The COVID-19 Expert Panel series, led by the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, seeks to answer community questions related to health and COVID-19.
PANEL QUESTIONS
1. Can you tell us more about the saliva test? When could we expect that to be available, how does it work, will we need to go to a testing site to get it? (0:15)
2. We keep hearing about these rapid tests to detect the virus. The federal government has given them to nursing homes around the country. Why aren’t these being used in settings like airports or for visiting people in residential care communities? (6:08)
3. Herd immunity is discussed in the media as a goal. But doesn’t that mean that the majority of people in the U.S. will have to get the disease? This shouldn’t be a goal, should it? (9:36)
4. I am a grandparent raising my grandson with special needs, and I am in a high-risk category because I have COPD. My grandson attends school 5 days a week. When we got a call that one of the children in the class was showing COVID Symptoms, we were told to keep our child home for two days and report if he has symptoms. If he does not, we are to return him to school after that 2 days. This does not seem like a good protocol. Is the incubation period not 7 to 14 days? We feel like we are being put in a precarious state. What can you advise for our older adults that have young children at home returning from school putting us at risk? And does 2 days quarantine seem expectable to you? (15:50)
5. There’s a study taking place at Washington University that is testing the MMR vaccine in hopes that it strengthens the immune response to viral infections. Do the panelists know anything about the potential of the MMR vaccine to possibly immunize the population against COVID? (19:40)
6. When they say diabetes is a risk factor, is that for ALL diabetics, even those who control theirs with diet only? Does this refer to both Type 1 and Type 2? (26:38)
7. What course of treatment was prescribed for President Trump? Is this something that will likely be a cure? Isn’t the antibody cocktail not FDA-approved? (29:06)
8. Should I take Emergen-C/elderberry/Zinc/echinacea to boost my immune system? (35:10)
9. Should/can I wear a mask while exercising? Are gyms safe if I am not in a high-risk group? (37:49)
10. I’ve heard some people saying masks are not an effective preventative measure because COVID is spread through aerosols, is this true? (40:26)
11. The wildfire smoke is so bad, it is not good to go outside. Is it safe to be outdoors when the air quality is bad? Does my mask protect me from wildfire smoke? And how do I deal with the mental health aspects of being on COVID lockdown and then locked in because of the smoke? (43:15)
12. Why are COVID cases increasing in Colorado right now? What is the prediction for numbers of cases in the next 3 to 6 months? (49:49)
RESOURCES
– Recent research findings from the Univ. of Michigan indicates that ‘high blood sugar may trigger worse outcomes’ and that “…improving glucose control may improve outcomes and reduce secondary infections….”
– American Diabetes Association: Gianchandani et al. 2020. Managing Hyperglycemia in the COVID-19 Inflammatory Storm:
– Should I take Emergen-C/elderberry/Zinc or Echinacea to boost my immune system?:
– The efficacy of different masks:
– Link to air quality data due to wildfire:
– Link to a recent webinar from the Volckens group on mask design/efficacy:
