All Things COVID-19

Are We Too Comfortable?

Happy Wednesday, Golden Divas!

Let’s talk about COVID today! We are in our 3rd year of this pandemic, and it seems as though most people have been very comfortable with the fact that the world has opened back up. Don’t get me wrong or anything, the world needed to open back up to keep the economy flowing; however, not at the expense of people’s lives.

Now, if everyone could follow six simple rules to stay alive and help others stay alive, we would be able to roam around the world without any fear.

6 SIMPLE RULES

1. Get vaccinated and get your booster shot six months after your second dose.
2. Get tested: Find a Testing Location Near You. Some facilities offer ‘No Appointment Needed-Rapid Tests & PCR Tests.’
3. Be honest if you have tested ‘Positive,’ stay away from people and quarantine (some of you asymptomatic people are not doing that). Even if you don’t have any symptoms and have been exposed, you should quarantine.
4. Wear your mask properly (over your nose and mouth) and keep it on in public places at all times.
5. Even in large gatherings, you should always still social distance (that seem to have STOPPED altogether).
6. Continue to wash your hands and sanitize them as much as possible, while you’re out in public, especially when you come home.

Home testing kits are now available. Go to COVIDTests.gov.

Starting January 19th (well, it started yesterday), you’re eligible to get free COVID-19 home test kits mailed to you at no charge from the CDC.

Go online TODAY at COVIDTests.gov. You can get up to 4 test kits per home. It will ship 7-12 days through the Postal Service.”

Also, if you purchase a Covid test after January 22nd, your insurance company will reimburse up to 40 tests per month (8 tests per person).

Therefore, you will need to submit all receipts dated “AFTER” January 22nd.

Now, I know people have their reasons and beliefs for not getting the shot, but the least you can do is wear a freaking mask out in public to protect others. Some may say that is expecting a lot from a person who is not even thinking about protecting themselves. Nonetheless, too many people have left this earth prematurely due to their lack of judgment and not taking COVID 19 seriously.

COVID-19 REFRESHER

Covid is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Older adults and people with severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk of developing more severe complications from COVID-19 illness.

STATISTIC

There are new cases of 67.7M and 854K deaths in the U.S. today. These numbers are alarming, and some people still do not believe Coronavirus Disease is real. Some believe it is a conspiracy and a host! The numbers are not lying. It is accurate.

5 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW KNOW ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Advice is changing as officials work to control the Omicron variant.

1. What we know about COVID-19 has changed rapidly
The number of people infected by the disease continues to change every day. While the impact of the disease varies by location, there are more than 328.5 million confirmed cases of people with COVID-19 around the globe and more than 5.5 million people have died from the disease, according to the WHO. (While some news sources report different numbers, the WHO provides official counts of confirmed cases once a day.)

The CDC provides a rough picture of the outbreak in the U.S. here, currently putting the total confirmed and probable cases at more than 65.1 million and estimating more than 847,500 deaths. The CDC also reports that 79.6% of children and adults ages 5 and older in the U.S. have had at least one vaccination shot and 66.9% of people in the same age group are fully vaccinated (meaning they have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot inoculation).

According to the CDC, reported COVID-19 illnesses have ranged from mild (with no reported symptoms in some cases) to severe to the point of requiring hospitalization, intensive care, and/or a ventilator. COVID-19 illnesses can also lead to death. While people of all ages can be infected, complications increase with age. People living in a nursing home or long-term care facility and people of all ages with underlying health conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and obesity) also are at high risk for serious illness.

COVID-19 also has led to severe illness and even death in younger and middle-aged adults who are otherwise healthy. While most children have mild or no symptoms, some have gotten severely ill. Even if children have no symptoms, they can spread the virus to others as with adults.

While most people recover in a matter of weeks, some adults and children experience post-COVID conditions known as “long COVID,” which can appear weeks after infection and include a range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems. These range from fatigue and muscle pain to—in extreme cases—autoimmune conditions and multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition where different body parts become swollen. Even people who had mild symptoms or no symptoms when they were infected can have post-COVID requirements.

