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TORONTO Increasingly frustrated health officials say they are prepared to take more aggressive measures to track and contain people with COVID-19 as the number of sick and dead continues to soar.

And that could involve employing some of the digital and mobile strategies seen in countries including Singapore and South Korea where suppression has been more successful, they suggest with caveats.

All of this is under review by various public health bodies, but a York University expert in infectious disease modelling warns that delayed action risks allowing the virus to continue its rapid spread, and force even more intense physical distancing measures.

That may be the painful lesson Canada needs to learn, said Jianhong Wu, an experienced modeller who has led multiple national projects on SARS, pandemic influenza, and immunization evaluation.

Every country has had to go through this first before they learned how serious it is, said Wu, a distinguished research professor whose work includes analysis of epidemic data in Wuhan, China, where the virus was first detected late last year.

The argument for more stringent contact tracing was laid bare in a directive from Ontarios chief medical officer of health this week. Dr. David Williams instructed the provinces public health units to use their authority to isolate COVID-19 cases and anyone with whom those infected people came into close contact.

Williams reiterated that in a press conference, noting the social contacts of those infected must also be traced and contained if were ever to bring the virus to heel.

Even if we were able to flatten the curve, the real grunt work of public health really then kicks into gear even more, explained Williams, referring to the famous line graph that depicts the steep rise in cases that would result without interventions.

(With) all these cases youre going to have to do a lot more contacting, more phone calling, more investigating.

Williams said his office is looking at how to add more staff, volunteers and the use of technology towards this effort.

That work will have to persist through the spring and summer in order to make sure infections dont spark flare-ups.

Were looking at quickly how to ramp that up not only for today, but tomorrow and in the future, because this is going to be very important in the days and weeks going ahead, said Williams.

Its very much intensive work, he added, and thats where technology can help. Whether that includes the use of mobile tracking tools to keep tabs on the infected is an open question, and one hes not ready to rule out.

We have many proposals coming in, and nothing is being rejected outright, said Williams.

Canadas biggest hurdle to tech-assisted tracking is public and political aversion to measures that threaten individual privacy, said Wu, but he argued public safety concerns should trump those worries here.

For now, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott has suggested the emphasis continues to be on people power. She said Thursday that she hoped medical students can help carry that load.

Such a strategy is already in use in Alberta, where approximately 300 University of Calgary medical students have bolstered that provinces ability to contact the infected and make sure they and their contacts self-isolate.

Dr. Richelle Schindler, a resident physician at the U of C who specializes in public health and preventative medicine, said by email that nursing students may be added to the monumental task, in which trackers chase individuals by phone but can send paramedics to check on those they cant reach.

Albertans who violate isolation orders face a $1,000 fine, but courts have been given increased powers to administer fines of up to $100,000 for a first offence and up to $500,000 for subsequent, more serious violations.

Student trackers must have clinical experience but also get two days of training before hitting the phones. They also get program credit for their time.

While the importance of contact tracing has received less attention than testing in Canada, Wu insisted it is a crucial step to suppressing an epidemic.

He noted that test results provide a snapshot of infections that are days, and even weeks, old. But contact tracing can indicate where the virus is as it jumps from person-to-person.

The public should know that if you want to go back to normal you have to know who is exposed, said Wu, pointing to regions in Asia where the use of mobile data is credited with allowing schools and busy markets to remain open.

Contact tracing generally involves notifying the infected and their close contacts, but really effective tracing would also notify contacts of those close contacts, said Wu.

Thats because by the time youve identified people who have the virus, their close contacts may already be infected and spreading it to others.

Then you can say that the community is safe we know who is impacted, or exposed, who is infected, and therefore you can go back to resuming some social activities, Wu said.

Toronto Public Healths associate medical officer of health said Thursday his unit is in the midst of scaling up tracing efforts by developing a web-based system that would allow more front-line staff to join the effort from home.

The Coronavirus Rapid Entry Case and Contact Management System would allow trackers to input essential case information that can be shared with the province.

Dr. Michael Finkelstein said Toronto currently has more than 100 staff following up with those who are infected and their contacts, and acknowledged that it becomes increasingly difficult to keep pace as cases grow.

But for now, mobile tracking of citizens is not part of Torontos strategy.

TPH is aware that some jurisdictions have used this technology and is investigating its use, said Finkelstein by email.

Wu described a synergistic relationship between three pillars of disease suppression: testing, tracing and social distancing. Where one falters, the others must compensate, he explained.

Even if contact tracing becomes less effective as community spread grows, people still need to know the level of infections and degree of exposure.

Its never too late so you can never give up, said Wu.

But I think we are at a stage that we really have to kick in the technologies and you really have to have the participation from the public.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2020.

With files from Allison Jones

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press

Coronavirus

Excerpt from:
The race to trace the spread of COVID-19 in Canada using disease trackers - Red Deer Advocate

Written by Anushka Jagtiani | New Delhi | Published: April 7, 2020 10:00:56 am

As we battle coronavirus, it is important to know that chronic ailments such as diabetes, heart diseases and obesity continue to increase at an alarming rate in India. Indianexpress.com caught up with physician and award-winning nutritionist Dr Vishakha Shivdasani on World Health Day for her perspective and advice on treating chronic illnesses and building immunity.

On this World Health Day, what health conditions (other than coronavirus) concern you the most?

The fact that diabetes and obesity are the fastest-growing epidemics in human history, and not very much is being done at a preventive level to change that.

Amongst the chronic diseases which one are the most widespread in India? Which ones are growing at an alarming rate?

Well, we are the diabetic capital of the world, though China seems to be beating us at that one. Besides Type 2 diabetes, other chronic ailments growing at an alarming rate are obesity, heart disease, polycystic ovarian disease and certain cancers.

What in your opinion has lead to this rapid increase in diabetes , obesity, and other chronic ailments?

Lifestyle. From the way we eat (high carbohydrates and omega 6 fats) to lack of exercise, to high levels of stress and inadequate sleep. All lead to chronic disease.

Can you elaborate more on the role of processed foods and refined sugar?

Processed foods kill. It is what causes chronic disease, and chronic disease puts us at risk for acute disease too.

Firstly, its a combination of sugar thats added to the processed carbs that in turn cause inflammation and compromises your immune function. Sugar is the enemy of a strong immune system.

Secondly, omega 6 fats that are added to processed food cause inflammation, resulting in chronic disease.

Most processed foods should not be labelled as foods. They should be called processed substances. Yes, a very small percentage of them might retain the whole grain and not use refined sugar. But most are first stripped off their original nutrients, through processing, then they are fortified with artificial vitamins and added chemicals used to increase their shelf life and make them taste good. Which is why they are so addictive. They also are often high in cheap omega 6 fats, refined vegetable and seed oils like soya oil and sunflower which are often hydrogenated and turn into trans fats. Those are the ones that cause heart disease. Not the consumption of good fats like olive, avocado and ghee. As a result, all fats get a bad name, which is wrong.

They can also be high in one of the worst forms of sugar-hfcs (high fructose corn syrup), which is the real trigger for inflammation and, therefore, of heart disease, diabetes and PCOS. Because these conditions are all inflammatory in origin, these sugars are also empty calories which mean they have zero nutritional value, but they cause sugar spikes, make you more hungry, and trigger weight gain, cause insulin resistance and diabetes. Yet you yet crave them. Its a vicious cycle.

ALSO READ | Try these simple 15-minute recipes for a healthy day ahead

Would you say Indians are less reliant on processed foods since we do believe in cooking fresh meals everyday, unlike the West? Or do you see a vast number of chronic diseases here as well, related to processed foods?

Post-lockdown, I went to the supermarket to get my essential groceries. It was so odd that the veggies and fruits and milk etc were freely available, but the aisles of Maggi and pasta, biscuits and bread and sodas were completely empty. Stocking up on junk food is not going to help us survive a pandemic. Lets rethink this strategy.

And sure we dont eat as much of processed meats, frozen foods and sodas as the West on a regular basis, but the consumption of breakfast cereals and white and brown breads, and specially biscuits is huge here. And pizzas, pasta and noodles consumption in urban India is also huge.

Which processed foods are the most harmful to consume?

The ones that are loaded with HFCS high fructose corn syrup obviously, but sugar has 56 different names. And most of the ones that say sugar free have sometimes not one but multiple forms of these sugars and the common man does not identify them as sugar but these are the ones that cause the most damage and lower immunity.

Foods which contain Omega 6 are also harmful as these are pro inflammatory. These are the ones that can cause heart disease.

Low-fat processed food is nothing but a big con. The only one benefiting from that is the food industry, so the first thing I do is take my patients off everything low-fat or fat-free.

Apart from being a GP you specialise in nutrition. Do you feel you can reverse some of these chronic ailments, often caused by lifestyle, using nutrition alone?

Most chronic illness can be reversed completely with lifestyle alone. So yes, I am not the pharma industrys favourite doctor and I am known as the doctor who reduces patients medication. But Im qualified to know when and how to do that and because the patient is directly under my supervision. I can change the medication if I spot a red flag. We have reversed so many Type II diabetics, PCOS cases and made patients drop up to 50 kg just with lifestyle interventions.

For diabetes or insulin resistance, how would you keep it under control with nutrition?

Its quite simple really. You just need to reduce the intake of carbohydrates significantly and make sure you have reasonable amount of protein but not too much (like several fads suggest) and have a good amount of good fats. Dont fear them, just make sure they are not hydrogenated vegetable oils and that they are good fats like ghee, olive oil or avocado oil.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus: Origin, symptoms, causes, treatment, precautions and other details about COVID-19

In these days of coronavirus, diabetics, asthmatics and those with cardiovascular disease are more at risk, why is that?

