Tag Archives: Novel Coronavirus

Masks Protect Those Around You

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COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets travel into the air when you cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are near you or they may breathe these droplets in.

Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.

woman wearing face covering, with a detail showing how the cloth barrier helps to contain respiratory droplets that she exhales

You should wear a mask, even if you do not feel sick. This is because several studies have found that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and those who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the virus to other people. The main function of wearing a mask is to protect those around you, in case you are infected but not showing symptoms.

It is especially important to wear a mask when you are unable to stay at least 6 feet apart from others since COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

Your mask offers some protection to you

A cloth mask also offers some protection to you too. How well it protects you from breathing in the virus likely depends on the fabrics used and how your mask is made (e.g. the type of fabric, the number of layers of fabric, how well the mask fits). CDC is currently studying these factors.

Who should or should not wear a mask

CDC guidance is that everyone 2 years of age and older should wear a mask in public settings and when they are around people who do not live in their household.  However, according to CDC, masks should not be worn by:

  • Children younger than 2 years old
  • Anyone who has trouble breathing
  • Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance
  • Wearing masks may be difficult for some people with sensory, cognitive, or behavioral issues. If they are unable to wear a mask properly or cannot tolerate a mask, they should not wear one,

https://youtu.be/dSvff0QljHQ

Key Takeaways:

  • People age 2 and older should wear masks in public settings and when around people who don’t live in their household.
  • Masks offer some protection to you and are also meant to protect those around you, in case you are unknowingly infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after touching or removing your mask.
  • Postponing holiday travel & staying home is the best way to protect yourself & others from COVID19. If you decide to travel internationally, check out CDC’s testing recommendations to help make travel safer. 
  • Masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with other people who live in your household. However, some localities may have mask mandates while out in public and these mandates should always be followed.

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html

COVID-19 Prevention: Avoid Touching Your Face

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According to one infectious disease doctor, if you want to stay coronavirus-free there is one single thing you should avoid touching at all costs: YOUR FACE.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that COVID-19 is mainly spread from person-to-person, either between close contact or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. If those respiratory droplets land on your hand and make contact with any open skin, or the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose or eyes, you may be at risk.

To help control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), health officials say it’s very important for you to avoid touching your face. Touching your face (i.e., your mouth, nose, and eyes) allows the virus on your hands to reach moist, porous surface tissue, mucous membranes, where the coronavirus can enter your body and cause infection.

Not touching your facial mucous membranes, an area known as the “T-zone,” is perhaps the most important step you can take to prevent an infection, said William Sawyer, a family doctor in Sharonville, Ohio, and founder of Henry the Hand, a nonprofit organization that promotes hand hygiene.

“It’s the one behavior that would be better than any vaccine ever created,” Sawyer said. “Just stop this simple behavior. Stop picking, licking, biting, rubbing — it’s the most effective way to prevent a pandemic.”

On average, people touch their faces up to 23 times per hour, and once you’ve been told not to touch your face, it’s suddenly all you want to do.

Sometimes, it’s impossible to avoid touching your face. And since the virus can also live on surfaces for several days. if you touch a table that someone with the virus sneezed on earlier, then rub your eye, you could give yourself the virus. That’s why experts stress hand-washing as a key infection control measure. Wash before and after any hand-face contact, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Washing your hands, along with stopping as many other instances of face-touching as you can, is one of your best defenses in helping you avoid getting infected by the coronavirus.

If you touch your face unconsciously throughout the day, think of physically touching something else without upping your risk of bacteria exposure like your elbow or leg.

It’s not enough to simply instruct people to stop touching their face, said Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon who studies habits and behaviors; people must be able to “outsmart their habit” or form a different one. One way to do that quickly is to change something in your environment, Berkman said. Wear something on your hands or face that can serve as a cue, an interruption to an automatic action.