It helps experts have a better idea about how the virus is transmitted from one person to another. According to the CDC, COVID-19 is spread in three ways:

By breathing in the air when close to an infected person who is exhaling small droplets and particles that contain the virus; having these droplets and particles land on the eyes, nose, or mouth: Or touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with hands that have the virus on them.

In general, the CDC says, the more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread, and indoor spaces are riskier than outdoor spaces.
In addition, droplets can land on surfaces, and people may get the virus by touching those surfaces, although, according to the CDC, this is not thought to be the primary way COVID-19 spreads.

Viruses are known to change constantly, and by the end of 2020, multiple coronavirus variants were emerging. Scientists are learning more about these variants and their spread and how they could affect the severity of illness in people who get the virus. They have been studying Delta and Omicron closely since they surfaced. There is also more to learn about how long the vaccines can protect people.

2. Strict measures are critical for slowing the spread of the disease
Near the beginning of the pandemic, public health experts directed their efforts toward “flattening the curve.” If you mapped the number of COVID-19 cases over time, the expectation was that it would peak at some point—on a graph, this peak would mirror a surge in patients (which could overwhelm hospitals and health care providers). Flattening the curve would mean fewer patients during that period, and hospitals would be better able to manage the demands of sick patients with COVID-19 and other illnesses.

But toward the end of 2020, a steady increase in cases in the U.S. was becoming what some described as a third wave (or, maybe, a third peak), if not a continuation of a single wave that started in the spring and never stopped. As cold weather drove more people indoors, many government officials around the country halted some of the plans they had to reopen, implementing new restrictions that included curfews, limiting the number of people who could gather indoors, and establishing mask mandates.

The idea is that if enough people are protected either because they have had the disease or they’ve been vaccinated, herd immunity will start to protect even those people who have not been infected. While the timeline for herd (or population) immunity is still uncertain, researchers believe we will likely not reach it any time soon. And experts are concerned that outbreaks of the Omicron variant could affect overall progress.

3. Infection prevention is key
Vaccination remains a crucial strategy for avoiding infection. All adults are eligible to be vaccinated, teenagers, and children as young as 5 for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. While three vaccines are available, the CDC prefers the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. It also says everyone eligible should get a booster shot five months after completing a primary Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna series or two months after the J&J single-shot. Children ages 12 and older must get the Pfizer-BioNTech booster; anyone over 18 can choose any of the three vaccines, regardless of which vaccine they had for their primary vaccination.

A weakened immune system can make you more likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19. For this reason, some may advise adults and children with immunocompromising conditions to get a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna to complete their primary series (this is not to be confused with the booster dose, which is additional). More information on this is available on the CDC website.

Information on where to get the vaccine is available on Vaccines.gov.
There are other things you can and should continue to do to protect yourself. The CDC recommends the following preventive actions for anyone who has not been vaccinated:

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Then, dry them thoroughly with an air dryer or clean towel. If soap isn’t available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Stay home if you’re sick.

Avoid touching the nose, eyes, and mouth. Instead, use a tissue to cover a cough or sneeze, then dispose of it in the trash.

Wear a mask that fits snuggly over your nose, mouth, and chin. The CDC says different types of masks and respirators can provide different levels of protection than others, depending on the mask and how it is used. For example, it says loosely woven cloth masks offer the least protection. In contrast, well-fitting disposable surgical masks and KN95s provide more security, and well-fitting National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved respirators (including N95s) offer the highest level of protection. Overall, the agency recommends that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently. The CDC provides a guide to masks and guidance for choosing a mask on its website.

Keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The CDC advises avoiding nonessential indoor spaces and crowded outdoor settings. A mask is not a substitute for social distancing.
Use a household wipe or spray to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, desks, keyboards, sinks, toilets, cell phones, and other objects and surfaces that are frequently touched.