Covid-19 seems to affect people with compromised immune systems the most. Which is the case with most patients with these conditions. And these are also morbidities, which means you are unhealthy. And one is more likely to be hit hard if unhealthy.

What advise would you give them at a crucial time like this?

Up your immunity. Eat real food. Its your best natural defence to fight any pathogen, be it a bacteria or a virus. It may not stop you from getting the virus but its certainly your best chance to survive if you do get it. Drop the sugar. Add supplements like zinc, vitamin C, Omega 3 and Vitamin D. Also add natural anti-inflammatory foods which is available in every Indian kitchen like turmeric, black pepper, ginger, garlic and cinnamon. Drink lots of water, sleep well, exercise, but dont over-exercise. Over-exercising can backfire and reduce immunity.

Does our healthcare systems have the infrastructure to deal with the growing number of chronic diseases?

Nobody does. I think chronic lifestyle ailments are a huge financial burden on any government and from the looks of it, its only going to get worse. We are focused on medicine for symptoms not on prevention and lifestyle.

What would your advice be to the health ministry?

Lets form a governmental task force of doctors who practice functional medicine and incorporate lifestyle as first-line approach and develop programmes to make people healthy and not wait for them to fall sick and then treat them. Its really about preventative medicine.

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Eat real food, its your best natural defence to fight any virus - The Indian Express

Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath are familiar symptoms for people who have asthma.

We know that viruses, including colds or influenza, can make asthma symptoms worse and potentially trigger an attack.

But what about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus?

We don't know whether the new coronavirus would trigger an attack, but the assumption is that it would work like any other respiratory virus.

However, at this stage, there's no evidence to indicate that people with asthma even those with severe asthma are more prone than others to becoming seriously ill with a COVID-19 infection, said Jo Douglass, an asthma and allergy expert from the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

"It doesn't seem that asthma is a particular risk for more severe or intensive care admission of COVID-19," Professor Douglass said.

Brian Oliver, a respiratory specialist at the University of Technology Sydney and the Woolcock Institute, agreed.

"I couldn't imagine this being good for asthma, but there's no evidence to say how bad it is for asthma at the moment," Professor Oliver said.

Of much greater risk, he said, is another respiratory disease known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.

But if you do have asthma, it is important you take medication to prevent a flare-up that could land you in hospital, both experts said.

"The best protection against flare-ups of asthma is to have well-controlled asthma at the start," Professor Douglass said.

To understand why, let's dive deep into your lungs and explain what asthma is and how the medicines help.

Asthma is a lung condition marked by recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

These symptoms are caused by a tightening or constriction of the muscles in the airways.

People with asthma tend to have more lung tissue than others.

"A person with asthma's lungs are remodelled in such a way that they almost become the equivalent of an elite athlete's," Professor Oliver said.

"The airways in the lung structure are changed in such a way that it makes them easier to contract."

Constriction of the airways is often triggered by an allergic inflammatory response to things like dust, pollen or mould.

It can also be triggered by inflammation caused by a virus (but you can also have asthma without having a virus and vice versa).

The inflammatory process that underlies allergic asthma or any other allergies like hay fever usually involves different types of immune system cells than those fighting viral infections, Professor Douglass said.

"It is a different sort of inflammation than what we see with viral infections in the majority of people."

Medications are designed to either relieve asthma symptoms or prevent asthma.

Reliever medications, also known as puffers, use a drug that relaxes the smooth muscles in your airway to relieve your symptoms.

They have no impact on your immune system.

But, Professor Oliver said, viruses in general can make these medications less effective and you can still have an asthma attack.

"On a molecular level, viruses do this by desensitising the pathway through which your puffer drug is designed to work," Professor Oliver explained.

"So if your bronchodilator [medication] isn't working, when you have symptoms [caused by inflammation in response to the virus], the drugs that should be helping you don't work as well."

Many people with asthma need to take a puffer in combination with a preventer or steroid-based inhaler to prevent asthma attacks.

This drug, which is designed to reduce inflammation in your lungs, is prescribed by your doctor and is taken every day.

While there have been some concerns raised over the impact of high dose oral steroids on the immune system, the inhaled doses used by most people with asthma are low and unlikely to have an effect, Professor Oliver said.

Professor Douglass agreed.

"There's no indication that inhaled steroids are [putting us] at increased risk at all that we're aware of, and I think they are the best protection we've got against having asthma exacerbations," she said.

She said it was important that people talked to their doctors and stayed on their inhaler medications to avoid exacerbations, which could be serious, or the need to go on oral steroids if a flare up happened.

"All doctors are keen to avoid the use of high-dose continuous oral corticosteroid medications, especially in the current setting of infections," Professor Douglass said.

Newer medicines that are based on human antibodies are good options for people with severe asthma, as they cut down the use of high dose oral steroids and prevent flare-ups, she added.

While around 10 per cent of Australians have been diagnosed with asthma it is often overlooked and misdiagnosed especially in adults.

If you haven't been diagnosed, signs to look out for include:

Some people may have been diagnosed but have undertreated asthma.

As a rule of thumb, using a puffer more than twice a week means your asthma is poorly controlled, Professor Douglass said.

"If you're needing [a puffer] more than twice a week you should be on a preventive [medication]," she said.

Other people may have also been diagnosed with asthma, but gone off their preventative medications because they haven't had an attack for a while.

"You can fool yourself into thinking it has gone away, Professor Oliver said.

"But the message is if you've had asthma, you should keep taking your preventive medications."

The recent cases of thunderstorm asthma highlight why.

"When we had the thunderstorm asthma ... a lot of people with asthma weren't taking that preventive medication and then did really badly," he said.

It was also important to realise, he said, that these medications have a finite shelf life.

"So contacting your GP and talking to them and getting medical advice is really important," he said.

More here:
I have asthma. Am I more at risk of having a severe coronavirus infection? - ABC News

SOUTH CHINA SEA - Members of Navy Forward-Deployed Preventive Medicine Units (FDPMU) and Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) embarked several 7th Fleet ships March 14 to help combat the risk of and provide laboratory batch testing for COVID-19 aboard the ships.

Teams are embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and have the ability to batch test Sailors onboard who present with influenza-like illness symptoms, instead of only sending samples to be tested ashore.

This capability provides early-warning surveillance for the medical teams to be able to identify if a COVID-19 case is onboard a ship, but does not individually diagnose Sailors. If a batch were to test positive for COVID-19, the medical teams would take additional measures, such as isolating the Sailors whose samples were in the batch, and depending on the Sailors symptoms, potentially medically evacuating them off the ship to a shore facility for testing.

To date, no cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed aboard any U.S. 7th Fleet Navy vessel.

The team here in 7th Fleet has taken COVID-19 seriously from the beginning and has many public health measures already in place, said Capt. Christine Sears, U.S. 7th Fleet surgeon. The FDPMU and NMRC augmentation teams provide additional depth in our ability to combat this virus.

Teams embarked the ships to provide at-sea testing and to ensure the U.S. 7th Fleet operating forces are ready to combat a possible outbreak while maintaining mission readiness. The teams provide additional capabilities in addition to the U.S. 7th Fleets isolation procedures.

The teams are comprised of a variety of specialized Navy Medicine personnel to ensure force health protection of the fleet, and may include: a microbiologist, medical laboratory technician, preventive medicine officer, preventive medicine technician.

As a medical service corps microbiology officer, this embark gives us the chance to demonstrate some of our skillsets to the fleet, and what we bring to the fight, said Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Pavlicek, Blue Ridge COVID-19 testing team lead. This capability allows us, the Navy, to protect mission readiness and protection of our Sailors.

To ensuring force health protection of the fleet, other medical specialties or logistical components can be scaled up or down to meet mission specific requirements in the mitigation, health surveillance, and casualty prevention.

This is the most advanced laboratory capability that Navy Medicine has placed forward deployed, said Lt. Cmdr. Danett Bishop, leader and microbiologist for the preventative medicine team aboard America. We can make force health decisions in real time, enhancing the health of the crew while minimizing any potential outbreak of COVID-19.

The FDPMU teams aboard the USS America and the USS Blue Ridge are from Navy Environmental Preventative Medicine Unit 6 based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and work to facilitate and educate using preventive medicine practices and provide additional laboratory capabilities. The team embarked with USS Theodore Roosevelt is assigned to the Naval Medical Research Center based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Currently, the teams are only authorized to perform surveillance testing and not individual testing. This means that the results cannot be linked to a particular patient for diagnostics, but would enable the team to detect COVID-19s presence on the ship based off of the results.

Since we are performing surveillance testing, the results of COVID-19 present, or not present can help inform the force health protection posture and provide valuable insight for the senior medical officer and outbreak response team, said Pavlicek.

The teams are equipped with two testing capabilities, including the BioFire Film Array and the Step One RT-PCR System. The BioFire Film Array will test for a dozen different respiratory diseases, while the Step One RT-PCR System allow for complex COVID-19 tests at sea, if necessary.

As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet operates roughly 50-70 ships and submarines and 140 aircraft with approximately 20,000 Sailors.

See more here:
Navy preventive medicine teams embark ships in 7th Fleet - navy.mil

PADUCAH Each day, more information comes out about COVID-19. It's hard to know what's fact and what's fiction.

Dr. J. Kyle Turnbo has been visiting the Local 6 studio to answer your questions about the virus. Turnbo is triple board certified in family, occupational and preventative medicine.

He was back in the studio on Monday to help us better understand the novel coronavirus. During Local 6 at Five, he joined Local 6 evening anchor Todd Faulkner.

Turnbo explained the difference between isolation and quarantine.

Isolation

Isolation is for sick people who have the disease. Patients are put in isolation to keep them away from healthy people.

