in pandemic lingo. “By simply doing nothing," said Dr. Sean on Tuesday night, "we can all save lives. We can flatten the curve of the disease.” Sure we can, so long as we don’t let Dr. Sean’s predecessor back on the air.

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