CORONAVIRUS

5 Flu And COVID-19 Myths People Need To Stop Believing

Flu season is just getting started, and misinformation about influenza and the coronavirus is already swirling.

By  Catherine Pearson

10/12/2020 05:45am EDT | Updated October 12, 2020

Flu season and the COVID-19 pandemic are set to collide. Here’s what you need to know. 

While no one knows exactly how it will play out, it is safe to say that the United States is heading into a flu season unlike any other.

COVID-19 is still surging around much of the country. And though experts believe influenza rates might be lower than usual (more on that in a moment), we’ll still collectively be facing multiple contagious respiratory illnesses at the same time. A “twindemic,” if you will.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s “likely” that the viruses that cause the flu and the viruses that cause COVID-19 will both be circulating this fall and winter. It’s an unsettling prospect, particularly for those in high-risk categories. And to top it off, there is so much misinformation about COVID-19, the flu and the vaccines.

Don’t fall victim to the mistruths. Here are five big misconceptions people have about the illnesses, which everyone needs to unlearn as we head into flu season and a possible second wave of COVID-19

Myth: The flu won’t be a problem because we’re wearing masks.

Doctors “are hoping — but not betting on — a lighter influenza season this year as people practice physical distancing, mask wearing and better hand hygiene,” said Dr. Timothy Laird, interim chief medical officer of Health First Medical Group. Sometimes you can do just about everything right — mask up, maintain social distance, wash your hands — and still catch a virus. Which is why layering preventive measures is so important. People can get the flu by touching surfaces or objects that have been contaminated with flu viruses (which is also true with COVID-19, although that isn’t the primary mode of transmission).

“Everything we’re doing reduces risk,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone, an epidemiologist and professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “It doesn’t make risk zero.”

(But mask skeptics, take note: This doesn’t mean you should leave your face covering at home. Experts overwhelmingly agree wearing a mask is far better than nothing for reducing transmission.)

Myth: The flu vaccine could make you sick, weak or more vulnerable to COVID-19.

The persistent claim that the flu vaccine can give you the flu just is not true, experts say. However, you could develop a flulike reaction to the vaccine (including muscle aches and fever) as your body produces antibodies.

“You may get a sore arm, maybe even feel a bit achy or have a low grade fever or scratchy throat,” Laird said. “But that’s not an illness, that is a side effect experienced by a small number of people with nearly any vaccination.”

There are a few other possibilities for why you might get sick after vaccination: You could catch the flu in the two-week window between getting your shot and when it takes effect. Or you could get sick if you’re exposed to a flu virus that isn’t a good match with those used in this year’s vaccine.

But the vaccine itself will not give you an illness. That’s a key misconception to clear up now for anyone who is reluctant to get vaccinated over concerns the shot will make them sick and weaken their immune system amid a pandemic, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. It won’t.

On the other hand, it is possible to get both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, which could be “catastrophic” to the immune system, some experts warn. So getting a flu shot is particularly important.

The flu shot will not make you sick or more susceptible to COVID-19.

Myth: The flu vaccine could “mess” with a COVID-19 vaccine.

If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available during flu season, after you have already received your flu shot, “there should be no problem getting a subsequent vaccine any time this winter,” Milstone said.

“We give vaccines together all the time,” he explained. “The only time we sometimes worry about separating vaccines with a little bit of time is when we give a live viral vaccine.”

For example, doctors might space out other vaccinations around the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, so patients get the full immune response. But all the injectable flu vaccines currently available right now are not live vaccines, Milstone said, so it shouldn’t be a concern.

Myth: COVID-19 and the flu are essentially the same.

Despite President Donald Trump’s continued assertions that the flu and COVID-19 are so similar they are basically the same, that absolutely isn’t true.

It’s not true in terms of the effect on the body; it’s not true in terms of how long people are contagious or how contagious the various viruses are; and it’s not even true in terms of who tends to get really sick.

“There’s a difference epidemiologically,” Milstone said.

It’s also not true for death counts. Approximately 34,000 people died in the U.S. during the 2018-2019 flu season, which really picked up in November and pretty much wound down in February. By contrast, more than 211,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. in the last seven months. And unlike the flu, which tends to strike in the winter, COVID-19 cases surged all summer long.

Distinguishing the difference has implications for everything ― from how doctors might watch for more serious developments to how long someone needs to quarantine and how people who’ve come into contact with a sick individual should behave.

Which brings us to …

Myth: If I were to get sick, I would manage COVID-19 and the flu in the same way.

There is definitely significant overlap in the symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza, like fever, chills, fatigue and cough. They are also both highly contagious respiratory viruses. So in some ways, yes, a person who becomes ill with the flu might behave pretty much the same as a person who becomes ill with COVID-19.