It helps prevent the direct spread spread of the virus. The goal for people in isolation is to keep them from having any contact with other people that they could spread the disease to. They only come out of isolation when they are no longer contagious. Dr. Turnbo says for COVID-19, that time period is typically 14 days.

Quarantine

Quarantine is for people who are well but were potentially exposed, because they were in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the virus. Those who self-quarantine are not confirmed to have the disease or have no symptoms. In quarantine, people keep themselves away from others as a precaution.

If you are quarantined at home, Turnbo says you should stay home, separate yourself from others in your household, call ahead before you show up to your doctor's office to tell your medical provider about your concerns and follow their advice, cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands thoroughly, avoid sharing germs and monitor your symptoms.

For our other Q&A sessions with the doctor, check out the links below.

See the article here:
Dr. Turnbo explains the difference between isolation and quarantine - WPSD Local 6

(CNN) What are the telling signs that you may have the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19?

The main list of acute symptoms at this time is actually quite short and can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Were emphasizing fever plus a notable lower respiratory tract symptom cough or trouble breathing, said infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Being able to identify those symptoms and act upon them when necessary is critical. Heres what you need to know.

Fever is a key symptom, experts say. Dont fixate on a number, but know its really not a fever until your temperature reaches at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) for children and adults.

There are many misconceptions about fever. Average daily temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), but we all actually go up and down quite a bit during the day as much as half of a degree or a degree, said Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh.

So 99.0 degrees or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit is not a fever, he stressed.

When you check for fever, dont rely on a temperature taken in the morning. Instead take your temp in the late afternoon and early evening.

Our temperature is not the same during the day. If you take it at eight oclock in the morning, it may be normal, Schaffner explained.

One of the most common presentations of fever is that your temperature goes up in the late afternoon and early evening its a common way that viruses produce fever.

Coughing is another key symptom, but its not just any cough, said Schaffner. It should be a dry cough that you feel in your chest.

Its not a tickle in your throat. Youre not just clearing your throat. Its not just irritated. Youre not putting anything out, youre not coughing anything up, Schaffner said.

The cough is bothersome, its coming from your breastbone or sternum. and you can tell that your bronchial tubes are inflamed or irritated, he added.

Shortness of breath can be a third and very serious manifestation of Covid-19, and it can occur on its own, without a cough. If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath, thats a sign to act, experts say.

If theres any shortness of breath immediately call your health care provider, a local urgent care or the emergency department, said American Medical Association president Dr. Patrice Harris.

If the shortness of breath is severe enough, you should call 911, Harris added.

In addition to difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, the CDC lists emergency warning signs for Covid-19 as a persistent pain or pressure in the chest, bluish lips or face which indicates a lack of oxygen and any sudden mental confusion or lethargy and inability to rouse.

Get medical attention immediately, the CDC says.

This trifecta of symptoms fever, cough and shortness of breath are not the only signs of sickness that have been seen in cases of Covid-19.

Many other symptoms can resemble the flu, including headaches, digestive issues, body aches and fatigue, which can be severe. Still other symptoms can resemble a cold or allergies, such as a runny nose, sore throat and sneezing.

Most likely, experts say, you simply have a cold or the flu after all they can cause fever and cough too. One possible sign that you might have Covid-19 is if your symptoms, especially shortness of breath, dont improve after a week or so but actually worsen.

At this moment, 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 with rest, hydration and the use of Tylenol, Harris said.

That advice does not apply if you are over age 60, since immune systems weaken as we age, or if you are pregnant anyone with concerns about coronavirus should call their healthcare provider, according to the CDC.

Its unclear whether pregnant women have a greater chance of getting severely ill from coronavirus, but the CDC has said that women experience changes in their bodies during pregnancy that may increase their risk of some infections.

In general, Covid-19 infections are riskier if you have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease or asthma, heart failure or heart disease, sickle cell anemia, cancer (or are undergoing chemotherapy), kidney disease with dialysis, a body mass index (BMI) over 40 (extremely obese) or an autoimmune disorder.

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 advises.

To be clear, you are at higher risk even if you are young if you have underlying health issues.

People under 60 with underlying illnesses, with diabetes, heart disease, immunocompromised or have any kind of lung disease previously, those people are more vulnerable despite their younger age, Schaffner said.

A history of travel to an area where the novel coronavirus is widespread (and those parts of the world, including the US, are going up each day) is obviously another key factor in deciding if your symptoms may be Covid-19 or not.

If you have no symptoms, please do not ask for testing or add to backlog of calls at testing centers, clinics, hospitals and the like, experts say.

We do not test people with no symptoms because its a resource issue, Schaffner said about the assessment center at Vanderbilt.

However, we are emphasizing that people who have this small cluster of important symptoms fever and anything related to the lower respiratory tract such as cough and difficulty breathing reach out to be evaluated.

If you do have those three signs, where should you go?

If you have insurance and youre looking for a provider or someone to call or connect with, theres always a number on the back of your insurance card; or if you go online, there is information for patients, Harris said.

If you dont have insurance, you can start with the state health department or the local community health centers, those are officially known as federally qualified health centers, Harris advised, adding that some states have a 1-800 hotline number to call.

If there is a testing and assessment center near you, you can go there directly, Schaffer said. Its always good to notify them that youre coming. Otherwise, you need to call your healthcare provider and they will direct you what to do.

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LIST: Here Are The Symptoms Of Coronavirus And When To Seek Help - CBS Baltimore

What a year last week was! Life still resembles itself, but only vaguely. I vowed not to touch the V-I-R-U-S keys in preparing this weeks column. Obviously, my fingers and my brain are not in sync or maybe they are: here I am writing about the developments of a mindboggling week.

Complicating matters, during those jumbly, confusing days when symptoms of the coronavirus were incessantly enumerated on TV, in the print press, and on social media, I was fogged and clogged by a full-blown cold. Through a cloud of wadded-up tissues and cough drop wrappers, I washed my hands and wiped down surfaces, while alternating between the uncertain certainty of COVID-19 and the back-to-sanity realization that I was simply suffering the Shirley-version of the common cold.

Longer than I should have, I allowed myself to be almost mentally incapacitated by the all-coronavirus-all-day coverage of the cable news outlets and the wildly-varying overreactions and underreactions I found on Facebook. I felt dismay at the panic to which too many of us succumbed and anger at the selfishness of some. Even as I worried about our elderly population in the high-risk category, I had to repeatedly remind myself I am an elderly person in the high-risk category!

Then I happened upon a news briefing by Governor DeWine. He and Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, presented the latest and most essential information I had heard anywhere in a calm but compelling manner. At that point, I took control of my media exposure, determining to listen to their daily 2 PM briefing as my major source of information along with one evening newscast for perspective.

I feel fortunate that our governor has surrounded himself with a team of medical professionals with whom he digs for facts. As reported in the UDC, Mike DeWine has been ahead of other elected officials across the nation, basing his approach to COVID-19 on the successful, life-saving approach of St. Louis during the deadly Spanish influenza of 1918.

My feelings of good fortune continue each time I listen to Dr. Acton speak. Armed with degrees in preventative medicine and public health, this mother of six has moved beyond the debacle testing has become in attempting to flatten the curve, in preparation for the surge yet to come: when hospital facilities and their limited supplies of personal protective equipment may very well be overwhelmed. Dr. Acton explains well, makes crucial points, talks down to no one, is clearheaded and forthright. By the way, two previous holders of her position were a lawyer and a marketing director.

Based on events of this past week, I agree with Governor DeWines assessment of his fellow Ohioans: We are resilient. We will rally. We will make it. When the governor closed the schools, administrations jumped into action to formulate delivery systems of breakfasts and lunches to their students. Unencumbered by state red tape, teaching staffs designed online lessons for their own students. All manner of websites popped up with virtual safaris and drawing lessons. When the governor closed dine-in restaurants, Facebook filled with carry-out and delivery instructions from local eateries. Some stores have established elderly-only shopping hours.

And we have so many heroes to support: as always, we thank the first-responders, but also the truck drivers and farmers as well as every healthcare professional willing to risk serving under the most difficult of conditions, many of which are yet to occur.

Sometimes the little things become even more important. There was a Facebook photo of a son visiting his father at the nursing home, each on either side of a window chatting on their cell phones. Another picture showed a little boy playing tic-tac-toe with his elderly neighbor on two sides of a glass door with grease pencils on a board outlined by painters tape. Snowbird friends of mine returning from Florida noted electronic billboards in every state recommending limited travel to stop the spread of COVID-19. Only in Ohio did they see the additional message of: We are all in this together.

I checked in with Ingrid in Germany, where toilet paper is also in short supply. She will not, for the foreseeable future, babysit for her granddaughters. Our conversation reminded me of my reason for promoting international exchange: people in all countries are much more similar than different. Residents of most nations have experienced/are experiencing/will experience COVID-19. Perhaps through sharing fears, concerns, and solutions with our global neighbors, we can all move a little closer to sharing in other areas of life on our planet.

At home, my Great-Depression-survivor father often criticized our pickiness about food: You are too well fed. His phrase eventually stretched to cover a general lack of appreciation for all that we have. For many, these extraordinary times are thus far an exercise in inconvenience although true sacrifice and shortage may be just down the road a piece. I recalled my fathers assessment, when a former student suggested the merely inconvenienced remember people whose lives are at stake, those with childcare flexibility remember people with no options, those of us settling in for quarantine remember people who have no home.

I think, however, that for the next weeks and months or however long this new normal continues for that amount of time I will hold on to the oft-repeated words of my mother: This, too, shall pass.

Shirley Scott, a 1966 graduate of Graham High School, is a native of Champaign County. After receiving degrees in English and German from Otterbein College, she returned to GHS in 1970 where she taught until retiring in 2010. From 1976-2001 she coordinated the German Exchange Program with the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium in Springe.

