Faits, mythes et informations sur le coronavirus : vos questions, réponses

Combien coûtera un vaccin Covid-19?

Le gouvernement fédéral a déclaré que tout vaccin contre le coronavirus serait fourni gratuitement au public américain. Et il est peu probable que cette promesse change sous une administration Biden.

Le gouvernement fédéral a versé 7,76 milliards de dollars d'avance à quatre sociétés pour leurs vaccins: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca et Novavax.

Vaccin famille travail / vie

Quand pourrais-je me faire vacciner?

Les premières vaccinations en dehors des essais pourraient commencer vers la fin de décembre, a déclaré le Dr Anthony Fauci, directeur de l'Institut national des allergies et des maladies infectieuses.

L'offre sera limitée, de sorte que les groupes hautement prioritaires tels que les agents de santé, les personnes âgées et les personnes souffrant de problèmes de santé sous-jacents sont susceptibles de recevoir le vaccin en premier.

«Je pense que tout le monde commencera à se faire vacciner vers la fin avril», a déclaré Fauci. «Et cela ira en mai, juin, juillet.»

Cet article donne une ventilation mois par mois du moment où certains Américains pourraient se faire vacciner.

Vaccin travail / vie familiale traitement et prévention écoles / éducation

Si les vaccins empêchent les gens de * contracter * le coronavirus, peuvent-ils également empêcher les gens de * porter * le virus et d'en infecter d'autres?

"Jusqu'à présent, nous ne pouvons pas le dire avec certitude", a déclaré le correspondant médical en chef de CNN, le Dr Sanjay Gupta.

Deux vaccins pourraient obtenir une autorisation d'utilisation d'urgence de la US Food and Drug Administration dès décembre: un de Pfizer / BioNTech et un de Moderna.

Dans les essais cliniques, les deux vaccins ont montré une grande efficacité pour empêcher les gens de tomber malades avec Covid-19. Les données ont montré que le vaccin Pfizer / BioNTech est efficace à environ 95% et le vaccin Moderna à environ 94,1%. (Le vaccin Moderna s'est avéré efficace à 100% pour prévenir les maladies graves.)

Mais les données n’ont pas montré si les vaccins peuvent empêcher les gens de porter le virus et d’en infecter d’autres.

Traitement et prévention de la transmission du vaccin

Dans quelle mesure les vaccins testés sont-ils sûrs en ce moment? Quels sont les effets secondaires?

Il existe actuellement des dizaines d'essais de vaccins Covid-19 dans le monde. Aux États-Unis, les Américains sont généralement susceptibles de recevoir le vaccin Pfizer / BioNTech ou Moderna dans les mois à venir.

Certains volontaires des essais vaccinaux ont signalé avoir ressenti des effets pseudo-grippaux après avoir reçu les vaccins. Ne paniquez pas si cela vous arrive, disent les experts de la santé.

«Ce sont des réponses immunitaires, donc si vous ressentez quelque chose après la vaccination, vous devez vous attendre à le ressentir», a déclaré Patricia Stinchfield des hôpitaux et cliniques pour enfants du Minnesota.

"Et quand vous le faites, il est normal que vous ayez des douleurs au bras ou de la fatigue ou des courbatures ou même de la fièvre", a déclaré Stinchfield. Certaines personnes peuvent se sentir suffisamment mal pour devoir rester à la maison du travail pendant une journée, a-t-elle déclaré.

Le vaccin Pfizer / BioNTech n'a montré aucun problème de sécurité sérieux, a déclaré Pfizer. Pfizer a déclaré que les effets secondaires «tels que la fièvre, la fatigue et les frissons» étaient «généralement légers à modérés» et duraient de un à deux jours.

Moderna a déclaré que son vaccin n'avait pas d'effets secondaires graves. Il a déclaré qu'un petit pourcentage des participants à l'essai présentaient des symptômes tels que des courbatures et des maux de tête.

Écoles de traitement et de prévention au travail / vie familiale / Vaccin éducatif

Est-il possible d'obtenir Covid-19 à partir du vaccin Covid-19?

Traitement vaccinal et prévention de la transmission familiale

Si les vaccins Moderna et Pfizer / BioNTech sont si efficaces, pourquoi devons-nous attendre que la FDA donne une autorisation d'utilisation d'urgence?

Jusqu'à présent, toutes les données sur l'efficacité du vaccin proviennent des entreprises qui les fabriquent.

Maintenant, les scientifiques de la FDA doivent examiner ces données et considérer les points les plus fins sur les protections que ces vaccins fournissent.

«Y a-t-il certains groupes de personnes qui ont fait mieux ou pire avec ce vaccin? Avons-nous une idée de la durabilité? Nous savons que cela prévient peut-être la maladie, mais prévient-il également l'infection? Empêche-t-il la transmission? Ce sont toutes des questions ouvertes et… c'est ce sur quoi ils se concentrent », a déclaré Gupta.

Traitement vaccinal et prévention travail / vie

Si quelqu'un avait déjà Covid-19, devrait-il quand même se faire vacciner?

Dans certains cas, un vaccin peut offrir une protection plus forte que les anticorps produits après avoir été infecté, a déclaré l'épidémiologiste Dr Larry Brilliant.

«Il existe en fait six autres coronavirus - le MERS et le SRAS et quatre autres virus qui créent le rhume. Ils ne semblent pas très bien réussir à créer une immunité à long terme », a déclaré Brilliant.

«Bon nombre des vaccins que nous avons fabriqués dans l’histoire sont en fait plus puissants que le virus lui-même pour créer une immunité.»

L'immunité que vous obtenez en contractant Covid-19 dure un certain temps, mais la nature du vaccin devrait fournir une immunité plus longue, a déclaré le correspondant médical en chef de CNN, le Dr Sanjay Gupta.

On ne sait pas combien de temps cela pourrait durer. Les vaccins Pfizer et Moderna sont tous deux disponibles en deux doses: la première dose amorce le système immunitaire et la deuxième dose agit comme un rappel. Cela en fait une meilleure option pour obtenir l'immunité, a déclaré Gupta.

Traitement vaccinal et prévention travail / vie école familiale / éducation transmission

Les Américains devront-ils se faire vacciner contre Covid-19? Que se passe-t-il si je ne me fais pas vacciner?

Fauci a déclaré qu'il ne prévoyait pas de mandat de vaccin Covid-19 aux États-Unis.

Mais si vous n’obtenez pas de vaccin, les conséquences vont bien au-delà de vous-même. Non seulement vous serez plus vulnérable à la maladie avec Covid-19, mais il pourrait être plus difficile d'obtenir l'immunité du troupeau grâce à la vaccination.

En d'autres termes: il est important de se faire vacciner pour aider à ralentir cette pandémie ou à l'arrêter. Et cela aidera le pays à revenir à la normale plus rapidement.

Si seulement la moitié de tous les Américains sont prêts à se faire vacciner, Covid-19 pourrait rester pendant des années, a déclaré le Dr Francis Collins, directeur des National Institutes of Health.

Traitement et prévention écoles familiales / éducation transmission voyage travail / vie Vaccin

Les gens peuvent-ils décider quel vaccin prendre?

Au départ, il n'y a peut-être pas beaucoup de choix.

Le vaccin de Pfizer nécessite un stockage spécial et ultra-froid - beaucoup plus froid que les congélateurs normaux. Il se peut donc qu'il ne soit disponible que si vous vivez dans une région où ce type d'installation est disponible.

Le vaccin Moderna peut être transporté et conservé à des températures de réfrigération normales. Cela pourrait le rendre plus adapté aux zones rurales ou aux endroits non proches des entrepôts ultra-froids.

Mais au fil des mois, les Américains auront peut-être plus de choix quant au vaccin qu'ils recevront.

«On s'attend à ce que d'ici janvier, vous puissiez recevoir le vaccin Johnson & Johnson, le vaccin AstraZeneca [emergency use authorization]», A déclaré Gupta.

"Si cela devient une prise de vue annuelle, les gens peuvent avoir la possibilité de choisir."

Traitement et prévention de la famille vaccinale

Étant donné que plusieurs entreprises ont fabriqué des vaccins, que se passe-t-il si vous obtenez un vaccin maintenant, mais qu'un plus efficace sort plus tard? Pouvez-vous recevoir plus d'un vaccin Covid-19?

Il est trop tôt pour le dire avec certitude, a déclaré le Dr Francis Collins, directeur des National Institutes of Health.

"Mais c'est certainement plausible", a déclaré Collins. «Regardez où nous en sommes avec le zona en ce moment, où nous avons eu un vaccin qui était plutôt bon, et puis il y en a eu un qui était beaucoup mieux, et tout le monde a pris les deux.

Il est important de noter que certains vaccins, tels que ceux fabriqués par Moderna et Pfizer / BioNTech, ont chacun deux doses pour être efficaces.

Traitement familial et prévention Vaccin travail / vie personnelle

Quels sont les effets à long terme du coronavirus?

Certains survivants de Covid-19 ont signalé une variété de problèmes des semaines ou des mois après avoir été testés positifs.

Même les jeunes adultes ont souffert de symptômes durables tels que l'essoufflement, la fatigue chronique, le brouillard cérébral, la fièvre à long terme, la toux, la perte de mémoire et l'incapacité de goûter ou d'odorat.

Une étude du CDC a révélé que 35% des survivants interrogés présentaient toujours des symptômes deux à trois semaines après leurs tests de coronavirus:

• Dans le groupe d'âge des 18 à 34 ans, 26% ont déclaré avoir encore des symptômes des semaines plus tard.
• Dans la tranche d'âge de 35 à 49 ans, 32% étaient encore aux prises avec les effets des semaines plus tard
• Chez les 50 ans et plus, 47% ont déclaré avoir encore des symptômes des semaines plus tard.

Et le risque de décès dû à des lésions cardiaques liées au coronavirus semble être beaucoup plus élevé qu'on ne le pensait auparavant, a déclaré l'American Heart Association.

L'inflammation du système vasculaire et les lésions cardiaques surviennent chez 20% à 30% des patients hospitalisés Covid-19 et contribuent à 40% des décès, a déclaré l'AHA. Le président de l'AHA, le Dr Mitchell Elkind, a déclaré que les complications cardiaques de Covid-19 pourraient persister après la guérison du coronavirus.

Transmission familiale travail / vie

Puis-je avoir la grippe et le coronavirus en même temps? Si oui, qu'est-ce que cela fait à votre corps?

