22 Riskiest Places for Catching Coronavirus

A Close Shave To Get Those Teeth Clean
ASSISTED LIVING, AWESOME, CANADA, INSPIRATIONAL | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
It’s my first day working as a care assistant in a home for adults with learning difficulties. Every resident is treated as a member of the family. A more experienced colleague is showing me around.

Colleague: “This is John. He needs a lot of personal care, but he’s a great guy. He’s quite happy and easy to take care of.”

Later, we are putting him to bed and my colleague is demonstrating to me how to clean his teeth. John won’t open his mouth for the toothbrush.

Colleague: “He really doesn’t like the taste of toothpaste. We have to be patient.”

Two minutes later, he still hasn’t opened his mouth.

Colleague: “Would you switch on John’s shaver? It’s on the shelf there.”

Me: “Huh? We haven’t finished cleaning his teeth yet.”

Colleague: “Just switch it on and watch carefully.”

Confused, I switch it on. Then, I look at John to watch the reaction. He grins and opens his mouth wide. My colleague puts the toothbrush in and cleans his teeth without issue.

Colleague: “You see, he hates getting his teeth cleaned, but he loves getting shaved. The sound of the shaver is enough to distract him. Getting shaved is his reward for letting us clean his teeth.”

I was amazed that something so simple would work! Several months later, I enjoy working with him.

It’s An Emergency! But It Can Wait.
JERK, MEDICAL OFFICE, NURSES, USA | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020
I have a concerning problem and decide to ask my insurance’s nurse advice hotline if I should go to the ER. This is what happens at the end of our conversation.

Nurse: “I definitely think you should call 911 and have an ambulance take you to the hospital. But before you do that, would you mind answering a few survey questions about my performance today?”

Me: *Incredulous pause* “No.”

I hung up, pretty shocked. I could not believe that she did that. An online survey later, sure. But in a situation urgent enough to call 911?

As for my medical issues, a new medication was causing serious complications. Reversing the medication, plus a few other things, solved it. I should be fine.

Attention-Seeking Isn’t Always A Bad Thing
CALIFORNIA, DOCTOR/PHYSICIAN, LAZY/UNHELPFUL, MEDICAL OFFICE, USA | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
This happens when I am sixteen, almost seventeen. My mom is out of town on a business trip and I insist that I am fine to stay home while she is gone. I haven’t been feeling well for a few days, so I go in to see a doctor. My regular doctor isn’t in that day so they send me to see a different doctor.

The doctor comes in and starts to look over my medical history. While he’s doing so, we have the following conversation.

Doctor: “What seems to be the problem?”

Me: “My stomach really hurts and I haven’t been able to keep anything down for a few days. The pain keeps getting worse, and then I throw up and the pain gets better for a while, but then it gets bad again.”

Doctor: “Can you describe the pain and where it’s located?”

Me: “It’s sharp and right here.”

I point to the lower right part of my abdomen.

Doctor: “Uh-huh.” *Looks up from the computer* “Well, just get plenty of fluids and rest and you should be fine in a few days. Nothing to worry about.”

Me: “I really don’t feel good. It feels like something is wrong.”

Doctor: “Well, I can see from your medical records that you’ve been seeing a therapist for the past year and are on antidepressants. I’m putting in your file that you are having attention-seeking behavior. There is nothing wrong with you other than a stomach virus. I will follow up with your therapist.”

With that, he left the room.

I called my mom and told her that the doctor said it was just a stomach virus and that it should go away soon. My mom got home late the next day and checked on me. I still wasn’t feeling well and we made another appointment for me for the next day. I woke her up at two am because something felt wrong. The pain was gone but I couldn’t get warm. She took me to the ER; my appendix had ruptured. I ended up spending a week in the ICU with an infection and it took another month to fully recover.

Taking A Page Out Of Jean Milburn’s Book
EDITORS' CHOICE, FUNNY, HEALTH & BODY, HOSPITAL, PARENTS/GUARDIANS, RUDE & RISQUE, UK | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
My mother is a retired midwife. I was raised with a clear understanding of motherhood and everything it entails. As a ten-year-old boy, I would read her professional magazines. I could have an intelligent conversation about menopause or explain an epidural. Then, in my early teens, this happens.

Mum: “Hey, [My Name]. How are you? You won’t believe what happened last night. We had a model breast.”

Me: “A model— Wait, what?”

Mum: “We had some professional development training to do in breastfeeding, and they had a model breast for it.”

Me: “Er, model breast?”

Mum: “A model of a boob; it’s supposed to imitate a functioning boob. It came complete with a nipple that dispenses a liquid.”

Me: “Right… but almost all midwives are women. Aren’t there enough boobs in a maternity hospital for this to be obvious?”

Mum: “We all thought that, so we repurposed the training boob.”

Me: “I— Wait, what? A model boob was supplied to your colleagues for training and… Where is it now?”

Mum: “In the bathroom.”

Me: “Model breast in our bath… huh?”

Mum: “Since we didn’t need it, we reused it as a soap dispenser.”

Me: “I… What?”

Mum: “We obviously didn’t need it, so we might as well put it to good use. So, we glued it to the wall of the staff bathroom and added liquid soap. Press the nipple and soap comes out.”

I nearly peed myself with laughter.

Help Me Help You
BAD BEHAVIOR, CALIFORNIA, HOSPITAL, NURSES, PATIENTS, USA | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
I am in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. While I am there waiting for surgery, I overhear a conversation with a man being extremely loud and a nurse trying to tend to him.

Nurse: “Sir, I need to ask you to calm down so we can treat your injuries.”

Man: “No! I bet you gonna try and sew me up so you can pass it off to my insurance! I ain’t falling for that s***!”

Nurse: “Sir, I’m gonna ask you to please calm down so we can stop the bleeding and at least bandage you up!”

Man: “NO! YOU’RE JUST TRYING TO STEAL MONEY FROM ME! I’M NOT FALLING FOR YOUR S***! SEND ME ANOTHER NURSE OR SOMETHING!”

Nurse: “Listen! I don’t have to deal with your attitude, but it’s my duty as a nurse to tend to injuries. Now either you can calm down and let me at least bandage you up and give you pain relievers and send you on your way, I can have security escort you out while we clean the mess you made, or I can send you to [Nearest Hospital, in another city] if you want to be rowdy as you are. What’s it gonna be?!”

I don’t hear anything for ten minutes, or I pass out from the painkillers, but I overhear the nurse and another nurse speaking after a while.

Nurse #1 : “I can’t believe he was that stubborn over a ‘paper’ cut on his arm.”

I’m guessing that is a code term for minor cuts and whatnot.

Nurse #2 : “Paper cut? That did not look like a paper cut!”

Nurse #1 : “Trust me; when you’ve had to file paperwork as much as I have in my time, you realize the difference between a ‘stab wound’ and a nasty paper cut.”

I have been thankful ever since for how kind the nurses were while I was in the hospital, after seeing what they put up with daily.

Apparently, Not Everyone Hates Needles?
HOSPITAL, LIARS/SCAMMERS, NON-DIALOGUE, USA, WEST VIRGINIA | HEALTHY | SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
My coworker is working registration in the emergency department. A visitor for a patient comes in, and after my coworker checks with the nurse, she tells the gentleman to have a seat in the waiting room and she will get her as soon as he can go back.

Shortly after, a nurse comes out calling the names of a few patients ready to be seen.