Go here to see the original:
Facing it all together - Urbana Daily Citizen

Tired of washing your hands for 20 seconds each time? Fingers starting to prune or feel like sandpaper?

The world is counting on you to help stop the spread of Covid-19, the deadly new disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Take heart that while you're scrubbing, you're also killing off a host of other nasty bacteria and potentially lethal viruses that have plagued humans for centuries -- including influenza and a number of different coronaviruses.

"There are four coronaviruses that circulate in humans regularly, almost every year," said virologist Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

"And they mainly cause colds; in fact, they cause about a third of common colds. They don't kill people," he added.

Coronaviruses aren't the only nasty parasites that succumb to a vigorous application of soap and water. Influenza -- which kills millions around the world each year -- and the human metapneumovirus, which causes a respiratory infection that can lead to pneumonia, also break down and die.

How did such a simple thing as soap and warm water -- and alcohol-based sanitizers -- obtain such power over these parasites?

The answer lies in their "skin" and your scrubbing technique.

What soap and warm water do

Under the microscope, coronaviruses appear to be covered with pointy spires, giving them the appearance of having a crown or "corona" -- hence the name. Beneath the crown is the outer layer of the virus, which is made up of lipids, or what you and I would call fat.

Now imagine that coronavirus is your butter dish, covered with buttery fat.

"You try to wash your butter dish with water alone, but that butter is not coming off the dish," Williams explained. "You need some soap to dissolve grease. So soap or alcohol are very, very effective against dissolving that greasy liquid coating of the virus."

What does getting rid of that outer layer do to the germ?

"It physically inactivates the virus, so it can't bind to and enter human cells anymore," Wllliams said.

Just how soap accomplishes this feat is rather strange and fascinating science.

It's all about how soap molecules are formed -- each looks much like a tiny sperm, with a head and tail. The head bonds with water but the tail rejects it, preferring oil and fat.

Frantically trying to escape water, the tail of the soap is drawn to the fatty outer layer of the virus and begins to pry it open, much like we might use a crowbar to separate two pieces of wood.

Once the virus or bacteria splits open, it spills its guts into the soapy water and dies.

Water and scrubbing with your hands are important to this process because the combination creates more soap bubbles, which disrupt the chemical bonds that allow bacteria, viruses and other germs to stick to surfaces.

You want to scrub, build up bubbles and scrub some more, getting into every crack and crevice of your hands and fingers, including your fingernails, for 20 seconds, which is about as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. (But if you're tired of that ditty, there are songs from every decade you can sing instead.)

Now, when you rinse your hands, all the germs that have been hurt, trapped or killed by soap molecules are washed away.

"All those bubbles and foam ... literally pick germs up and wash them down the drain," said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

You often hear that the water you wash with should be warm, but why? After all, even hot water does not kill bacteria or viruses until you get to a temperature that would scald the skin.

"Cold water will 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 who studies disinfectants.

To do that, you might need to sing "Happy Birthday" three times instead of two.

"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."

What alcohol-based sanitizers do

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be as effective as soap if they are used properly, Schaffner explained.

"They need to have at least 60% alcohol in them," Schaffner said. "It's the alcohol that's the virus killer."

Just putting a little dollop in the palm of your hand and wiping quickly isn't good enough, Schaffner said.

"You've got to use enough and get it all over the surfaces," he said. "Rub it all over your hands, between your fingers and on the back of your hands."

"That's because alcohol is a different chemical property," Wuest said. "It helps break up the germ membranes, but you need to make sure it gets into direct contact with the bacteria or virus."

But there are situations in which soap and water are best, Williams said, because of the ability of soap and water to trap and wash microorganisms away.

"Alcohol is pretty effective at killing germs, but it doesn't wash away stuff," he said. "So you know, 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.

"So if somebody's hands are visibly or grossly contaminated, soap and water are better," Williams said.

That's especially important because there are nasty germs and bacteria out there that don't have soft, fatty bellies that soap bubbles can attack -- such as hepatitis A virus, poliovirus, meningitis and pneumonia.

So the next time you wash your hands for the umpteenth time, take pride in all those soapy bubbles you're creating -- and enjoy the pleasure of imagining those microscopic, dead creatures circle the drain.

Link:
Why soap, sanitizer and warm water work against Covid-19 and other viruses - The Albany Herald

The chatter about a promising drug to fight Covid-19 started, as chatter often does (but science does not), on Twitter. A blockchain investor named James Todaro tweeted that an 85-year-old malaria drug called chloroquine was a potential treatment and preventative against the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Todaro linked to a Google doc hed cowritten, explaining the idea.

Plus: How can I avoid catching it? Is Covid-19 more deadly than the flu? Our in-house Know-It-Alls answer your questions.

Though nearly a dozen drugs to treat coronavirus are in clinical trials in China, just oneremdesivir, an antiviral that was in trials against Ebola and the coronavirus MERSis in full-on trials in the US. Nothing has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. So a promising drug would be greatand even better, chloroquine isnt new. Its use dates back to World War II, and its derived from the bark of the chinchona tree, like quinine, a centuries-old antimalarial. That means the drug is now generic and is relatively cheap. Physicians understand it well, and theyre allowed to prescribe it for anything they want, not just malaria.

Todaros tweet got thousands of likes. The engineer/tech world picked up the idea. The widely-read blog Stratechery linked to Todaros Google document; Ben Thompson, the blogs editor, wrote that he was wholly unqualified to comment but that the anecdotal evidence favored the idea. Echoing the document, Thompson wrote that the paper was written in consultation with Stanford Medical School, the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical school, and National Academy of Sciences researchersnone of which is exactly true. (More on that in a bit.) One of Todaros coauthors, a lawyer named Gregory Rigano, went on Fox News to talk about the concept. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted about it, citing an explanatory YouTube video from a physician whos been doing a series of coronavirus explainers. To be fair, Musk wasnt all-in on the idea absent more data, though he wrote that hed received a life-saving dose of chloroquine for malaria.

Its the definition of big if true. Part of the story of Covid-19, of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is that it is novel. Humans dont have any immunity to it. Theres no vaccine, no drug approved to treat it. But if a drug did existif a cheap, easy drug can stave off the worst, ventilator-requiring, sometimes-fatal complications of coronavirus infection, or maybe prevent that infection in the first place, what are we all socially isolating for, like suckers?

That ifas the saying goesis doing a lot of work. The Covid-19 pandemic is causing, reasonably, a worldwide freak-out as scientists and policymakers race to find solutions, not always competently or efficiently. Its the kind of thing that rankles the engineer-disruptor mindset. Surely this must be an easily solved problem thats primarily the fault of bureaucracy, regulation, and people who dont understand science. And maybe the first two things are true. The third thing, though, is where the risks hide. Silicon Valley lionizes people who rush toward solutions and ignore problems; science is designed to find solutions by identifying those problems. The two approaches are often incompatible.

What happened here, specifically, is that Rigano sought Todaro out. Todaros tweet identified Rigano as being affiliated with Johns Hopkins; Riganos LinkedIn profile says hes on leave from a masters degree program there in bioinformatics, and has been an advisor to a program at Stanford called SPARK, which does translational drug discoveryfinding new uses and applications for approved drugs. I have a very unique background at the crossroads of law and science, Rigano tells me. I have been working with large pharmaceutical companies, universities, biotechs, and nonprofits in the development of drugs and medical products. He says those contacts told him about the use of chloroquine against Covid-19 in China and South Korea, so he started reading up on it.

(Johns Hopkins did not return a request for comment; a spokesperson for Stanford Medical School emails: Stanford Medicine, including SPARK, wasnt involved in the creation of the Google document, and weve requested that the author remove all references to us. In addition, Gregory Rigano is not an advisor with Stanford School of Medicine and no one at Stanford was involved in the study.)

It turns out that people have been pitching chloroquine as an antiviral for years. In the early 1990s researchers proposed it as an adjunct to early protease inhibitor drugs to help treat HIV/AIDS. A team led by Stuart Nichol, the head of the Special Pathogens Unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published a paper in 2005 saying that the drug was effective against primate cells infected with SARS, the first big respiratory coronavirus to affect humans. Thats an in vitro test, not live animalsjust cells.

See the rest here:
Chloroquine May Fight Covid-19and Silicon Valleys Into It - WIRED