References:

  1. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a31287400/how-to-stop-touching-your-face/
  2. https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/infections-and-contagious-diseases/7-tips-to-avoid-touching-your-face#:~:text=7%20Tips%20to%20Avoid%20Touching%20Your%20Face%201,something%20in%20your%20hands.%20…%20More%20items…%20
  3. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/im-infectious-disease-doctor-never-130824101.html?utm_content=buffer77580&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=yahoofinance&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cDovL20uZmFjZWJvb2suY29t&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADaL0SbymCJYTgt_ubjhBliprjDZmkQY_uE26gedT7TZ7ZafQ5gnyFMgwcPrFOGADw7uC7zBgaKcI1qE6vqQqL3ONXN945sFyPA-ilqmkUBBAF4qHb08KA3RoXRqFEtS8VK0xoHpNlbcMXLjhLAV3FAgZ4qzHp2MJJEB2tXpynHp
  4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/03/03/coronavirus-prevention-face-touch/

Recommendation to wear eye protection against coronavirus

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“If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it. It’s not universally recommended, but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can.”  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Updated: August 13, 2020 at 4:59 p.m. ET.

Based on what doctors know about how Covid-19 spreads, it’s possible to get infected through your eyes, but not common.  However, it makes sense to use eye protection and a mask anywhere you can’t effectively maintain social distance from others for an extended period such as on board a plane or in a classroom.

Wearing eye protection in public to fend off COVID-19, according to Dr. Fauci, “…is not universally recommended, but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can.” But one reason that this hasn’t been pushed for the general public yet, he suggested, is because, “it’s so easy for people to just make a cloth mask.”

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Glasses or sunglasses can provide some protection, but due to the openings on the top, bottom and sides,  aerosols could still get in.

Face shields and protective goggles are advised by medical experts.  Protective eye goggles should “fit snugly around the corners of the eye and across the brow.  Face shields work because they protect the crown and chin from exposure, as well as the eyes.  But, you still must wear a mask when wearing a face shield in order to cover your nose and mouth.

“If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.” — Dr. Anthony Fauci

Fauci explained that the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infects mucosal surfaces — or parts of the body including the eyes, nose and mouth that secrete mucus to stop pathogens and dirt from getting into your body. So “perfect protection” of your mucosal surfaces would include covering every one of them up, he said.

“Theoretically you should protect all of the mucosal surfaces, so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,” he said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests protective eyewear for health care professionals, noting that “use of eye protection is recommended in areas with moderate to substantial community transmission.” As a result, doctors and nurses do wear goggles or face shields in areas where they are coming into close contact with COVID-19 patients.

  1. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dr-fauci-recommends-wearing-goggles-to-prevent-catching-the-coronavirus-2020-07-29?mod=nicole-lyn-pesce&link=sfmw_fb
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/dr-anthony-fauci-goggles-and-eye-shields-can-prevent-covid-19-spread.html

COVID-19 vs. 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic | The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah

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One of the lessons experts learned from the 1918 flu pandemic is how quickly the pandemic was forgotten and how fast it disappeared from the political discourse.

The one lesson learned from a pandemic should be to never forget because forgetting doesn’t lead to positive public health outcomes.

There has been several global public health emergencies since 1918 such as SARS in 2003 and the 2009 H1N1pandemic influenza. Yet, these events have caught authorities and the general public by surprise, but not the epidemiologist who have been studying pandemics were not surprised.

Another lesson to remember is that governments have the responsibility to prepare for a pandemic; they have the obligation to invest in public-health systems to protect their citizens from both the threat and the reality of the next pandemic.

References:

  1. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/05/harvard-expert-compares-1918-flu-covid-19/

Three New Symptoms of Coronavirus Infection

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added three more symptoms to its official list of coronavirus symptoms. The following symptoms, according to the CDC, can be indicative of the novel coronavirus infection:

  • Congestion or runny nose,
  • Nausea or vomiting, and
  • Diarrhea

COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization. The complete list of symptoms, according to the CDC.

