What is the difference between conclusions and recommendations in a report?
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The interpretations given by the researcher of the significance of the findings of a research project for the client's business, along with recommendations for action. These recommendations will be based on the research and on any other relevant information available to the researcher, including their own past experience in a market or in business. Show Conclusions and recommendations usually form an important part of a project debrief and of any report or documentation, and are a key part of the value offered to clients by professional market research. Related TermsAbout the AQR Glossary: Benefits of AQR Membership Now that kids under age 5 can get vaccinated against Covid-19, where can I find vaccine availability? How many doses should younger children get, and how far apart? Kids as young as 6 months old can now start getting pediatric doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or Moderna vaccine. Parents can keep track of vaccine availability at vaccines.gov. The dosages of the vaccines for younger children are a fraction of the dosages for older children and adults. For kids as young as 6 months old, the US Food and Drug Administration has authorized 3 doses of the Pfizer vaccine or 2 doses of the Moderna vaccine. With the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said kids ages 6 months through 4 years should get 3 doses at the following intervals:
With the Moderna vaccine, the CDC said children ages 6 months through 5 years should get their doses at the following intervals:
Vaccine family schools/education treatment & prevention work/life travel When can people under age 50 get a 2nd booster shot (or 4th dose) of vaccine? Vaccine variants work/life travel treatment & prevention Why are so many people getting Covid now? Can I get infected again? What’s this new variant BA.5, and is it worse than the Omicron variant? Variants transmission work/life family vaccine schools/education travel myths & misinformation I just tested positive for Covid-19. What should I do now? Much has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, including the emergence of more contagious variants, waning immunity from previous infection and initial vaccine doses, and the need for booster shots (or 2nd booster shots). What hasn’t changed? The need to isolate immediately if you test positive for Covid-19 — regardless of whether you have symptoms, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “Everyone who has presumed or confirmed COVID-19 should stay home and isolate from other people for at least 5 full days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the day of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons). They should wear a mask when around others at home and in public for an additional 5 days,” the CDC’s website says. Exactly how long you isolate depends on whether you have symptoms and how long they last. According to the CDC:
As for therapies, “it’s important you call your medical provider and ask if you are eligible for therapeutics,” said emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen, professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. For those who don’t have a regular medical provider, “the federal government has a therapeutics locator, including a “test-to-treat” option where people can go to get tested, see an urgent care provider, and get the therapies all at the same location,” Wen said. “Your local and state health departments will likely have additional information and resources, too.” Work/life treatment & prevention family variants Is it true Covid-19 symptoms can come back after taking Paxlovid? For some people, yes. Paxlovid is a combination of two antiviral medications: nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. It’s now widely available at community pharmacies, the US Food and Drug Administration says. “There is strong scientific evidence that it reduces the risk of hospitalization and death in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe disease,” said Dr. John Farley, director of the Office of Infectious Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Office of New Drugs. But even doctors are puzzled as to why symptoms can return for some people within two weeks of finishing their Paxlovid. Infectious disease expert Dr. Kent Sepkowitz is one of them. He, too is a “rebounder” whose Covid-19 symptoms improved dramatically after taking Paxlovid, then returned several days later. Farley said the FDA “is aware of the reports of some patients developing recurrent COVID-19 symptoms after completing a treatment course of Paxlovid. In some of these cases, patients tested negative on a direct SARS-CoV-2 viral test and then tested positive again.” It’s not clear exactly how often rebound cases happen after taking Paxlovid. As of this spring, a clinical trial of the medication was still ongoing. In a statement to CNN, Pfizer – the maker of Paxlovid – said that in the clinical trial, a small number of patients in both the group taking placebo pills and the group taking Paxlovid experienced higher viral loads 10 to 14 days after starting treatment compared with their viral loads at day 5. Because investigators noted this in both groups, Pfizer said it doesn’t believe the phenomenon is tied to the medication. Investigators saw no link between patients’ viral loads and subsequent severe disease. “We remain confident in its clinical effectiveness at preventing severe outcomes from Covid-19 in high-risk patients,” Pfizer said. treatment & prevention myths & misinformation What do we know about the Novavax vaccine? Are there any advantages or disadvantages of that vaccine compared to the others? The Novavax vaccine is the 4th and latest Covid-19 vaccine authorized for use in the US. It’s available in a 2-dose series for adults ages 18 and