Israel's inability to handle a pandemic crisis was known prior to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, according to information published Monday by the State Comptroller.The report focused on the possibility of an influenza pandemic but showed that Israel was not ready to fight any pandemic, including the novel coronavirus, while highlighting the countrys lack of strategic planning. Before the outbreak of the current pandemic, hospital occupancy rates in Israel were already the highest in the developed world, while its mortality rates from infectious diseases, which doubled in the past two decades alone, are not only higher than in every other developed country, they are 73% higher than the second-ranked country, said Prof. Dan Ben-David, president and founder of the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research and a faculty member at Tel Aviv Universitys Department of Public Policy. The healthcare system has been under-budgeted for many years, medical staff and all other resources were overloaded even before the pandemic, added Dr. Yotam Rosner, head of Information, Research and Development for Physicians for Human Rights. So, we are not fully prepared to handle the coronavirus.In general, the state comptroller report highlighted the lack of intensive care beds, medical staff and equipment, which would enable effective treatment in the case of a pandemic, and bolster capabilities to manage other major outbreaks. It also showed that hospitals are overcrowded year-round.The prime minister was quick to respond that the report is irrelevant to the current coronavirus outbreak, as there has been no such event in the last century and no country in the world could have predicted or prepared for the spread of the virus, while claiming that under his tenure the health system in Israel has been significantly improved. But Rosner said that the report sheds a bright light on Israels unreadiness for this epidemic. He said that some people have referred to the novel coronavirus as a black swan, though the coronavirus is not one. Rosner said that these types of epidemics occur in cycles around three times each century and health professionals know that. The report acknowledged that the system is overloaded, which we have said many, many times and means that there are no reserves whatsoever in hospital beds or ventilation machines and which means that effectively when we do have address this pandemic, everything else has to be stopped and delayed because now you need to direct all your medical staff toward this pandemic.Israel quickly postponed all voluntary medical procedures and cancelled any non-essential surgeries or other health visits. Moreover, Rosner explained that public healthcare does not center only around hospitals and clinics but also preventative medicine, public awareness and health literacy, all of which the report indicated were challenges. For example, the report indicated that during the recent global measles outbreak in 2018-2019, Israel had the seventh highest morbidity rate worldwide. Some 60% of 4,300 infected individuals were children aged up to nine years old. Three Israeli citizens died during the outbreak.Moreover, following a growing trend of anti-vaccine sentiment, the Health Ministry estimates that a total of 1.1%-1.7% of the population is not vaccinated against measles today, compared to 0.6% in 2011. During the recent measles outbreak, among infected patients aged between two and 19 years old, at least 49% were children of vaccine refusers. Half of all those infected were residents of Jerusalem, of which 80% were from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.Rosner said that communication between all minorities and subcultures and the Health Ministry is lacking and therefore all the populations that are in the periphery of society were even less prepared and the government is struggling to obtain their adherence. The level of health literacy is low, which means they are not following the guidelines, even ones that are crucial for them to follow, Rosner said. Their level of accessibility to the Health Ministry and their ability to prepare for quarantine is very low.For example, quarantine requires that people have a separate room for anyone infected or potentially infected, which does not exist for many communities and it is unclear what alternatives exist for them.Many in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and Arab communities have ignored government directives to remain at home and police have been used multiple times to break up large gatherings by members of these communities. Rosner said that there is no strategic planning in healthcare and he compared it to the Defense Ministry, which recently released a five-year strategic plan that consists of its vision and goals. One of the reasons for that is that the budget is so small for the HMOs that they are already so overloaded and all of their financial resources are for the here and now and not for what is needed in five or 10 of 15 years, which could be a pandemic, he said.According to Rosner, every year the HMOs have to appeal to the Finance Ministry for additional funding just to pay for their day-to-day operations.Investing in a 10- or 15-year plan or innovation or infrastructure? It is almost difficult to imagine, he said. Health Ministry Direct-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov promised to study the comptroller report and learn from it. In the meantime, as Ben-David explained, We shut the country down to deal with something that we neglected for decades.

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Israels inability to handle coronavirus known before pandemic arrived - The Jerusalem Post

On Monday, outraged Egyptians took to social media to decry those poisoning stray cats and dogs on the streets as well as owners who are abandoning their pets over fears of coronavirus transmission, but, putting the inhumanity and cruelty of these practices aside, does this claim hold?

Well, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the beginning of the outbreak, there has been only two instances in Hong Kong, where a dog was infected; however, further investigation showed that there is no evidence that a dog or a cat can transmit COVID-19.

When a 17-year-old Pomeranian in Hong Kong tested weakly positive, the internet exploded in fear. The dog was promptly quarantined, where it showed no symptoms of the infection. Another dog living in the same house was examined over a period of time, and it consistently tested negative, suggesting perhaps that COVID-19 is not transmittable from a canine host. Three days after the dog tested negative and was released from isolation, it died.

Dr. Dana Varble, chief veterinary officer for theNorth American Veterinary Community, believes that the exact cause of death can not be determined because there was no autopsy. She made note of the dogs old age and its multiple underlying health conditions.

Another dog in Hong Kong, a German Shepherd this time, tested positive for the COVID-19; however, it is worth mentioning that a mixed-breed dog at the same house tested negative, and that both dogs showed no symptoms of the illness.

Experts all over the world are reassuring the public that humans cannot get the virus from pets; according to a CNN interview with Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, the current data on our hands shows that the coronavirus is not spreading among pets or farm animals.

A recent study tested thousands of cats and dogs for the coronavirus and found no positive results. Therefore, scientists are assuming that the possibility of dogs and cats contracting the illness is extremely low.

Another healthcare concern raises the question of whether a pets fur could be contaminated by the virus, if, for instance, an infected person sneezed on it. Well, since there is a lot we do not know about this virus, experts are recommending that owners should not get in contact with other peoples pets and keep their own household companions away from other pets and owners. A rule of thumb is to apply the rules of social distancing to pets as well.

But should we stop petting our own dogs altogether? Dr. John Williams, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, told CNN that it is uncalled for.

Embrace your pets, Williams advised. Pets play a vital psycho-psychological role for their owners, specially now when everybodys feeling so isolated and alone.

In Egypt, a rumor that stray animals transmit COVID-19 has pushed some owners to abandon their pets and the uninformed to poison strays. Heartwarming images and videos of house cats lost on the streets and dogs looking for their owners were more than enough to spark outrage all over social media.

Sherine Hamdy, Tv Presenter of the show ON SET on ON TV, appeared on an IGTV video scolding owners abandoning their pets and informing the public that based on the current data, we do not have any reason to believe that pets transmit COVID-19. Her video shows how heartbreaking it is to think of all these helpless animals either dying or getting stranded because of a baseless rumor.

To all pet owners out there, choosing to have a pet is a sacred responsibility. Once you allow an animal into your house, you are their shelter, abandoning them on the streets is a death sentence; household animals do not have the skill set to survive on their own after spending a lifetime well fed and cared for.

As for the uninformed poisoning the streets, well, there are animal welfare laws, but unfortunately, these are, in most cases, not applied. It is a responsibility on the rest of us to raise awareness and spread the truth about these lovely animals; either way, if enough of us are voice are outrage, maybe the message will get across.

WE SAID THIS: Speaking of animals, here is a list of shelters in case you know about any pets in need!

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To Those Abandoning Their Pets During the Pandemic, Cats and Dogs DO NOT Transmit the Virus - SCOOP EMPIRE

COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, has trampled its way across Asia, swept through Europe and, to much Americans dismay, touched down in the USA.

As of March 16, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases in 49 states with a total of 3,487 infected persons and 68 deaths.

With cases popping up across the country and social media spreading some of the pandemics darkest rumors and conspiracies, its no surprise citizens are stocking up on hand sanitizer and hoarding face masks and toilet paper. But are these measures enough to ward off a community outbreak and stop future transmissions?

To answer this question, its important to first understand who among the population is at risk.

According to the CDC, early information out of China shows that some people are at higher risk for serious illness than others. Those people are older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. Studies show young, healthy persons may not be as susceptible to COVID-19; an unsettling twist for scientists considering asymptomatic persons may be unknowingly spreading the disease within their communities.

Everyone thinks that theyre going to die if they catch it (COVID-19) but thats just not true, said Dr. Robert Finberg, chair of the Department of Medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Medical School in Worcester. Healthy young people are not at high risk. Its the elderly, specifically those over 80, and those with severe immune dysfunctions, who are dying. Its our responsibility as a community to protect them.

People are becoming overly consumed about self-preservation when, in reality, the data shows illness will be mild for the majority who get sick, Finberg said.

UMass Memorials biggest concern is there will not be enough resources should everyone flock to the hospital when they develop symptoms.

We simply dont have enough beds, said Finberg about UMass Memorial Medical Group. We are recommending that people who are not in high-risk groups (young people) not come to the hospital if they think they have the virus.

This may seem like a contradictory statement, coming from a healthcare facility, but its one that is being echoed across the country. According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill should be isolated at home for the duration of their illness and only seek medical attention should symptoms worsen.

So, what should young, non-immunocompromised people do to ward off sickness and prepare for an outbreak?

Wash your hands! Gosh, we are taught this in kindergarten! says Angela Wilson, clinical microbiology instructor at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

Wash your hands and keep them away from your mouth, nose, eyes, and portals of entry. Stay away from those who are infected and dont touch contaminated surfaces, Wilson said.

As face masks continue to fly off the shelf, a global shortage is predicted to only get worse. This is a serious problem for medical personnel who rely on masks to prevent viral spread. However, contrary to popular thought, masks are not recommended as a preventative measure, and the CDC does not advise healthy people to wear them.

If youre healthy, it doesnt really make sense, said Finberg. If you get the virus on your hands and then adjust the mask therefore touching your face you are effectively bypassing the mask and rendering it useless. If youre not washing your hands, the face mask wont help you.

If youre sick, a mask could help contain the spread, but its not something that we are recommending healthy people go out and buy, said Finberg.

Besides handwashing, another way to protect yourself from contracting COVID-19 is to be cognizant of what youre touching.

CDC suggests whenever possible to avoid high-touch surfaces in public places and to practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces within your home. Surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, handles, faucets, sinks and cell phones.

To ensure youre cleaning with the right products, the Center for Biocide Chemistries has produced a list of COVID-19 Fighting Products. This list, which can be found on the CDCs website as well as on the American Chemistry Councils website, includes brands such as Purell, Clorox, Lysol, and Simple Green regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

This is a voluntary listing of products that are EPA regulated, said Komal Jain, executive director of the Center for Biocide Chemistries. The EPA sets forth criteria that says these companies must provide data proving that the product destroys a virus that is harder to kill than COVID-19.

According to the American Chemistry Council, viruses can be generally categorized into three groups, according to the structure. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses, meaning they are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill. All of the fighting products on the COVID-19 Fighting Products list have been proven strong enough to neutralize the virus.

Despite preventative action, the pandemic of COVID-19 has reached our borders and, collectively, health professionals are all saying the same thing communal outbreaks are inevitable.