«Vous pouvez certainement contracter la grippe et le Covid-19 en même temps, ce qui pourrait être catastrophique pour votre système immunitaire», a déclaré le Dr Adrian Burrowes, médecin de famille en Floride.

En fait, être infecté par l'un peut vous rendre plus vulnérable à la maladie de l'autre, a déclaré l'épidémiologiste Dr Seema Yasmin.

«Une fois que vous êtes infecté par la grippe et certains autres virus respiratoires, cela affaiblit votre corps», dit-elle. «Vos défenses diminuent et cela vous rend vulnérable à une deuxième infection en plus de cela.»

À eux seuls, Covid-19 et la grippe peuvent attaquer les poumons, provoquant potentiellement une pneumonie, du liquide dans les poumons ou une insuffisance respiratoire, ont déclaré les Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

«Les deux (maladies) ensemble pourraient certainement être plus dommageables pour les poumons et provoquer davantage d'insuffisance respiratoire», a déclaré le Dr Michael Matthay, professeur de médecine à l'Université de Californie à San Francisco.

Et tout comme avec Covid-19, même les personnes jeunes et en bonne santé peuvent mourir de la grippe.

La bonne nouvelle est qu'il existe des moyens faciles d'éviter un double coup dur contre la grippe / Covid-19: faites-vous vacciner contre la grippe, restez à 1,80 mètre de toute personne en dehors de votre foyer et portez un masque facial chaque fois que vous pourriez être en contact étroit avec d'autres personnes.

Les précautions que vous prenez contre Covid-19 peuvent «nous protéger doublement de ces deux virus», a déclaré Yasmin.

transmission famille travail / vie écoles / éducation mythes et désinformation

Comment puis-je savoir si j'ai un coronavirus ou la grippe (ou les deux)?

La grippe et le Covid-19 peuvent tous deux vous donner de la fièvre, de la toux, de l'essoufflement, de la fatigue, des maux de gorge, des courbatures et un nez qui coule ou bouché, a déclaré le CDC.

«Certaines personnes peuvent avoir des vomissements et de la diarrhée, bien que cela soit plus fréquent chez les enfants que chez les adultes», a déclaré le CDC.

Mais contrairement à la grippe, Covid-19 peut provoquer une perte de goût ou d'odeur.

Et environ la moitié des transmissions de coronavirus se produisent avant l'apparition de tout symptôme. (Beaucoup de ces personnes qui propagent le virus en silence sont pré-symptomatiques et sont plus contagieuses avant de commencer à montrer des symptômes.)

La meilleure façon de savoir si vous avez le nouveau coronavirus ou la grippe (ou les deux) est donc de vous faire tester. Le CDC a créé un test qui vérifiera les deux virus, à utiliser dans les laboratoires de santé publique soutenus par le CDC.

Écoles de traitement et de prévention au travail / vie familiale / Mythes et désinformation en matière d'éducation

Qu'est-ce que la propagation en aérosol? Quelle est la différence entre les aérosols et les gouttelettes?

La propagation par aérosols est le potentiel pour le coronavirus de se propager non seulement par des gouttelettes respiratoires, mais par des particules encore plus petites appelées aérosols qui peuvent flotter dans l'air plus longtemps que les gouttelettes et peuvent se propager à plus de 6 pieds.

Des aérosols et des gouttelettes respiratoires sont libérés lorsque quelqu'un parle, respire, chante, éternue ou tousse. Mais la principale différence est la taille.

Les gouttelettes respiratoires sont plus grosses - entre 5 et 10 microns de diamètre. (Pour la perspective, un cheveu humain mesure généralement de 60 à 120 microns de large.)

«Si vous avez des gouttelettes qui sortent d'une personne, elles descendent généralement à moins de 6 pieds», a déclaré le Dr Anthony Fauci, directeur de l'Institut national des allergies et des maladies infectieuses.

Mais les aérosols (ou noyaux de gouttelettes) sont plus petits - moins de 5 microns de diamètre, selon l'Organisation mondiale de la santé.

"L'aérosol signifie que les gouttelettes ne tombent pas immédiatement", a déclaré Fauci. «Ils traînent pendant un certain temps.»

Cela devient «très pertinent» lorsque vous êtes à l'intérieur et que la ventilation est mauvaise, a-t-il déclaré.

«Il existe suffisamment de données pour dire que la transmission d’aérosols [of coronavirus] se produit », a déclaré Fauci

Plusieurs études de cas suggèrent que le coronavirus peut se propager bien au-delà de 6 pieds par transmission aérienne, comme lors des pratiques de choeur, a déclaré le Dr Amy Compton-Phillips, chef de la clinique du Providence Health System.

Dans l'État de Washington, par exemple, 53 membres d'une chorale sont tombés malades et deux personnes sont décédées après qu'un membre ait assisté aux répétitions et plus tard testé positif pour Covid-19.

En juillet, 239 scientifiques ont soutenu une lettre exhortant les agences de santé publique à reconnaître le potentiel de propagation par aérosol.

«Il existe un potentiel important d'exposition par inhalation à des virus dans des gouttelettes respiratoires microscopiques (microgouttelettes) à des distances courtes à moyennes (jusqu'à plusieurs mètres ou à l'échelle de la pièce), et nous préconisons l'utilisation de mesures préventives pour atténuer cette voie de transmission aérienne », Disait la lettre.

Fauci a déclaré qu'il existe un moyen simple de minimiser le risque: "Portez le masque."

Le CDC dit que les masques faciaux devraient avoir deux couches ou plus de tissu respirant.

transmission traitement et prévention écoles familiales / éducation travail / vie voyage

Combien de temps l'immunité dure-t-elle si vous vous remettez de Covid-19? Êtes-vous immunisé à vie?

La recherche évolue encore, mais une étude récente examinant les anticorps suggère que vous pourriez être immunisé pendant des mois après l'infection.

«Bien que cela ne puisse pas fournir de preuves concluantes que ces réponses d'anticorps protègent de la réinfection, nous pensons qu'il est très probable qu'elles réduiront le rapport de cotes de la réinfection», ont écrit des chercheurs du mont Sinaï.

«On ne sait toujours pas si l'infection par le SRAS-CoV-2 [the scientific name for the novel coronavirus] chez les humains protège de la réinfection et pendant combien de temps. »

Des personnes ont été infectées deux fois en quelques mois. Les médecins ont déclaré qu'un homme du Nevada de 25 ans semblait être le premier cas documenté de réinfection par Covid-19 aux États-Unis. Il a été diagnostiqué pour la première fois en avril, puis récupéré et testé négatif deux fois, puis testé à nouveau positif environ un mois plus tard.

Une équipe distincte de chercheurs a déclaré qu'un homme de 33 ans vivant à Hong Kong avait eu Covid-19 à deux reprises, en mars et en août.

Et plus tôt cette année, une Néerlandaise de 89 ans - qui avait également un cancer rare des globules blancs - est décédée après avoir attrapé Covid-19 à deux reprises, ont déclaré des experts. Elle est devenue la première personne connue à mourir après avoir été réinfectée.

Écoles de traitement et de prévention travail / vie personnelle / mythes sur l'éducation et transmission de la désinformation

Combien de temps devrons-nous continuer à porter des masques?

Écoles / éducation travail / vie transmission traitement et prévention voyage famille

Quelles «conditions sous-jacentes» exposent les personnes à un risque plus élevé de mauvais résultats avec Covid-19?

Plus de 40% des adultes américains ont au moins une condition sous-jacente qui peut les exposer à un risque plus élevé de complications graves, selon le CDC.

Ces conditions comprennent l'obésité, la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique, les maladies cardiaques, le diabète et la maladie rénale chronique, selon le CDC.

Les personnes atteintes d'un cancer, d'une greffe d'organe, d'une drépanocytose, d'un VIH mal contrôlé ou de toute maladie auto-immune sont également plus à risque.

Les patients atteints de Covid-19 avec des conditions préexistantes - quel que soit leur âge - sont 6 fois plus susceptibles d'être hospitalisés et 12 fois plus susceptibles de mourir de la maladie que ceux qui n'avaient aucune condition préexistante, le Dr Sanjay Gupta, correspondant médical en chef de CNN m'a dit.

Alors que les personnes jeunes et en bonne santé sont moins susceptibles de mourir du Covid-19, beaucoup souffrent des effets à long terme de la maladie.

Traitement et prévention transmission famille travail / vie

Quelles sont les lignes directrices pour conduire une voiture avec une personne d'un autre foyer?

Les personnes de différents ménages qui conduisent ensemble une voiture devraient porter des masques faciaux, a déclaré le Dr Aaron Hamilton de la Cleveland Clinic.

«Vous devriez également en porter un si vous roulez vers le bas de votre vitre pour interagir avec quelqu'un dans un centre de ramassage au volant ou en bordure de rue», a déclaré Hamilton.

Il est également judicieux de garder les fenêtres ouvertes pour aider à ventiler la voiture et ajouter une autre couche de sécurité, a déclaré le Dr Anthony Fauci, directeur de l'Institut national des allergies et des maladies infectieuses.

Traitements et prévention contre la transmission des voyages Travail / vie familiale écoles / éducation

Que dois-je faire si je porte un masque mais que je dois éternuer?

S'il y a des tissus à proximité, vous pouvez retirer votre masque et éternuer dans le tissu avant de le remettre en place, a déclaré le correspondant médical en chef de CNN, le Dr Sanjay Gupta.

Pour les enfants à l'école - ou toute autre personne qui pourrait avoir à porter un masque toute la journée - gardez un masque de sauvegarde dans un sac au cas où le premier masque se salirait. Vous pouvez mettre le masque sale dans le sac.

C’est également une bonne idée de conserver des masques de secours dans votre voiture en cas d’accident de masque.

Écoles de transmission / travail d'éducation / traitement de la vie et prévention

Le coronavirus et Covid-19 sont-ils la même chose? Comment ont-ils obtenu leurs noms?

Coronavirus et Covid-19 ne sont pas la même chose, mais parfois les termes peuvent être utilisés de manière interchangeable.

Ce «nouveau coronavirus» est nouveau car il vient d'apparaître chez l'homme fin 2019. Il y a eu six autres coronavirus connus pour infecter les humains, comme le SRAS (vers 2003) et le MERS (vers 2012).

«Les coronavirus sont nommés pour les pointes en forme de couronne sur leur surface», ou coronas, dit le CDC. Le nom scientifique de ce nouveau coronavirus est SARS-CoV-2, qui signifie «coronavirus du syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère 2».

