A: The CDC recently updated its list to include older adults as well as people of any age with underlying medical conditions (chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunocompromised from organ transplant, obesity, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, and type II diabetes). This is consistent with data from early 2020 and has been …
A: Most likely due to biological sex differences in immune function, though other social and behavioral factors may contribute as well. Sadly, men are more likely be hospitalized, admitted to the ICU, and die from COVID-19 than women. This pattern first emerged in China and has been relatively consistent across countries, supporting the notion of …
A: If someone in your household develops symptoms of COVID-19 (see link below for symptom list), or suspects they have been exposed to COVID-19, they should contact their health care provider to get a test or, if available, visit a community testing site to get tested for COVID-19. If COVID-19 is suspected based on symptoms …
A: There’s still a ton we don’t know about the lasting effects of COVID-19 on the body — Heck, the disease has only been around for 6 months! The WHO reports that approximately 80% of cases are mild or asymptomatic. However, among this group, thousands of previously healthy individuals don’t recover within the average 2 …
A: Both. A recent study published in The Lancet points to the importance of endothelial cells in the progression of Covid-19 infections. Healthy endothelial cells are tightly woven together and sometimes look like bricks under a microscope. Endothelial cells are found all over the body including your mouth, nose, lungs, blood vessels, and major organs. …
Q: People with underlying conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes seem to be at higher risk for complications and death from COVID-19. Can you tell me more about this? Is there anything I can do to minimize the chance of a severe illness if I become infected? A. This is a very important …
A: A variety of “risk calculators” have been developed to help you answer this very question (Links below). BIG CAVEAT: There are huge margins of error on the results, often making the risk scores MORE PRECISE THAN ACCURATE. Background: As much of the country continues to move through re-opening phases, we as individuals are having …
A: We still believe that the virus is transmitted primarily through droplets. But, here’s the truth: there is a very fine line between droplet and airborne transmission. Airborne: Transmitted by tiny droplets that remain suspended in the air. Can travel distances. (Hypothesized for SARS and MERS) Droplet: Transmitted by larger droplets that fall to the …
A: If we look at the data to date (we can’t know about data that we don’t have!), children are much less likely to get COVID-19 than adults after exposure. The data also tell us that it is likely that fewer children are infected in the community than adults and that they are less likely …
A: Kawasaki disease is a rare inflammatory condition that affects children, typically under 5 years of age. Cases of Kawasaki-like illness, currently referred to as Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome, appear to be linked to Covid-19 infection. This condition remains a very rare complication of Covid-19 in children and teenagers. Further tracking and study is required. …