The number countries are on the CDCs Avoid Non-essential Travel list has risen to about 30, including China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea. Most recently, the U.S. Department of State advised U.S. travelers, particularly those with underlying health issues, avoid cruise ship travel.

Considering the risk of a localized outbreak, the CDC recommends all persons take the below immediate preparedness steps:

Its important to stay calm, said Wilson. The word outbreak tends to breed panic. This is an old virus, but its spreading in a new way. People need to keep things in perspective, keeping in mind that those who are not faring well would also not fare well against the flu virus, but no one is talking about that.

The disease is currently thought to spread via respiratory droplets, warranting precautions against COVID-19 should mimic that of seasonal flu prevention. Consistent handwashing, habitual disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces, and, within reason, avoidance of public gatherings, is the best way to protect yourself from getting sick.

This is not the apocalypse, said Finberg. But it is an unfortunate pandemic that we are going to suffer through. We are asking that people focus on protecting their older relatives, especially those who are infirm. Focus on sanitation, that is whats vital.

Read more here:
Protect and prepare: As coronavirus spreads, health officials urge people to be smart and think about how their actions impact others - Worcester...

Chelsea Jones view as she went in her car to get checked for COVID-19 at a Sutter Health drive-up testing site in South Berkeley. Photo: Chelsea Jones

When Berkeley resident Chelsea Jones developed shortness of breath and a tightness in her chest, she was immediately worried that she had contracted COVID-19. She called her healthcare provider but was met with roadblocks. After filling out a questionnaire, she was told she didnt need to be tested for the novel coronavirus. When she tried to sign up for a video appointment, there were none available.

Things started to look up when Jones received a message through Sutter Healths online portal instructing her to call the COVID-19 triage line. Despite not having traveled overseas, not having any preexisting conditions, and being 32, Jones (for whom we are using a pseudonym to protect her privacy) was told to visit a Sutter Health drive-up testing site in South Berkeley and was given an appointment time. There, a doctor evaluated her through the drivers window, taking her temperature, examining her throat and listening to her heart and lungs.

The doctor said that all my vitals were normal and that my lungs sounded clear, and that this, plus my lack of fever, means he doesnt think I have COVID-19, Jones* said in an email. Given this, he said that he doesnt think it made sense to test me at this time, especially because even if I did have COVID-19, they wouldnt do anything different.

With or without a diagnosis, the doctor told her, the treatment would be the same: stay home.

Jones breathed a sigh of relief and went back to self-isolating in her home.

Joness experience is typical. Most people who want to get tested for COVID-19 cannot, even if they are experiencing symptoms. Due to a shortage of kits around the country, testing is reserved for high-priority patients.

Tweets and emails about the frustration at not being able to get a test abound.

One UC Berkeley student wrote to Berkeleyside and described crowded conditions at University Health Services at the Tang Center on Bancroft Way, where very few tests are being given. He expressed frustration at a lack of information about test availability and not being able to take his university insurance to other healthcare providers to find a test.

Students must start treatment at the Tang Center, but it does not feel safe and the hours have been slashed after the shelter-in-place order, the student wrote.

As of Monday, Berkeley had 10 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including at least one spread by community contact, but it is likely that the actual number of cases is much higher.

Per CDC guidelines, hospitals are limiting testing to high-priority groups, such as those exhibiting severe symptoms, with preexisting conditions, and those who have been directly exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Healthcare professionals and the elderly are also likely to be more eligible for testing.

The most powerful tool to fight COVID-19 is non-pharmaceutical interventions like social distancing. Matthai Chakko, city of Berkeley spokesman

City officials emphasize that social distancing not testing is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

We have to understand that testing is not a medicine, said Matthai Chakko, a spokesman for the city of Berkeley, which has its own health department. Chakko warned against socializing in seemingly benign ways, such as playing volleyball with friends or having a picnic. The most powerful tool to fight COVID-19 is non-pharmaceutical interventions like social distancing.

Chakko also warned against overburdening the healthcare system, especially as infections skyrocket in the United States and throughout the world.

What we are concerned about is a surge and overwhelming of our healthcare system, said Chakko. People who have mild illnesses should generally handle them on their own.

That being said, if you are experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms, there are several places where you can go to get tested in Berkeley, often for a fee. The first step is to call your regular healthcare provider, who will evaluate you to determine if you qualify for testing. You might also choose to use this self-triage tool to determine whether it would be prudent to take the next steps. (Scroll down for a list of testing providers.)

There are a few places you cant go to get tested. If you are experiencing symptoms, do not immediately go to Urgent Care, to the emergency room or other public health locations in Berkeley. Do not call the city of Berkeley Department of Public Health expecting a diagnosis.

A week after first reporting her symptoms, Jones is feeling a bit better. Though the tightness in her chest hasnt gone away, she felt well enough to spend Sunday working in her garden, planting broccoli, carrots and chard. She feels much less anxious about her personal situation but is concerned about whats to come, encouraging community members to take preventative measures like social distancing seriously.

Carbon Health is a healthcare provider that offers testing to any California resident for a $167 flat fee you do not have to be a member. To find out if you are eligible for testing, complete the companys Coronavirus Assessment Tool. Eligible patients will then virtually consult with a healthcare professional. If deemed eligible, patients can come to the organizations Berkeley office on Telegraph Avenue. Even this organization is experiencing shortages in test-kits, though, and needs to triage accordingly. A sign on the door of its Berkeley office explains to patients that the clinic has a very limited supply available each day.

LifeLong Medical Care provides health and social services, including to underserved communities such as low-income, elderly or disabled people. LifeLong offers three curbside COVID-19 testing locations in Berkeley and Oakland for LifeLong members who have been pre-screened by staff and deemed eligible. The services are offered at no cost to members, but Lifelong emphasizes that patients should call the center first to limit exposure for its staff.

Kaiser Permanente Kaiser members are advised that if that if they are feeling sick they should contact their regular doctor through Kaisers online platform or complete an e-visit, answering a COVID-19 questionnaire. If you might be eligible for testing, your doctor will refer you to Kaisers drive-up testing services at a site in the East Bay (the locations and hours of operation are not public). You must be a Kaiser member to be tested. If you are tested, you will receive results in four to seven days. You will not be charged for screening or testing if you are a Kaiser member.

Sutter Health installed drive-up testing services this week in Berkeley and Oakland, but the exact locations are not public. If Sutter is your regular healthcare provider, contact your doctor to receive the triage assessment hotline. Your doctor will refer you if you are eligible for testing. Sutter promises to waive testing co-pays in advance of the test but may charge patients afterwards.

John Muir Health provides testing services to members who have been recommended by a John Muir doctor. Once screened, patients will receive an appointment day and time at an urgent care site in Berkeley or one of the providers three other sites.

OneMedical has offices in Berkeley and Oakland that provide COVID-19 testing to members who meet their eligibility requirements. Patients screened through its online service will be assigned a location and time to collect the sample before sending it to a lab.

Tang Medical Center at UC Berkeley reports a very limited testing capacity for students, and even more limited capacity for the public. As a result, the center is prioritizing testing where the result could influence decisions about clinical care or isolation housing. In other words, testing will be considered only if the advice would be anything other than to self-isolate. Stringent testing requirements could leave students who are on the universitys health insurance plan with limited access to testing. However, the Tang Center is currently working on developing its testing capacity. Tang also advises students to get prescreened by calling the Nurse Advice Line at 510-643-7197 before coming in.

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You probably can't get tested for COVID-19 in Berkeley. But here's how it works - Berkeleyside

Three separate medical studies have found a potentially effective treatment for the coronavirus that could also be useful in preventing infections in some cases.

The coronavirus, known as COVID-19, is viewed as a particularly potent threat because there is currently no medical treatment and no preventative vaccine, so any hope of slowing down the spread and death rate could be significant.

What's the treatment? Multiple studies showed that the use of chloroquine to treat the coronavirus can lead to faster recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.

Chloroquine is normally used as an anti-malarial drug, used for the prevention and/or treatment of malaria. It's available in the United States by prescription, and can be safely taken by men and women of all ages, including pregnant women.

Doctors in China and South Korea have observed that the coronavirus patients treated with chloroquine show reduced fever and better lung CT images, and so far research has not found any negative effects of the treatment.

From a study done in consultation with Stanford University School of Medicine, UAB School of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences:

UK catching on? The study noted that Europe may be aware of the potential use of chloroquine to treat coronavirus, shown by a recent move by the United Kingdom to add chloroquine to a list of medicines that can't be exported.

Read the original here:
Studies find potentially effective medicine for coronavirus treatment and prevention that's readily available - TheBlaze

With more than 200,000 coronavirus cases worldwide and thousands of deaths, a striking pattern is appearing in the hardest-hit countries: More men are dying than women.

No where is this trend more pronounced than in Italy. Men make up nearly 60% of people with confirmed cases of the virus and more than 70% of those who have died from covid-19, according to the countrys main public health research agency.

On the other end of the spectrum is South Korea, where about 61% of confirmed infections have been in women. Though far fewer patients have died, the majority of fatalities 54% were again in men.

As the pandemic escalates, epidemiologists and public health authorities are scrambling to understand who is most vulnerable and how to protect them. The data from countries such as Italy and South Korea show that the disease can take wildly different paths.

Exactly what makes a group vulnerable and how to protect them has experts mystified, said Carlos del Rio, chair of the department of global health at Emory University. This difference in mortality is creating a lot of anxiety, he added.

The outbreak of covid-19 in Italy is the deadliest in the world. As of March 17, more than 40,000 people there have been sickened with the virus, and 3,405 have died. That means that, based on these current and unavoidably incomplete figures, 8.2 percent of people infected in the country have died. That is more than double the global figure presented recently by the WHO.