up. The Novavax vaccine uses totally different technology than the other 3 vaccines available in the US — those from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. When the genetic sequence for novel coronavirus was published, Novavax scientists identified the gene for the spike protein and created a modified version of that gene. Novavax researchers cloned the genes into a baculovirus that infects insects. They then infected moth cells with that virus, prompting them to produce the coronavirus spike protein. These virus-like nanoparticles were harvested to make Novavax’s vaccine. But the Novavax vaccine is not infectious. “We never touch the coronavirus itself,” said Dr. Gregory Glenn, president of research and development for Novavax. After the vaccine is given to people, “they make an immune response that’s very much focused just on the spike” protein, Glenn said. Late-stage trials found that the efficacy of the Novavax vaccine against mild, moderate and severe disease was 90.4%, according to the company. There is not sufficient evidence to determine the impact of the vaccine on transmission of the virus. In early July, Novavax said its vaccine showed “broad” immune response to currently circulating variants, including Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The Novavax vaccine has some advantages and disadvantages over the others. “The hallmark of our vaccine is it gives a very strong immune response with very few side effects, and the dose is very small and the vaccine can be stored with normal refrigerated temperatures,” Glenn said. That can make the Novavax vaccine easier to transport and store than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are more fragile and must be kept frozen. And people who have been hesitant to get a Covid-19 vaccine might be more comfortable getting Novavax shots because the protein-based approach is a more traditional approach in vaccine development compared to the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. But the Novavax vaccine is not yet authorized for use as a booster dose, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Vaccine myths & misinformation treatment & prevention family work/life How well do current booster shots of Covid-19 vaccine work against Omicron? Do I really need a booster shot if I’ve been fully vaccinated? Variants vaccine transmission treatment & prevention work/life travel Which vaccine gives the best protection against breakthrough infections? Vaccine variants transmission myths & misinformation work/life travel family How safe and effective are 2nd booster shots? Are there side effects to getting a 4th dose of vaccine? A 2nd booster shot (or the 4th overall dose) of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccines appeared to be safe and gave a “substantial” boost to immunity when given about 7 months after the 1st booster (or the 3rd overall dose), according to a new study published May 9. “Fourth-dose Covid-19 mRNA booster vaccines are well tolerated and boost cellular and humoral immunity,” UK scientists wrote in the study published in The Lancet. “Peak responses after the fourth dose were similar to, and possibly better than, peak responses after the third dose.” The researchers gave study participants a half dose of the Moderna vaccine or a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine in a random selection in January, about 7 months after they received their first booster. The 2nd booster didn’t seem to have any major side effects. The biggest complaints were arm pain and fatigue. The additional booster also generated an immune response at day 14 that was higher than that at day 28 after the 3rd dose of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna’s fourth dose seemed to do slightly better than Pfizer’s, but it’s unclear why. Scientists said 4th doses of either vaccine generated what scientists called a “significant fold change” in protective antibodies and also boosted T-cells. Antibodies are a first line of immune protection that can stop a virus from infecting cells. T-cells come in later and destroy infected cells. T-cells can’t protect against mild infections, but they can keep infections from progressing to severe disease. The researchers also found that some people who had higher levels of antibodies before their 4th doses of vaccine had only “limited” boosting. Those with a history of Covid-19 had a similar limited response. The authors say this suggests there may be a ceiling or maximum response that can come with a 4th vaccine dose. Vaccine treatment & prevention travel work/life family transmission Is the pandemic over yet? Many Americans were confused when Dr. Anthony Fauci told PBS that the US was “out of the pandemic phase” — but told CNN the next day that the pandemic was not over. “We don’t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told PBS on April 26. “We are at a low level right now. So if you’re saying, ‘Are we out of the pandemic phase in this country?’ We are.” On April 27, Fauci told CNN the US is still grappling with a pandemic — especially as new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have started creeping up again. “We’re not over the pandemic. Don’t let anybody get the misinterpretation that the pandemic is over,” Fauci told CNN. “But what we are in is a different phase of the pandemic — a phase that’s a transition phase, hopefully headed toward more of a control where you can actually get back to some form of normality without total disruption of society, economically, socially, school-wise, etc.” Fauci said while coronavirus probably won’t be eradicated, the level of virus in society could be kept very low if people are intermittently vaccinated, possibly every year. Myths & misinformation work/life travel How long does immunity after a booster shot last? Am I still protected against Omicron? For people who are up to date on their Covid-19 vaccines and boosters, protection against illness from the Omicron variant drops off several months after the last dose – but protection against hospitalization and death remains high, researchers have found. When it comes to the Omicron variant, an April 20 presentation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that after 2 to 4 months:
But people with regular immune functions still had about 86% protection against hospitalization 3 months after a booster shot — though protection among immunocompromised people waned more quickly. When it comes to protection against hospitalization, “We saw no evidence of waning but in the immunocompromised,” said Sara Tartof, an epidemiologist for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. “In the immunocompromised, vaccine effectiveness basically starts low and gets lower.” Vaccine treatment & prevention work/life family travel variants Do vaccines or monoclonal antibody treatments work against the BA.2 virus? Variants vaccine treatment & prevention Do we still need to wear masks in public? When and where do I still need to mask up indoors? The answers largely depend on where you live and your health status, according to updated guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, indoor masking was recommended for those living in areas with “high” or “substantial” transmission of Covid-19. That meant most Americans lived in counties where indoor masking was recommended. But on February 25, the CDC released a new set of metrics called COVID-19 Community Levels. “CDC recommends using county COVID-19 Community Levels to help determine which COVID-19 prevention measures to use for individuals and communities,” the agency said. The metrics include:
The CDC uses those metrics to label communities as high, medium or low. You can see what category your county falls under here. In areas with “high” levels, the CDC advises wearing a mask in public indoor settings – including schools. In areas with “medium” levels, the CDC advises talking with your doctor about wearing a mask if you’re at increased risk for Covid-19. In areas with “low” Covid-19 community levels, there is no recommendation for mask wearing. But the guidelines are not rules, and there may be places where masks are still required. And there may be times when additional safety measures are needed, the CDC said. “Recommendations based on COVID-19 Community Levels may not apply to healthcare settings such as hospitals or long-term care facilities,” the CDC said. “Some community settings such as schools and some high-risk congregate settings such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters might include additional layers of prevention.” Work/life travel transmission treatment & prevention family schools/education Do monoclonal antibody treatments work against Omicron? Are there other therapies that work against the Omicron variant? The US Food and Drug Administration has limited the use of certain monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid-19 because “data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant,” the FDA said. Those monoclonal antibody treatments include Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab plus etesevimab and Regeneron’s casirivimab plus imdevimab. The FDA has decided to limit the use of these treatments for “only when the patient is likely to have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments.” “Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to account for more than 99% of cases in the United States as of Jan. 15. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely that COVID-19 patients seeking care in the U.S. at this time are infected with a variant other than omicron, and these treatments are not authorized to be used at this time,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a January 24 statement. “This avoids exposing patients to side effects, such as injection site reactions or allergic reactions, which can be potentially serious, from specific treatment agents that are not expected to provide benefit to patients who have been infected with or exposed to the omicron variant.” Earlier in January, the National Institutes of Health amended its treatment guidelines to no longer recommend those two treatments. In December, the FDA said sotrovimab was the only monoclonal antibody treatment that remained effective against the new Omicron variant. However, “there are several other therapies – Paxlovid, sotrovimab, Veklury (remdesivir), and molnupiravir – that are expected to work against the omicron variant, and that are authorized or approved to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death,” the FDA’s statement said. Treatment & prevention variants myths & misinformation If I can’t get a Covid-19 test right now, how can I tell if I have Covid-19 or flu symptoms? Treatment & prevention transmission work/life travel Why can’t some people get an organ transplant unless they’ve been vaccinated? Is this a way to punish people who are unvaccinated? Myths & misinformation vaccine family What should I do if I test positive for Covid-19? How long do I need to isolate if I might have the Omicron variant? “Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The decision was motivated by research showing most Covid-19 spread “occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after,” the CDC said in late December. “Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others.” The CDC said those whose “symptoms are resolving” can also leave isolation after 5 days, as long as they also wear a mask for the next 5 days. But the CDC was criticized for not mentioning testing for those who want to leave isolation at 5 days. On January 4, the CDC said those who have access to a rapid antigen test may want to take it toward the end of the 5-day isolation period. If the test is positive, isolated people are advised to keep isolating until 10 days after their symptoms started. If