“There are a few common principles to keep in mind. First, you are contagious,” Laird said. “Protect others. Wear a mask if around them. Everyone should practice excellent hand hygiene, and you should isolate yourself as much as possible. Secondly, hydrate and rest.”

But knowing which particular virus you have will likely change how you proceed beyond that. Researchers are still grappling with exactly how long someone can spread COVID-19, but they believe the period of contagiousness is longer than with the flu. With the flu, people are generally cleared to head back into the world once they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours; with COVID-19 it’s at least 10 days since symptoms appeared and the individual has been fever-free for at least 24 hours.

That’s one reason why doctors, like Milstone, are advocating that people who develop symptoms be particularly diligent about getting tested this season.

“I think most people are going to need to get a test result to know: When can I safely return to work, school, daycare, etcetera,” Milstone said.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations

To begin, the current Whitehouse resident has spun 20,000 plus lies (and climbing) about everything from his physical health to his his wealth and his work to date in the office. He may have a record number of followers on twitter but those numbers (if you ask him-are the greatest of anyone) as of October 1st 2020. Trump is # 7.

Top 50 accounts

The following table lists the top 50 most followed accounts on Twitter, with each total rounded to the nearest million followers, as well as the profession or activity of each user.^[1] Account totals and monthly changes in ranking were last updated on October 1, 2020.

Rank	Change (monthly)	Account name	Owner	Followers (millions)	Activity
1		@BarackObama	Barack Obama	123	Former U.S. president
2		@justinbieber	Justin Bieber	113	Musician
3		@katyperry	Katy Perry	109	Musician
4		@rihanna	Rihanna	99	Musician and businesswoman
5		@Cristiano	Cristiano Ronaldo	88	Footballer
6		@taylorswift13	Taylor Swift	87	Musician
7		@realDonaldTrump	Donald Trump	87	Current U.S. president
8		@ladygaga	Lady Gaga	82	Musician and actress
9		@TheEllenShow	Ellen DeGeneres	80	Comedian and television hostess
10		@ArianaGrande	Ariana Grande	77	Musician and actress
11		@YouTube	YouTube	72	Online video platform
12		@KimKardashian	Kim Kardashian	67	Television personality and businesswoman
13		@jtimberlake	Justin Timberlake	64	Musician and actor
14		@selenagomez	Selena Gomez	63	Musician and actress
15		@narendramodi	Narendra Modi	63	Current Prime Minister of India
16		@cnnbrk	CNN Breaking News	59	News channel
17		@twitter	Twitter	58	Social media platform
18		@britneyspears	Britney Spears	56	Musician
19		@ddlovato	Demi Lovato	56	Musician
20		@shakira	Shakira	52	Musician
21		@BillGates	Bill Gates	52	Businessman and philanthropist
22		@jimmyfallon	Jimmy Fallon	52	Comedian
23		@CNN	CNN	50	News channel
24		@neymarjr	Neymar	50	Footballer
25		@KingJames	LeBron James	48	Basketball player
26		@nytimes	The New York Times	47	Newspaper
27		@BBCBreaking	BBC Breaking News	46	News channel
28		@JLo	Jennifer Lopez	45	Musician and actress
29		@MileyCyrus	Miley Cyrus	45	Musician and actress
30		@SrBachchan	Amitabh Bachchan	44	Actor
31		@Oprah	Oprah Winfrey	43	Television personality and businesswoman
32		@BrunoMars	Bruno Mars	43	Musician
33		@BeingSalmanKhan	Salman Khan	42	Actor and film producer
34		@iamsrk	Shah Rukh Khan	41	Actor and film producer
35		@NASA	NASA	41	Space agency
36		@NiallOfficial	Niall Horan	41	Musician
37		@akshaykumar	Akshay Kumar	39	Actor
38		@Drake	Drake	39	Rapper
39		@PMOIndia	PMO India	39	Office of the Prime Minister of India
40		@elonmusk	Elon Musk	39	Industrial designer and tech entrepreneur
41		@imVkohli	Virat Kohli	38	Cricketer
42		@SportsCenter	SportsCenter	37	Sports channel
43		@KevinHart4real	Kevin Hart	37	Comedian and actor
44		@wizkhalifa	Wiz Khalifa	36	Rapper
45		@espn	ESPN	36	Sports channel
46		@Harry_Styles	Harry Styles	35	Musician
47		@KylieJenner	Kylie Jenner	35	Television personality and businesswoman
48		@instagram	Instagram	35	Social media platform
49		@realmadrid	Real Madrid CF	35	Football club
50		@LilTunechi	Lil Wayne	35	Rapper

Currently the only numbers we should be concerned about are the ballots that will remove TOTUS from office. Looking at the recent events we see that the President has potentially infected everyone in the White house even though for the longest time we were again lied to about testing that was ongoing on a daily basis. The lack of masking (which is highly recommended by large numbers of qualified and re Medical professional) could have prevented some if not all in the Whitehouse. We can only wait for the additional infections still to come from his rallies and perhaps the Secret service.

 

Interesting ditty

Khristopher J. Brooks  9 hrs ago

America could have been $16 trillion richer if not for inequities in education, housing, wages and business investment between Black and White Americans over the past 20 years, new research concludes. 

The study, released this week by Citigroup, is the latest in a body of research that attempts to quantify the economic impact of systemic racism. Citigroup arrived at its $16 trillion figure after estimating that:

• Black workers have lost $113 billion in potential wages over the past two decades because they couldn’t get a college degree.
• The housing market lost $218 billion in sales because Black applicants couldn’t get home loans.
• About $13 trillion in business revenue never flowed into the economy because Black entrepreneurs couldn’t access bank loans. 

What’s more, the U.S. could have $5 trillion in gross domestic product over the next five years if those gaps and others were closed today, the study indicated. 

“Racial inequality has always had an outsized cost, one that was thought to be paid only by underrepresented groups,” Citigroup Banking Chair Raymond McGuire said in a statement. “What this report underscores is that this tariff is levied on us all.”

Federal Reserve data show that White households’ net worth grew 43%, to $61,200, between 1995 and 2016, while it remained flat at $35,400 for Black families. Moody’s Investor Service found that 44% of Black households owned their homes in 2019, compared with 74% of white households.

The study also highlights the “real costs of long-standing discrimination against minority groups, especially against Black people and particularly in the U.S.,” Citigroup economist Catherine Mann said in a statement. 

A McKinsey study released last year explored how these and other inequities have reduced the nation’s wealth. The nation’s GDP — the total value of goods and services — could be up to 6% higher by 2028 if the racial wealth gap is closed, the consulting firm concluded. Lawmakers must pass targeted policies that boost household income for Black Americans in order to address the issue, McKinsey said.

illion dollagain from the effort,” the McKinsey study concluded. 

Incarceration rates among Black Americans, voter suppression efforts and conscious bias in hiring all play a role in hindering the U.S. from making strides in closing this gap, Citigroup said. 

Separately, the financial giant on Wednesday said it would direct $1 billion toward helping close the racial wealth gap, including investing $550 million over the next three years in encouraging homeownership for people of color. Another $50 million will go toward capital investments for Black entrepreneurs. 

There were some parents who stated that they should have the right to decide when their children go back to school and what sports they should participate in, in spite of evidence showing the downside of individual actions. It should be noted that the lack of a n of national guidelines makes these decisions difficult to impossible. MA

By SEAN CRAWFORD• SEP 15, 2020ShareTweetEmailCREDIT NPR ILLINOIS

Amid growing calls to allow contact sports to resume this fall, Illinois’ governor Tuesday appeared to double down on postponement of the seasons.

J.B. Pritzker said it’s not a political decision. 

“I know that there are people who would like me simply to make a political decision to allow people to endanger themselves,” he told reporters.

Sports like football, volleyball and boys’ soccer has been pushed to a possible spring schedule due to COVID-19.  Several other Midwest states have made decisions to let the games go on.

“And if they’ve decided to endanger children and families in those states, by allowing certain contact sports to take place, that’s their decision. That’s not something that’s good for the families…the children of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

“Look, I’m not willing to sacrifice people’s lives or their health.  Neither the children nor their parents who would be affected also.”

The governor said he will continue to make decisions based on advice from doctors and researchers.  A few fall sports, such as cross country and tennis, are currently allowed, even though some of the seasons have been shortened. 

There have been protests and rallies across the state in recent days pushing for the restrictions on fall sports to be lifted.

The Illinois High School Association announced last week that it sent a letter to the governor asking to resume control over determining the resumption of IHSA sports and activities. 

• Dirty side of Politics
• Faux News
• Information
• Insertion
• Inside my head
• My Opinion
• politricks
• postings from others
• Smoke & Mirrors
• Trumpedation

• Dirty side of Politics
• Faux News
• Information
• Insertion
• Inside my head
• My Opinion
• politricks
• postings from others
• Smoke & Mirrors
• Trumpedation

By Carmen Paun  5 hrs ago– POLITICO

In only half a year, the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out decades of global development in everything from health to the economy.

Progress has not only stopped, but has regressed in areas like getting people out of poverty and improving conditions for women and children around the world, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation finds in its 2020 Goalkeepers report published Monday.

Vaccination coverage, seen as a good indicator for how health systems are functioning, is dropping to levels last seen in the 1990s, it says.

“In other words, we’ve been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks,” the report says. “What the world does in the next months matters a great deal.”

Global action to stop the pandemic would prevent illness and deaths caused by Covid-19, but there’s more at stake: The crisis sets back strides made in global poverty, HIV transmission, malnutrition, gender equality, education and many more areas. Even if the world manages to get the coronavirus under control soon, it could take years to claw back lost progress.

“We’re at the real cusp moment at how you can tackle this and how long-term the effects are,” Mark Suzman, the CEO of the Gates Foundation, told POLITICO.

If the world can get a coronavirus vaccine successfully distributed in the next 18 months or so, things may return to the way they were before the pandemic in one or two years, he said. But in some developing countries, reversing the economic downturn may take longer because they don’t have the ability to invest as much money in their economies as rich countries, Suzman said.

Every year it was released since 2017, the Goalkeepers report celebrated progress in fighting poverty and disease in the developing world, Suzman said.

But this year it’s striving to show just how bad things are.

After 20 years of continuous progress, almost 37 million people have this year become extremely poor, living on less than $1.90 a day, according to the report. “‘Falling below the poverty line’ is a euphemism, though; what it means is having to scratch and claw every single moment just to keep your family alive,” it says.

These newly impoverished people are likely to be more women who work mostly in informal jobs in low- and middle-income countries.

And the coronavirus’s bad news for women doesn’t stop there.

“Indirectly, COVID will cause more women than men to suffer and die, in large part because the pandemic has disrupted health care before, during, and immediately after childbirth,” the report says. Newborns are at risk too, as more infants are likely to die when health systems falter — as is happening now around the world.

Children are also at risk of contracting life-threatening diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis since, for the first time in almost 30 years, the first four months of 2020 showed a substantial drop in the number of those completing the three doses of the DTP vaccine, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

And outbreaks harm not only children’s health, but also their education.

“Data from the Ebola epidemic in West Africa suggests that, when schools open again, girls are less likely to return, thereby closing off opportunities for themselves and for their future children,” the Goalkeepers report says.

The early signs of that are present in Malawi, for example.

Teenage girls living with HIV who have been stuck at home as schools were closed because of the pandemic are getting pregnant, Grace Ngulube, a 25-year old HIV activist based in Blantyre, Malawi’s second largest city, told POLITICO. As schools reopen, they will be busy taking care of their babies at home, she said.

Ngulube, who works with the country’s association for young people living with HIV and who was born with the disease, said some are afraid to go to youth clinics to get treatments and mental health support like they would have before the pandemic. Those who can make it need to wear a face mask, and that can be an expensive item to procure for some young people who have lost their jobs, she said.

“A lot of young people are really struggling, and some of them, they have contracted themselves into prostitution or maybe transactional sex,” she said. That could lead to new HIV infections.

In 2018, almost 1 in 10 people between 15 and 49 years old lived with HIV in the country, according to UNAIDS. Overall, 1 million out of the 18 million people in Malawi had HIV in 2018.

Recent modeling studies show that deaths from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria could as much as double in the next year as a result of the pandemic, wiping out decades of progress, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in a report on Monday. There could be a half-million more AIDS deaths globally compared to 2018, setting the world close to 2008 levels, it said.

To try to avoid that, HIV Alliance India called citizens who had returned home as the country locked down to tell them which were the closest facilities providing antiretroviral treatment, Rosenara Huidrom from the Alliance told POLITICO. Field workers provided treatment to those who were too scared of getting infected with coronavirus to go out for it, she said. India has the third-highest number of people with HIV and the second-highest number of coronavirus cases.

Richer countries need to work with middle- and low-income countries to figure out how to help, the United States’ top infections disease expert Anthony Fauci said during a virtual event organized by Friends of the Global Fight on Friday.

From the vantage point of the White House coronavirus task force he sits on, the “extraordinary disruption” of disease treatment and prevention the U.S. and others have invested in is not on the radar screen, “when it really should be,” Fauci said.

This year’s Gatekeepers report is based on imperfect data that its partner, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), has managed to gather so far. The full picture won’t be available until 2021.

The data covering 2020 is based on a series of smartphone surveys and telephone interviews with 70,000 people in 82 countries, though they were not a representative sample for all countries. Other data considered includes information on the number of people receiving health services monthly, the number of tourist arrivals, employment data and human mobility patterns.

IHME modeled what will happen by the end of 2021 based on what has happened so far, including an assumption that people would react to new restrictions the same way they reacted at the beginning, among others.