Flu shots especially important in COVID-19 era - Chicago Sun-Times

Flu shots especially important in COVID-19 era - Chicago Sun-Times
Latest coronavirus news for October 30, 2020: Live updates - Chicago Sun-Times
Smoke from Western fires strains lungs miles away - Cumberland Times-News

Posted: 30 Oct 2020 07:00 AM PDT

Dear Doctors: I'm 23 years old and hardly ever get sick, not even a cold. I usually skip getting a flu shot, but my dad keeps telling my brother and me that it's really important to get one this year. Can you explain why? Is it going to protect us against the coronavirus?

A. A flu shot won't safeguard against the novel coronavirus. But it will add an important measure of protection during a particularly perilous flu season.

There can be a lot of overlap in symptoms between flu and COVID-19. Symptoms for each can include fever, chills, body aches, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache, cough, chest congestion, difficulty breathing and fatigue. And both can lead to pneumonia, hospitalization and even death.

Even when it's not life-threatening, the flu guarantees a week or two of misery. A flu shot reduces the risk of becoming infected with the influenza virus or can mean milder symptoms and shorter illnesses than for those who go unvaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone at least 6 months old be vaccinated against the flu each year. Inactivated influenza vaccines are approved for children as young as 6 months. That's important because children under 5, especially those younger than 2, are at high risk of developing serious complications from flu.

Most people get a standard flu shot. Adults 65 and older, whose immune systems have slowed down, are urged to get a higher-dose vaccine. For people with an egg allergy, there is an egg-free version.

Flu shots are free with most insurance and are often available at discounted rates at flu shot clinics. For locations, go online to vaccinefinder.org.

Dr. Eve Glazier is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Dr. Elizabeth Ko is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.

Latest coronavirus news for October 30, 2020: Live updates - Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: 30 Oct 2020 06:33 AM PDT

The latest

Illinois surpasses 400,000 COVID-19 cases since pandemic began

COVID-19 testing area at University of Chicago Hospital in March.

Illinois' average coronavirus testing positivity rate reached its highest point in five months Friday as public health officials announced a second straight record-breaking day of 6,943 new infections statewide.

The soaring tally came along with a record-high 95,111 tests submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health, raising the statewide average testing positivity rate over the last week to 7.3%.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's health team uses the average testing positivity rate to gauge how rapidly the virus is spreading — and it has more than doubled over the last month.

With yet another record-breaking case count, the state has surpassed 400,000 cases over the course of the pandemic. Since March, 402,401 people have tested positive for the virus, or about 3.2% of Illinois' population.

Officials also announced 36 more deaths have been attributed to the virus, raising the death toll to 9,711. The latest fatalities included a Cook County man in his 40s and 12 other Chicago-area residents.

Read the full report from Rachel Hinton and Mitchell Armentrout here.

News

2:47 p.m. Illinois restaurant workers blast ban on indoor services

Indoor service at Chicago bars and restaurants was suspended Friday by the state in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Outdoor service is allowed, but it must end at 11 p.m.

Restaurant association representatives said they plan to meet next week with Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The association launched a petition drive asking the governor to lift the dining restrictions.

The group contends banning indoor service will result in a larger spread of the virus by driving people into "uncontrolled, unmonitored private gatherings." They're asking the state to reconsider the mitigations and to re-offer financial support packages and PPE to restaurants, a program that was vital for businesses during the initial spread last spring.

"We want to work with the state to offer a different path. One that addresses the surges we're seeing while protecting the livelihood of industry workers and restaurant owners across Illinois," said Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association.

Read the full story here.

1:20 p.m. Chicagoans divided on outdoor winter dining as restaurant restrictions take effect

We asked Chicagoans: Now that bars and restaurants can only serve people outdoors, will you continue frequenting your favorite places while bundled up in a coat, gloves and hat? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

"Nothing as fun as outdoor dining in the middle of a Chicago winter! I'll bring my own snow shovel, and, instead of putting out a chair for parking dibs, I'll just sit in the chair!" — Pete Kurasz

"Nope! I refuse to sit outside when it's this cold. It was snowing this morning!" — Melanie Schmidt

"If it's not completely miserable — and they have heaters — I will wear a coat and hat and deal with it. If it is, we will order takeout." — Sarah Marren

"If weather permits, I will continue to patronize restaurants in my neighborhood. Many restaurants in Portage Park have had to get creative. If I can't dine outdoors, I will order for pickup." — Erika Garcia

Read the full story from Alice Bazerghi here.

11:52 a.m. Music professors invent protective COVID gear for students

Alice Dade, an associate professor at the University of Missouri, recommends using clip-on devices for flutes called "wind guards," which shield the lip plate of the flute from wind when playing outdoors. The ventilated design helps limit condensation and interference with the player's air stream. Amid the pandemic, some flutists now use them with surgical masks on top to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Trombonist Jerrell Charleston loves the give-and-take of jazz, the creativity of riffing off other musicians. But as he looked toward his sophomore year at Indiana University, he feared that steps to avoid sharing the coronavirus would also keep students from sharing songs.

"Me and a lot of other cats were seriously considering taking a year off and practicing at home," the 19-year-old jazz studies major from Gary said.

His worries evaporated when he discovered that music professor Tom Walsh had invented a special mask with a hole and protective flap to allow musicians to play while masked.

Students also got masks for the ends of their wind instruments, known as bell covers, allowing them to jam in person, albeit six feet apart.

