As always, a reminder that I am not a medical doctor. Nor am I a healthcare professional of any kind. If you know one, send them a text message after you read this – or maybe even right now? – and tell them how great they are. They could probably use a digital pat on the back.
These updates are my way of helping everyone sift through the riff-raff. My goal with these posts is to pass along relevant information from the medical community – direct from the source – with some translation into regular English.
A couple of stats before we begin
As of March 13th at 5pm (the CDC doesn’t update their website on the weekend and haven’t updated the numbers yet Monday morning):
Total United States cases: 1,629
— Travel-related: 138
— Close contact: 129
— Under investigation: 1,362
Total deaths: 41
States reporting cases: 46 states and District of Columbia
(Numbers pulled from other reliable resources) Total United States cases reported by other medical sites:
Johns Hopkins:
Total cases: 3,774
Total deaths: 69
Total recovered: 12
Across the World
Total cases: ~174,000
Total deaths: ~6,700
New from the CDC
In case you missed it last night, the CDC is now recommending now large gatherings (50 people or more) for up to eight weeks. So if your local schools are still in session, local high school sports are still playing, and after-school programs are still meeting… that may change.
What should I do, right now?
I know. It can seem overwhelming with the amount of information and updates flying around. But I think it is best to follow the CDC’s guidance at this point.
— Know where to get your local / state-level information
For Mississippi: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html
For Louisiana: http://ldh.la.gov/Coronavirus/
For Alabama: http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/infectiousdiseases/2019-coronavirus.html
If you live in a state outside of the region, head to google and type in, “dept of health” followed by whatever state you live. Google should take you to that state’s department of health and on the main page, most states have a link to an update on the Coronavirus.
— Know the Symptoms
Look for things like a fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. But also know when it may become an emergency. It becomes an emergency when you have difficulty breathing, a persistent pain or pressure in the chest, you develop general confusion, and if you develop bluish lips or face.
Also recognize that body aches, weak stomach, nasal congestion, a sore throat, and other symptoms of the regular flu are not the same as the symptoms with Coronavirus.
— Stay home when you are sick
Any kind of sick. If you feel like you may have Coronavirus, call your health care provider’s office in advance of a visit. If you have any sickness, the CDC recommends to limit movement in the community, limit visitors, and practice good social distancing.
— Know if you are at a higher risk
Know what additional measures those at higher risk and who are vulnerable should take. Those at higher risk include older adults (over 60), people who have serious chronic medical conditions (like heart disease, diabetes, lung disease). Some research has indicated that people with asthma may also be included in the higher risk category.
— Take steps to mitigate your infection
The CDC recommends to “Implement steps to prevent illness” by washing high-traffic areas more often, washing hands with soap and water and if someone is sick, to isolate the sick person into a low-traffic area of the home.
— Create a Household Plan
Create a household plan of action in case of illness in the household or disruption of daily activities due to COVID-19 in the community.
From the CDC:
Talk with the people who need to be included in your plan. Meet with household members, other relatives, and friends to discuss what to do if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in your community and what the needs of each person will be.
Plan ways to care for those who might be at greater risk for serious complications. There is limited information about who may be at risk for severe complications from COVID-19 illness. From the data that are available for COVID-19 patients, and from data for related coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, it is possible that older adults and persons who have underlying chronic medical conditions may be at risk for more serious complications. Early data suggest older people are more likely to have serious COVID-19 illness. If you or your household members are at increased risk for COVID-19 complications, please consult with your health care provider for more information about monitoring your health for symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. CDC will recommend actions to help keep people at high risk for complications healthy if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in your community.
Get to know your neighbors. Talk with your neighbors about emergency planning. If your neighborhood has a website or social media page, consider joining it to maintain access to neighbors, information, and resources.
Identify aid organizations in your community. Create a list of local organizations that you and your household can contact in the event you need access to information, health care services, support, and resources. Consider including organizations that provide mental health or counseling services, food, and other supplies.
Create an emergency contact list. Ensure your household has a current list of emergency contacts for family, friends, neighbors, carpool drivers, health care providers, teachers, employers, the local public health department, and other community resources.
Consider 2-week supply of prescription and over the counter medications, food and other essentials. Know how to get food delivered if possible.
Establish ways to communicate with others (e.g., family, friends, co-workers).Establish plans to telework, what to do about childcare needs, how to adapt to cancellation of events.
— Know the “Emergency Plan” for work & school
If you job or your kids school moves to a different schedule or other emergency plan, know that plan and be prepared to take appropriate action.
Other steps you can take right now
s the meme says: Keep Calm & Carry On. There is no evidence to suggest, within the research nor from government officials, that buying supplies to survive in complete isolation will be necessary. While I understand that it may be a bit late to spread that message, it is an important one to repeat.
Even if you are asked to self-quarantine, it doesn’t mean that, as a society, you will be left to fend for yourself. In America, we help our neighbors and look after those who need assistance. I would find it highly unlikely, and close to impossible, that society would break down to the point where it was a “Every Man For Himself!” situation.
If you want to “stock up” on items, that is fine. The CDC even encouraged it for those who are “at risk” a few days ago. But treat it like a Hurricane Kit or an Earthquake kit. While you won’t need a flashlight or a whistle, other items may be useful. Things like some extra water, non-perishable foods, medicicines, hand soap, etc.
But, given what the government officials are suggesting, the rush to buy toilet paper and hand sanitizer may prove to be unnecessary.