Italys aging population is probably particularly susceptible to the disease, researchers say. With a median age of 46.5, according to the CIA World Factbook, it is the fifth oldest country in the world. And these elderly citizens are those who have become the sickest: People over the age of 70 represent more than 87% of deaths there.

Older people are typically hit harder with respiratory diseases, del Rio said. They are more likely to get pneumonia an infection that inflames the lungs and fills them with fluid or pus and to have underlying health conditions that could make them vulnerable to the virus.

With older people, del Rio said, sometimes it doesnt take very much to push you over the edge.

The gender disparity in illness and death is harder to explain. Even before the covid-19 pandemic reached Italy, early reports out of China suggested men were especially at risk. A study of 99 patients at a hospital in Wuhan, where the virus originated, found that men made up two-thirds of patients, and half of all the people who were hospitalized had chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. More recent figures from Chinas Center for Disease Control, based on tens of thousands of cases, showed a strong gender breakdown of deaths, which were 64% male.

But the figures in Italy have been even more staggering. Nearly 60% of diagnoses have been in men, according to Italys top health research agency, Istituto Superiore di Sanit. Across the first 1,697 coronavirus deaths, 71% 1,197 were in men. Just 29%, or 493, were in women.

In a recent study published in the Lancet, meanwhile, the figures were even higher. It found that 80% of the deaths were in men and just 20% were in women.

It is certainly possible that as death tolls rise in other countries, the pattern of greater male deaths seen so far in Italy, China, and South Korea could shift. But so far, this is what the evidence shows in the two countries with the largest death tolls, Italy and China, and in a third country (South Korea) acclaimed for keeping very good tabs on the disease.

The honest truth is that today we dont know why covid-19 is more severe for men than women or why the magnitude of the difference is greater in Italy than China, said Sabra Klein, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. What we do know is that in addition to older age, being male is a risk factor for severe outcome and the public should be made aware.

The gendered death gap was also seen in the smaller SARS and MERS outbreaks, added Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University.

Its clearly something that has happened consistently with coronaviruses, it could inform clinical practices and improve patient outcomes, and its definitely a question worth investigating, she added.

These statistics could be a product of behavior, biology, or both, scientists say.

For one thing, demographic figures suggest many men have more health risks to begin with. In China, Italy and South Korea, women tend to live longer than men, according to the World Health Organization.

Men also drink and smoke more in all of these countries, particularly in China, where 48% of men above 15 smoke compared with just 2% of women, according to the WHO. Probably not coincidentally, men in these countries also tend to die more frequently from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases between ages 30 and 70.

But there are also underlying biological differences between men and women that may make covid-19 worse in men, several researchers pointed out. Years of research have found that women generally have stronger immune systems than men and are better able to fend off infections. The X chromosome contains a large number of immune-related genes, and because women have two of them, they gain an advantage in fighting disease, according to a recent study in the journal Human Genomics. Studies have also found that estrogen was protective in female mice infected with the virus that caused the 2003 SARs outbreak. During that epidemic, men had a much higher case fatality rate than women.

When [a] severe outcome is caused by an inability to rapidly control the infection, then it is often adult males who suffer worse outcomes than females, Klein wrote in an email.

South Korea presents a stark contrast to Italy. Rapid action by public health authorities, who have administered coronavirus tests at a higher rate than any other country in the world, has slowed the spread of the outbreak there. As of March 19, the country had 8,565 confirmed cases and 91 deaths. As a result, its current case fatality rate of 1.06% is far below the global average.

That low death rate is testament to the countrys aggressive coronavirus response; Korean hospitals were not overloaded, as they are in Italy, and life treatment centers were set up for patients with milder symptoms.

But it is also a function of who is getting sick, del Rio said. Whereas the typical coronavirus patient in Italy and elsewhere is male and in his 60s, women represent more than 60% of infections in South Korea, and nearly a third of the cases there have been people between the ages of 20 and 29.

What were beginning to see is that the disease presents in multiple ways and its pretty mild in people who are young, del Rio said.

Young women are overrepresented in South Koreas coronavirus patient figures because of the demographics in the fringe religious sect Shincheonji Church of Jesus, where the countrys biggest coronavirus cluster took place.

South Korea saw a sudden spike in virus cases after an infection cluster emerged at a local branch of the church mid-February. Later that month, South Korean health authorities launched a testing blitz on more than 200,000 members of the church across the country.

In a briefing earlier this month, the countrys center for disease control director Jung Eun-Kyeong said the number of young female patients is high because women in their 20s and 30s make up a big portion of Shincheonji church membership.

Experts say the mass testing of the church members possibly gave rise to detection bias in epidemiological statistics surrounding South Koreas coronavirus outbreak.

If you test all members of a church the likelihood of disease detection in that group naturally goes up, said Choi Jae-wook, professor of Preventative Medicine at Korea University in Seoul. The skewed representation of young patients from the church cluster helped make South Koreas case fatality rate so low, Choi said.

It may be that more young people are getting sick in Italy as well, but because their symptoms are mild and the country has not been testing aggressively, those cases are not being counted, del Rio said.

The age and gender discrepancies could offer important insights into how the coronavirus interacts with hosts immune systems, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins. Symptoms like high fever and a bad cough suggest the virus triggers an extreme inflammatory response, in which the body counters attacks with an army of defensive cells.

Sometimes it can be those cells that are driving the disease, Peskov said, causing more damage than they are controlling infection.

Understanding this response, particularly as it unfolds differently in different demographics, may help researchers develop treatments, he added.

But Harlan Krumholz, a professor of cardiology and outcomes research at Yale Medical School, cautioned that comparing countries is a tricky endeavor. We dont know numerators or denominators. The information is not comparable, he said.

He said that the best information was probably from South Korea, because it tested so many people. Everywhere else is biased, he said, depending on who is doing the testing, who is considered severe enough to be hospitalized and how you determine whether a death is related to the virus or not.

He worries that insufficient data is hampering doctors, scientists and public officials, making it more difficult to have a real-time understanding of the extent of the disease and the most effective ways to respond.

We should be able to do this, he said. This is revealing our great ignorance in the midst of an information age.

Kaplan and Mooney reported from Washington Andy Kim from Seoul. Steven Mufson in Washington contributed to this report.

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The coronavirus is killing far more men than women. But why? - Boston.com

Courtesy of StockSnap on Pixabay

The massive panic-buying surge that stores and retailers saw across the nation has left store shelves looking like they were attacked by bears. Not all shelves are wiped clean though! There are plenty of areas of the store that are stocked up and ready to go. Wedid our share of internet sleuthing and have compiled a list of our favorite Tweets sharing what's still on the shelves.

The vegan selection seems to be going strong!

Weird hummus flavors ...

Gluten-free, anyone?

Some stores are getting creative!

Seriously, people, wash your hands!

This store, along with many others, is offering fresh baked goods with the new measure of individually wrapping everything.

Okay, people, lets not be gross.Please dont do this!

Our kind of store!

Naughty, naughty! This one is pretty funny.

Last, but not least, we can breathe a little easier knowing there is still CHOCOLATE!

Well, folks, there you have it! We may have to eat some weird tofu chocolate veggie sausage stir-fry for a while, but we can wash it down with some whiskey. Sadly, we still have no answer to the biggest shopping question right now When will there be more toilet paper?

What's the weirdest thing you have seen out there in the stores overthe last few days? Let us know in the comments, and again, if anyone knows where to get toilet paper, please let everyone in on your secret!

Excerpt from:
What's Still Left on the Shelves After All the Panic-Buying, According to People on Twitter - Our Community Now at Maryland

As the coronavirus becomes an ever-increasing discussion in our daily lives let us consider how Hampton in the past hunkered down to wait out the passing of epidemics and pandemics before the age of Wi-Fi, TV and social distancing and who was it who took care of the sick.

The doctors of Hampton played a key role in the community at all times but especially during a medical crisis; a broken bone, accident, mysterious death, pandemic outbreak, they would bring the needed comfort and confidence to those in distress.

Ill-equipped, with just his medical bag, no Spectra Shield Respirator mask from Foss Manufacturing, no Purell, special drugs, antibiotics, or even toilet paper (TP was invented in 1857 but was expensive so people preferred the Sears and Roebuck catalogue, a corn cob or a linen cloth), the doctor would enter the patients home to see if he could evaluate and help. He might have some Laudanum in his bag to ease the pain but not much more. At the end of the day, he would water his horse at the town pump on Exeter Road and perhaps finally wash his hands, minus soap and hot water, after a busy day. He would have probably visited with 50 patients in a day.

Dressed in a suit, tie and hat, Dr. Marvin Fisher Smith drove his buggy on the unpaved roads of Hampton to reach out to his patients. He came to Hampton in 1888 and died in 1916 before the Spanish flu pandemic hit Hampton and the world; but he would witness and administer to the Diphtheria epidemic of 1890-91 that closed schools, churches and meetings to contain the disease. He would come down with the disease himself but recover, later campaigning for vaccinations against disease. Through his efforts, Hampton preschools were inoculated as an annual ritual of preventative medicine.

In March of 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic hit the town of Hampton. Throughout the spring and summer cases of the flu were intermittent with no reported deaths but by Oct. 10, health officer Frank Long postponed all public meetings including schools, churches, and organizations with a large membership. There were a reported 200 people who became sick, many died in the town and beach. For most, the disease would last three days and deaths were usually from secondary infections like pneumonia. The well-liked pharmacist Victor G. Garland succumbed at 27 to the influenza after a heroic struggle, so too did Lottie Mace Reilly, George Storrow Ireland, and Mr. Warren M. Batchelder.

The Hampton Union reported that the epidemic of influenza seems to be under control. The ban on public meeting will be lifted on October 28, 1918.

