Category Archives: @Coronavirus, @COVID-19

COVID-19 Prevention: Avoid Touching Your Face

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://youtu.be/d914EnpU4Fo

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

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

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

References:

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

Myocarditis, Inflammation of the Heart Muscle

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Penn State doctor says 30-35% of Big Ten athletes testing positive for COVID-19 had myocarditis symptoms.

Cardiac MRI scans revealed that roughly a third of all athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus appear to have myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, said Penn State’s director of athletic medicine.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and death, especially in a person who doesn’t know they have it and performs rigorous exercise. The risk of myocarditis was a prime reason behind the Big Ten Conference’s decision to postpone the upcoming football season.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “In many cases, myocarditis improves on its own or with treatment, leading to a complete recovery.”

Even in mild cases of myocarditis, however, the clinic suggests that “persons should avoid competitive sports for at least three to six months.”

The cause of COVID-19 myocarditis is unclear. Some researchers speculate that the coronavirus may sometimes directly infect the heart.

Another possible culprit is the immune system’s response against the virus. When it fires out of control — a severe inflammatory reaction known as a cytokine storm — it can damage organs throughout the body, including the heart.

References:

  1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2020/09/03/big-ten-athletes-covid-had-myocarditis-symptoms-one-third-cases/5704234002/
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/03/big-ten-coronavirus-myocarditis/
  3. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200415/covid-19-can-trigger-serious-heart-injuries

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions | New York Times

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Updated September 1, 2020

  • Why is it safer to spend time together outside?
    • Pandemic life is safer outdoors. Outdoor gatherings lower risk because wind disperses viral droplets, and sunlight can kill some of the virus. Open spaces prevent the virus from building up in concentrated amounts and being inhaled, which can happen when infected people exhale in a confined space for long stretches of time, said Dr. Julian W. Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester. Thus, while the risk of outdoor transmission is low, it can happen.

      • “The virus load is important,” said Eugene Chudnovsky, a physicist at Lehman College and the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. “A single virus will not make anyone sick; it will be immediately destroyed by the immune system. The belief is that one needs a few hundred to a few thousand of SARS-CoV-2 viruses to overwhelm the immune response.”

  • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
    • In the beginning, the coronavirus seemed like it was primarily a respiratory illness — many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot, though some people don’t show many symptoms at all. Those who seemed sickest had pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome and received supplemental oxygen. By now, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the C.D.C. added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea and nausea, has also been observed. Another telltale sign of infection may be a sudden, profound diminution of one’s sense of smell and taste. Teenagers and young adults in some cases have developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes — nicknamed “Covid toe” — but few other serious symptoms.

    Why does standing six feet away from others help?

    • The coronavirus spreads primarily through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The C.D.C., one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation of six feet on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for instance, can launch droplets a lot farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: You should be safest standing six feet apart outside, especially when it’s windy. But keep a mask on at all times, even when you think you’re far enough apart.

    COVID-19 risk factors for severe disease

    • Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. According to the CDC, “…6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.” Essentially, 94 percent of Americans who have died from coronavirus from the week ending February 1, 2020 to the week ending August 22, 2020 had, on average, almost three comorbidities that played a role in their death.
    • According to CDC’s report, the leading comorbidities among COVID-19 deaths were respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, sepsis, malignant neoplasms, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively.
    • “Anecdotally, there are several stories of cases in which people with COVID-19 had deadly heart attacks, yet these cases were coded as COVID-19 deaths. In one extreme case, a Florida man who died in a motorcycle crash happened to also have COVID-19 at the time, yet was coded as having died from COVID-19, not because of the motorcycle accident.” Many clinicians are putting COVID-19 on death certificates when it might not be entirely accurate because they died infected with coronavirus and not because of coronavirus.

    Sources:

    1. https://nyti.ms/31jGhk2
    2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

    Sorrento Therapeutic’s COVID-19 Test

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    Sorrento’s COVID-19 test appears to be superior to competing diagnostics, and it just made a good acquisition, while its overall strategy is sound.

    Sorrento has produced a coronavirus test which is expected to be approved and then become widely used in the U.S. and potentially around the world.  The company requested emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration for its COVI-TRACK diagnostic test, which detects novel coronavirus antibodies. It also plans to file for an EUA for COVI-TRACE, a rapid salivary diagnostic test licensed from Columbia University.

