American Consequences - April 2020

because the weather warms up. Why did you recommend ordering food – won’t it carry the virus? Ordering delivery food won’t get you sick. There’s no study yet on how long the virus could live on surfaces like plastic bags or even food. For best practice, only order from places you

Failure Society of America, and the American College of Cardiology last week urged folks to keep taking medicines as directed. If your doctor tells you to stop, then do so. Should I only use antibacterial soap? Longtime readers know of my hatred for antibacterial soap. That’s because these soaps lead to the development of superbugs – drug- resistant bacteria. Soap of any kind will kill the coronavirus. That’s because soap naturally breaks down lipids (oils), including the lipid membrane that surrounds the virus. Using soap and washing your hands for 20 seconds means you’re physically killing any virus particles. Will it disappear by summer? With any luck, this virus will behave like a few other viruses and contagiousness will diminish in warmer weather. But keep in mind: This is still a guess. COVID-19 is still a new virus and we’re not entirely sure which (if any) of the other coronaviruses it will act like. Some are quick to point out that SARS died out once summer came... But the reality is that SARS died out because of quick quarantine measures. Another point that Marc Lipsitch, director of Harvard’s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, makes is this: When a virus is new, it will spread even “out of season” because no one has immunity yet. He says this is typical with flu pandemics as well. So we can hope for lessened transmission, but we’re foolish to think we can drop our precautions simply

know well. And don’t be shy – feel free to ask the folks there how they are protecting themselves and the food from the virus. They should have precautions in place, like gloves and making any workers who feel ill stay home. Ordering delivery food won’t get you sick. There’s no study yet on how long the virus could live on surfaces like plastic bags or even food. In fact, many small businesses will face many losses during this crisis. Supporting your favorite ones could make all the difference. I’ve already seen three restaurants in New York close for good because they lost too much money.

Is it true drinking constantly will keep the virus from sticking to your throat? This is complete nonsense. The only thing we can say is that staying hydrated will help your immune system. That’s because hydration helps replenish your mucus membranes in your nose. But it’s really just a first line of defense. Drinking water to “wash down” any virus particles in your throat is ridiculous. In a similar vein, drinking hot water or taking hot baths will not kill the virus either.

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