COVID-19 Update Monday, August 17th

Exemption cards, Legionnaire's disease, Metformin, Schools and New Zealand.

1. Face Mask Exempt Cards are making their way around stating the person has an ADA exemption from masking. The DOJ has issued a statement saying these are fraudulent.

2. FAKE News: wearing a mask causes Legionnaires’ disease. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by inhaling droplets that contain legionella bacteria. So unless you are exhaling legionella bacteria into your own mask…

3. Observational studies (not clinical trials) suggest that Metformin, a medication routinely used in type 2 diabetics, may prevent death from COVID. Metformin has anti-inflammatory benefits which is believed to be the reason it helps. These findings suggest further research in this area is warranted.

4. Schools in Nebraska, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama have had to close due to COVID cases. It is, however, not the case counts themselves that are the issue but the large numbers of students/staff/teachers who are having to be quarantined that is causing the problem.

5. New Zealand has delayed their elections by 4 weeks due to a resurgence of cases in the country. They have 1600 cases total in the country (rounded). 90 of those are active.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Let’s start the week by standing still and taking a deep breath. It is good to sometimes be reminded this is a virus. Just a virus. We are educated and we are informed, and we know how to mitigate our own risk and how to protect those around us. We are wearing masks; we are washing our hands regularly, we are spreading light and truth, and we are avoiding unnecessary outings and large crowds. That is all we can do. There is no need for fear or worry. Worry doesn’t add days to our life, it just robs us of the days we have. So, take a deep, cleansing breath, hold it for just a moment, and let it out slowly. Let’s walk confidently into this week. We got this.