    Sorrento has been even more active in developing potential treatments for COVID-19. The biotech filed for FDA approval earlier this month to begin a phase 1 study of antibody therapy STI-1499 (COVI-GUARD) in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It hopes to quickly advance the candidate through clinical testing and perhaps even receive an EUA for STI-1499 as soon as the end of 2020.

    a number of test tubes and capsules are pictured under a cool blue light

    Source: Shutterstock

    Sorrento’s coronavirus test yields results in just 30 minutes, does not require lab equipment and doesn’t have to be sent to labs. As a result, it, unlike other tests, could be used by hospitals, stadiums, hotels, office buildings and other organizations to allow people to safely enter their facilities on the same day that the test is taken.

    References:

    1. https://investorplace.com/2020/08/sorrentos-covid-19-test-acquisitions-should-help-srne-stock-surge/
    2. https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/24/why-sorrento-therapeutics-stock-is-sinking-today/

    Dexamethasone – first drug shown to reduce Covid-19 deaths

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    The most severe symptoms of COVID-19 are the result of the an infected person’s immune system’s overreaction to the virus. Dexamethasone is an anti-inflammatory drug that can rein in a person’s immune system attack.

    Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. It is used to treat many different inflammatory conditions such as allergic disorders and skin conditions.

    Dexamethasone is also used to treat ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, and breathing disorders. It may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

    This drug is relatively inexpensive and widely available steroid that blunts many types of immune responses. Doctors have long used it to treat allergies, asthma and inflammation.

    In June, it became the first drug shown to reduce Covid-19 deaths. That study of more than 6,000 people, which in July was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third in patients on ventilators, and by one-fifth in patients on oxygen. It may be less likely to help — and may even harm — patients who are at an earlier stage of Covid-19 infections, however.

    In its Covid-19 treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health recommends only using dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 who are on a ventilator or are receiving supplemental oxygen.

    Steroid medication affects your immune system. You may get infections more easily. Steroids can also worsen or reactivate an infection you’ve already had. Tell your doctor about any illness or infection you have had within the past several weeks.

    References:

    1. https://www.drugs.com/dexamethasone.html
    2. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-drugs-treatments.html?referringSource=articleShare

    U.S. FDA Approves COVID-19 Plasma Treatment for Emergency Use Authorization

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    Eradicating the coronavirus, whether it’s through an effective therapeutic treatment or vaccine, is the key to unlocking the economy.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s granted emergency use authorization of antibody-rich plasma from recovered patients which may lessen the severity of the disease, but experts suggest further research is needed.

    Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental treatment that some physicians are using for people with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The plasma therapy has shown some promise in battling severe illness. People who’ve recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies — proteins the body uses to fight off infections — to the disease in their blood. The blood from people who’ve recovered is called convalescent plasma.

    Researchers hope that convalescent plasma can be given to people with severe COVID-19 to boost their ability to fight the virus. It also might help keep people who are moderately ill from becoming more ill and experiencing COVID-19 complications, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Alex Azar, the U.S. health and human services secretary, said during a White House press briefing on Sunday that the treatment has been delivered to more than 70,000 American patients so far. The treatment, according to the FDA’s evaluation, “may be effective in lessening the severity or shortening the length of COVID-19 illness in some hospitalized patients.”

    Source: The New York Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker

    Over 400 vaccines and therapietic treatments are under study as researchers rush to produce effective medicines for the disease. And, 32 of the vaccines are in human trials. The FDA says that for any vaccine to be approved, it will need to prevent infection or decrease its severity in at least 50% of the people vaccinated. The goal is to inoculate enough people with a vaccine that immunity spreads through a community, even if not everyone gets the vaccine. It’s called “herd immunity”, according to WebMD.

    For this coronavirus, some experts say about 60% to 70% of the population would need to develop antibodies, whether from a vaccine or getting and recovering from COVID-19, to create herd immunity.

    Currently, the most effective ways to protect yourself and others from being infected by the virus are to:

    • Clean your hands frequently and thoroughly
    • Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose
    • Cover your cough with the bend of elbow or tissue
    • Stay home and isolate yourself if you feel ill or ‘under-the-weather’
    • Maintain social physical distance of at least 6 feet from others

    Wearing a mask or face covering is no substitute for these additional effective measures.

    References:

    1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/convalescent-plasma-therapy/about/pac-20486440
    2. https://www.cnet.com/news/coronavirus-plasma-treatment-approved-for-emergency-use-but-questions-remain/
    3. https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200610/covid-19-latest-updates

    SalivaDirect – FDA authorizes new saliva based COVID-19 test

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    Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn called the development of a new and inexpensive saliva test for COVID-19 ”ground-breaking.” The new COVID test, which uses saliva instead of nasal swabs, is also a much less intrusive test than the nasal test.