She is busy helping a new patient check in when she believes she sees the gentleman sneak in with the group of patients.

She is busy and doesn’t have time to stop him and she figures staff will end up sending him back out.

After a few minutes, she has everyone checked in and a patient comes out of the waiting room enquiring how long until he can go back.

Once he tells her the name, she instantly recognizes it as one the nurse had just called. She looks up the name, and sure enough, it’s showing him roomed in the ED.

She quickly calls the nurse who is about to put an IV in the visitor’s arm.

Unlike sneaking to visit a patient like my coworker expected this guy would do, instead, he followed the nurse to the room pretending to be someone else.

I don’t know how he faked his way that far since all nurses ask for name and birthday confirmation before they do anything.

Security removed him quickly after they realized what was going on.

Do A Little Brain Labor Here
MEDICAL OFFICE, PATIENTS, STUPID, TEXAS, USA | HEALTHY | NOVEMBER 5, 2020
I work in an obstetrics/gynecology clinic. My coworker answers the phone.

Coworker: “So, you think your water broke? Hang on while I get a nurse.”

I’m talking to another patient while listening to her. My coworker talks to a nurse and comes back to the phone.

Coworker: “Wait, so you’re at the hospital? No, you need to stay there and get evaluated. We can’t do anything here at the clinic. Stay at the hospital.”

I could only close my eyes, as hearing that one-sided conversation gave me a headache.

7 Most Common Places COVID-19 Is Spreading Right Now

Through their many conversations with newly infected and recently exposed individuals, contact tracers have gleaned some valuable insights about the types of places that seem to carry the greatest risk for coronavirus spread.

The data shows that when it comes to COVID-19, the locations where people contract the virus run the gamut. Most commonly, cases can be traced back to places where people spend a lot of time congregating together — such as your house or work — and crowded, indoor spaces like restaurants or gyms.

Sometimes, though, it’s not so obvious. Even people who have played it safe at home, albeit with the occasional run to the grocery store, are testing positive, suggesting that retail stores may have a bigger role in community transmission than originally thought.

Since it’s difficult to pin down the point of exposure for each and every case, contact tracers and health experts recommend avoiding crowded places with poor air ventilation.

“Try to avoid [these places] if you can, but if you can’t and are compelled to still go out, definitely wear your mask, wear it the right way, and make sure the place you’re going doesn’t have a high volume where people are really mixing,” Daniel Fagbuyi, an emergency physician who served as a biodefense expert in the Obama administration, told HuffPost.

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Here are some of the most common places where COVID-19 is spreading right now, according to experts:

Your House
COVID-19 is spreading like crazy in our own homes. Much of how sick a person gets boils down to how much of the coronavirus they were exposed to and how long they were exposed to it, making our homes home a potential breeding ground.

One report found that if there’s an infected person living in your house, you have an 18% chance of getting infected yourself.

“A majority of people catch it from a family member, either in their household or visiting another family member’s household,” said Michelle Krasowski, a librarian in the San Francisco Bay Area who is contact tracing. This is especially true for lower-income families living in smaller spaces with more people, Krasowski added.

It’s not at all realistic for people to avoid their homes if a family member is sick, but there are ways to reduce your risk, said Anna Bershteyn, an associate professor in the department of population health at NYU and an expert in COVID-19 modeling and health care surveillance.

First, the infected person should strictly isolate from the rest of the family. If possible, they should avoid sharing spaces like the bathroom or kitchen. If you must enter a shared space, wear as many layers of personal protective equipment as possible — masks, gloves, face shields, whatever you can.

If that’s not an option, contact tracers in select cities (like New York) are offering the opportunity to quarantine in a hotel at no cost. According to Bershteyn, not many people are taking contact tracers up on this offer, but it’s a great way to keep your family members safe while you recover.

Social Gatherings
Krasowski said gatherings of all shapes and sizes have popped up in her contact tracing work.

“People have caught it at small gatherings of less than six people, both indoors and outdoors. People have caught it going to family gatherings,” Krasowski said.

In general, the risk of a gathering depends on the odds an infectious person is in the group, and if so, the chance they could transmit the virus to you, according to Bershteyn. Smaller gatherings are generally safer because there’s a lower chance someone in the group could be infected.

“When cases in an area are really high, though, even a relatively small gathering ends up having a significant risk of having an infected person,” Bershteyn stressed.

If you’re dining indoors or in a tent where people’s masks are off and airflow is stifled, that risk of COVID-19 infection grows exponentially. 
KAR-TR VIA GETTY IMAGES
If you’re dining indoors or in a tent where people’s masks are off and airflow is stifled, that risk of COVID-19 infection grows exponentially.
Restaurants And Bars
Much of the contact tracing data published online has consistently found that bars and restaurants have played a role in transmission.

In Louisiana, several COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked back to restaurants and bars. In Maryland, a high percentage of newly infected people visited restaurants and bars during the time frame they were contagious. Similar data has come out of Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Connecticut.

Bershteyn said not all dining experiences are equivalent. The risk is likely lower with outdoor dining that’s generously spaced out. If you’re dining indoors or in a tent where people’s masks are off and airflow is stifled, that risk grows exponentially.

“It’s a law of numbers,” Fagbuyi added. Regardless of whether you’re dining indoors or outdoors, as the number of people nearby increases, so does your risk.

Gyms And Fitness Studios
Multiple states have also found indoor gyms to be linked to exposures and outbreaks. Plus, a recent study evaluating cell phone and transmission data determined that gyms were the second-riskiest place for catching COVID-19, after restaurants.

When people work out, they huff and puff more than usual, shooting respiratory droplets out across the room. If there’s not much airflow, their droplets can hang in the air for hours and later be inhaled.

“It’s difficult to wear a mask properly, people may be breathing or [generating] particles, you have shared surfaces and shared air, you have people who are not in your pod — that all contributes to the risk,” Bershteyn said.

Religious Services
Religious gatherings have also been high on the list in contact tracing reports from Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

At churches and religious gatherings, people tend to sing or pray — expelling droplets into the air — and congregate together indoors for a lengthy period of time.

“Everything is coming from the lungs, literally, you’re kind of spewing all that stuff out of your mouth into the air,” Fagbuyi said.

Throw in the fact that people from different households are mixing together in close proximity, and the risk of attending a religious service shoots up.

Some contact tracing data suggests that around half of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have no idea where they could have picked it up.
LUIS ALVAREZ VIA GETTY IMAGES
Some contact tracing data suggests that around half of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have no idea where they could have picked it up.
Certain Workplaces
Montana’s contact tracers estimate that 1 in 6 people are exposed at work, and Vermont’s data shows workplaces have been connected to multiple outbreaks. Krasowski said workplace exposure is definitely an issue she’s seeing in her area on the West Coast as well.

“The fact that the infectious period peaks before the symptomatic period means that people are going to work when they’re already contagious, but they would have no way of knowing that,” Krasowski said.

Remember: COVID-19 is airborne, so simply being in the same office as an infected person comes with some level of risk.

Contact tracers have found manufacturing plants and warehouses to be the source of several outbreaks.

“We’ve seen the data and it’s definitely out there … in industries where people are in close proximity and where there’s loud noise where they have to yell and speak over each other,” Fagbuyi said.

Stores And Shops
It’s generally thought that a quick visit to the store isn’t too risky, but as contact tracers collect more data on potential exposures in retail environments, people are beginning to question the safety of retail stores.