Covid-19, cependant, est la maladie causée par le nouveau coronavirus. Les lettres et les chiffres de «Covid-19» proviennent de «CoRonavirus réisease 2019. »

Mythes et désinformation écoles / éducation

Si une femme enceinte attrape Covid-19, son bébé sera-t-il infecté? Les bébés peuvent-ils contracter un coronavirus en allaitant?

Mythes et désinformation sur la transmission du travail et de la vie familiale

Mon enfant déteste l'idée des prélèvements nasaux. Existe-t-il un test de salive pour Covid-19?

Le test SalivaDirect pourrait bientôt être une option rapide et bon marché. «Nous avons simplifié le test afin qu'il ne coûte que quelques dollars pour les réactifs, et nous prévoyons que les laboratoires ne factureront qu'environ 10 dollars par échantillon», a déclaré Nathan Grubaugh, l'un des chercheurs de Yale qui a développé le test.

Le test SalivaDirect peut produire des résultats en moins de trois heures, et la précision est comparable aux résultats de l'écouvillonnage nasal traditionnel.

Écoles / éducation travail familial / traitement de la vie et prévention

Quelles sont les chances d'une immunité à long terme avec Covid-19?

Le nouveau coronavirus est l'un des sept coronavirus connus pour infecter les humains - y compris le SRAS, le MERS et certains qui sont liés au rhume.

Il est trop tôt pour dire si certaines personnes pourraient obtenir une immunité à long terme contre le nouveau coronavirus.

Mais avec "les coronavirus du rhume commun, vous n'avez pas d'immunité qui dure très longtemps", a déclaré le Dr Celine Gounder, professeur de médecine et de maladies infectieuses à la New York University School of Medicine.

Mythes sur le traitement et la prévention et transmission de la désinformation travail / vie familiale

Une personne décédée d'un coronavirus peut-elle encore se faire don de ses organes?

Ce n'est pas recommandé pour le moment, selon le US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

"Cette orientation peut changer à mesure que l'on en sait davantage sur l'évolution et le traitement du COVID-19", a déclaré le réseau.

«Les cliniciens chargés du don et de la transplantation doivent appliquer leur jugement médical dans les cas où les résultats des tests sont en attente au moment des offres d'organes.»

traitement et prévention de la transmission familiale

Devrions-nous nettoyer nos téléphones portables quotidiennement?

Oui, c'est une bonne idée, car les téléphones portables sont essentiellement des «boîtes de Pétri dans nos poches» lorsque vous pensez au nombre de surfaces que vous touchez avant de toucher votre téléphone.

Vous devez de toute façon désinfecter régulièrement votre téléphone portable, avec ou sans pandémie de coronavirus.

"Il y a probablement pas mal de micro-organismes là-dedans, parce que vous les tenez contre votre peau, vous les manipulez tout le temps et vous leur parlez aussi", a déclaré Mark Fielder, professeur de microbiologie médicale à Kingston. Université.

«Et parler libère des gouttelettes d'eau juste dans un discours normal. Il est donc probable qu'une gamme de microbes - y compris Covid-19, si vous êtes infecté par ce virus - puisse se retrouver sur votre téléphone. "

Découvrez ici les meilleures façons de désinfecter votre téléphone portable.

Transmission travail / vie personnelle traitement et prévention famille

J'ai été testé positif au coronavirus il y a des semaines. Combien de temps les gens sont-ils contagieux avec Covid-19? Dois-je continuer à m'isoler ou me faire tester à nouveau?

Pour les porteurs symptomatiques: Si cela fait au moins 10 jours depuis que vos symptômes ont commencé et au moins 24 heures depuis que vous avez eu de la fièvre (sans l'aide de médicaments anti-fièvre) et que vos autres symptômes se sont améliorés, vous pouvez continuer et arrêter l'isolement, le CDC dit.

Les patients atteints d'une maladie grave peuvent devoir continuer à s'isoler jusqu'à 20 jours après le début des symptômes.

(Mais il est important de noter que les symptômes n'apparaissent généralement que plusieurs jours après l'infection - et vous pouvez être plus contagieux pendant cette période pré-symptomatique. De plus, les symptômes peuvent durer des semaines ou des mois, y compris chez les jeunes.)

Pour les porteurs asymptomatiques: Les personnes qui ont été testées positives mais qui ne présentent aucun symptôme peuvent arrêter de s'isoler 10 jours après le premier test positif - tant qu'elles n'ont pas développé de symptômes par la suite, selon le CDC.

Mais 10 jours ne sont qu'une indication générale: «Comme les symptômes ne peuvent pas être utilisés pour évaluer où ces personnes se trouvent au cours de leur maladie, il est possible que la durée de l'excrétion virale soit plus longue ou plus courte que 10 jours après leur premier test positif », A averti le CDC. Avec l'excrétion virale, une personne peut infecter d'autres personnes avec le virus, même si elles ne présentent aucun symptôme.

Les porteurs asymptomatiques qui ont été testés positifs peuvent également arrêter de s'isoler s'ils obtiennent deux résultats de test négatifs à partir de tests effectués à plus de 24 heures d'intervalle. À ce stade, il est très peu probable qu’ils soient encore contagieux.

Traitement travail / vie personnelle et prévention Écoles familiales / transmission de l'éducation

Est-il sécuritaire de retourner au gymnase?

Il y a certainement des risques, mais aussi des mesures que vous et le gymnase pouvez prendre pour minimiser les risques.

Le coronavirus se propage souvent plus facilement à l'intérieur qu'à l'extérieur, surtout si vous êtes à l'intérieur pendant une période prolongée.

Les chercheurs ont également découvert qu'une respiration et des chants intenses peuvent propulser plus loin les particules virales en aérosol et augmenter le risque de transmission.

Au cours d'un atelier d'instructeur de conditionnement physique, environ 30 participants sans symptômes se sont entraînés intensément pendant quatre heures, selon une étude publiée par le CDC. Huit participants ont ensuite été testés positifs, et plus de 100 nouveaux cas de coronavirus ont été retracés jusqu'à cet atelier de remise en forme.

Pour aider à atténuer le risque, de nombreux gymnases limitent désormais leur capacité. Certains fournissent aux membres des sprays désinfectants pour désinfecter l'équipement.

Alors que les experts en santé ont recommandé de rester à 6 pieds des autres, il est judicieux de garder encore plus de distance que cela à la salle de sport.

«Avec toute la respiration lourde, vous voudrez peut-être même doubler les 6 pieds habituels à 12 pieds, juste pour être en sécurité», a déclaré le correspondant médical en chef de CNN, le Dr Sanjay Gupta.

Traitement et prévention de la transmission travail / vie personnelle

Cet isolement nuit à ma santé mentale, et je commence à me sentir déprimé et anxieux face à la pandémie. Comment puis-je obtenir de l'aide?

La ligne de texte de crise est disponible en envoyant des SMS au 741741. Les bénévoles formés et les conseillers en crise sont dotés de personnel 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7, et le service est gratuit.

La ligne d’assistance en cas de catastrophe de l’Administration des services de lutte contre l’abus de substances et la santé mentale offre 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7, 365 jours par an, des conseils et un soutien en cas de crise aux personnes en détresse émotionnelle liée à des catastrophes. Appelez le 1-800-985-5990 ou envoyez TalkWithUs au 66746 pour entrer en contact avec un conseiller spécialisé en crise.

Pour les professionnels de la santé et les travailleurs essentiels, For the Frontlines offre des conseils et un soutien gratuits en cas de crise 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7, aux travailleurs confrontés au stress, à l'anxiété, à la peur ou à l'isolement liés au coronavirus.

Pour plus de ressources, consultez le guide de CNN pour donner et obtenir de l'aide pendant la pandémie.

Écoles de prévention et de traitement du travail / de la vie familiale

J'ai entendu dire que tu pouvais avoir Covid-19 à travers tes yeux. Devrions-nous aussi porter des lunettes?

Les médecins disent que le port de lunettes de protection (en plus des masques faciaux) pourrait certainement aider certaines personnes, mais ce n’est pas nécessaire pour tout le monde.

Les enseignants qui ont des élèves plus jeunes dans la salle de classe sont «susceptibles de se trouver dans des environnements où les enfants pourraient baisser leurs masques, ou ne pas se plier à eux», a déclaré l'épidémiologiste Saskia Popescu. «On craint que vous n'ayez des gouttelettes respiratoires dans les yeux.»

Si vous êtes un travailleur de la santé ou que vous vous occupez d’une personne à la maison qui a un coronavirus, il est judicieux de porter une protection oculaire, a déclaré le Dr Thomas Steinemann, porte-parole clinique de l’Académie américaine d’ophtalmologie.

(Remarque: les lunettes ordinaires ou les lunettes de soleil ne suffisent pas, car elles laissent trop d'espace autour des yeux.)

Mais si vous n'êtes pas dans une situation à haut risque - et que vous êtes très stricte quant au port de masques et à vous tenir à 1,80 mètre des autres - le port de lunettes n'est pas nécessaire.

Bien qu'il soit toujours possible d'obtenir Covid-19 à travers les yeux, ce scénario est moins probable que de le faire passer par le nez ou la bouche, a déclaré Steinemann.

Il a dit que si un nombre important de personnes contractaient un coronavirus à travers leurs yeux, les médecins verraient probablement plus de patients atteints de conjonctivite Covid-19, également connus sous le nom d'oeil rose (bien qu'avoir un œil rose ne signifie pas nécessairement que vous avez un coronavirus).

Transmission travail / vie, traitement et prévention écoles / mythes éducatifs et désinformation

Les gens devraient-ils porter des écrans faciaux à la place (ou en plus) des masques faciaux?

Le CDC ne recommande pas l'utilisation d'écrans faciaux en plastique pour les activités quotidiennes ou en remplacement des masques faciaux. Il y a quelques exceptions, comme pour ceux qui sont malentendants et comptent sur la lecture labiale ou ceux qui ont des problèmes de santé physique ou mentale qui seraient exacerbés par le port d'un masque facial en tissu.

«Les couvertures faciales en tissu sont une mesure préventive essentielle et sont les plus essentielles dans les moments où l'éloignement social est difficile», déclare le CDC.

Des études cliniques et en laboratoire montrent que les revêtements faciaux en tissu réduisent le jet de gouttelettes lorsqu'ils sont portés sur le nez et la bouche - ce que le CDC appelle le «contrôle à la source». Et de nombreuses personnes sont contagieuses même lorsqu'elles ne présentent aucun symptôme et ne savent pas qu'elles sont infectées.

