COVID-19 Update: Thursday, September 17th

The Big 10, DHHS, Wildfires, and Hurricanes

1. The Big 10 has decided to play ball after all. They plan to resume their schedule on October 23rd.

2. The DHHS announced that Michael Caputo will be taking a 60-day leave of absence and Paul Alexander, Caputo’s senior policy advisor will be leaving. You may recall Caputo was recently in the news due to some conflict with the CDC regarding the content of what should be included in reports. The medical and public health community were concerned about what was perceived as political interference in COVID-19 reporting coming out of the CDC. Caputo says his leave is to allow him to “focus on his health and family”

3. Wildfires in the west are posing significant issues but among them are health issues such as aggravating asthma, COPD, and allergies. The smoke from the fires can also cause an overreaction of the immune system, eye, throat, and skin irritation. It can even cause an onset of rashes or eczema. And the poor air quality means people can’t be outside as much, so they are in close proximity to others for longer periods of time all of which can contribute to increasing the risk of COVID. Shelters further exacerbate this risk. N95 masks are the best mask option for those in the area, however, fit is important when wearing an N95 mask. But even surgical style and COVID masks will provide some protection from the dangerous particles in the air.

4. Hurricanes in the gulf bring their own threat (tetanus, mold, sepsis, infection, drowning etc.) The list is long. In addition, going to shelters (which is the right thing to do) does increase the chances of COVID spreading. If you live in the path of the hurricane remember that floodwater is often quite dirty and contains dangerous microorganisms and debris below the surface that can cause injury. Wear shoes when in floodwaters and clean any wounds as soon as you discover them. You may need a tetanus shot depending on the injury. Discard items that cannot be cleaned but came in contact with floodwater including food. Use a 10% bleach solution to clean items that can be sanitized. And amid all the hurricane stuff, don’t forget your mask.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, it’s Thursday. It’s been a full week, but we aren’t quite done yet. I want to encourage you today to roll with resistance. Try to take things in stride. All easier to say than to do, trust me I know. But we cannot fight what is, we can only work together to make it better. Today, let’s just look around and ask ourselves, “what can I do to make it better” and then, let’s focus on that.