A study from Boston also found that grocery store workers have a substantial risk since they interact with so many customers, many of whom don’t wear masks properly.

Additionally, some contact tracing data suggests that around half of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have no idea where they could have picked it up. Krasowski said she’s spoken to some people who are very cautious — they work out of their homes and have only gone to the grocery store, but they’ve still caught it.

“That really makes you wonder whether some of these seemingly necessarily things like going out for grocery may be contributing, to some extent, to transmission,” Bershteyn said.

Though work and gatherings in our homes are thought to be riskier, COVID-19 currently seems to be everywhere. The virus is highly contagious, Krasowski stressed, so no matter where you go, try to limit how much time you spend with others who could potentially be infected and keep the air well ventilated.

“It can be complex and scary,” Fagbuyi added. “We’re not telling people to not live their life, but I think they should understand their risk.”

When Should Pregnant Women Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?
Is it better to be vaccinated against the coronavirus early in pregnancy, or closer to your due date? Here's what we know so far.
By
Catherine Pearson
02/10/2021 12:07pm EST | Updated February 10, 2021
When should women get the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy? Here's what experts know (and don't know) so far. 
GUIDO MIETH VIA GETTY IMAGES
When should women get the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy? Here's what experts know (and don't know) so far.
Leading OB-GYNs recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women (or those who are breastfeeding) if it is available to them, but expectant mothers understandably have a lot of questions.

One significant source of their confusion: Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said that the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine should be made available to any qualifying pregnant women, there haven’t actually been any studies done specifically in pregnant women yet. Also, the CDC has stopped short of a robust, universal recommendation, saying instead that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is a “personal choice.”

The lack of data means there simply isn’t a lot of information about when pregnant women should get the vaccine, which is an important consideration for women who tend to follow a pretty clear, evidence-backed schedule during pregnancy in terms of prenatal visits, screening, shots and more.

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Is it safer and more effective early in pregnancy? What about closer to a woman’s due date? Here are some considerations to keep in mind.

It’s not yet clear when the best time to get vaccinated might be.
Again, because there have not been clinical trials in pregnant women, there really is no good data about the safest or most effective timing at this point. Any thoughts health care providers have on the issue at this point are purely speculative.

But in general, “the first trimester is when fetal organs are forming and are most susceptible to damage,” explained Dr. Mark Payson, an OBGYN and practice director of CCRM Fertility Northern Virginia.

That’s why doctors and midwives tend to advise women to avoid non-essential medications in the first three months when possible.

“Based on this, it might seem reasonable to defer the vaccination to later in pregnancy,” Payson said.

But that “might” is key.

Because deferring vaccination until later in pregnancy also means a woman is at higher risk of COVID-19 infection earlier on — at a point when the virus could lead to complications for the growing fetus.

All of this means that at this point, it’s not really clear what timing is best.

For now, pregnant women should get vaccinated whenever they can.
If you’re pregnant and have decided to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the best course of action is probably just to do it whenever the shot is available to you, Payson said. The vaccine rollout has been slower than public health experts hoped, so there is no reason to wait if you’re in a qualifying group and if can score an appointment. (Experts recommend checking in on your local eligibility guidelines regularly, like once a week.) Basically, you don’t want to miss your chance.

Also, growing research suggests that pregnant women are at greater risk of severe illness if they become infected with COVID-19 at any stage of pregnancy, and that infection can also increase the risk of complications like preterm birth.

“The most rational answer at this point is to get vaccinated ASAP,” Payson argued. “Any theoretic risk of vaccination has to be balanced against the very real risk of an infection.”

There is growing evidence that pregnant women can pass on COVID-19 antibodies.
A recent study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that women who had COVID-19 antibodies because they’d been infected with the virus seemed to pass antibodies onto their babies through the placenta. There is also some suggestion from that study that women who were infected earlier on in their pregnancies seemed to pass on even higher levels of antibodies.

If women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy seem to pass on antibodies during pregnancy, it is reasonable to expect that women who are vaccinated against the virus while expecting might do so as well. (It’s why medical groups recommend pregnant women get vaccinated for the flu.) And doing so earlier on in pregnancy might confer more robust protection.

Again, so much of that research is relatively new, but it’s one bit of potential good news for women who are expecting as the pandemic wears on.

It is also definitely something women should talk to their health care providers about as they engage in conversations about COVID-19 vaccination and decide on the best course.

“The decision to get the vaccine while pregnant needs to be individualized based on the patient’s age, underlying medical conditions, and potential exposure to the virus,” Payson said. “Someone who can keep themselves in perfect isolation probably has little immediate need for the vaccination. However, for the vast majority of individuals, the known severe risk of a coronavirus infection outweighs the theoretic risk of a vaccination that has been shown to be extremely safe.”

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Led To A 'Baby Bust,' Not A Baby Boom
Experts predict the scourges of coronavirus and an economic recession will lead to a drop in birth rates. Here's why that matters.
By
Brittany Wong
01/28/2021 09:17pm EST | Updated January 29, 2021


Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, many predicted a “baby boom” would result, thanks to all the idle hours couples were forced to spend at home.

So far, though, the research suggests the opposite may be true: We’re in the early days of a “baby bust.”

According to reporting by the NBCLX news outlet, several states and a few hospital systems that keep track of births saw significant drops in birth rates in December, compared with the same month in 2019. This past December’s birth rates were down 8% in Florida, 5% in Arizona and 7% in Ohio compared with the previous year. (Most states and hospitals contacted either couldn’t provide information or hadn’t shared their December numbers yet.)

NBCLX looked at December birth rates because most stay-at-home orders were instituted in March. The majority of babies conceived in mid-March would be born in late December.

With a few exceptions, hospital systems contacted by the news site reported similar declines. OhioHealth, which delivers babies at 10 hospitals across the state, saw an 11% drop in births over the second half of 2020, compared to the second half of 2019. JPSHealth Network in Texas reported a 13% drop in births from December 2020, compared with December 2019.

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Significant declines in birth rates come as no surprise to researchers ― though they stress that the data to fully gauge the number of lowered birth rates won’t be available for a few months.

“The economic fallout, persistent health concerns, uncertainty about the safety and availability of medical care and the closure of schools all combine to make this a very unappealing time for couples to start or expand their family,” said Emily Smith-Greenaway, an associate professor of sociology and spatial sciences at the University of Southern California.

Will we see a baby boom once the pandemic abates? With fewer singles dating because of lockdowns and the already historically low rates in marriage, researchers have their doubts.

“We certainly anticipate there to be a rebound, but we’re not so sure about an overshoot ― a boom that helps to offset the bust,” Smith-Greenaway said. “The longer this economic and public health crisis persists, the more likely these births aren’t just delayed, but will be averted entirely.”

“The longer this economic and public health crisis persists, the more likely these births aren’t just delayed, but will be averted entirely.”

- EMILY SMITH-GREENAWAY, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AND SPATIAL SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Melissa Kearney, an economics professor at the University of Maryland, and Phillip Levine, an economics professor at Wellesley University in Massachusetts, published a report over the summer predicting the pandemic could result in half a million fewer births in 2021.

The pair updated their estimate in December, projecting the number may be closer to 300,000, but they remain convinced the virus will lead to a sizable reduction in children born in 2021.

“As soon as the stories started coming out last spring about a potential baby boom, Phil and I discussed how those predictions were surely wrong, and how what we should expect to see instead was a sizable baby bust,” Kearney told HuffPost.

According to Kearney and Levine, the “baby boom” speculation is rooted in a long-standing myth that birth rates spike after crises or events that force the population to stay home (say, a blizzard or a major electricity blackout.)

But the researchers say the theory doesn’t tend to hold up to statistical examination ― and the COVID-19 crisis is obviously far more disruptive and longer-lasting than those two examples.

It makes more sense to draw parallels to the 1918 influenza pandemic, which led to a large decline in birth rates.

“We’re not surprised to see a decline in births this time around,” Kearney said. “It’s what economic reasoning, data, and evidence would have predicted.”

Googling habits support these estimates. Searches for pregnancy-related terms like “ultrasound” “ClearBlue” pregnancy test and “morning sickness” all fell in 2020, according to one study.

Here’s why the so-called “baby bust” matters.
All of this could spell trouble down the line. Birth rates were sinking to a record low, even before the COVID-19 crisis. As Levine recently told Insider, fewer workers in the labor force could have a dire impact on our Social Security system, since it’s dependent and financed through tax contributions of new employees.

“At this point, 300,000 fewer births in one year, one time, isn’t really that big of a deal for the broader economy and society as a whole,” Levine said. “But you start finding yourself down close to a million births a year, for several years, so those trends continue, and that’s going to have important implications for the country going forward.”

The 1918 influenza pandemic led to a dip in birth rates, and experts say the trend is likely to happen again.
FUSE VIA GETTY IMAGES
The 1918 influenza pandemic led to a dip in birth rates, and experts say the trend is likely to happen again.
A similar study shows that European women are also putting family planning on the back burner because of the pandemic. Even in New Zealand, a country that has come out of the pandemic relatively unscathed, birth rates are declining. (Data collected by that nation’s government found the birth rate for those of childbearing age has fallen to a record low of 1.63 per woman — far below the 2.1 needed to replace population numbers.)

Low birth rates and concerns over public pension systems have driven countries like France to offer young couples financial incentives to have children, including subsidized daycare and expanded parental leave for mothers and fathers.

Economic, child care and health concerns weigh heavily on couples.
For those who had every intention to get pregnant last year, the decision to wait was a heavy one.

Randali de Santos, a mom of one, in Portland, Oregon, said she and her husband had plans to conceive again around the winter of 2020. As the pandemic stretched out into the spring, they decided to hold off. Now the plan is to wait until they’re both vaccinated, but also to wait until their parents get the vaccination as well.

“Even before news of the vaccine, we held off because we were worried about having to have a child without the additional help and backup of my mom, who lives in Los Angeles,” de Santos said. She had a C-section delivery the first time, and was concerned about the recovery process involved with another one without her mom by her side.

At times de Santos wishes she had a new baby at home, especially since she’s not currently working. When the COVID crisis worsened, she left her job to be able to take care of her two-year-old daughter who she’d pulled out of daycare.

“In some ways, the pandemic makes it more enticing to have a second child ― a friend for our daughter, ample time at home for both parents, a built-in excuse to not entertain friends and family ― but it also makes it difficult for people like us that don’t have family nearby who can help with child care or preparing for a newborn,” she said.

Some would-be parents are waiting until more is known about the vaccines for COVID-19 before they conceive.
RACHEL MEYER / 500PX VIA GETTY IMAGES
Some would-be parents are waiting until more is known about the vaccines for COVID-19 before they conceive.
De Santos, like many other parents, has concerns about a vaccine’s effect on a baby in utero and the chance of getting COVID-19 while pregnant. (A new study out of Washington state found that pregnant women are more likely to be hospitalized for the disease than other females and that the mortality rate among them was more than 13 times higher than those of similar ages who were not pregnant.)

As for vaccines, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend pregnant people be offered the shots, though the demographic wasn’t included in clinical trials on the two COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S.

“There is no suspicion that the vaccine should be bad for pregnant women,” Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine, previously told HuffPost. “But we just do not have the information.”

Still, some would-be parents are waiting until more is known about the vaccines. Eliana Meyer of Denver, Colorado, is one of them.

“Since there’s no current research on the possible effects the vaccine has on pregnant women and babies, my husband and I felt it was a safer option for us to wait, rather than possibly risking anything happening to me or a baby if I got the vaccine while pregnant,” Meyer told HuffPost.

Meyer and her husband both work in the administrative side of health care, so they hope the wait will be short. “Ultimately, this is pushing our timeline out by at least a few months, but we both feel like it’s worth it,” she said.

“This is a multifaceted crisis that is really touching individuals’ lives in such distinct ways.”

- SMITH-GREENAWAY
Mary Kim, a mom of three in Nashville, Tennessee, said she and her husband were ready to have their fourth child last year, but the stress of the pandemic sidelined those plans.

Her father-in-law died from COVID-19 early on in the pandemic. For a time, she and her husband were working from home with three kids under the age of five. (Now she’s back in the office, which comes with its own work-life balance stress.)

“I turned 38 last year, so it’s ticking clock and all that, but my husband wanted to put it on the back burner,” Kim told HuffPost. “He was still traumatized from everything.”

As matters turned out, Kim got her first vaccine last month and then found out she was pregnant. She’s getting her second dose at the end of this week.

“It was a shock, finding out,” she said. “My main concern at the moment is having gotten the first dose vaccine without knowing, which is probably for the best, because had I known, I wouldn’t have been able to help but to be hesitant” about getting the shot.

Kim’s experience speaks to the other side of this conversation: Unplanned pregnancies will happen, especially amid the pandemic, according to Smith-Greenaway.

While social distancing and lockdowns mean that fewer people are having casual sex, the same restrictions have meant that hundreds of thousands of women have struggled to access birth control, which is likely to result in unplanned pregnancies. (In a typical year, roughly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended.)

And of course, plenty of couples have gone ahead with their pregnancy plans, along with resuming fertility treatments that many put on hold (or were forced to put on hold) earlier on in the crisis.

“For some share of the population this is the right time to have a child,” Smith-Greenway said. “This is a multifaceted crisis that is really touching individuals’ lives in such distinct ways.”

Is It Safe For Pregnant Women To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?
Leading OB-GYNs recommend the coronavirus vaccine for moms-to-be, even though they haven’t been part of clinical trials.
By
Catherine Pearson
12/04/2020 02:36pm EST | Updated February 10, 2021
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has offered the first piece of official guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy.
GUIDO MIETH VIA GETTY IMAGES
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has offered the first piece of official guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy.
After an astonishingly fast effort to develop a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19, the United States now has multiple options.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration and have been administered to millions of people across the country. More candidates, like Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, are also on the horizon.

But what about pregnant women? Should they get vaccinated against the coronavirus — and should they be prioritized?

The World Health Organization waffled recently, walking back its previous stance that the Moderna vaccine was not recommended for pregnant women unless they are at “high risk” of exposure (like those who work in health care). That notice did not stem from any new data suggesting the vaccine puts pregnant women or their babies at risk. Instead, it simply reflected a lack of data, and was criticized by many who feared pregnant women would be put off from vaccination altogether.

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The WHO has now joined with other major health organizations arguing that the lack of data in pregnant women should not prevent them from getting vaccinated.

“Based on what we know about this kind of vaccine, we don’t have any specific reason to believe there will be specific risks that would outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women,” the WHO now says.

Below is what’s understood about pregnant women and the COVID-19 vaccine:

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says pregnant women should not be excluded from vaccination.
In December, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offered people who are expecting, and their care providers, the first piece of official guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy: The organization said COVID-19 vaccines should not be withheld from those who are pregnant who otherwise qualify to receive initial supplies based on current prioritization standards.