Most common symptoms include:

  • Fever
  • Dry cough
  • Tiredness

Less common symptoms:

  • Aches and pains
  • Sore throat
  • Diarrhea
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Headache
  • Loss of taste or smell
  • Rash on skin, or discoloration of fingers or toes
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting

Serious symptoms:

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Chest pain or pressure
  • Loss of speech of movement

Seek immediate medical attention if you have serious symptoms. On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days

Read more: https://apple.news/Awg8eB6MFTUKtV9Q388kS4Q

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fsymptoms.html

Nearly All NYC COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized had Chronic Health Issues

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Study finds Nearly All Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19 Had Chronic Health Issues

A new Journal of American Medical Assoication study of thousands of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the New York City area has found that nearly all of them had at least one major chronic health condition, and most — 88 percent — had at least two.

Though earlier research has shown chronic conditions like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes are common risk factors for severe Covid-19, the ubiquity of serious medical conditions in these patients was striking: Only 6 percent of them had no underlying health conditions.

The researchers reported that when patients first came to the hospital and were triaged, 17 percent had an abnormal respiratory rate of more than 24 breaths per minute, and 28 percent received supplemental oxygen.

But fewer than one third of the patients had a fever, even though they were sick enough to be hospitalized, a similar observation to one noted by a large Chinese study.

This indicates that taking people’s temperatures in order to screen them for the coronavirus is likely to miss many people who are not only asymptomatic but also acutely ill.

Nearly 60 percent of those hospitalized at the Northwell facilities had high blood pressure, 40 percent were obese, and about one-third had diabetes. Smaller numbers of patients suffered from other chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, kidney disease and chronic respiratory illnesses.

The study included 5,700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area, the most common comorbidities [simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient] were hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. Among patients who were discharged or died (sample size (n) = 2,634 patients), 14.2% were treated in the intensive care unit, 12.2% received invasive mechanical ventilation, 3.2% were treated with kidney replacement therapy, and 21% died.

References:

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/health/coronavirus-patients-risk.html?referringSource=articleShare
  2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765184

Hydroxychloroquine not approved to treat COVID-19

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Pushing a malaria drug

The Trump Administration has touted hydroxychloroquine to treat patients with COVID-19, despite a paucity of scientific evidence that it’s an effective treatment. The drug, hydroxychloroquine, is a popular malaria and lupus treatment.

The Trump administration continues to cite small unscientific studies in China and France as evidence that hydroxychloroquine helps treat COVID-19 patients. The most recent study came from China and found that the anti-malaria drug helped speed the recovery of a small number of patients who were mildly or moderately ill, though notes that the evidence is limited.

The report anecdotal findings from China and France revealed that virus symptoms of cough, fever and pneumonia went away faster and that patients’ illness were less likely to become severe after administering hydroxychloroquine.

The FDA has not approved hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, though it has granted it limited emergency-use authorization. But medical experts warn that reports of the drug’s benefits for COVID-19 patients are anecdotal and small-scale. And, there is little scientific evidence that proves it efficacy against the coronavirus.

Medical experts warn of hydroxychloroquine potentially severe side effects, which can include impaired vision, hearing loss, paranoia and cardiac arrhythmias, which could be fatal for patients with heart problems or who are taking certain antidepressants. “It is not like water. It is not harmless,” one emergency-room doctor and research scientist said.

The administration’s touting of chloroquine has already created a shortage, making it unavailable for some patients with existing prescriptions for the drug.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has repeatedly said it’s too soon to say if the drug would be effective against COVID-19.

References:

  1. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-again-touts-unproven-drug-to-treat-coronavirus-what-do-you-have-to-lose-2020-04-05?link=sfmw_fb
  2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/04/06/hydroxychloroquine-trump-anthony-fauci-peter-navarro-whos-right/2953317001/

Coronavirus 2020 Outbreak: Latest Updates | By WebMD News Staff

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Updated Mar 29 at 4:41 PM

Facts and Faith, not Fear

The United States leads the world in cases of “confirmed” COVID-19 infections.