    The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday authorized emergency use of a new and inexpensive saliva test for Covid-19 that could greatly expand testing capacity. The new test is called SalivaDirect and was developed by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.

    The test method allows saliva samples to be collected in any sterile container. And, it is a much less invasive process than the nasal swabs currently used to test for the virus that causes Covid-19, but one that has so far yielded highly sensitive and similar results. This test is being further validated as a test for asymptomatic individuals through a program that tests players and staff from the National Basketball Association (NBA).

    SalivaDirect is simpler, less expensive, and less invasive than the traditional method for nasal swab testing. Results so far have found that SalivaDirect is highly sensitive and yields similar outcomes as nasal swabbing.

    “We simplified the test so that it only costs a couple of dollars for reagents, and we expect that labs will only charge about $10 per sample,” said Nathan Grubaugh, a Yale assistant professor of epidemiology. “If cheap alternatives like SalivaDirect can be implemented across the country, we may finally get a handle on this pandemic, even before a vaccine.”

    With the FDA’s emergency use authorization, the testing method is immediately available to other diagnostic laboratories that want to start using the new test, which can be scaled up quickly for use across the nation. A key component of SalivaDirect is that the method has been validated with reagents and instruments from multiple vendors.

    References:

    1. https://khn.org/morning-breakout/fda-signs-off-on-fast-inexpensive-saliva-test/
    2. https://news.yale.edu/2020/08/15/yales-rapid-covid-19-saliva-test-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization

    Recommendation to wear eye protection against coronavirus

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

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

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

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

    GETTY IMAGES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Cotton cloth masks are effective preventing spread of virus

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    “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting.”  Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    A group of researchers from Duke University are providing answers to the continuing questions about the efficacy of masks.  The researchers analyzed forteen different facial coverings ranging from hospital-grade N95 respirators to bandanas. Of the 14 masks and other coverings tested, the study found that some easily accessible cotton cloth masks are about as effective as standard surgical masks, while popular alternatives such as neck gaiters made of thin, stretchy material may be worse than not wearing a mask at all.

    A fitted N95 mask proved was the most effective from the tests noting that the mask allowed “no droplets at all” to come out, according to researchers. Meanwhile, a breathable neck gaiter ranked worse than the no-mask control group.

    Neck gaiters are extremely convenient since which they don’t restrict air and droplets which is the reason why they’re not doing much of a job helping people stopping the spread of the virus.

    Several studies find that wearing masks will curb the transmission and reduce the risk of coronavirus infection.  Masks do work and they do cut down transmission of the virus.  And, some masks are better than others.

    References:

    1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/mask-test-duke-covid/2020/08/10/4f2bb888-db18-11ea-b205-ff838e15a9a6_story.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main
    2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/13/spate-new-research-supports-wearing-masks-control-coronavirus-spread/

    55% of coronavirus patients still have neurological problems three months later | MarketWatch

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    Published: Aug. 9, 2020 at 9:11 a.m. ET By Nicole Lyn Pesce

    Mounting evidence suggests COVID-19 could cause brain damage in adults and kids

    “While lung scarring, heart and kidney damage may result from COVID-19, doctors and researchers are starting to clock the potential long-term impact of the virus on the brain.”

    “Many COVID-19 patients have continued showing symptoms for months after the initial infection passed, reported neurological problems such as confusion and had difficulty concentrating (or brain fog), as well as headaches, extreme fatigue, mood changes, insomnia and loss of taste and/or smell.”

    “The CDC recently warned that it takes longer to recover from COVID-19 than the 10- to 14-day quarantine window that has been touted throughout the pandemic. In fact, one in five young adults under 34 was not back to their usual health up to three weeks after testing positive. And 35% of surveyed U.S. adults overall had not returned to their normal state of health when interviewed two to three weeks after testing.”

    “Now a study of 60 COVID-19 patients published in Lancet this week finds that 55% of them were still displaying such neurological symptoms during follow-up visits three months later. And when doctors compared brain scans of these 60 COVID patients with those of a control group who had not been infected, they found that the brains of the COVID patients showed structural changes that correlated with memory loss and smell loss.”

    “The most severe illness and complications of COVID-19 appear to stem from the body’s immune response to the viral invader, as opposed to the virus itself causing damage.”

    Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/55-of-coronavirus-patients-still-have-neurological-problems-three-months-later-study-2020-08-07?mod=mw_latestnews&link=sfmw_fb