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Do facemasks prevent coronavirus?

Original Article – https://www.childrens.com/health-wellness/do-facemasks-prevent-coronavirus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rise, many families are looking for information on the best ways to prevent its spread and to stay healthy. Researchers and health care officials are actively working to understand more about this pandemic, and new information is released every day.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines stating that people should use a cloth face covering to cover their mouth and nose when around others in public. Learn why the CDC updated this recommendation and more ways to protect your family against COVID-19.

How do facemasks protect against the spread of COVID-19?

COVID-19 spreads from person-to-person, meaning that it can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks in close contact with another person. To help prevent this spread, the CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering to cover your nose and mouth when around others in the community.

A cloth face covering is not meant to protect the person wearing it from catching the virus. Rather, its purpose is to prevent the person wearing the mask from spreading the virus to others. The CDC had previously recommended wearing a facemask only for people showing symptoms of COVID-19 or for those caring for or in close contact with an infected person. They’ve since updated this recommendation in case someone is infected but is not showing any symptoms.

Wearing a cloth face covering is an additional step that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. It’s important to still take other precautions, including social distancing, even when wearing a mask.

Who should wear a cloth facemask – and when?

The CDC recommends that all people wear a cloth face covering when in public – except for children younger than 2 years old. Children under the age of 2 should not wear a facemask to avoid risk of suffocation. In addition, do not place a cloth face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or cannot remove the mask without help.

Wear a cloth face covering in public places where social distancing is more challenging, such as grocery stores or when running other necessary errands. This is especially important in areas with significant community spread of illness. Continue to keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When wearing a cloth mask, make sure it:

  • fits snugly on your face and is secured
  • includes multiple layers of fabric
  • is breathable
  • can be washed and machine dried without changing shapes

When removing your mask, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and wash your hands immediately after removal. You should also routinely wash your face cloth covering after use.

The cloth face coverings recommended by the CDC are NOT the same as facemasks meant for health care workers. Medical or surgical masks and N-95 respirators should only be used by health care workers and other first responders.

Where can I find a cloth facemask?

Cloth masks may be available in some stores and online. The CDC also has instructions on its website to make your own cloth face covering from common household items. See their cloth mask tutorial here. They have included both sew and no-sew options for masks using cotton fabric, a t-shirt or even a bandana.

What are other ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to avoid exposure to the virus. Even if wearing a cloth face covering in public, make sure your family is practicing these everyday precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Practice proper hand hygiene (see tips for hand washing)
  • Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Put distance between yourself and other people (see tips for social distancing with kids)
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw away tissue in trash after sneezing
  • Disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily with a household cleaning spray or wipe
  • Stay home if you are sick

For more resources to keep your family healthy, visit the Children’s Health℠ COVID-19 hub. To see continued updates as new information is shared, visit the CDC website.

Author db1595 Categories Health Stories, News Leave a comment

What Is Coronavirus?

Reviewed By: Lauren M. Sauer, M.S.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

COVID-19

  • COVID-19 is the disease caused by the new coronavirus that emerged in China in December 2019.
  • COVID-19 symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, unexplained loss of taste or smell, diarrhea and headache. COVID-19 can be severe, and some cases have caused death
  • The new coronavirus can be spread from person to person. It is diagnosed with a laboratory test.
  • There is no coronavirus vaccine yet. Prevention involves frequent hand-washing, coughing into the bend of your elbow, staying home when you are sick and wearing a cloth face covering if you can’t practice social distancing.

Coronaviruses are a type of virus. There are many different kinds, and some cause disease. A newly identified type has caused a recent outbreak of respiratory illness now called COVID-19.

Lauren Sauer, M.S., the director of operations with the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response and director of research with the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit, shares information about COVID-19 and what you need to know.

How does the new coronavirus spread?

As of now, researchers know that the new coronavirus is spread through droplets released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets generally do not travel more than a few feet, and they fall to the ground (or onto surfaces) in a few seconds — this is why social and physical distancing is effective in preventing the spread.

How did this new coronavirus spread to humans?

COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, a city in China, in December 2019. Although health officials are still tracing the exact source of this new coronavirus, early hypotheses thought it may be linked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China. Some people who visited the market developed viral pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus. A study that came out on Jan. 25, 2020, notes that the individual with the first reported case became ill on Dec. 1, 2019, and had no link to the seafood market. Investigations are ongoing as to how this virus originated and spread.

What is the incubation period for COVID-19?

It appears that symptoms are showing up in people within 14 days of exposure to the virus.

What are symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 symptoms include:

  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • Unexplained loss of taste or smell
  • Diarrhea
  • Headache

In rare cases, COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory problems, kidney failure or death.