That’s true for people who are breastfeeding as well.

So for now, that really means pregnant or breastfeeding individuals who are health care workers should be able to get the vaccine, ACOG says.

But so far, pregnant people have NOT been included in trials.
Yes, ACOG is recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding individuals who qualify to receive the COVID-19 vaccine should be able to — but that does not mean the vaccines have been tested in pregnant women. They have not, which means there is no safety data specific to use during pregnancy.

“When the vaccines do become widely available, unfortunately, we have no data on the safety of the vaccine in pregnant and lactating individuals because they were excluded from Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials for all of the COVID-19 vaccines in development,” Dr. Christopher Zahn, ACOG’s vice president of practice activities, told HuffPost. (Again, COVID-19 vaccination is really only available to health care professionals and residents in nursing homes, but this will change in the coming months.)

Despite a decades-long push to include expectant mothers as subjects in clinical research, it’s actually not uncommon to exclude pregnant women from the early stages of vaccine development, when researchers are really testing for safety. For example, pregnant women weren’t included in initial trials for the H1N1 vaccine. So while they were identified as a high-risk population, there wasn’t readily available data about what kind of dosing they should receive.

“Certainly the lack of safety and efficacy data will need to be part of the conversation that patients who are pregnant or considering pregnancy will need to have with their obstetrician-gynecologist or other health care professional,” Zahn said about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

ACOG says pregnant women should have access to all of the data that is currently available about vaccine safety and efficacy, but does not believe that talking to a health care provider beforehand should be required. That could create unnecessary barriers to access, the group says.

One critical note: The lack of information so far on how the vaccine might impact pregnant women does not necessarily indicate that researchers and doctors are particularly concerned that it would be harmful to them. Women get vaccinated for other illnesses during pregnancy all the time, including whooping cough and the flu. And some of the antibodies they develop pass through the placenta (or breast milk, for breastfeeding moms), which offers their baby some protection.

“There is no suspicion that the vaccine should be bad for pregnant women,” Dr. Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine, told HuffPost. “But we just do not have the information.”

Pregnant women do seem to face higher risks with COVID-19.
Unlike with the H1N1 virus, which posed a grave risk to pregnant women, the impact of the coronavirus has been less clear. But based on data collected over the past few months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ACOG say that pregnant women are at slightly higher risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. They also have a higher risk of dying from the virus than their non-pregnant counterparts.

But, as the CDC says, “much remains unknown.” To date, more than 42,000 pregnant women in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus and 55 have died.

Scientists aren’t sure yet whether the virus can cross the placenta, though one preliminary study of 31 women did find evidence of it in women’s umbilical cord blood, placenta and breast milk. However, the good news is that the CDC says it’s “uncommon” for newborns whose mothers have COVID-19 to have the virus themselves, and among those who do, it’s not clear whether they contracted the virus before, during or after delivery.

The old public health standbys remain particularly important for moms-to-be.
Because pregnant women appear to be at higher risk of severe illness, experts say it’s especially crucial that those women be diligent about the preventive measures we know protect against the virus.

And those who are pregnant and breastfeeding who qualify for the vaccine based on current national prioritization can work with their doctors or health care providers to determine what the risks and benefits may be.

“What do I advise pregnant women? To practice what we all should be doing: mask-wearing, hand-washing, social distancing. And please get flu shots if you haven’t had them yet ― that’s one thing we can easily do,” Minkin said. “Be careful and stay tuned.”

This post has been updated with additional information released about pregnancy, breastfeeding and the vaccine.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.

One-Third Of Kids With COVID-19 Are Asymptomatic, Study Says
For months, it's been unclear how many children with coronavirus have no symptoms. New research suggests a whole lot of them.
By
Catherine Pearson
12/03/2020 03:05pm EST | Updated December 4, 2020
Up to one-third of children with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic, a new study suggests. 
HALFPOINT IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES
Up to one-third of children with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic, a new study suggests.
One of the few bright spots of the coronavirus pandemic has been among children. Although severe illness and death have occurred, most children are spared the most serious outcomes. And some have no symptoms at all.

The latter group has been of particular interest to researchers and policymakers, who have long sought to quantify how many children are asymptomatic, or “silent carriers” of COVID-19.

New research out of Canada provides one of the clearest estimates to date, finding that one-third of children diagnosed with COVID-19 are asymptomatic. (Previous estimates have suggested the number is anywhere between 16% and 45%.)

The new study included more than 2,400 children who were tested for COVID-19 between April and September.

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More than 35% of the children who had coronavirus reported no symptoms.

And while many of the children who tested positive for COVID-19 reported having a cough, runny nose and sore throat, those symptoms were actually more common among children who were negative for COVID-19.

“Having no symptoms does not mean that a child is safe and non-infectious to other classmates,” Dr. Finlay McAlister, an internist with the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and an author on the study, told HuffPost.

“This emphasizes the importance of wearing masks, being socially distant, frequent hand-washing — all of the standard public health advice,” he said.

He added that the study also suggests the screening measures often used in schools and child care settings could be missing a significant chunk of children who are in fact positive for the virus — either because they have no symptoms or because the symptoms they are being asked about are not necessarily indicative of COVID-19.

However, the researchers did find that loss of smell and taste was seven times higher among children who tested positive for COVID-19 compared to those who did not. So it could be a particularly important symptom to screen for.

Ultimately, understanding how common asymptomatic spread is among children may be most important from a public health and infection control perspective.

Elementary schools and day cares do not appear to be the “super-spreaders” they were once feared to be. But they are nonetheless vulnerable to undetected spread of COVID-19 if a significant percentage of children are asymptomatic carriers of the virus.

“Although your kid may be asymptomatic, and you may not have elderly relatives, the kid sitting at the desk next to them may have an immunosuppressed parent or grandparent,” said McAlister.

He noted that his team’s study was done at a time when local schools were closed, so the numbers could look different if a similar study was done while schools are in session. (His team is doing that work now.)

More than 1.3 million children have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States, and the number of new cases among children continues to climb. It is likely that two COVID-19 vaccines will be available in the U.S. by year-end and could be widely available by the spring of 2021. For children, that timeline will be longer.

In the meantime, experts say it is important for schools, child care centers and parents to remain vigilant.

“In a way, COVID is a little like Russian roulette,” McAlister said. “There’s this element where we still can’t predict who is going to be relatively fine and shrug the virus off, and who’s not.”

What Has The COVID-19 Pandemic Really Done To Toddler Development?
Some kids have lived half of their lives during COVID-19. What impact do early childhood development experts think that isolation will have on them?
By
Catherine Pearson
02/03/2021 07:50pm EST | Updated February 5, 2021
Toddlers may emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic no worse for the wear, experts say.
MARTINEDOUCET VIA GETTY IMAGES
Toddlers may emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic no worse for the wear, experts say.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, my toddler had a pretty bustling social life. He went to an in-home daycare center that he generally loved. They had daily dance parties. They celebrated each other’s birthdays. The other kids hugged my son when we dropped him off in the morning and on more than one occasion, erupted into cheers. It was a very cute place.

Still, when that daycare abruptly closed last March, my toddler, then almost 2, was happy. He was home with his parents and big brother every day. While the rest of us were struggling to adjust to the new rhythms of lockdown, he relished the extra family time.