Les écrans faciaux portés en plus des masques peuvent fournir une couche de protection supplémentaire et peuvent également aider les gens à arrêter de se toucher le visage. Les travailleurs qui côtoient des gens pendant de longues périodes, tels que les employés des épiceries ou le personnel hospitalier, peuvent souhaiter porter des écrans faciaux en plus des masques, pour augmenter leur protection.

Si quelqu'un doit utiliser un écran facial sans masque, le CDC dit que l'écran «doit s'enrouler autour des côtés du visage du porteur et s'étendre jusqu'en dessous du menton. Les écrans faciaux jetables ne doivent être portés que pour une seule utilisation. Les écrans faciaux réutilisables doivent être nettoyés et désinfectés après chaque utilisation. »

Traitement de la transmission et prévention travail / vie écoles / éducation

Est-il sécuritaire de partir en vacances?

Cela dépend de votre attention.

Alors que certaines régions du pays ont plus de cas de Covid-19 que d'autres, «je pense que ce qu'ils font quand ils y vont est encore plus important que l'endroit où quelqu'un va», a déclaré le Dr Andrew Thomas, directeur clinique à Wexner de l'Ohio State University. Centre médical.

«Tout comme même lorsque vous êtes à la maison, si vous contrôlez essentiellement votre environnement, ne sortez pas dans des lieux publics avec une grande foule, vous portez un masque facial, vous vous lavez les mains, vous pouvez partir en vacances en toute sécurité, " il a dit.

«Je pense que voler en avion est un peu moins sûr que conduire», a déclaré Thomas. «Mais c’est vraiment ce que vous faites lorsque vous y allez. Si vous allez dans des bars et des restaurants, ne portez pas de masque, sortez avec une grande foule… vous allez potentiellement rentrer à la maison avec le virus. "

Voyage famille traitement de la transmission et prévention travail / vie

La grippe ne tue-t-elle pas plus de personnes que le coronavirus?

Transmission des mythes sur le travail / la vie familiale et désinformation

Est-il vrai que les enfants ne sont pas de grands propagateurs de coronavirus? Combien les enfants reçoivent-ils du Covid-19?

Écoles / éducation Mythes de transmission familiale et désinformation

Mes enfants ne veulent pas porter de masque. Que devrais-je faire?

Les enfants peuvent être plus réticents parce qu’ils sont plus sensibles aux nouvelles choses que les adultes, a déclaré Christopher Willard, professeur de psychiatrie à la Harvard Medical School.

«Il y a aussi l’aspect psychologique étrange de ne pas pouvoir voir leur propre visage ou les visages et les expressions faciales d’autres personnes», qui peut nuire à leur sentiment de confort ou de sécurité, a-t-il déclaré.

Pour atténuer leurs craintes de masque, essayez d'acheter ou de fabriquer des masques avec des motifs amusants sur eux. Ou demandez à votre enfant de personnaliser ses propres masques en dessinant dessus avec des marqueurs.

Vous pouvez également commander des masques pour enfants avec des super-héros ou montrer à vos enfants des photos de leurs célébrités préférées portant des masques.

Il est également important de donner le bon exemple en portant vous-même un masque. Montrez à vos enfants votre propre masque et faites-leur savoir qu’en en portant un, ils seront comme maman ou papa.

Écoles / éducation famille traitement et prévention transmission travail / vie personnelle

Est-il sécuritaire de se faire vacciner contre la grippe?

Oui. Et s'il vous plaît, faites-le, disent les médecins.

Cette année, il est «plus important que jamais de se faire vacciner contre la grippe, car nous serons presque certainement confrontés au double coup dur de la saison grippale qui coïncide avec la flambée des cas de COVID-19», a déclaré le Dr Leana Wen, médecin des urgences.

Et un double coup dur grippe / coronavirus pourrait être désastreux s'il submerge le système de santé. Environ 400 000 personnes aux États-Unis ont été hospitalisées pour la grippe au cours de la dernière saison grippale et environ 22 000 sont décédées, selon le CDC.

Wen a déclaré que le vaccin contre la grippe était efficace à environ 40 à 60%. Mais même si vous attrapez la grippe après avoir été vacciné, le vaccin antigrippal «réduit toujours vos risques d'avoir des effets graves de la grippe».

Vous voulez également éviter d'avoir un double coup dur en attrapant à la fois la grippe et le Covid-19. Et oui, il est possible d'avoir les deux en même temps.

Écoles de traitement et de prévention travail / vie personnelle / transmission de l'éducation

Comment éviter que mes lunettes ou mes lunettes de soleil ne s'embuent lorsque je porte un masque?

Tout d'abord, assurez-vous que le haut de votre masque s'adapte parfaitement à votre peau (pour éviter que la vapeur de votre souffle ne monte vers vos yeux). Ensuite, placez vos lunettes sur la partie supérieure bien ajustée de votre masque.

Si cela ne fonctionne pas, le savon et l'eau peuvent créer une barrière qui empêche les lunettes de s'embuer. Voici comment.

Écoles familiales travail / vie / éducation, traitement et prévention

Les patients cancéreux présentent-ils un risque plus élevé de complications graves du Covid-19?

Oui. Et le risque accru s'applique aux patients cancéreux de tous âges, selon le CDC.

«Avoir un cancer augmente actuellement votre risque de maladie grave due au COVID-19», déclare le CDC. “At this time, it is not known whether having a history of cancer increases your risk.”

Researchers found that patients whose cancer was getting worse or spreading were more than five times more likely to die in a month if they caught Covid-19.

But there are steps cancer patients can take to stay as healthy as possible:

• Make sure you have at least a 30-day supply of your medications
• Don’t delay any life-saving treatment or emergency care during this pandemic
• Talk with your healthcare provider about your individual level of risk based on your condition, your treatment, and the level of transmission in your community
• Don’t stop taking your medicines or alter your treatment plan without talking to your healthcare provider
• Call your healthcare provider if you think you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus
• Read the CDC’s tips for preventing infections in cancer patients

Family work/life transmission treatment & prevention

Can central air conditioning spread Covid-19 in public places?

Technically, it can, but HVAC (heating/ventilation/air conditioning) systems are not thought to be a significant factor in the spread of coronavirus.

Many modern air conditioning systems will either filter out or dilute the virus. Ventilation systems with highly effective filters are a key way to eliminate droplets from the air, said Harvard environmental health researcher Joseph Gardner Allen.

Filters are rated by a MERV system – their “minimum efficiency reporting value” that specifies their ability to trap tiny particles. The MERV ratings go from 1 to 20. The higher the number, the better the filtration.

HEPA filters have the highest MERV ratings, between 17 and 20. HEPA filters are used by hospitals to create sterile rooms for surgeries and to control infectious diseases. They’re able to remove 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and other airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns.

For context, this new coronavirus is thought to be between 0.06 to 1.4 microns in size.

But “HEPA filtration is not always going to be feasible or practical,” Allen said. “But there are other filters that can do the job. What is recommended now by the standard setting body for HVAC is a MERV 13 filter.”

High-efficiency filters in the 13-to-16 MERV range are often used in hospitals, nursing homes, research labs and other places where filtration is important.

“If you’re an owner of a home, building or mall, you want to have someone to assess your system and install the largest MERV number filter the system can reliably handle without dropping the volume of air that runs through it,” advised Erin Bromage, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

“In addition, virtually all modern air conditioning systems in commercial buildings have a process called makeup air where they bring in air from outside and condition it and bring it inside,” Bromage said. “It’s worse in regards to energy, but the more outside air we bring in, the more dilution of the virus we have and then the safer you are.”

Transmission family work/life schools/education

What does asymptomatic mean?

Work/life transmission schools/education

How effective are different types of face masks? Which cloth masks work the best?

Different types have different levels of effectiveness, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University.

They compared four types of face masks commonly used by the public: a stitched mask with two layers of fabric, a commercial cone mask, a folded handkerchief, and a bandana. Researchers tested each to see which would likely offer the most protection if someone coughed or sneezed.

— The stitched mask with two layers of fabric performed the best, with droplets traveling only 2.5 inches.

— With a cone-style mask, the droplets traveled about 8 inches.

— A folded handkerchief performed worse, with droplets traveling 1 foot, 3 inches.

— The bandana gave the least amount of protection of the cloth masks tested, with droplets traveling 3 feet.

— Still, any kind of cloth mask is better than none, the researchers found. Without any covering, droplets were able to travel 8 feet.

“People need to know that wearing masks can reduce transmission of the virus by as much as 50%, and those who refuse are putting their lives, their families, their friends, and their communities at risk,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Treatment & prevention transmission

Do I still need to quarantine for 14 days after returning from travel?

If you traveled internationally, the CDC says you should stay home for 14 days after returning home. During those 14 days, be sure to take these steps:

1. Take your temperature with a thermometer twice a day and monitor for a fever. You can use this temperature log to monitor your temperature. And watch for coughing or trouble breathing.
2. Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not go to work or school
3. Do not use public transportation, taxis, or ride-share services
4. Keep your distance from others (about 6 feet or 2 meters)

If you traveled domestically, it depends on the state. Some state or local governments require those who have recently traveled to stay home for 14 days. Covid-19 cases and deaths have been reported in all 50 states, and the situation is constantly changing.

“Because travel increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19, staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick,” the CDC says.

You can read the CDC’s full guide on how to protect yourself on different types of transportation here.

Travel transmission treatment & prevention work/life

What’s so different about coronavirus that made us shut down the economy? Why do we have to practice social distancing now, when we didn’t during the SARS and swine flu epidemics?

Unlike SARS and swine flu, the novel coronavirus is both highly contagious and especially deadly, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

“SARS was also a coronavirus, and it was a new virus at the time,” Gupta said. “In the end, we know that SARS ended up infecting 8,000 people around the world and causing around 800 deaths. So very high fatality rate, but it didn’t turn out to be very contagious.”

The swine flu, or H1N1, “was very contagious and infected some 60 million people in the United States alone within a year,” Gupta said. “But it was far less lethal than the flu even — like 1/3 as lethal as the flu.”

What makes the novel coronavirus different is that “this is both very contagious … and it appears to be far more lethal than the flu as well,” Gupta said. “So both those things, in combination I think, are why we’re taking this so seriously.”

Work/life transmission treatment & prevention

How can I volunteer to be vaccine trial participant?

Go to www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org to fill out a questionnaire.

Several of the questions are designed to assess how likely you are to become infected and sick with Covid-19, including your race, what kind of work you do and how many people you come into contact with on a daily basis.