Create a household plan of action in case someone in your house gets sick with COVID-19. It would help if you talked with people who need to be included in your plan, plan ways to care for those who might be at greater risk for serious complications, get to know your neighbors, and make sure you and your family have a plan for caring for a sick person. This includes planning a way to separate a family member who gets sick from healthy ones if the need arises.

Plan visits with friends and family outdoors if possible. If you must visit them indoors, make sure the space can accommodate social distancing and open doors and windows to ensure the area is well-ventilated. The CDC also recommends avoiding travel.
If you are fully vaccinated:

You can participate in many of the activities that you did before the pandemic, but CDC recommendations advise wearing a mask indoors in public to maximize protection from the Delta and Omicron variants if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

You should wear a mask regardless of local transmission if you have a weakened immune system or, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe diseases, or if someone in your household is in that situation or is unvaccinated, according to the CDC.

If you are pregnant:
In August, the CDC urged pregnant people to get vaccinated. Pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared to those who aren’t pregnant, as well as for increased risk for preterm birth (delivering the baby earlier than 37 weeks), and possibly other poor pregnancy outcomes, according to the CDC.

The CDC has also recommended universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

However, local rules may vary, and fully vaccinated people must follow local business and workplace guidance and take precautions as directed in health care settings. For example, they must still wear masks on buses, trains, planes, and other forms of public transportation, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and train stations; when visiting a doctor, hospital, or nursing home; or when in a prison, jail, or homeless shelter.

More details about prevention for people who have been vaccinated can be found on the CDC website.

4. Experts are working rapidly to find solutions
In the U.S., widely available testing is essential in understanding the actual infection and mortality rates of COVID-19. While health providers across the country are using a variety of tests—and still learning about the most accurate approach—two kinds of tests are important to know about: viral tests help diagnose a current infection, and antibody tests can tell if you’ve had a previous one. Health care providers and state and local health departments determine who should be tested.

Meanwhile, scientists continue to study the virus closely. In addition to the vaccines now available in the U.S. and other countries, multiple vaccines are being studied. Once more, companies that have produced vaccines are looking at whether they might need to tweak them to better protect against new mutations of the virus, as scientists continue to study how those mutations affect the rate of contagion and their potential for causing severe consequences disease.

Doctors are also refining their approaches to treating COVID-19. The antiviral drug remdesivir is the first and only drug to receive full FDA approval for patients ages 12 and older after some evidence showed it could reduce the number of days spent in the hospital. Studies on dexamethasone, a widely available corticosteroid (or steroid), have shown a link between the drug and a reduction of deaths from COVID-19 by a third for patients with “severe and critical” cases of COVID-19. Yale and other medical centers now have special clinics to treat patients with long-COVID symptoms.

5. If you feel ill, here’s what you should do

Everyone should watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, whether or not they are fully vaccinated. Anyone who thinks they have been exposed should get tested and stay home and away from others. Symptoms can appear anywhere between 2 to 14 days after exposure. According to the CDC, symptoms may include:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. The CDC will continue to update its symptoms list as it learns more about COVID-19.

You should call your medical provider for advice if you experience these symptoms, especially if you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or live in an area with an ongoing spread of the disease. In addition, the CDC has a Coronavirus Self-Checker that may help you determine whether you should seek help.

Most people will have a mild illness and recover at home without medical care. However, seek medical attention immediately if you or a loved one is at home and experiencing emergency warning signs, including difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to stay awake, or bluish lips or face. This list is not inclusive, so consult your medical provider if you notice other concerning symptoms. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/2019-novel-coronavirus.

Golden Divas, today is the day to take action to a better you. Save a life while you are continuing to live yours!

Remember if you can smell through your mask it is not durable enough, if you can blow out a candle or a match it is not durable enough. 

Stay WOKE! Don’t get TOO COMFORTABLE!

Sources:
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/2019-novel-coronavirus