But now, he’s been home with us all day, every day for a year — more than a third of his life — and I’m beginning to worry a bit about the impact this long stretch of relative isolation has had on him. It’s not as though his days have been filled with playdates and enriching outings. On the homefront, he’s often (sorry, kid!) pretty ignored while his dad and I try and cram in work. He’s become really shy around strangers. His sleep is ... bad.

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Are these pandemic related? Or just toddler-ness?

HuffPost Parents spoke to several experts about the impact the pandemic is having on the youngest kiddos ― particularly given that it’s not at all clear when we will get back to any level of normalcy.

Overall, experts are NOT really worried about toddlers.
Ample evidence has emerged that the pandemic has harmed the mental health and emotional development of many, many children, from surveys showing that 60% of teenagers say they’re lonely to deeply troubling federal data that revealed a 24% jump in mental health-related emergency room visits among 5- to 11-year-olds.

“I am worried about children’s development being affected by the pandemic,” said Aubrey Hargis, a parenting coach and author of “Toddler Discipline for Every Age and Stage: Effective Strategies to Tame Tantrums, Overcome Challenges, and Help Your Child Grow.” “But it’s not toddlers I am concerned about.”

That’s because at the end of the day, what toddlers need is to be in a comfortable, safe environment with a nurturing caregiver, Hargis said. If those needs are being met — and that’s a big “if” because for many families, that has been a profound challenge during the pandemic — then toddlers really should do just fine, she said.

Lockdowns and social distance, after all, have not limited younger kiddos’ worlds in a big way.

“All of the things that toddlers need in order to develop are likely to still be in place: toys or other objects to play with, some furniture to climb on, socks to learn how to put on, messy spaghetti sauce to engage their senses, and an adult or sibling to talk to them to develop receptive and expressive language skills,” Hargis said.

For toddlers, ‘socialization’ doesn’t necessarily work the way many parents think.
One major reason why toddler experts aren’t really worried about how 1, 2 and 3-year-olds could be harmed by the pandemic? Toddlers do a lot of their developing through play, but play at this stage doesn’t require a lot of pals.

“At this age, toddlers generally engage in ‘parallel play’ rather than ‘cooperative play,’” Hargis explained. “Two toddlers on a play date may have a lot of fun, but they are playing with toys side-by-side rather than making decisions on how to work together to solve problems. Parallel play is something parents do with their toddlers pretty instinctively anyway. There’s no need to worry about a lack of peer interaction at this age.”

That is one reason why studies generally don’t bear out the idea that preschool programs have the kind of profound social, emotional and educational benefits experts once believed they might have. Safe, dependable group care for kids is an essential service because it allows parents to work and because it can be a critical way to connect young children with health services, meals, etc. But from a purely developmental perspective, it is not necessary for young kids.

So while taking care of young children during a year of lockdown has been exhausting, parents really should take heart that they’re really giving their toddlers everything they need.

“I think parents underestimate how much they can do with their kids in their home,” said Becky Kennedy, a New York City-based clinical psychologist.

But parents: Check in on your own stress levels.
Decades of research have shown that parental stress and depression can hamper children’s emotional and behavioral development. So while experts generally aren’t concerned that toddlers are missing major developmental milestones during the pandemic, they are concerned that parents could unintentionally transfer fears and anxieties to their toddlers. As Kennedy put it: Young children really do “notice and perceive everyone’s feelings, and everyone’s stress.”

But that does not mean parents should hide all of their struggles and emotions from their young children. If anything, they should be more open.

Without that, Kennedy said, without “talking to our kids about the changes they notice, about the stress in their home, about the changes in schedule, about why we wear masks, about why we can’t see certain people ... then our kids store all the stress in this kind of ‘corona’ year without having a story from parents to explain it.”

And that combination of noticing changes and stress around them without a trusted adult explaining (in an age-appropriate way) what is happening could lead to self-blame and self-doubt, Kennedy warned. Toddlers may think they’ve somehow caused these changes themselves, or might believe that they’ve somehow misjudged everyone’s emotional state.

So it’s important for toddler parents — who are under significant stress these days — to take a look at their own emotional state, and get help if they need it. That’s no easy task for families already juggling so much, but it is crucial.

It’s also important that in having open, validating conversations with children about COVID-19 and the practical changes it has introduced to their lives that parents be calm and reassuring and ask them what they know. And if they don’t much want to talk about it or don’t really seem to care, don’t push it!

Think of your toddlers’ behavior as is a “window” into their internal life, Kennedy said. So if you’re concerned the past year really has been detrimental to them emotionally, tune into changes in such matters as like sleep, tantrums, and sibling rivalry.

“The biggest thing we look at is how does a kid function?” Kennedy said. “And what is a toddler supposed to be doing? Can the kid still play? Can the kid still have some joy? If parents are really struggling, or they think their kid is really struggling, I would remind them that there are a lot of opportunities to get help.”

How To Spot Signs Of Trauma In Children During COVID-19
Yes, most kids are resilient and will come out of this just fine. But experts warn about a smaller subset who are battling significant traumatic stress.
By
Catherine Pearson
10/22/2020 03:00pm EDT
Children are generally resilient, but some are grappling with traumatic stress as the pandemic wears on. 
JGI/JAMIE GRILL VIA GETTY IMAGES
Children are generally resilient, but some are grappling with traumatic stress as the pandemic wears on.
The coronavirus pandemic has been challenging for parents and children in ways both big and small, but for a smaller subset of children, it hasn’t just been hard; it has been traumatic.

There are not good estimates of how many children in the United States or abroad are grappling with traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the pandemic. But experts say there’s reason to believe both are on the rise as millions of families have lost loved ones, lost jobs and faced constant fear over the past year.

“The COVID-19 pandemic certainly is an unusual, unexpected event that is causing many to worry and even panic,” Adam D. Brown, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone, said in a recent story on that hospital’s website. And that worry and panic can lead to really debilitating psychological reactions.

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With that in mind, here is what parents and caregivers should know about children and COVID-19 trauma, and what to look out for in their own families.

Fear, anxiety, trauma and PTSD are not all the same.
When trying to gauge how your child is coping emotionally, it’s helpful to keep in mind the often subtle differences in anxiety and depression versus trauma versus full-blown PTSD. Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the experience of trauma, traumatic stress and PTSD are all related, but they’re not necessarily the same as anxiety and depression.

For example: When experts talk about “traumatic stress,” they’re generally referring to a stress response to a particular event (or events). But a person grappling with traumatic stress does not always develop PTSD. With PTSD, an adult or child will start to experience symptoms — like intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in their thinking and mood, or changes in their physical and emotional reactions — that last for at least a month.

And again, children might be experiencing fear and anxiety or depression during the pandemic that isn’t necessarily the same as traumatic stress.

“COVID in itself isn’t a trauma,” explained Melissa Brymer, of the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. “It’s causing a lot of stress and disappointment for many of us, but not all children are experiencing a trauma.”

Ultimately, it’s up to mental health professionals to make these important distinctions. The role of parents and caregivers is to be on the lookout for signs that children are having a hard time coping, so they can lend support and help connect them with outside resources as needed.

Parents should consider: What traumatic circumstances has my child faced?
One way mental health experts determine if a child is struggling with traumatic stress is to consider the specific events or stressors they’ve experienced. A child who has lost a loved one to COVID-19 — particularly if they were unable to grieve that loss through normal rituals, given the restrictions around social distance and gathering — may be more likely to be coping with traumatic stress, Brymer said.