Treatment & prevention transmission work/life vaccine

When are people with coronavirus most contagious?

“People can be contagious without symptoms. And in fact – a little bit strangely in this case — people tend to be the most contagious before they develop symptoms, if they’re going to develop symptoms,” CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

“They call that the pre-symptomatic period. So people tend to have more virus at that point seemingly in their nose, in their mouth. This is even before they get sick. And they can be shedding that virus into the environment.”

Some people infected with coronavirus never get symptoms. But it’s easy for these asymptomatic carriers to infect others, said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA’s School of Public Health.

“When you speak, sometimes you’ll spit a little bit,” she said. “You’ll rub your nose. You’ll touch your mouth. You’ll rub your eyes. And then you’ll touch other surfaces, and then you will be spreading virus if you are infected and shedding asymptomatically.”

That’s why health officials suggests people wear face masks while in public and when it’s difficult to stay 6 feet away from others.

Transmission treatment & prevention myths & misinformation

Can you get Covid-19 through sex?

The odds of transmitting coronavirus through sex hasn’t been thoroughly studied, though it has been found to exist in men’s semen.

But we do know Covid-19 is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can spread via saliva, coughs, sneezes, talking or breathing — with or without symptoms of illness.

So three Harvard physicians examined the likelihood of getting or giving Covid-19 during sex and made several recommendations.

For partners who haven’t been isolating together, they should wear masks and avoid kissing, the authors write.

In addition to wearing masks, people who have sex with partners outside of their home should also shower before and after; avoid sex acts that involve the oral transmission of bodily fluids; clean up the area afterward with soap or alcohol wipes to reduce their likelihood of infection.

Transmission treatment & prevention family myths & misinformation

Is it true young people with coronavirus are also having blood clots and strokes?

Yes, some young adults have suffered strokes after getting coronavirus.

“The virus seems to be causing increased clotting in the large arteries, leading to severe stroke,” said Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Health System in New York.

“Our report shows a seven-fold increase in incidence of sudden stroke in young patients during the past two weeks,” Oxley said in April. “Most of these patients have no past medical history and were at home with either mild symptoms (or in two cases, no symptoms) of Covid.”

Family work/life schools/education

Why has the guidance on wearing face masks changed so much?

work/life myths & misinformation transmission treatment & prevention

How can I stay safe in an elevator?

It’s best to take the stairs if you can. But if you can’t, emergency room physician Dr. Leana Wen offers several tips:

• Porter un masque. Not only does wearing a mask reduce your risk of inhaling the virus — which can linger in the air for 8 minutes — it also helps reduce your chances of infecting others if you are an asymptomatic carrier.
• Use a tissue to push the elevator buttons. If you don’t have a tissue, use your elbow, then wash or disinfect that area when you can
• Try to keep your distance from anyone else inside the elevator as much as possible

transmission work/life treatment & prevention

How safe are public restrooms?

“If you don’t have to use the public restroom, don’t,” said microbiologist Ali Nouri, president of the Federation of American Scientists. But he acknowledged that’s not always possible: “Sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go.”

Close contact with others is the most significant risk in a public restroom, Nouri said. So if there’s a single-person bathroom available that doesn’t have multiple stalls, using that might be best.

If you do use a multi-stall public restroom, Nouri offers the following tips:

• Use paper towels to dry your hands, not the hand dryer. Air dryers can spread viral particles around the room. And paper towels have been shown to remove residual viral particles more effectively than air
• Don’t use your freshly washed hands to turn off the water with the germ-laden faucet handle. Instead, use a paper towel to turn off the water and open the bathroom door. Throw away the paper towel immediately afterward
• Wear a face mask. “Masks are one of the most effective ways to stop human-to-human transmission,” Nouri said. “If people in a public bathroom are not wearing masks, think twice before going in.”
• If the restroom looks crowded, wait until it clears out, if you can. “You’re reducing the risk of inhaling aerosolized particles from other people,” Nouri said

Transmission treatment & prevention work/life

Is hand sanitizer as effective as soap and water in killing coronavirus?

Yes — as long as you use the right kind of sanitizer and use it correctly.

Hand sanitizers “need to have at least 60% alcohol in them,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

And don’t just put a little dollop in your hand and smear it around quickly.

“You’ve got to use enough and get it all over the surfaces,” Schaffner said. “Rub it all over your hands, between your fingers and on the back of your hands.”

But it’s always better to thoroughly wash your hands, if you’re able to.

“Alcohol is pretty effective at killing germs, but it doesn’t wash away stuff,” said Dr. John Williams, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“If somebody’s just sneezed into their hand, and their hand is covered with mucus, they would have to use a lot more alcohol to inactivate that bacteria or virus.”

Schools/education treatment & prevention work/life transmission family

Are some blood types able to fight coronavirus better than other blood types?

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that people with Type A blood have a higher risk of getting infected with coronavirus and developing severe symptoms, while people with Type O blood have a lower risk – but the study has caveats.

The researchers cannot say if blood type is a direct cause of the differences in susceptibility. It could be that genetic changes that affect someone’s risk also just happen to be linked with blood type, they said.

The study’s findings, while plausible, may mean very little for the average person, said Dr. Roy Silverstein, a hematologist and chairman of the department of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“The absolute difference in risk is very small,” he said. “The risk reduction may be statistically significant, but it is a small change in actual risk. You never would tell somebody who was Type O that they were at smaller risk of infection.”

The bottom line: “All of us are susceptible to this virus,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 response.

Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation

What’s the risk of having a maid service come to clean your house if you’re not home?

“It’s probably safe if you’re not at home,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency room physician. She suggested leaving the windows open to improve ventilation and asking the cleaners to use your own cleaning supplies so they don’t bring items that have been in other people’s houses.

transmission work/life treatment & prevention family

Can I disinfect my mask by putting it in the microwave?

That’s “not a great idea,” said Dr. Joseph Vinetz, a professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine. “We have no evidence about that.”

“If there’s a metal piece in an N95 or surgical mask and even staples, you can’t microwave them,” he said. “It’ll blow up.”

Vinetz said cloth masks can be washed and reused, and even disposable masks can be reused if you let them sit for several days.

To disinfect masks that you can’t wash, Vinetz recommends leaving them in a clean, safe place in your home for a few days. After that, it should no longer be infectious, as this coronavirus is known to survive on hard surfaces for only up to three days.

treatment & prevention work/life myths & misinformation

Is it safe to perform CPR on a stranger?

Doctors strongly recommend performing CPR when someone needs it.

You could be hundreds of times more likely to save that dying person’s life than you are to die from Covid-19 if you contract it after performing CPR, according to a report published by a group of Seattle emergency room physicians in the journal Circulation.

But it’s important to act quickly for CPR to be effective.

“The chance of survival goes down by 10% for every minute without CPR,” said Dr. Comilla Sasson, vice president for science and innovation in emergency cardiovascular care at the American Heart Association. “It’s a 10-minute window to death in many cases.”

If you’re not certified in CPR, performing chest compressions could also buy more time until help arrives. Bystanders should “provide high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the middle of the victim’s chest, with minimal interruptions,” the American Heart Association said.

If you’re not sure how “fast” to do to those chest compressions, singing any of these popular songs will help you get the right rhythm.

Transmission work/life family myths & misinformation

Can I get coronavirus from swimming in open water, like in a lake or seawater? What about in a public pool or hot tub?

It’s not the water you need to worry about. It’s how close you might get to other people.

“Properly maintained pool water will not be a source of spread of the virus. The chlorine that’s in it will inactivate the virus fairly quickly,” immunologist Erin Bromage said.

“The level of dilution that would happen in a pool or an ocean or a large freshwater body would not lead to enough virus to establish an infection. But when you do this, you need to just make sure that we’re maintaining an appropriate physical distance while swimming or sitting in a hot tub.”

That’s because it’s easy for infected people with no symptoms to spread the virus if they’re within 6 feet from each other. If you have an indoor pool or hot tub, even 6 feet might not be enough distance.

Transmission family travel treatment & prevention work/life

I see other countries spraying down sidewalks and other public places with disinfectant. Why don’t we do that in the US?

Randomly spraying open places is largely a waste of time, health experts say.

It can actually do more harm than good. “Spraying disinfectants can result in risks to the eyes, respiratory or skin irritation,” the World Health Organization said.

“Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is also not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris, and it is not feasible to manually clean and remove all organic matter from such spaces,” the WHO said.

“Moreover, spraying porous surfaces, such as sidewalks and unpaved walkways, would be even less effective.” Besides, the ground isn’t typically a source of infection, the WHO said.

And once the disinfectant wears off, an infected person could easily contaminate the surface again.

Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation travel transmission

Will protests increase the spread of Covid-19?

Transmission treatment & prevention work/life

Do vitamin D levels affect your risk for coronavirus? Is there a correlation between vitamin D and those who test positive for Covid-19?

“To date, there is no evidence that very high vitamin D levels are protective against COVID-19 and consequently medical guidance is that people should not be supplementing their vitamin D levels beyond those which are currently recommended by published medical advice,” wrote Robin May, director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Vitamin D is important for healthy muscles, strong bones and a powerful immune system. The recommended daily dose of vitamin D for anyone over age 1 is 15 mcg/600 IU per day in the US. For anyone over 70 years of age in the US, the recommended daily intake goes up to 20 mcg/800 IU per day.

But too much vitamin D can lead to a toxic buildup of calcium in your blood that can cause confusion, disorientation, heart rhythm problems, bone pain, kidney damage and painful kidney stones.

Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation

Can you get coronavirus from touching money? What about from other objects, like plants?

“Viruses can live on surfaces and objects — including on money — although your chance of actually getting COVID-19 from cash is probably very low,” emergency medicine physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

The new coronavirus can live for up to 72 hours on stainless steel and plastic, up to 24 hours after landing on cardboard, and up to four hours after landing on copper, according to a study funded by the US National Institutes of Health.

So how do you protect yourself? To avoid touching cash or coins, use contactless methods of payment whenever possible, Wen said.

If you can’t use a contactless form of payment, credit cards and debit cards are much easier to clean and disinfect than cash. But remember that anyone who touches your credit card can also leave germs on it.

If you must use cash, “wash your hands well with soap and water” afterward, Wen said.

The same applies for anything else you touch that might have coronavirus on it. If you can’t wash your hands immediately, use hand sanitzier or disinfectant.

And since Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, make sure you avoid touching your face.

Transmission work/life treatment & prevention

Can you get coronavirus by touching a dead body or the ashes of someone who had Covid-19?