If you have a fever or any kind of respiratory difficulty such as coughing or shortness of breath, call your doctor or a health care provider and explain your symptoms over the phone before going to the doctor’s office, urgent care facility or emergency room. Here are suggestions if you feel sick and are concerned you might have COVID-19.

If you have a medical emergency such as severe shortness of breath, call 911 and let them know about your symptoms.

Learn more about COVID-19 symptoms.

What Is Coronavirus?

How is COVID-19 diagnosed?

Diagnosis may be difficult with only a physical exam because mild cases of COVID-19 may appear similar to the flu or a bad cold. A laboratory test can confirm the diagnosis. Learn more about COVID-19 testing.

How is COVID-19 treated?

As of now, there is not a specific treatment for the virus. People who become sick from COVID-19 should be treated with supportive measures: those that relieve symptoms. For severe cases, there may be additional options for treatment, including research drugs and therapeutics.

Does COVID-19 cause death?

As of May 8, 2020, 269,881 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. However, 1,291,490 people have recovered from the illness. This information comes from the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases map developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Is this coronavirus different from SARS?

SARS stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome. In 2003, an outbreak of SARS started in China and spread to other countries before ending in 2004. The virus that causes COVID-19 is similar to the one that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak: both are types of coronaviruses. Much is still unknown, but COVID-19 seems to spread faster than the 2003 SARS and also may cause less severe illness.

How do you protect yourself from this coronavirus?

It’s crucial to practice good hygiene, respiratory etiquette and social and physical distancing. Read more about ways to protect yourself.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Self-Checker

Check symptoms. Protect yourself. Get information.

Check Now

Coronavirus: What do I do if I Feel Sick?

If you are concerned that you may have COVID-19, follow these steps to help protect your health and the health of others.

About Coronaviruses

  • Coronaviruses are common in different animals. Rarely, an animal coronavirus can infect humans.
  • There are many different kinds of coronaviruses. Some of them can cause colds or other mild respiratory (nose, throat, lung) illnesses.
  • Other coronaviruses can cause more serious diseases, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
  • Coronaviruses are named for their appearance: Under the microscope, the viruses look like they are covered with pointed structures that surround them like a corona, or crown.
Author db1595 Categories News Leave a comment

Flu Season Off To Rough Start In North Texas

By Andrea Lucia

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – New reports out this week show the flu rate in Dallas and Denton Counties rising rapidly.

About 24% of flu tests in those counties came back positive the week before Thanksgiving.

Medical experts say those numbers don’t usually appear until much later in the season.

They say it’s hard to predict what an early start to the season means in the long run, but in general it’s not a good sign.

“It’s been associated sometimes with some of our worst seasons in the past, so we don’t know how it’ll play out, but it’s one indicator,” said Dr. Phil Huang, the Director of Dallas County Health and Human Services.

Collin and Tarrant Counties have not released their latest numbers but have also been seeing an increase in recent weeks.

Local health departments are urging people to vaccinate against the virus and take common sense preventive measures like washing your hands.

 

Link to Article: https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/12/02/flu-season-rough-start-texas/

Author db1595 Categories Men's Health Articles, News, Women's Health Articles Leave a comment

How to Get Low-Cost Vaccines for Uninsured Adults

By Elizabeth Davis, RN  | Updated May 20, 2019

Article from Very Well Health – https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-get-low-cost-vaccines-for-uninsured-adults-1739000.

 

While programs providing for low-cost vaccines for children are common, low-cost vaccine programs for adults are harder to find. To get the vaccine you need at the lowest possible price, you’re going to have to put some legwork into the search. Here’s what you need to know about getting low-cost vaccines for adults in the United States.

You’ll Have to Comparison Shop

It’s not always the case that lowest price for adult vaccines can be found in public or community health clinics. Invest half an hour of time calling vaccination centers in your area to get price quotes.

Before you call, know which vaccines you need so that you can ask for a price quote on each of those vaccines. You can look up which vaccines are recommended for adults on the Center for Disease Control’s adult immunization schedules page.

While comparison shopping, be sure to ask what costs to expect in addition to the cost of the vaccine. Some vaccination centers charge an all-inclusive price for each vaccination. Others have a charge for the vaccine itself, a charge for administering the vaccine (injecting the vaccine into your body), an additional charge for the office or clinic visit. These additional charges sometimes cost more than the vaccine.

Some vaccines require a prescription, some don’t. Which vaccines require a prescription varies from state to state. For vaccines that require a prescription, you may get the prescription from your primary care physician.

As an alternative, some vaccination centers have a provider who can write the prescription, although that service may come at an additional cost. If you don’t have a prescription for the vaccine you want, when you’re comparison shopping, ask if a prescription is required. If it is, ask whether or not that vaccination center has a provider that can write the prescription and how much that would cost.

Here are some other resources for low-cost adult vaccinations:

Local Public Health Department

Most public health departments, also known as county health departments or parish health units, provide adult vaccination services. Some provide them on a sliding-scale fee structure based on your ability to pay, others have a fixed price. Use this tool to locate your local public health department.