Children whose families have experienced significant economic hardships as a result of the pandemic may be at greater risk for trauma, particularly if it has led to major changes in their environment or living conditions, she added.

Experts are also concerned about children who’ve encountered multiple stressors: Maybe they lost a loved one, their parent lost a job, they’re not going to school, and they live in a part of the country that has been affected by a recent disaster, like wildfires.

“Some kids have adjusted well ... but some have not. They’re feeling isolated, disconnected, withdrawn.”

- MELISSA BRYMER, UCLA-DUKE UNIVERSITY NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHILD TRAUMATIC STRESS
“We know those experiences have caused additional trauma for kids,” Brymer said.

That’s not to say that only children who experienced one or more major traumas are having an especially difficult time coping right now, but those children are certainly at higher risk for serious mental health outcomes like PTSD.

Be on the lookout for unwanted thoughts, avoidance and physical changes.
The length of time a child’s symptoms last is an important barometer for mental health professionals, who generally won’t diagnose someone with PTSD unless those symptoms have lasted for a month or longer. (Sometimes, PTSD can take years to appear.)

As a parent, you want to be on the lookout for things like unwanted thoughts (which can sometimes surface as nightmares), avoidance of things or places associated with the trauma, or even just everyday tasks like schoolwork, changes in how quickly and easily they startle, and physical symptoms or changes in appetite. (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has a helpful breakdown of children’s responses to traumatic events by age.)

In general, mental health experts say that anytime you’re noticing changes in your child’s behavior that are getting in the way of their ability to function, that’s a red flag, regardless of whether that flag signals they’re dealing with traumatic stress or something else.

“We want to monitor kids’ depressive levels and anxiety. Some kids have adjusted well ... but some have not,” Brymer said. “They’re feeling isolated, disconnected, withdrawn.”

Also, don’t forget how important it is to talk to your child, Brymer urged. Ask them what they think they know about the pandemic, and be honest with them about what you’re feeling so they know they are not alone. If you have any concerns, absolutely reach out to their pediatrician or school right away.

5 Flu And COVID-19 Myths People Need To Stop Believing
Flu season is just getting started, and misinformation about influenza and the coronavirus is already swirling.
By
Catherine Pearson
10/12/2020 05:45am EDT | Updated October 12, 2020
Flu season and the COVID-19 pandemic are set to collide. Here's what you need to know. 
DRAGANA991 VIA GETTY IMAGES
Flu season and the COVID-19 pandemic are set to collide. Here's what you need to know.
While no one knows exactly how it will play out, it is safe to say that the United States is heading into a flu season unlike any other.

COVID-19 is still surging around much of the country. And though experts believe influenza rates might be lower than usual (more on that in a moment), we’ll still collectively be facing multiple contagious respiratory illnesses at the same time. A “twindemic,” if you will.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s “likely” that the viruses that cause the flu and the viruses that cause COVID-19 will both be circulating this fall and winter. It’s an unsettling prospect, particularly for those in high-risk categories. And to top it off, there is so much misinformation about COVID-19, the flu and the vaccines.

Don’t fall victim to the mistruths. Here are five big misconceptions people have about the illnesses, which everyone needs to unlearn as we head into flu season and a possible second wave of COVID-19:

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Myth: The flu won’t be a problem because we’re wearing masks.
Doctors “are hoping — but not betting on — a lighter influenza season this year as people practice physical distancing, mask wearing and better hand hygiene,” said Dr. Timothy Laird, interim chief medical officer of Health First Medical Group.

Sometimes you can do just about everything right — mask up, maintain social distance, wash your hands — and still catch a virus. Which is why layering preventive measures is so important. People can get the flu by touching surfaces or objects that have been contaminated with flu viruses (which is also true with COVID-19, although that isn’t the primary mode of transmission).

“Everything we’re doing reduces risk,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone, an epidemiologist and professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “It doesn’t make risk zero.”

(But mask skeptics, take note: This doesn’t mean you should leave your face covering at home. Experts overwhelmingly agree wearing a mask is far better than nothing for reducing transmission.)

Myth: The flu vaccine could make you sick, weak or more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The persistent claim that the flu vaccine can give you the flu just is not true, experts say. However, you could develop a flulike reaction to the vaccine (including muscle aches and fever) as your body produces antibodies.

“You may get a sore arm, maybe even feel a bit achy or have a low grade fever or scratchy throat,” Laird said. “But that’s not an illness, that is a side effect experienced by a small number of people with nearly any vaccination.”

There are a few other possibilities for why you might get sick after vaccination: You could catch the flu in the two-week window between getting your shot and when it takes effect. Or you could get sick if you’re exposed to a flu virus that isn’t a good match with those used in this year’s vaccine.

But the vaccine itself will not give you an illness. That’s a key misconception to clear up now for anyone who is reluctant to get vaccinated over concerns the shot will make them sick and weaken their immune system amid a pandemic, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. It won’t.

On the other hand, it is possible to get both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, which could be “catastrophic” to the immune system, some experts warn. So getting a flu shot is particularly important.

The flu shot will not make you sick or more susceptible to COVID-19.
JUSTIN PAGET VIA GETTY IMAGES
The flu shot will not make you sick or more susceptible to COVID-19.
Myth: The flu vaccine could “mess” with a COVID-19 vaccine.
If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available during flu season, after you have already received your flu shot, “there should be no problem getting a subsequent vaccine any time this winter,” Milstone said.

“We give vaccines together all the time,” he explained. “The only time we sometimes worry about separating vaccines with a little bit of time is when we give a live viral vaccine.”

For example, doctors might space out other vaccinations around the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, so patients get the full immune response. But all the injectable flu vaccines currently available right now are not live vaccines, Milstone said, so it shouldn’t be a concern.

Myth: COVID-19 and the flu are essentially the same.
Despite President Donald Trump’s continued assertions that the flu and COVID-19 are so similar they are basically the same, that absolutely isn’t true.

It’s not true in terms of the effect on the body; it’s not true in terms of how long people are contagious or how contagious the various viruses are; and it’s not even true in terms of who tends to get really sick.

“There’s a difference epidemiologically,” Milstone said.

It’s also not true for death counts. Approximately 34,000 people died in the U.S. during the 2018-2019 flu season, which really picked up in November and pretty much wound down in February. By contrast, more than 211,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. in the last seven months. And unlike the flu, which tends to strike in the winter, COVID-19 cases surged all summer long.

Distinguishing the difference has implications for everything ― from how doctors might watch for more serious developments to how long someone needs to quarantine and how people who’ve come into contact with a sick individual should behave.

Which brings us to ...

Myth: If I were to get sick, I would manage COVID-19 and the flu in the same way.
There is definitely significant overlap in the symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza, like fever, chills, fatigue and cough. They are also both highly contagious respiratory viruses. So in some ways, yes, a person who becomes ill with the flu might behave pretty much the same as a person who becomes ill with COVID-19.

“There are a few common principles to keep in mind. First, you are contagious,” Laird said. “Protect others. Wear a mask if around them. Everyone should practice excellent hand hygiene, and you should isolate yourself as much as possible. Secondly, hydrate and rest.”

But knowing which particular virus you have will likely change how you proceed beyond that. Researchers are still grappling with exactly how long someone can spread COVID-19, but they believe the period of contagiousness is longer than with the flu. With the flu, people are generally cleared to head back into the world once they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours; with COVID-19 it’s at least 10 days since symptoms appeared and the individual has been fever-free for at least 24 hours.