For now, simply keep tabs on the news with Coronavirus. Continue to wash your hands – just like you would do to combat the spread of the common cold or the regular flu – and avoid touching your face. Try to practice social distancing by keeping six-feet between you and others around you when in a public space.
That is the great thing about the virus, it is totally beatable with a few easy steps!
And be aware that the biggest concern is for those with compromised immune systems and people over 60. So if you have those people in your house or in your life, take extra steps to make sure you don’t accidentally pass along the virus to them.
The other thing to do is to keep this potential outbreak in perspective. While, yes it is dangerous to those infected, and yes there is the potential that it could spread through the United States, at this time the best thing to do is remain calm and do what you would normally do to fight against the regular flu. Plus limiting contact with others to suppress the spread of the virus.
And, as a reminder, the regular flu is still out there, too. This isn’t comparative suffering. Both are bad. The flu has sent 21,000,000 people to the doctor and – according to the CDC – is responsible for up to 46,000 deaths. So protect yourself from the regular flu, too.
New from China
Usually, I try to only include official information from medical websites, governmental website, etc. But, I ran across a news story out of China, in the South China Morning Post, that raises an eyebrow:
Dr Owen Tsang Tak-yin, medical director of the authority’s Infectious Disease Centre at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, said doctors had already seen around a dozen discharged patients in follow-up appointments. Two to three were unable to do things as they had in the past.
“They gasp if they walk a bit more quickly,” Tsang told a media briefing on Thursday. “Some patients might have around a drop of 20 to 30 per cent in lung function [after recovery].”
While this isn’t an official document, it is a quote direct from the medical director of the authority’s Infectious Disease Centre at a hospital. I’ll be looking into if any research is being done on this in the coming days.
Vaccine in the works, but don’t get excited
There were many headlines Sunday night about clinical trials for a vaccine against Coronavirus. I’ve done some digging for anything from federal websites and I couldn’t find any. That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, but there are no press releases of official documentation.
But before you get too excited, clinical trials are a long way from a workable, useful, and successful vaccine.
From the medical community… on Twitter
I want to post this again because I think this is a great way to explain this virus. A doctor put together a handful of tweets about how the Coronavirus works and what it does to the human body. Not just symptoms, but literally how it changes your body on the inside. I highly recommend reading it.
Since my Harvard lab closed yesterday, I've been reading and interpreting this week's published papers on #COVID19. What follows is a thread of information, my interpretation, links to sources & predictions. Let's start with what you need to know… #coronavirus #COVIDー19
— David Sinclair, PhD AO (@davidasinclair) March 14, 2020
You can read the entire thread of posts here.
In short, Sinclair says that, “..in lung, CoV2 prevents cells from making biological detergents to keep lung passages open. Acute respiratory distress follows. O2 levels fall” and “CoV genes 1 & 8 are predicted to interfere with heme, the red compound in blood, by kicking out the iron.” meaning “diabetics and elderly are more susceptible. Blood sugar levels usually increase as we get older, increasing the amount of glycated hemoglobin” thus “it destroys the lung so patients can’t take up oxygen AND reduces the body’s ability to carry oxygen.”
This is one doctors read of things. But he isn’t just making stuff up. He cited medical research papers to back up his tweets.
Blood, HbA1c, and chloroquinehttps://t.co/Bpac6gcR4W
CoV2 mutationshttps://t.co/a7DZHUhs0E
Symptoms https://t.co/c5MlxZSUW6
Susceptibility/Riskhttps://t.co/54ejW9kfGn
Fatalityhttps://t.co/kmCMEU9Y6K
Therapieshttps://t.co/h2bTQqJecS
Remdesivirhttps://t.co/o4VVQ4QeMX
☮️— David Sinclair, PhD AO (@davidasinclair) March 14, 2020
Who else is “at risk” of serious illness?
On their site, the Kaiser Family Foundation notes a couple of points of interest:
— 4-out-of-10 adults 18-years and older is “at risk” (they suggest 105.5 million people)
— More than 70-percent are 60-and-older and 30-percent ages 18-59 with an underlying medical condition.
— KFF estimates 5.7 million of the “at risk” adults are uninsured, including “3.9 million adults under age 60 and 1.8 million who are ages 60-64”
That is pretty eye-opening. The KFF also broke down things by state.
You can find the interactive version of that map, here.
KFF notes:
… a large segment of the U.S. adult population – 41 percent of adults ages 18 and older – have a higher risk of serious illness if they do become infected due to their age or underlying medical condition. One group particularly at risk are the 1.3 million people living in nursing homes in the US. As the number of people who test positive for coronavirus continues to rise, and as more is learned about the progression of illness and treatment among those who become seriously ill, the current set of risk factors available to estimate the size of the at-risk population is likely to be refined.
Are facemasks a good idea
This is straight from the CDC:
CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. A facemask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of facemasks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
I think the best way to think of it is that mask are good for blocking the virus from getting out, but not from getting in.
Podcast from Harvard
I want to end this post with a podcast about the anxiety of dealing with this Coronavirus stuff. Dr. Greg L. Fricchione, Mind Body Medical Institute Professor of Psychiatry at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and faculty editor for the Harvard Health Publishing special health report Stress Management, places in context the worries we all feel when an infectious disease like the coronavirus COVID-19 comes calling.
Thank Nick, thank you for this information. Keeping updated is a great help. You are so informative and we can understand. Never get tired of what you contribute to us.