At this time, Dr. E. Henry Thompson and Dr. Stanley M. Ward were the horse and buggy doctors of Hampton. There were two nurses hired by the town to assist the doctors during the flu pandemic.

As the flu pandemic raged in 1918, Hampton had a population of about 1250 people, the automobile was just beginning to share the roads with the horse and buggy, men and women were traveling around the country and to Italy and France to help with the war effort, and although the railroad did bring outsiders to the community there were not so many worldwide connections as there are today.

In Hampton 2020, the population is approximately 14,000. We are connected to the world and our borders are open, for the most part to all. We travel worldwide and love to meet in large numbers to cheer on our sports teams. We are a social body of people who like to shake hands and have close connections with each other.

A pandemic virus moves, silently and quickly. This one, coronavirus, targets the elderly and compromised. The Diphtheria epidemic and Spanish flu pandemic tended to attack the young but in the long run viruses do not discriminate.

In 1918, closures in the town lasted only a few weeks. A year later the town was celebrating the end of the war with large gatherings and parades to celebrate the end of WW1.

We too will weather this medical emergency as a community with the help of doctors, medicine, good decisions by our leaders and all of us doing our part.

We learn from the past that history does matter and although we are experiencing this trial under different circumstances from the pandemics and epidemics of the past, we as they were, are all in this together.

Take the time to evaluate for the future. Help others that are in need and be kind to each other.

If you wish to watch the video Hampton Voices from WW1 that documents a section about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, visit http://www.hamptonhistoricalsociety.org to view the video on YouTube.

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We have been here before: A century before coronavirus, Hampton faced the Spanish flu - Seacoastonline.com

From actions to take to stop COVID-19 from spreading to the importance of flattening the curve, theres a lot to learn about infectious diseases these days.

As a health education company, Osmosis puts together videos and other learning content thats designed to be approachable. Alongside a platform designed for medical students and healthcare professionals, the company founded by former Johns Hopkins med school students has drawn an audience of more than 1.4 million subscribers for its widely available animated videos on YouTube.

So it makes sense that when COVID-19 began to spread, they created videos to explain the new disease. Its now become a package designed to provide public information, debunk myths and educate workers in healthcare.

Given that its a new virus and more is being learned all the time, Osmosis Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rishi Desaisaid the team took a distinct approach. Over the last three months, the team has been updating the videos with fresh knowledge, as well as adding new videos that provide education on general topics like how to clean surfaces, and clinic-specific instruction like how to wear N95 masks correctly.

Each of these updated videos carries with it key things you have to know, but we also try to address, What are the relevant things that people are hearing about right now in the news cycle? and add that squarely in the video, Desai said.

Theyre also putting out social media infographics to get at some of the more nuanced points of the crisis. For instance, they observed in Wuhan, China, that the actions taken to enforce social distancing didnt have an immediate effect on the number of rising cases. But results started to show two weeks later.

You can imagine someone with less resolve would say, OK, lets trying something else. For two long weeks they stuck with it and finally it started trailing off, Desai said.

It could be especially instructive for the U.S., where actions are being taken by governments even as cases are rising.

Weve seen this before. We know this is what happens, so lets share that through an infographic, he said.

It also means introducing new terms. Along with flattening the curve, Osmosis also has a video on how to raise the line, which goes over the importance of adding capacity in the healthcare system to treat an expected influx of patients through telemedicine and minimizing elective procedures.

In the realm of answering questions directly, Desai held Ask Me Anything sessions on YouTube that drew global inquiries.

A pediatric infectious disease physician who previously led Khan Academy Medicine, Desai was the fifth employee to join Osmosis. Previously, he worked as an epidemic intelligence officer at the Centers for Disease Control. In that role, he investigated outbreaks and how they spread by donning protective gear to seek out patients who had symptoms and tracing their contact history.

Given the past experience, Technical.ly asked about a prime public health message that folks should hear right now to help. He said the old adage, Dont just stand there, do something, is now turned on its head.

To stop the spread, now its Dont just do something, stand there, he said: The more people keep moving around, keep socializing or going to that one little gathering, it does put everyone at more and more risk.

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'Raise the line': Osmosis videos educate the public and medical community on COVID-19 - Technical.ly DC

Photo: Contributed

Forty-five per cent of Canadians regularly take health products, such as vitamins, minerals or herbal remedies.

With annual sales at an estimated $1.4 billion in Canada, I ask:

A recentUniversity of Toronto study looked into the evidence supporting the use of supplements, such as vitamins, minerals and fish oils. Specifically, the study looked at the effect on the risk of heart-related illness.

It foundthere was no significant effect from taking supplements.Supplements dont help to prevent cardiovascular disease, and they come at a cost.

I take a look at the main vitamins and nutrients, and how you can ensure youre getting enough without paying excessively for the benefits.

The government only recommends a few supplements, depending on age. Vitamin D is recommended for all Canadians, because most of us are deficient due to a lack of sun exposure.

Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and is needed to keep bones, muscles and teeth healthy.

Being deficient in vitamin D can lead to rickets in children, which is a type of bone deformity. In adults, it can cause a condition called osteomalacia, which is a softening of the bones.

During summer, we should be able to get all the vitamin D we need from sunlight. However, as most Canadians are deficient in this vitamin, taking an oral supplement is a good idea.

Vitamin A and C are also recommended for children aged six months to five years old. Vitamin A helps your bodys natural defences, including keeping skin healthy, while vitamin C also helps maintain healthy skin, bone and blood vessels.

Eating a balanced diet full of fruit, vegetables and dairy (or alternatives fortified with vitamins), should ensure that you get all the vitamin A and C needed.

The recommendation to supplement childrens diets is due to the fact that more vitamin A and C are needed for growth and development.

Women trying for a baby, or in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, are recommended to take folic acid. This nutrient is important in the development of the brain and spinal cord in Fetuses.

Aside from pregnancy, there is no clinical need or benefit to taking folic acid, so it isnt recommended for anyone outside this category.

Other nutrients, such as calcium and iron, are also marketed by pharmaceutical companies as being essential to your health and well being.

While this is true calcium building strong bones, muscles and teeth, and iron essential for carrying oxygen around the body we should be reaching our daily targets if we eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Good sources of iron include meat, liver, beans, nuts, whole grains and green vegetables.

Women need more iron than men due to having periods and losing blood each month. Signs of iron deficiency anemia include feeling tired, out of breath or weak.

If you believe you may be deficient, go to your family doctor to get your blood levels checked.

Taking iron supplements without medical supervision isnt advised; iron can cause nasty side effects.

Calcium is also found in similar foods, as well as dairy products (or fortified alternatives). Taking too much calcium, in the form of supplements, can cause stomach pain and diarrhea, so again is not recommended without a physicians advice.

A few years ago, I challenged myself to eat the Daily Dozen a checklist of 12 types of food that you should incorporate into your diet each day.

I downloaded the app (Dr. Gregers Daily Dozen) and aimed to tick off all the food groups by the end of the day.

This is a great way of making sure youre getting all the right vitamins and nutrients to stay fit and healthy!

The list is as follows:

Download the app, or read of Dr. Gregers book, How Not to Die. Its a really informative read about how to use diet and exercise to prevent all the top causes of death.

Get in touch in the comments below, or via email, if you have any questions about supplements or how to reach your daily targets.

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Are supplements worth it? - Health and Happiness - Castanet.net

The European Commission president has said she hopes a vaccine for coronavirus could be ready before the autumn as the bloc puts aside bureaucratic obstacles and races with the US and other geopolitical rivals to tackle the crisis.

Ursula von der Leyen, a former medical doctor, has said a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, known as Covid-19, could be prepared much faster in the face of the global pandemic.

Health authorities have said, however, that it would take another 18 months before the preventative medicine could be put on the market.

The EU has offered CureVac, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Tubingen, Germany, 80 million euros to develop a new vaccine to create immunity against Covid-19. The company has said it could begin trails with humans as early as June.

I hope that with this support, we can have a vaccine on the market, perhaps before autumn, Ms Von der Leyen said.

"As we are in a severe crisis, we all see that we are able to speed up any of the processes that are slow normally and take a lot of time and are very bureaucratic," Ms Von der Leyen told reporters later on Tuesday.

Representatives for CureVac have said a vaccine could be ready in time if the German regulator allowed it to fast-track its product. Developing a shot before the autumn would allow nations the opportunity to stop a second seasonal wave of the virus in its tracks.

However, national heath advisors across Europe and the United States have regularly warned a vaccine could not be prepared before the end of 2020.

Curevac has found itself at the centre of a spat between Europe and the United States after reports emerged in the German press that a US official had offered to pay for the rights to the Covid-19 vaccine.

A White House official was reported to have offered large sums of cash for the vaccine on the provision that it was only for the USA.

The biotech company has subsequently had to deny reports that the administration of US President Donald Trump had tried to get hold of the vaccine.

"There was and there is no takeover offer from the White House or governmental authorities. Neither to the technology nor to CureVac at all as a company," CureVac acting CEO Franz-Werner Haas said on Tuesday.

However it has emerged that the US airforce flew 500,000 COVID-19 testing kits from Italy on a C-17 transporter to Tennessee on Monday as Washington uses its resources to fight the spread of the virus within its borders.

At the same time, specialist doctors and medical equipment have arrived in Italy ready to help tackle the sharp spike in people with the disease, which has overwhelmed medical facilities.

The doctors bring with them first-hand experience of dealing with the coronavirus, having previously helped to tackle the original outbreak in China's Hubei province that killed more than 3,000 people. Tough quarantine measures have seen the rate of new cases in China dwindle, while in Europe the outbreak continues to spread.

Updated: March 19, 2020 01:39 AM

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Coronavirus: EU head hopes for Covid-19 vaccine by autumn - The National