We stress “confirmed” cases since it is difficult to believe the accuracy and reliability of the number of cases of actual COVID-19 infections within China. We do not know if China’s reported number of cases of confirmed COVID-19 infections stands lower than the U.S. because there were less tests performed or due to obfuscation. We will probably never know for sure.

WebMD provides the latest updates on cases, government response, travel restrictions, and more here.

Coronavirus cases in U.S.

“Just a little bit of separation can stop a fire from spreading”  – CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield

The first coronavirus case in the U.S. was confirmed back on January 20 when a 35-year-old man went to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Washington. He’d recently returned from visiting Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus was first noticed.

Since the first reported case, the virus has spread to all 50 states. The worst-hit state is New York, with more than 40,000 cases and 500 deaths. Other states with high case numbers include New Jersey, Washington, and California.

The first coronavirus death in the United States occurred in late February in Washington state. Since then, about 1,500 people have died in the United States. The only states not reporting deaths are Hawaii, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing “extensive community transmission” of COVID-19 in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut late Saturday urged residents to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days effective immediately. The advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries such as trucking, public health professionals, financial services and food supply.

Worldwide Coronavirus Cases

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 701,525 cases and 33,174 deaths worldwide. More than 145,000 people have also recovered.

As of early Sunday afternoon, the U.S. has the most cases followed by Italy’s 97,689, and China’s 81,439:

  • United States: 131,366
  • Italy: 97,689
  • China: 81,439
  • Spain: 78,799
  • Germany: 60,887
  • Iran: 38,309
  • France: 37,611
  • United Kingdom: 19,522
  • Switzerland: 14,795
  • Netherlands: 10,923
  • Belgium: 10,836
  • South Korea: 9,583

The top five in COVID-9 deaths are:

  • Italy: 10,779
  • Spain: 6,606
  • China: 3,300
  • Iran: 2,640
  • United States: 2,328
  • France: 2,314

Rapid-Result Coronavirus Test

The FDA has authorized a coronavirus test that the manufacturer says can tell if someone is infected with the virus within 5 minutes.

The test is meant to be used in places like a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center. The test will provide results through a platform currently used by many of those locations for tests like flu and strep, instead of sending the throat or nasal swab to a lab for analysis.

The FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA), does not mean that the FDA has approved the test, but that it is allowing its use because of the coronavirus outbreak.

To read more of the update, go to:

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200124/coronavirus-2020-outbreak-latest-updates

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/china-coronavirus-case-numbers-cant-be-compared-to-elsewhere-economist.html?__source=facebook%7Cmain

Sources:

  1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/china-concealed-extent-of-virus-outbreak-u-s-intelligence-says
  2. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

* The respiratory infection, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), is closely related to SARS and MERS.

Chart shows the coronavirus spreading slowly in tropical countries

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Living in a warmer environment doesn’t mean you can’t catch coronavirus. But it sure seems to help.

High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19 according to a paper that investigates how air temperature and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19.

Analysts at Jefferies plotted coronavirus cases in temperate climates — everything north of latitude 23 degrees and south of 23 degrees — and compared them with countries in the tropical and subtropical areas. The brokerage excluded China, where the virus first emerged, from the analysis.

High temperature and high relative humidity significantly appear to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, respectively, even after controlling for population density and GDP per capita of cities.

Chart shows, there’s a big difference.

This result is consistent with the fact that the high temperature and high humidity significantly reduce the transmission of influenza. It indicates that the arrival of summer and rainy season in the northern hemisphere can effectively reduce the transmission of the COVID-19.

Source:

  1. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3551767&mod=article_inline

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters | World Health Organization (WHO)

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COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates

From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting COVID-19.

The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. By doing this you eliminate viruses that may be on your hands and avoid infection that could occur by then touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.

Read more: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters