Everything You Need to Know About Life During COVID-19 Second Wave

Does the Flu kill more than the Coronavirus? Can a mosquito infect humans with a virus? Is there a risk for ordering a housekeeper? The questions that follow us with the first outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and the new questions will follow the second wave.

Gobiggi will put it in order

The introduction of COVID-19 into our lives, with high intensity and numbers, brings back new questions that we will be asking for months. The international medical experience gained in the first wave provides new answers: some are surprising.

To try to answer any questions, "Gobiggi" is trying to put it all in order.

Why is there a dramatic increase in the number of people infected, but not in the number of dead?

At the beginning of July, there were reports in the U.S. of the highest daily number of COVID-19 patients, breaking the daily record set just a week earlier. According to doctors, the rate of infection outweighs the increase in the number of tests. The growth in COVID-19 patients was expected and is consistent with what happened a few weeks ago when states began to open up. Many people were cautious and used safety measures, such as social distancing and wearing masks others didn't.

However, daily mortality rates have been declining, and experts say they expect the number of deaths to continue to fall before rising again steeply. There are several reasons for the current decline in fatalities:

First, dying from the virus occurs in many cases weeks after infection. The symptoms may appear after 14 days, and then it takes days or weeks for hospitalization or death.

Second, many are young people who have returned to work and entertainment. Older generations have kept social distancing. Young people are less likely to die due to this virus, but they can easily infect others by breathing in the same space.

Studies show that one person infects three people on average. Therefore, even if you become infected and do not feel particularly bad, you may infect others, who will infect others in return.

Is it true that the Flu kills more than the COVID-19?

Unequivocally, no. That what we thought at the beginning of the epidemic when we knew less about the disease. Now the medical world knows a lot more than they did 5-6 months ago. For example, in the U.S., more people have died from COVID-19 since February than from the Flu since October. In other words, COVID-19 not only kills more than the Flu but also kills at a much faster rate.

From October 1 to April 4, 24,000-62,000 Americans died from influenza, according to the C.D.C. (Disease Control and Prevention Centers). The first known death case from COVID-19 was in February. More than 128,000 people had died by July 3, according to Johns Hopkins University.

There are other reasons why COVID-19 is perhaps more dangerous than the Flu: COVID-19 infects victims twice as much as the Flu. According to researchers, a person with the Flu infects an average of 1.28 people. In COVID-19, the infection is 2-3 people. The home quarantine can drastically reduce this.

COVID-19 can spread unknowingly for more days than the Flu. COVID-19 carrier symptoms may be detected after 14 days; however, some carriers don't feel anything. The carriers who don't feel any symptoms can infect others without their knowledge. The incubation period for the Flu is very less. Most patients see signs within two days of infection and shut down at home until the Flu passes.

The Flu has a vaccine. COVID-19 does not. Experts say influenza mortality was drastically reduced once there was a vaccine available.

At what stage do people get most infected by COVID-19?

People can infect others without feeling any symptoms. In fact, and it is strange, patients get the most infection before developing the symptoms. Sometimes they never develop them. People probably carry more nose and mouth bacteria before they become ill, yet they spread the virus around regardless of symptoms.

Has the virus developed concerning mutations so far?

All viruses develop mutations when they infect humans, and the new infection is no exception. Epidemic experts use these mutations to track the global spread of the virus, but scientists are also looking for changes that affect virus traits, such as more infection or transmissibility.

COVID-19 versions identified at the beginning of the epidemic in places like Lombardy in Italy or Madrid may seem more deadly than those found elsewhere. That comparison is probably false, according to William Hanage, a Harvard epidemiologist.

Summer has arrived, and so has mosquitoes. Can a mosquito infect humans with a virus?

According to the W.H.O., there is no information or evidence that the COVID-19 virus is transmitted in a mosquito bite.

Is it true that young people carrying the COVID-19 can suffer from blood clots or strokes?

This is a correct claim. Some young people have suffered a stroke. "The virus probably causes increased blood clotting in the large arteries, leading to severe stroke…" said Dr. Thomas Oxley, a brain surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to CNN. "Our report shows a seven-fold increase in sudden stroke in young patients over the past two weeks," "Most of these patients had no prior medical background, and they stayed at home with only minor symptoms, and in two cases without symptoms." One patient is dead, and others are in rehabilitation, intensive care, or a stroke unit. Only one patient has been released.

If you had COVID-19 previously, can you get it again?

It is not yet known if the people who have recovered from COVID-19 can contract the virus again. The question depends on the antibodies and on the vaccine they may or may not provide. Cases of other types of the virus, such as SARS, have shown that people are immune to the virus for some time after the initial infection, but the vaccine is not permanent. Since COVID-19 has the same characteristics as these viruses, scientists have been relying on them, but the answers are inconclusive. Only with time will we know what kind of vaccine people are developing for it. A study in South Korea showed that people infected with COVID-19 had positive results even weeks after receiving it. Still, it is unclear whether it was a new virus or the remains of the original infection.

After six months of experience, do you know what kind of masks works best?

Health experts recommend cloth masks to be worn in public whenever there is contact with others. Different types have different efficiencies, according to researchers at the Atlantic University of Florida: The two-layer stitched mask achieves the best performance - the spit coming from the mouth while talking reaches only 6.35 cm. In a striped paper mask, the spit reaches 20.3 cm.

A folded handkerchief is worse - the spits examined reached up to 40 cm. Bandana on the mouth turned out to be the worst of the cloth masks, with spits reaching almost a meter.

According to researchers, it is clear that wearing any fabric mask is better than wearing no mask. Without any cover, spits splash for 2.44 meters. "People must know that wearing masks can decrease transmission of the virus by as much as 50 percent. People who deny wearing a mask are putting their lives, families, friends, and communities at risk." Said Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation Director Dr. Christopher Murray.

Is it possible to disinfect the mask in the microwave?

"It's not a good idea," said N.B.C. Dr. Joseph Weintz, a professor of infectious disease at Yale University. "We have no evidence of that." First of all, if there is a metal wire in the mask or even metal clamps, they will explode in the microwave. Fabric masks, on the other hand, can be washed and used again.

Paper masks are refreshed after a few days of non-use. To disinfect them, you can leave them clean and safe in your home for a few days, as the virus can live on hard surfaces for up to three days.

Do some blood types fight the virus better than others?

A study published in the New England Medical Journal found that people with blood type A are more likely to get the COVID-19 infection with severe symptoms, whereas people with blood type O have a lower risk. This study has some limitations. Researchers cannot say whether the blood type is the direct cause of infection complications. Genetic changes that affect risk may be related to blood type. Dr. Roy Silverstein, the hematologist and head of the faculty of medicine at the Wisconsin College, told CNN that the absolute difference in the degree of risk is minimal. "We can't tell people with blood type "O" that their chances of getting infected are small."

Is there a risk in ordering a maid if you leave the house and leave it cleaned?

It's safer if you leave home. In any case, you leave the windows open to improve ventilation, ask the assistant to use your detergents, and not to bring staff that was in other homes.

The summer vacation has come. Is there a danger of getting COVID-19 from swimming in the sea, lake, or stream?

Water should be feared, but people in the water are a more significant threat. "Pool water, if properly maintained, will probably not be the source of the virus spread. The chlorine in the water will neutralize the virus quickly," Immunologist Erin Bromage told CNN. "The dilution of pool or seawater or an abundant water source does not have enough viruses to cause infection. In any case, while in the water, you must keep a physical distance."

Is vitamin D linked to the disease?

The Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, Mr. Robin May, said, "So far, there is no evidence that high doses of vitamin D protect against the virus."

How should you behave in an elevator with other people?

It is best to go up the stairs, if possible. If not, here are some tips: Wear a mask. This is a rule that is always true and for every situation; Use tissues to push the elevator buttons. If there is no tissue, use your elbow, then disinfect it; Keep your distance as far as possible from the others in the elevator.

Does ultraviolet radiation kill the virus?

According to the World Health Organization, some U.V. radiation devices are used to disinfect hospitals, but U.V. rays kill bacteria only under particular conditions - including precise doses and exposure times. On the other hand, U.V. radiation can damage the body. Two factors are necessary for such radiation to destroy a virus: power and time. If the foundation is strong enough to kill a virus in a short time, it will be dangerous to humans. UVA/UVB radiation is harmful to the skin of the body. U.V.C. is safer for the skin, but damaging to soft tissue like eyes.