Community Health Centers

Community Health Centers provide comprehensive, affordable care to people with limited access to healthcare. In many cases, this includes adult vaccines. Fees are based on your income and ability to pay. Since not all communities have one, check to see if there is a community health center near you.

Free Clinics

Occasionally, free clinics provide adult vaccinations. However, even if the free clinic near you doesn’t provide free vaccinations, if one of the vaccines you need requires a prescription, the free clinic could be a good place to get that prescription. Additionally, free clinic staff and volunteers usually have a wealth of knowledge about local community resources for low-cost medical services such as adult vaccination centers. To find the free clinic closest to you, enter your zip code into the find-a-clinic tool on the website of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics

Pharmacies

Many adult vaccines are available through your local pharmacy. Pharmacies can provide vaccines in three common ways:

  1. The pharmacist administers the vaccine.
  2. The pharmacy hosts a retail clinic staffed by a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant who can both prescribe and administer the vaccine. These retail clinics usually function on a walk-in basis; you don’t need an appointment.
  3. The pharmacy hosts an intermittent vaccine clinic that provides one or two vaccines for a limited period of time. These vaccine clinics are usually staffed by a nurse or paramedic. This is common during flu vaccine season when you might see a table set up near the pharmacy entrance advertising flu and pneumonia vaccines.

If you get your vaccine in a retail clinic, you may be charged for the clinic visit in addition to the vaccine. Be sure to ask. However, if you get your vaccine directly from the pharmacist rather than at the retail clinic, you can avoid the charge for the clinic visit. Seasonal vaccine clinics such as those staffed by nurses during flu season usually quote an all-inclusive price for both the vaccine and its administration.

One chain pharmacy deserving a special mention is Costco. You don’t have to be a Costco member to use the pharmacy. Tell the person checking Costco cards at the store entrance that you’re going to the pharmacy. My personal experience is that many adult vaccines are less expensive at Costco than at other chain pharmacies.

Vaccines.gov

Try this vaccine finder tool on the Vaccines.gov website. Enter your zip code and it lists nearby locations where vaccines are available. In some cases, the price for the vaccine is included beneath the vaccine center’s name and address.

Dial 211

If you haven’t had any luck finding low-cost vaccines for adults using the above resources, try calling 211. This service provides referral information on health and social service resources in your local area, making referrals for everything from homeless shelters to vaccine centers. For example, if your local YMCA hosts a flu-shot clinic each autumn, the people at 211 would know.

Physician’s Offices

While some physicians administer common adult vaccines to their patients unless you’re already in the physician’s office dealing with another health issue, this is unlikely to be the lowest-cost option for those without health insurance. If you choose to get a price quote from your doctor’s office, make sure to inquire about vaccine administration charges and the office visit charge in addition to the cost of the vaccine itself.

Vaccine Manufacturers’ Patient Assistance Programs

Some pharmaceutical companies that make adult vaccines provide financial aid to uninsured adults who can’t afford vaccines. Eligibility for financial aid varies by company but is almost always income-based. Additionally, for some pharmaceutical companies, a doctor’s office or clinic will be needed to help you submit the financial aid application.

While using a pharmaceutical company’s financial aid program, use the brand name of the vaccine rather than the generic or common name to make your web searches easier.

  • GalaxoSmithKline: GSK Vaccines Access Program 1–877–VACC–911. Assistance is available for Boostrix (Tdap), Cervarix (HPV2), Engerix B (Hep B,) Havrix (Hep A), and Twinrix (HepA/HepB).
  • Merck: Merck Vaccine Patient Assistance Program 1-800-293-3881. Assistance is available for Gardasil (HPV), MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), Pneumovax 23 (pneumonia), Recombivax HB (hepatitis B), VAQTA (Hepatitis A), Varivax (varicella/chicken pox), Zostavax (Zoster/Shingles).
  • Pfizer: Pfizer RxPathways 1-866-706-2400.
  • Sanofi Pasteur: Sanofi Pasteur provides financial aid through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance. Financial aid is available for Adacel (Tdap), Decavac (Td), Menactra (meningitis), Menomune (meningitis), Imovax (Rabies) Imogam (Rabies Immune Globulin).

Health Insurance and Adult Vaccines

If you need several vaccines, especially if some of the vaccines you require are administered in a series of two or three shots over several weeks or months, you could be looking at costs of several hundred dollars or more. Health insurance you buy through your state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange must cover routine vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. There are two important caveats about using health insurance for adult vaccines:

  1. Routine ACIP recommended vaccines must be covered without having to pay your deductible, copay, or coinsurance, but only if you get them from an in-network provider.
  2. Your health insurance doesn’t have to cover travel vaccines but might cover certain vaccines needed for travel.