It appears unlikely, but the CDC advises taking precautions.

Experts believe coronavirus is mainly spread during close contact (about 6 feet) with a person who is currently infected, the CDC said.

“This type of spread is not a concern after death,” the CDC said. But it cautions that “we are still learning how it spreads.”

“There may be less of a chance of the virus spreading from certain types of touching, such as holding the hand or hugging after the body has been prepared for viewing,” the CDC said.

“Other activities, such as kissing, washing, and shrouding should be avoided before, during, and after the body has been prepared, if possible.”

If washing the body or shrouding are important religious or cultural practices, “families are encouraged to work with their community’s cultural and religious leaders and funeral home staff on how to reduce their exposure as much as possible,” the CDC said.

“At a minimum, people conducting these activities should wear disposable gloves. If splashing of fluids is expected, additional personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required (such as disposable gown, faceshield or goggles and N-95 respirator).”

Cremated remains can be considered sterile, as infectious agents do not survive incineration-range temperatures, the CDC said.

Myths & misinformation transmission family

Can UV light kill coronavirus?

While some UV light devices are used for hospital disinfection, UV light only kills germs under very specific conditions — including certain irradiation dosages and exposure times, the World Health Organization said.

But UV light can also damage the body.

Two factors are required for UV light to destroy a virus: intensity and time. If the light is intense enough to break apart a virus in a short time, it’s going to be dangerous to people, said Donald Milton, a professor at the University of Maryland.

UVA and UVB light both damage the skin. UVC light is safer for skin, but it will damage tender tissue such as the eyes.

Myths & misinformation treatment & prevention

Do I need to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water?

No. The US Food and Drug Administration says you don’t need to wash fresh produce with soap and water, but you should rinse it with plain water.

But it’s still important to wash your hands with soap and water frequently because we often touch our faces without realizing it. And that’s a very easy way for coronavirus to spread.

You don’t have to worry about getting coronavirus by “eating” it, though. Even if coronavirus does get into your food, your stomach acid would kill it, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University.

Treatment & prevention work/life transmission

Can coronavirus stay in my hair or in a beard? Should I wash my hair every day?

Coronavirus can stick to hair, said Dr. David Aronoff, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Touching contaminated hair and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose could increase your risk of infection. “Like on the skin, this coronavirus is a transient hitchhiker that can be removed by washing,” Aronoff said.

But that doesn’t mean you have to wash the hair on your head multiple times a day, said dermatologist Dr. Hadley King.

That’s because “living hair attached to our scalps may be better protected by our natural oils that have some antimicrobial properties and may limit how well microbes can attach to the hair,” she said.

“If you are going out into areas that could possibly be contaminated with viral particles, then it would be reasonable to wash the hair daily during the pandemic. But it’s not the same as hand washing – the virus infects us through our mucosal surfaces. If your hair is not falling into your face or you’re not running your fingers through it, then there is less of a risk.”

If your hair does fall into your face, you may want to pull it back to minimize your risk, King said.

As for facial hair, “washing at least daily if not more frequently is wise, depending on how often they touch their face,” Aronoff said.

Transmission treatment & prevention work/life

Could I infect my pets with coronavirus, or vice versa? Can someone get infected by touching an animal’s fur? Should I get my pet tested for coronavirus?

There have been some reports of animals infected with coronavirus — including two pets in New York and eight big cats at the Bronx Zoo.

Most of those infections came from contact with humans who had coronavirus, like a zoo employee who was an asymptomatic carrier.

But according to the CDC, there is no evidence animals play a significant role in spreading the virus to humans. Therefore, at this time, routine testing of animals for Covid-19 is not recommended.

As always, it’s best to wash your hands after touching an animal’s fur and before touching your face. And if your pet appears to be sick, call your veterinarian.

Family work/life treatment & prevention transmission

Should I wash my hands and laundry in very warm or hot water?

Hot water is best for killing bacteria and viruses in your laundry. But you don’t want to use that kind of scalding hot water on your skin.

Warm water is perfectly fine for washing your hands — as long as you wash them thoroughly (like this) and for at least 20 seconds. (To time yourself, you can hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice or sing a couple of verses from any of these hit songs from the past several decades.)

Cold water will also work, “but you have to make sure you work really vigorously to get a lather and get everything soapy and bubbly,” said chemist Bill Wuest, an associate professor at Emory University. To do that, you might need to sing “Happy Birthday” three times instead of twice.

“Warm water with soap gets a much better lather – more bubbles,” Wuest said. “It’s an indication that the soap is … trying to encapsulate the dirt and the bacteria and the viruses in them.”

Treatment & prevention work/life transmission myths & misinformation

How does soap kill coronavirus? If I don’t have disinfecting wipes, can I use soap and water on surfaces?

Yes, you can use soap and water on surfaces just like you would on your hands to kill coronavirus. But don’t use water alone — that won’t really help.

The outer layer of the virus is made up of lipids, aka fat. Your goal is to break through that fatty barrier, forcing the virus’ guts to spill out and rendering it dead.

In other words, imagine coronavirus is a butter dish that you’re trying to clean.

“You try to wash your butter dish with water alone, but that butter is not coming off the dish,” said Dr. John Williams, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

“You need some soap to dissolve grease. So soap or alcohol are very, very effective against dissolving that greasy liquid coating of the virus.”

By cutting through the greasy barrier, Williams said, “it physically inactivates the virus so it can’t bind to and enter human cells anymore.”

Work/life transmission treatment & prevention schools/education

Can coronavirus be transferred by people’s shoes? How do I protect kids who crawl or play on the floor?

Yes, coronavirus can live on the soles of shoes, but the risk of getting Covid-19 from shoes appears to be low.

A report published by the CDC highlighted a study from a hospital in Wuhan, China, where this coronavirus outbreak began.

The soles of medical workers’ shoes were swabbed and analyzed, and the study found that the virus was “widely distributed” on floors, computer mice, trash cans and door knobs. But it’s important to note the study was done in a hospital, where the virus was concentrated.

It’s still possible to pick up coronavirus on the bottoms of your shoes by running errands, but it’s unlikely you’ll get sick from it because people don’t often touch the soles of their shoes and then their faces. Because Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, the CDC advises wearing a mask while in public and washing your hands frequently– the correct way.

If you have small children who crawl or regularly touch the floor, it’s a good idea to take your shoes off as soon you get home to prevent coronavirus or bacteria from spreading on the floors.

transmission family treatment & prevention schools/education

Can I get coronavirus through food? Is it safe to eat takeout from restaurants?

There’s no evidence that coronavirus can be transmitted through food, the CDC says.

Even if coronavirus does get into your food, your stomach acid would kill it, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University.

“When you eat any kind of food, whether it be hot or cold, that food is going to go straight down into your stomach, where there’s a high acidity, low-pH environment that will inactivate the virus,” she said.

But it’s a good idea to disinfect the takeout containers, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. Coronavirus is a respiratory virus, and it’s easy to touch your face without realizing it.

If you don’t have disinfecting wipes, use your own plates or bowls to serve the food. Just make sure to wash your hands after transferring food from the containers.

transmission family work/life

What’s convalescent plasma therapy? Do plasma donors and their recipients have to have the same blood type for this treatment?

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood from patients who have recovered from an infection, the US Food and Drug Administration says. “Antibodies present in convalescent plasma are proteins that might help fight the infection.”

But just like normal blood donation, donors and recipients must be matched by blood type. Type AB plasma is the only universal type and can be given to patients of any blood type.

The FDA said patients who are fully recovered from Covid-19 for at least two weeks are encouraged to consider donating plasma.

The Red Cross said there are other requirements for plasma donors:

1. You are at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. (The age requirement may differ according to organization and state). Other weight requirements apply for donors age 18 or younger
2. You must be in good health overall health now.

You cannot donate if you are pregnant or have certain conditions, such as HIV or sickle cell disease.

Anyone interested in donating can fill out a form on the Red Cross website here.

Treatment & prevention

Can coronavirus spread through water, like in a swimming pool or hot tub?

“There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs,” the CDC says.

“Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection (e.g., with chlorine and bromine) of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”

But health officials still advise staying at least 6 feet away from others because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease. In other words, you probably won’t get coronavirus from the water, but you could get coronavirus from someone close to you in the water.

As for drinking water, doctors say you don’t need to worry about coronavirus in the tap water because most municipal drinking water systems should remove or inactivate the virus.

Transmission work/life

Can mosquitoes or houseflies transmit coronavirus?

“To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes,” the World Health Organization says. There’s also no evidence so far suggesting flies can spread coronavirus.

Transmission myths & misinformation

Can you safely reuse a non-cloth mask that you can’t wash, like a disposable mask?

Work/life treatment & prevention

Will ingesting or injecting disinfectants, like the ones that kill viruses on surfaces, protect me against coronavirus or kill coronavirus if I already have it?

Myths & misinformation treatment & prevention work/life

What can we learn from how other countries handled coronavirus?

Singapore was initially praised for its clampdown on the virus. Even people who had no symptoms but tested positive had to be hospitalized until they tested negative.

But Singapore was also relaxed, allowing businesses, churches, restaurants and schools to stay open during its first wave of the virus. And some communities were overlooked by government testing.

The number of cases in Singapore shot up, and the country suffered a strong second wave of coronavirus.

By contrast, Germany, South Korea, Iceland and Taiwan have had among the lowest death rates from Covid-19 in the world.

Taiwan was proactive, launching its Central Epidemic Command Center before the island even confirmed its first infection.

Iceland required all its citizens returning to the country to undergo 14 days of quarantine – regardless of which country they traveled from.

Germany and South Korea quickly launched widespread testing and have some of the highest per-capita testing rates in the world. Their ability to identify and isolate those infected has helped prevent deadlier outcomes.

Work/life treatment & prevention

Can coronavirus stick to clothes? Do I need to wash my clothes right after encountering other people, like at the grocery store or while jogging?

“I don’t think you need to,” CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

Coronavirus can stay alive for up to three days on stainless steel and plastic. But clothing “is probably more like cardboard — it’s more absorbent, so the virus is unlikely to stay and last that long,” Gupta said.

While coronavirus can stay alive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, viruses generally don’t stick well on surfaces that are in motion.

“If you look at how viruses move through air, they kind of want to move around objects,” Gupta said. “They don’t want to necessarily land on objects. So if you’re moving as human body through the air … (it’s) unlikely to stick to your clothes.”

Transmission work/life family treatment & prevention

How can someone spread coronavirus when asymptomatic? If they’re not sneezing or coughing, how can they infect others?

