Face masks help reduce the spread of COVID-19. They are safe to wear for most people, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t recommend wearing masks for children younger than two years old and those who have trouble breathing. The claim that wearing a mask contributes to cancer development is unsupported by scientific evidence.
Scientists still have a lot to learn about the factors contributing to COVID-19 immunity. Among some of the biggest questions is the duration of protection developed after natural infection or vaccination. This has significant implications on how well herd immunity can be maintained through vaccination and how often reinfection occurs in recovered COVID-19 patients. Some studies reported encouraging findings showing that immune memory may endure for at least several months and possibly longer. But at the moment, it is too early to make firm conclusions about how long COVID-19 immunity lasts.
Public health authorities are detecting lower than usual flu activity this season compared to previous seasons. Widespread adoption of public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as the use of face masks, physical distancing, and travel restrictions, are likely contributing to the lower flu activity. Additional factors, including increased flu vaccinations and different transmission dynamics for the flu and COVID-19, can also influence how each disease spreads. However, flu viruses are still circulating and may peak later in the season.
According to the CDC and the FDA, a vaccine is a product that stimulates a person’s immune system to build defenses against a particular disease-causing microorganism, thereby preventing disease in the vaccinated individual. It is still unknown whether the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which were approved for emergency use by the FDA, can stop transmission of the virus. Research is ongoing to address this question. Since it is currently unclear whether or not vaccinated people can still transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, it remains important for people to follow preventative measures, such as washing hands frequently, wearing a face mask and practicing physical distancing.
The number of deaths recorded in the U.S. so far has exceeded that of previous years by more than 300,000 (excess death). Many parts of the U.S. are also now seeing a shortage in intensive care unit bed capacity. This is likely to translate to a suboptimal level of healthcare resources, which will adversely affect the quality of care for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the general population, in particular healthcare workers, having received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 11 December 2020. Since then, many posts and articles on social media have claimed alleged safety issues. … Continued
Public health authorities like the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended the general public to use face masks primarily to protect other people from the mask wearer in the event that the wearer is infected (source control), rather than to protect the wearer from becoming infected (prevention). Several scientific studies have shown that wearing a mask helps to reduce the release of infectious droplets and aerosols into the air, thereby reducing the spread of COVID-19 from infected people.
Scientific studies recently published have demonstrated that non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as the wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and lockdowns, are effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19. These measures have been an integral part of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientific studies have associated flu with a higher risk of secondary infection with other viruses and bacteria. Face masks are effective at reducing the spread of viral respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu. Face masks are safe to use and not associated with an increased risk of bacterial pneumonia or other health problems.
Studies showing that oral rinses can inactivate certain coronaviruses in a laboratory setting may not apply to humans. There is currently no scientific evidence demonstrating that these products can reduce person-to-person transmission of COVID-19. Clinical trials demonstrating that oral rinses can effectively reduce the level of infectious virus in the mouth have not yet been completed. Therefore, people should continue to practice effective measures for reducing COVID-19 spread, such as physical distancing, good hand hygiene, and the use of face masks.