"It's amazing to play together," Charleston says. "Music has always been my safe space. It's what's in your soul, and you're sharing that with other people."

The act of making music powered by human breath involves blowing air — and possibly virus particles. One infamous choral practice in Washington state led to confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 in more than half of the 61 attendees. Two died.

Read the full story here.

9:33 a.m. Ask the Doctors: Flu shots especially important in COVID-19 era

A. A flu shot won't safeguard against the novel coronavirus. But it will add an important measure of protection during a particularly perilous flu season.

Read the full Q&A here.

8:28 a.m. IHSA will defy Gov. Pritzker, says basketball season can start on schedule

According to several sources, the Illinois High School Association will announce Wednesday that the basketball season can start as scheduled. It's a totally unexpected move that directly contradicts the guidelines Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health outlined on Tuesday.

Pritzker and the IDPH put winter sports on an indefinite hold and moved basketball from a medium-risk sport to a higher-risk sport in the IDPH guidelines.

''As with sports in the fall, nothing is 'canceled,' just put on hold until we're through the thick of this pandemic,'' Pritzker said in a statement.

According to the IHSA calendar, basketball practices are scheduled to start on Nov. 16 and the first games can be played on Nov. 30

"After diligent discussion, the Board has made the decision today to follow the recommendation of the IHSA SMAC as it relates to basketball," IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha wrote in an email to athletic directors. "The Board remains considerate of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and understand the importance of adhering to safety guidelines for the good of all citizens. However, the Board has not been presented any causal evidence that rising COVID-19 cases make basketball more dangerous to play by the IDPH or any other health organization nationally or internationally."

New Cases

Illinois' average coronavirus testing positivity rate reached its highest point in five months Friday as public health officials announced a second straight record-breaking day of 6,943 new infections statewide.
The soaring tally came along with a record-high 95,111 tests submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health, raising the statewide average testing positivity rate over the last week to 7.3%.

Analysis & Commentary

7:11 a.m. During pandemic, DuPage Board should put residents' health first

Sun-Times reader Mike Malone of Glen Ellyn writes:

During the Oct. 27 meeting of the Finance Committee of the DuPage County Board, a proposal to offer grants totaling $2.5 million to restaurants and bars to help them get through the pandemic was discussed. A common-sense amendment was offered that would ask those bars and restaurants applying for public dollars to certify that they were abiding by all state and county rules regarding occupancy, indoor dining, mask mandates, social distancing, etc.

In a total abdication of this duty, the GOP-dominated board voted down the amendment, with Republican board members spouting the same old talking points about regulations, allowing businesses to regulate themselves, and finally, unbelievably, that the reason we can't ask businesses to certify they are following the law before we reward them with our tax dollars … it's just too hard to enforce.

The first duty of any public governing body is to protect the health and safety of the citizens it represents. If this is too hard to do for some County Board members, perhaps they should be replaced on Nov. 3.

Read this and more letters to our editorial board here.

Smoke from Western fires strains lungs miles away - Cumberland Times-News

Posted: 30 Oct 2020 08:35 AM PDT

Dear Doctors: We're in central Oregon, and even though the wildfires aren't right next to our town, we've had bad air quality all summer. My husband and I and our kids are feeling irritation in our lungs and sinuses, like when you're catching a cold. Can this happen even when you're not close enough to see the smoke?

DEAR READER: The numerous wildfires in the western United States this season have created dangerous conditions far from the reach of the flames.

You don't have to be able to see or smell the smoke for it to present a health hazard. The danger from wildfire smoke comes from the billions of particulates that it contains. As the smoke rises, these minute particles become suspended in the air, where they can drift for many miles.

This year, scientists were startled to discover that pollution from the West's multiple wildfires reached the jet stream, which carried it across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases created by combustion and the fine particles that those gases contain.

The particles come from everything that has been incinerated, including homes, vegetation, trees, plastics, polymers, chemicals and the host of other materials in our built environment.

The particulates carried by wildfire smoke make breathing more difficult for everyone. This is especially true for people living with respiratory problems such as allergies, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, whose airways are chronically inflamed.

This leaves them especially vulnerable to the effects of outside irritants.

One of the reasons wildfire particulates are potentially so damaging is their tiny size. They're measured in microns, with 1 micron about 1/70th the width of a human hair.

Particles that small can travel into the deepest recesses of the lungs. There, they cause the immune system to set off a protective inflammation response, which interferes with normal breathing.

Symptoms from inhaling wildfire particulates can include coughing, wheezing, sneezing, throat irritation, itchy or watery eyes, a runny nose, congestion, chest discomfort and shortness of breath.

Some people report that it feels like having a mild to moderate flu, but without fever or body aches.

Smoke can also be dangerous for people living with chronic heart disease, and can result in symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, chest pain and exhaustion.

To protect yourself and your family, keep track of the air quality in your immediate area.

Whenever it drops, take steps to minimize exposure. Stay indoors and keep the windows and doors closed.

If your home has either air conditioning or a HEPA filter, use them. Safeguard your indoor air quality by avoiding the use of candles or aerosol sprays.

Don't kick up indoor particulates through activities such as vacuuming or dusting. Everyone, of any age or state of health, should avoid unnecessary exertion. Individuals who use a rescue inhaler should have one available, as well as a spare.

Check regularly to see whether anyone is experiencing adverse symptoms, and be willing to seek medical help if it should be needed.

Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

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