If you don’t have health insurance because you can’t afford it, you may be able to get help paying for health insurance. The government provides three different types of subsidies to help people with modest incomes afford to buy and use health insurance. In addition to the no-cost vaccines, this health insurance would also cover a full range of recommended preventive health care services without requiring deductibles, copays, or coinsurance.

Author db1595 Categories News Leave a comment

Texas’ Uninsured Rate Is Bad And Getting Worse. But Lawmakers Did Nothing About It This Session

By  • JUN 3, 2019

Original Article Link – KUT.org

When lawmakers ended this year’s legislative session, they had addressed their biggest goals: They tamped down property taxes, overhauled school finance laws and gave teachers a pay raise. By various measures, the session was a success.

To health care advocates in the state, however, it was a missed opportunity.

“We are deeply disappointed that health care coverage was not prioritized at all this legislative session,” said Laura Guerra-Cardus, deputy director of the Children’s Defense Fund of Texas.

The state’s uninsured rate has recently started climbing again, after some progress during the Obama administration. Guerra-Cardus said she others tried to get lawmakers to take this seriously at the start of the legislative session, which ended last Monday.

Keeping Children In Medicaid

In particular, groups said they thought lawmakers would be open to addressing the uninsured rate among children in the state.

“We tried to draw attention to the fact that our child uninsured rate – while already being the worst in the nation – actually got even worse in 2017 for the first time after 10 years of modest improvement,” Guerra-Cardus said. “We got some traction there.”

Advocates garnered bipartisan support for House Bill 342, which could have stopped a lot of children from getting kicked off Medicaid every month.

After a child has been in the program for six months, state officials send letters to families every subsequent month asking for proof of income. Adriana Kohler, a senior health policy associate with Texans Care for Children, said it’s hard for families to keep up with the paperwork.

“I think there is not enough time for kids and their parents to send their paperwork back,” she said. “Letters and proof of your income … everything needs to be submitted within 10 days of being generated.”

Sometimes families have even less time, Kohler said, because those letters can take awhile to actually get to them.

Data shows more than 4,000 children are being removed from Medicaid every month. Advocates say about nine out of 10 of these kids get kicked off because of paperwork issues and red tape.

That’s why Kohler and others were pushing lawmakers to let children stay on the program for a year at a time.

As HB 342 made it through the Legislature, it was tweaked a little. Anne Dunkelberg, a program director with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, said the final version would have cost the state nothing.

But it died in the Senate anyway.

“It was an opportunity to do something without a cost to the state budget that could really have made a difference for uninsured kids in Texas,” she said, “and we left it on the table.”

Dunkelberg estimates about 50,000 Texas children will continue to get kicked off Medicaid every year now.

Extending Coverage For New Mothers

Kohler says lawmakers also failed to pass a bill that would have expanded Medicaid coverage to women who have babies. In Texas, women currently lose Medicaid coverage two months after giving birth. House Bill 744 would have covered them for a full year – something highly recommended by a task force working to curb maternal deaths.

“The [Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity] Task Force has spent two years looking at case data, looking at what’s going on in Texas,” Kohler said. “They presented their findings, and their No. 1 recommendation is to increase access to care before, during and after pregnancy.”

Ultimately, Dunkelberg said, the bill was really just a stopgap measure. To truly tackle maternal mortality, she said, women should be getting health care before they get pregnant.

“We had this beautiful low-hanging fruit that got some bipartisan support,” she said. “But it was not important enough to our leadership.”

And so, that bill died, too.

The Politics Of Health Care In Texas

Dunkelberg said she wasn’t entirely surprised the bills died. She was, however, a little hopeful going into the session that bipartisan interest in dealing with maternal mortality might lead to serious action.

But that’s not how things played out.

“It became fairly apparent early on in the session that anything that was going to make a dent in our uninsured rate just was not getting traction with the leadership,” she said.

The state’s uninsured rate is a long-standing problem, Guerra-Cardus said, and it’s been hard to get lawmakers to care about it.

“To be honest, it’s hard to even get many people in the Legislature to even admit that we have a health care coverage problem here in Texas,” she said.

Guerra-Cardus said polls show most Texans want to expand Medicaid to more low-income adults, but there’s barely been a conversion about expanding the program in the state through the Affordable Care Act.

“Elected officials have been able to run for a really long time without having to necessarily respond to the will of the majority of the people, because of the way our system is set up,” Guerra-Cardus said.

That’s why health care advocates in the state say they plan to start putting their efforts toward a community-organizing project called the Health Care Activist Leadership Network.

“We are just going to have to reach out to people all over the state and say, ‘Whether you are a Democrat, an Independent or a Republican – if you want your leaders to do anything about our uninsured problem, you are going to need to tell them this,” Dunkelberg said, “because they are not saying a peep about it.”

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