It’s easy for asymptomatic people to spread coronavirus, said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA’s School of Public Health.

“When you speak, sometimes you’ll spit a little bit,” she said. “You’ll rub your nose. You’ll touch your mouth. You’ll rub your eyes. And then you’ll touch other surfaces, and then you will be spreading virus if you are infected and shedding asymptomatically.”

transmission work/life schools/education

Will an antibody test show whether I’m immune and can go back to work or school?

Work/life treatment & prevention transmission schools/education

Can I use vodka as hand sanitizer?

Please don’t. The CDC advises using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Vodka typically contains between 35% and 46% percent alcohol.

If the stores are out of hand sanitizer and you want to make your own, the Nebraska Medical Center offers this recipe:

What you’ll need:

• 2/3 cup 91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon or something for whisking
• Small container, such as a 3-oz. travel bottle
• Optional: essential oil to give your hand sanitizer a fragrance

Les directions:In a mixing bowl, stir isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel together until well blended.Add 8-10 drops of scented essential oil (optional, but nice). Stir.Pour the homemade hand sanitizer into an empty container and seal. Write “hand sanitizer” on a piece of masking tape and attach to the bottle.

Myths & misinformation treatment & prevention

Are smokers or vapers at higher risk? What if I only smoke weed?

This is not a good time to be vaping or smoking anything, including weed.

“Vaping affects your lungs at every level. It affects the immune function in your nasal cavity by affecting cilia, which push foreign things out,” said Prof. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Research Control and Education at University of California San Francisco.

When you vape, “the ability of your upper airways to clear viruses is compromised,” Glantz said.

Tobacco smokers are at especially high risk. In a study from China, where the first Covid-19 outbreak occurred, smokers were 14 times more likely to develop severe complications than non-smokers.

Even occasionally smoking marijuana can put you at greater risk.

“What happens to your airways when you smoke cannabis is that it causes some degree of inflammation, very similar to bronchitis, very similar to the type of inflammation that cigarette smoking can cause,” said pulmonologist Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association.

“Now you have some airway inflammation, and you get an infection on top of it. So yes, your chance of getting more complications is there.”

Work/life family treatment & prevention

My teenagers aren’t taking this seriously. Any advice?

Coronavirus isn’t just infecting young people. It’s killing young, healthy people as well.

We’ve reported many stories about young people getting severely sick with or dying from coronavirus.

Dimitri Mitchell, 18, admits he had a “false sense of security.” But he was later hospitalized with coronavirus and now wants everyone to take it seriously.

“I just want to make sure everybody knows that no matter what their age is, it can seriously affect them. And it can seriously mess them up, like it messed me up,” the Iowa teen said.

He started feeling sick with just a small cough. “I thought at first it was just a normal cold. And then it started progressively getting worse,” he said.

“Four days in, the really bad symptoms started coming along. I started having really bad outbreaks, like sweating, and my eyes were really watery. I was getting warmer and warmer, and I was super fatigued. … I would start experiencing the worst headaches I’ve ever felt in my life. They were absolutely horrible.”

Eventually, the teen had to be hospitalized. His mother said she worried he might “fall asleep and never wake up.”

Mitchell is now recovering, but has suffered from long-term effects.

“I just hope everybody’s responsible, because it’s nothing to joke about,” he said. “It’s a real problem, and I want everybody to make sure they’re following social distancing guidelines and the group limits. And just listen to all the rules and precautions and stay up to date with the news and make sure they’re informed.”

Family transmission treatment & prevention myths & misinformation schools/education

Does this pandemic have anything to do with the 5G network?

No. That’s just a hoax going around the internet.

“The theory that 5G might compromise the immune system and thus enable people to get sick from corona is based on nothing,” said Eric van Rongen, chairman of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Learn more about how 5G really works and why this hoax makes no sense.

Myths & misinformation

My ex and I have joint custody of our kids. Is it safe for them to go between two homes?

Ideally, you should limit your children’s potential exposures to coronavirus and work out the safest plan possible with your ex.

The problem: Some state and county family courts might be closed, or open only for emergencies involving abuse or endangerment. So it might be difficult to formally modify pre-existing custody agreements.

But some states may be offering some flexibility during the pandemic. And there may be creative solutions, such as spending more time with one parent now in exchange for extra time with the other parent after the pandemic ends.

Family work/life travel

How long does coronavirus stay “alive” on surfaces?

Up to three days, depending on the surface. According to a study funded by the US National Institutes of Health:

• The novel coronavirus is viable up to 72 hours after being placed on stainless steel and plastic
• It was viable up to four hours after being placed on copper, and up to 24 hours after being put on cardboard
• In aerosols, it was viable for three hours

Transmission

Will a pneumonia or flu vaccine help protect against coronavirus?

Transmission myths & misinformation treatment & prevention vaccine

Should I wear a face mask in public? If so, how do I make one?

The CDC changed its guidance on wearing face masks as more studies about asymptomatic spread piled up.

Now, the CDC “recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).”

But there are several important caveats and key points:

• The public should NOT buy surgical masks or N95 respirator masks. Those are desperately needed by health care workers who are in close contact with coronavirus patients every day.
• Instead, make your own cloth mask — it’s easy, and you don’t have to sew. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams shows how to make face masks with just a T-shirt and rubber bands in this CDC video. You can also use a bandana and a coffee filter.
• You can definitely still get coronavirus even if you wear a mask. The virus can stay alive on surfaces for up to 3 days, and it’s easy to touch your face whenever you’re not wearing a mask. Also, people often adjust face masks frequently, leading to more touching of the face — a common way that coronavirus spreads
• It’s important to wash your cloth mask after every use. Here’s how.
• Wearing cloth masks is just “an additional, voluntary public health measure,” the CDC said. To protect yourself from getting coronavirus, it’s critical to stay 6 feet away from others, wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds each time, and stop touching your face

transmission work/life myths & misinformation

Why is it so difficult to make a drug to cure coronavirus?

An antiviral drug must be able to target the specific part of a virus’ life cycle that is necessary for it to reproduce, according to Harvard Medical School.

“In addition, an antiviral drug must be able to kill a virus without killing the human cell it occupies. And viruses are highly adaptive.”

Treatment & Prevention

Why are medical workers getting sick with or dying from coronavirus if they’re wearing protective gear? Does the viral load matter?

Transmission

How many people with coronavirus don't have symptoms? Are they still contagious?

In one study, about 4 in 5 people with confirmed coronavirus in China were likely infected by people who didn’t know they had it, according to research published in the journal “Science.”

“These findings explain the rapid geographic spread of (coronavirus) and indicate containment of this virus will be particularly challenging,” researchers wrote.

In mid-March, the CDC said almost half of the 712 people with coronavirus who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship didn’t have any symptoms when they tested positive.

Other studies suggest 25% to 50% of coronavirus carriers don’t have symptoms.

In the US, “I think it could be as many as 1 in 3 walking around asymptomatic,” said New Jersey primary care physician Dr. Alex Salerno.

“We have tested some patients that have known exposure to COVID (coronavirus disease). They did not have temperature. Their pulse/(oxygen) was OK.”

Salerno said more testing of people without symptoms is essential.

When asymptomatic carriers test positive, “we isolate them, and we separate them from the people who are not positive,” Salerno said. If more asymptomatic people got tested, “we could get people back to work safely.”

Transmission myths & misinformation work/life

If there’s no cure, why go to the hospital unless you have a breathing problem?

Most coronavirus patients don’t need to be hospitalized. “The vast majority of people – about 80% – will do well without any specific intervention,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Those patients should get plenty of rest, hydrate frequently and take fever-reducing medication.

“The current guidance – and this may change – is that if you have symptoms that are similar to the cold and the flu and these are mild symptoms to moderate symptoms, stay at home and try to manage them,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association.

But about 20% of coronavirus patients get advanced disease. “Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their physician early in the course of even mild illness,” the CDC says.

The CDC also says you should get immediate help if you have:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Sudden confusion
• Bluish lips or face

“This list is not all inclusive,” the CDC says. “Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.”

Treatment & prevention family

Why are people stocking up on bottled water? Is the water supply at risk?

No, the water supply is not at risk.

“The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water,” the CDC says. “Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”

So there’s no need to hoard drinking water, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci said he and his wife are still drinking tap water.

Work/life myths & misinformation

We need a babysitter. How do I keep my family safe with someone new in the house?

The Harvard Medical School offers several tips, including:

• choosing a babysitter who has minimal exposures to other people besides your family
• limiting the number of babysitters. If you can keep it to one, that’s ideal. But if you need multple babysitters, keep the number as low as possible
• making sure the babysitter understands he or she needs to practice social distancing and limits physical interaction with your children as much as possible
• telling the babysitter that he or she must not come to your house if feeling even the slightest bit sick, or has had known exposure to coronavirus
• making sure everyone washes their hands frequently throughout the day, especially before eating

Work/life family

If people can spread the virus without showing any symptoms, how can I tell who’s infected and who’s not?

You can’t, said Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster and operational medicine at George Washington University Hospital.

“We’re so far behind on testing, there’s only one way we can be certain not to transmit the virus and be certain not to get it ourselves: We need to start treating every person as though they have this, ” Phillips said.

“And everyone needs to treat us like we have it, and socially distance ourselves in that manner. Because until we have (enough) testing, we don’t know who has this. And we’re not sure when they start spreading it.”

That’s why it’s so critical to avoid crowds, stay at least 6 feet away from others, wear a mask when you might be in close contact with others, wash or disinfect your hands, and stop touching your face.

Transmission travel work/life schools/education

How do I safely take care of someone who’s sick?

It may be difficult to know whether your loved one has coronavirus or another illness.
So it’s critical to play it safe and not infect yourself and, in turn, others. The CDC suggests:

• Giving the sick person their own room to stay in, if possible. Keep the door closed
• Having only one person serve as the caretaker
• Asking the sick person to wear a face mask, if they are able to. If the mask causes breathing difficulties, then the caretaker should wear a mask instead

Transmission family

What are the symptoms?

Fever, dry cough and difficulty breathing are hallmarks of coronavirus.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks after exposure, the CDC says. But some people get no symptoms at all and can infect others without knowing it.

The illness varies in its severity. And while many people can recover at home just fine, some people — including young, previously healthy adults — are suffering long-term symptoms.

transmission

What can I do if my loved one thinks he or she has coronavirus?