That’s one reason why doctors, like Milstone, are advocating that people who develop symptoms be particularly diligent about getting tested this season.

“I think most people are going to need to get a test result to know: When can I safely return to work, school, daycare, etcetera,” Milstone said.

Time To Put This Working Relationship Behind You
BAD BEHAVIOR, CANADA, COWORKERS, HEALTH & BODY, OFFICE, VANCOUVER | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 7, 2020
I was in a work-related accident years ago and have a recurring neck issue. During one flareup, I head to our first aid person to note the pain in case I have to leave early from work or go to the doctor.

First Aid: “Where does it hurt?”

I point at the back of my neck and she stands behind me, poking at the spot.

First Aid: “We could try a realignment.”

Me: “No. No, thank you. This is recurring and I just need it noted. I’ll see my doctor if it gets worse.”

First Aid: “But we could just—”

Me: “No. I don’t need treatment. Just please note it.”

She starts massaging the area and pulling me to her.

Me: “Look—”

She takes my head and turns it sharply, making my neck audibly snap.

Me: “What the f***?!”

I stumbled forward away from her, suddenly lightheaded. I walked away, not looking back, furious that she snapped my neck without permission. She’s not allowed behind me ever again.

You Need Thick Skin To Deal With These Thick Skulls
BIZARRE, CRIMINAL & ILLEGAL, EMERGENCY ROOM, HOSPITAL, IMPOSSIBLE DEMANDS, INDONESIA | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 6, 2020
I’m the attending doctor at the ER. Earlier this morning, we treated a man who crashed his bike and got a pretty nasty bruise as well as a concussion. A CT scan showed a fractured bone so he’ll need surgery. He told us he’d be using insurance, so he “wants a full record of everything you guys find.”

Later that day, a woman comes into the ER and starts banging on our table.

Woman: “EXCUSE ME! WHICH ONE OF YOU TREATED [PATIENT]?!”

Me: “Yes ma’am. I’m Doctor [My Name]. How can I he—”

Woman: “ARE YOU WEARING UNDERWEAR?!”

As you can guess, everyone in the room stops whatever they’re doing.

Me: “Pardon?”

Woman: “YES, YOU! ARE YOU WEARING UNDERWEAR?”

Me: “I don’t see how it’s— Why, yes, of course. What seems to be the matter?”

Woman: “Are you really? So why is it not stated in your uniform? Or your nametag?”

Me: “What does it have to do with [Patient], may I ask?”

Woman: “How dare you write in the report that my husband was not wearing a helmet?! I’ve just got a call from my insurance company that they’ll not pay the surgery because you wrote that he wasn’t wearing a helmet!“

Nurse: “Well, ma’am, your husband did say he wanted a full report exactly because he wants to use insurance.”

Woman: *Turns to nurse* “Well, b****, are you wearing a bra?! Now if he asks for a full report, why didn’t you also write in whether he’s wearing underwear or not? That’s not full report, is it, b****?“

Me: “Because we’re writing down things that are medically relevant. The fact he’s not wearing a helmet is, because he came in with a—”

Woman: “I don’t care! Now you’re gonna pay for his surgery because my insurance won’t pay! And it’s your fault!“

Then she stormed out of the ER, but not before yelling loudly, “THE DOCTOR IS NOT WEARING UNDERWEAR!”

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Chai Again, Part 8
ASSISTED LIVING, ENGLAND, HEALTH & BODY, REVOLTING, UK | HEALTHY | OCTOBER 5, 2020
I work in a specialist nursing home for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. A female resident with South East Asian origins enjoys cooking and offers to make traditional chai tea for staff, under supervision.

Whilst being assisted by a support worker whose English is not great, she adds more than fifty teaspoons of sugar to the pan, as well as spices and other ingredients.

Me: “This tea tastes really good!”

Those of us who don’t mind the sweetness enjoy it.

Then, the support worker tells a colleague about part of the cooking process.

Support Worker: “She just crushed the walnuts by crunching them in her mouth and then spitting them into the pan.”

She hadn’t realised that people would find this revolting!

We agreed that when she made it again, she needed to use appropriate equipment to do that task. Thankfully, the support worker saw the sense of this.

I was not too concerned about this, given how many motorway service stations I ate in during my childhood in the 1970s, where I probably ingested far worse!

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Chai Again, Part 7
COFFEE SHOP, IGNORING & INATTENTIVE, JERK, UK | RIGHT | JULY 26, 2020
I work as a cafe barista on a UK campus. One morning, a customer who is infamous among the staff for being rude comes by and orders a latte. The transaction goes on normally, and she waits for her drink while I prepare it. When she collects her drink, she decides to add syrup to it.

Customer: “I want to add chai syrup to my drink.”

Me: “Sure thing, I just need to put the request through the till.”

Customer: “Okay, no problem; I can pay. How much is it?”

Me: “That will be 50p.”

Customer: “How much?”

Me: “50 pence.”

Customer: “No, I want four extra pumps of chai syrup. How much is that?”

Me: *In bewilderment* “It will cost you 50 pence.”

Customer: “No, I come here all the time! One, two, three, four! Do you understand?!”

I reply in a raised voice but trying my best not to shout.

Me: “Yeah, it’s gonna cost 50p!”

This goes on for a while. Luckily, it’s a quiet morning so there aren’t any other customers around. Finally, she takes out her card and asks one last time.

Customer: “Fine, I just want my drink! How much is it?!”

Me: *Pause* “It’s 50p.”

I add the syrup and give her the drink. By this time, my colleague has heard the commotion and arrived to hear her parting shot.

Customer: “You don’t speak English, by any chance?”

After the customer has left:

Colleague: “How did you not hit her?!”

I am not from the UK and don’t have a local accent, but English is my native language and I haven’t had a single problem communicating with anybody while in the UK. The customer is also not local, most probably from an Eastern European country based on her accent.

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Chai Again, Part 6
COFFEE SHOP, EMPLOYEES, MISSOURI, STUPID, USA | WORKING | MAY 23, 2018
(My husband and I stop at a drive-thru coffee shop for drinks. I don’t drink coffee, but I love this shop’s chai lattes, so I ask for one.)

Husband: “Can we have a medium, decaf, chai vanilla latte and a small peppermint mocha?”

Worker: “Sure! That will be [price] at the window!”

(We pull forward, pay, get our drinks, and pull off. I take my first sip and taste nothing but coffee.)

Me: “This has coffee in it.”

Husband: “What? I’m sorry. Why would they put coffee in it?”

Me: “Maybe because you said, ‘latte’? I mean, that’s what it’s called, but maybe that confused her?”

(We drive back through and pull up to the window.)

Worker: *looking confused* “Can I help you?”

Me: “There was coffee in my chai.”

Worker: “Yeah. You asked for a decaf chai. Decaf means coffee, so I thought you wanted decaf espresso in it.”

Me: “No… I hate coffee. Chai is black tea which has caffeine, so I just wanted that decaf.”

Worker: “So… that’s just regular chai.”

Me: “Yes, but without caffeine?”

Worker: *still seeming confused* “So… just a regular chai?”

Me: *giving up* “Please just give me a vanilla chai, no coffee.”

(To her credit, she did upgrade me to a large, and there was no coffee in my second order. But how do you work at a coffee shop and not know that tea has caffeine?)