Don’t visit family members with suspected illness – connect with them virtually.
If that person lives with you, limit contact with them and avoid using the same bathroom or bedroom if possible, the CDC advises.

If the person been diagnosed, he or she might be able to recover at home in isolation. Separate yourself as much as possible from your infected family member and keep animals away, too. Continue to use separate restrooms and regularly disinfect them.

Stock up on groceries and household supplies for them while they can’t travel outside and minimize trips to stores. Wash your hands frequently and avoid sharing personal items with the infected person.

If you think you’re developing symptoms, stay home and call your physician.

famille

Should I disinfect my groceries? If so, how?

“I would suggest wiping down external surfaces of canned or wrapped foods,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center.

“You should be washing your vegetables (and) produce anyway,” she said. “But I think making sure you sanitize your hands, wash your hands after you do all that – after you unpack all your groceries – is also a key step.”

Work/life

The stores are all out of disinfectant sprays and hand sanitizer. Can I make my own?

Yes, you can make both at home.

“Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted” if you’re trying to kill coronavirus on a non-porous surface, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC’s recipe calls for diluting 5 tablespoons (or ⅓ cup) of bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water.

You can also make your own hand sanitizer. The Nebraska Medical Center – famous for its biocontainment unit and treatment of Ebola patients – offers this recipe:

What you’ll need:

• 2/3 cup 91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon or something for whisking
• Small container, such as a 3 oz. travel bottle
• Optional: essential oil to give your hand sanitizer a fragrance

Les directions:In a mixing bowl, stir isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel together until well blended.Add 8-10 drops of scented essential oil (optional, but nice). Stir.Pour the homemade hand sanitizer into an empty container and seal.Write “hand sanitizer” on a piece of masking tape and attach to the bottle.

Work/life Treatment & Prevention

Should I stock up on extra food and supplies?

Yes, because a family member may suddenly have to quarantine. Just don’t hoard more than you need because other people need supplies, too.

Harvard Medical School recommends keeping a two-week to 30-day supply of nonperishable food at home. And if you don’t use them now, they may come in handy for power outages or extreme weather.

It’s also a good idea to keep at least a 30-day supply of prescription medications you may need, though it can be difficult to get them early. Consider mail-ordering medications.

Work/life

Should I avoid public transportation?

If you rely on public transportation, use caution. If you’re sick or live in an area where an outbreak has been reported, avoid it.

Mass transit could increase your risk of exposure to coronavirus. Luckily, transit systems are upping their cleaning regimens — notably the New York subway system.

Dr. Robyn Gershon, a professor of epidemiology at New York University’s School of Public Health, has some tips: When you ride a bus or subway, sneeze or cough into your elbow. Use a tissue to hold onto a pole. Avoid touching your face while you’re riding, and use hand sanitizer if you have it while you’re commuting.

Again, wash your hands before, during and after your trip.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recommends letting crowded trains or buses pass and waiting for a less crowded one. It’s nearly impossible to maintain 6 feet of distance on a packed subway car.

If you have a chronic illness, find alternative means of transportation — being in a crowded subway car or bus will significantly increase your risk of infection.

Work/life travel

Can I be fired if I stay home sick?

An employee can be fired if they don’t show up to work and don’t have sick leave that would cover the absence, says Krista Slosburg, an employment attorney at Stokes Lawrence in Seattle.

But there are exceptions. Employers who make workers with Covid-19 come in may be violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] regulations, said Donna Ballman, who heads an employee advocacy law firm in Florida.

Work/Life

What happens when workers don't get paid sick leave?

If you work in a city or state that requires sick leave and you use it, you can‘t be terminated or disciplined.

But there is no federal mandate that requires companies to offer paid sick leave, and almost a quarter of all US workers don’t get it, according to 2019 government data. Some state and local governments have passed laws that require companies to offer paid sick leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can sometimes protect a worker’s job in the event they get sick, but it won’t guarantee they get paid while they’re out.

Employee advocates urge businesses to consider the special circumstances of the Covid-19, and some already have

Work/Life

Can managers send a sick worker home?

Yes, managers can.

The Society for Human Resource Management recommends companies “actively encourage sick employees to stay home, send symptomatic employees home until they are able to return to work safely, and require employees returning from high-risk areas to telework during the incubation period [of 14 days]. »

If a manager feels an employee’s illness poses a direct threat to colleagues’ safety, the manager may be able to insist the employee be evaluated by a doctor, said Alka Ramchandani-Raj, an attorney specializing in workplace safety.

Work/Life

If traveling on a plane, how do I stay safe?

Since Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, some airlines are now requiring passengers to wear face masks during the flight, except for while eating or drinking.

Health experts suggest eating, drinking and using the restroom before getting on the plane, to eliminate the need to take off your mask or go into a cramped lavatory on board.

And always be mindful of where your hands have been, travel medicine specialist Dr. Richard Dawood said.

Airport handrails, door handles and airplane lavatory levers are notoriously dirty.

“It is OK to touch these things as long as you then wash or sanitize your hands before contaminating your face, touching or handling food,” Dawood said.

“Hand sanitizers are great. So are antiseptic hand wipes, which you can also use to wipe down armrests, remote controls at your seat and your tray table.”

Travel family work/life

Since a plane's cabin keeps circulating air, will I get sick if another passenger is sick?

Most viruses don’t spread easily on airplanes because of how the air circulates and is filtered, the CDC says.

Modern commercial jets recirculate 10-50% of the air in the cabin, mixed with outside air.
“The recirculated air passes through a series of filters 20-30 times per hour,” the CDC says.

“Furthermore, air generally circulates in defined areas within the aircraft, thus limiting the radius of distribution of pathogens spread by small-particle aerosols. As a result, the cabin air environment is not conducive to the spread of most infectious diseases.”

Travel work/life

If I have a weakened immune system, should I cancel my travel plans?

People who are immunocompromised “are at higher risk from this illness, as well as other illnesses like the flu. Avoiding contact with ill people is crucial,” Washington state’s Snohomish Health District said.

“While rates of infection may not differ significantly between healthy and immunocompromised travelers, the latter are at greater risk for severe disease,” according to researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine.

Travel

What do I do if I think I’m sick?

Stay home. Call your doctor to talk about your symptoms and let them know you’re coming for an appointment so they can prepare for your visit, the CDC says.

Only a Covid-19 test can diagnose you with the virus, but if you suspect you have it, isolate yourself at home.

Many patients with coronavirus are able to recover at home. If you’ve been diagnosed and your illness is worsening, seek medical attention promptly. You may need to be monitored in a hospital.

Ask your physician to call the local or state health department, too, so they’re aware you’re being monitored for the virus.

Treatment & Prevention

What’s the best way to prevent coronavirus?

Stay at least 6 feet away from others, wear a face mask when in public or when you’re close to people who don’t live with you, wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. Stay home as much as possible and limit your contact with people.

The best way to kill germs is by scrubbing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Do this frequently before, during and after you visit a public place or have contact with people.

When soap isn’t available, use a hand sanitizer. Rub the sanitizer around your hands until it’s dry.

Treatment & Prevention

Should I spray myself or my kids with disinfectant?

No. Those products work on surfaces but can be dangerous to your body.

There are some chemical disinfectants, including bleach, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform, that may kill the virus on surfaces.

But if the virus is already in your body, putting those substances on your skin or under your nose won’t kill it, the World Health Organization says. And those chemicals can harm you.

Treatment & Prevention myths & misinformation

I’ve heard that home remedies can cure or prevent the virus. Is that true?

There’s no evidence from the outbreak that eating garlic, sipping water every 15 minutes or taking vitamin C will protect people from the new coronavirus. Same goes for using essential oils or colloidal silver.

Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation

Why waste a test kit on a person without symptoms?

Some people with coronavirus have mild or no symptoms. And in some cases, symptoms don’t appear until up to 14 days after infection.

During that incubation period, it’s possible to get coronavirus from someone with no symptoms. It’s also possible you may have coronavirus without feeling sick and are accidentally infecting others.

Treatment & Prevention

Why has the US been so far behind other countries with testing?

Experts say it’s due to cuts in federal funding for public health and problems with early testing.

Problems with public health infrastructure: Two years ago, the CDC stopped funding epidemic prevention activities in 39 countries, including China. This happened because the Trump administration refused to allocate money to a program that started during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden warned that move “would significantly increase the chance an epidemic will spread without our knowledge and endanger lives in our country and around the world.”

Problems with the testing: Malfunctions, shortages and delays in availability have all contributed to the slowdown.

In the first few weeks of the outbreak in the US, the CDC was the only facility in the country that could confirm test results — even though a World Health Organization test became available around the same time.

Some test kits that were sent around the country were flawed — a move that put the US behind about “four to five weeks,” says Dr. Rob Davidson, executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare.

Treatment & Prevention

If a coronavirus patient gets pneumonia, what antibiotics have proven to be effective?

No antibiotics are effective against Covid-19 because the disease is caused by a viral infection, not a bacterial infection.

“However, if you are hospitalized for the [coronavirus], you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible,” the World Health Organization says.

There is no known cure for the novel coronavirus.

Treatment & Prevention

Did Dean Koontz predict this outbreak in the book “The Eyes of Darkness” almost 40 years ago?

No. There are some interesting coincidences in the 1981 fiction novel, which says “a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread around the globe” around the year 2020. Modern editions of the book call the biological strain “Wuhan-400,” and the current coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China.

But there are important differences between the book and reality. The original version of the book called the strain the “Gorki-400,” in reference to a Russian locality, before it was later changed to the “Wuhan-400.” In the book, the virus was man-made, while scientists believe the novel coronavirus started in animals and jumped to humans. And in the book, the virus had a 100% mortality rate. Early estimates of the mortality rate for this coronavirus outbreak range from 2-4%.

myths & misinformation

Can the heat from a hand dryer kill coronavirus?

Hand dryers can’t kill the virus, according to WHO. The organization also says that UV lamps shouldn’t be used to sterilize hands or other areas of the body because the radiation can irritate skin.

Drinking hot water or taking hot baths won’t kill it, either.

Myths & misinformation

Can I get coronavirus from a package sent from China?

No. “The new coronavirus cannot be transmitted through goods manufactured in China or any country reporting Covid-19 cases,” the World Health Organization says.

“Even though the new coronavirus can stay on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days (depending on the type of surface), it is very unlikely that the virus will persist on a surface after being moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperatures,” WHO said.

The best ways to prevent transmission is to stay 6 feet away from those who don’t live with you, wear a face mask, stop touching your face and frequently wash your hands.

Myths & misinformation transmission