the test is negative, isolated people can end their isolation — but are advised to wear a mask around other people until day 10. For those who have a fever or other symptoms that haven’t even improved after 5 days, “you should wait to end your isolation until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved,” the CDC said January 4. “Continue to wear a well-fitting mask. Contact your healthcare provider if you have questions.” Transmission work/life family treatment & prevention variants What should I do if I was recently exposed to someone who now has Covid-19? How long do I have to quarantine? It depends on whether you’re fully vaccinated and boosted, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Those who have received a booster shot “do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure,” the CDC said in a December 27 update. “For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days,” the CDC said. “Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.” For anyone who was exposed to someone with Covid-19, it’s a good idea to get tested 5 days after exposure, the CDC said. “If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19,” the CDC said. Transmission treatment & prevention family work/life vaccine We’re about to see friends and family, but we don’t have enough at-home, rapid tests for everyone. Who should we test for Covid-19? Ideally, “everybody should get tested right before that gathering,” CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said. If you have very limited tests available, test those who are at the highest risk of recent Covid-19 exposure — not those at the highest risk of illness, Wen said. In other words, “Don’t test grandma, who’s been hunkering down and being very careful. She’s unlikely to be spreading Covid to everybody else,” Wen said. “Test the college student who just came home who may have been in bars and restaurants last week. So use those tests in a judicious way and think about the 2-out-of-3 rule: vaccines, masking or testing. You need to have 2 out of 3 things to gather safely.” Family treatment & prevention travel work/life transmission What should I do if I can’t get a Covid-19 test (or test results) before an event? “I would say consider the risk level of the people who you’re meeting with,” said Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She said anyone unable to get tested may want to reconsider meeting with:
Families with unvaccinated children who can’t get tested in time should also reconsider meeting with vulnerable relatives, Carnethon said, as those children might be infected but asymptomatic. But even testing does not guarantee safety, said Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, an Los Angeles internal medicine specialist. For example, a test taken immediately after a new infection might not detect the virus – “and the test wouldn’t have been positive until tomorrow or the next day,” he said. Family travel treatment & prevention travel work/life variants Could I have the flu and coronavirus at the same time? If so, what does that do to your body? “You can certainly get both the flu and Covid-19 at the same time, which could be catastrophic to your immune system,” said Dr. Adrian Burrowes, a family medicine physician in Florida. In fact, getting infected with one can make you more vulnerable to getting sick with the other, epidemiologist Dr. Seema Yasmin said. “Once you get infected with the flu and some other respiratory viruses, it weakens your body,” she said. “Your defenses go down, and it makes you vulnerable to getting a second infection on top of that.” On their own, both Covid-19 and the flu can attack the lungs, potentially causing pneumonia, fluid in the lungs or respiratory failure, the CDC said. “The two (illnesses) together definitely could be more injurious to the lungs and cause more respiratory failure,” said Dr. Michael Matthay, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. And just like with Covid-19, even young, healthy people can die from the flu. Doctors say the easiest way to help avoid a flu/Covid-19 double whammy is to get vaccinated against both. transmission family work/life schools/education myths & misinformation Can I get a Covid-19 vaccine (or booster shot) and a flu shot at the same time? “Yes, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “If you haven’t gotten your currently recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can,” the CDC said. The ability to get both vaccines at the same time can make it more convenient for Americans to try to stay healthy, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “If that means going in and getting the flu shot in one arm (and) the Covid shot in the other, that’s perfectly fine,” Fauci said. But don’t assume you’re protected right afterward. “Remember, after you are vaccinated, your body takes about two weeks to develop antibodies that protect against flu,” the CDC said. Similarly, you’re not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 until two weeks after the final dose. Vaccine family myths & misinformation treatment & prevention schools/education work/life I’ve already had Covid-19. Can I still get infected with the Omicron variant? Transmission treatment & prevention myths & misinformation transmission I'm fully vaccinated, but my kids are too young to get shots -- and we're visiting family members this week. With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, what should we do? “I think that depends on people’s individual risk tolerance,” CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said. Some, like Dr. Peter Hotez, decided to cancel a planned visit from in-laws this holiday season. “Unfortunately, I had to ask them not to come because I thought that it was a little too risky for them in terms of travel with all the Omicron circulating,” said Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. For families who still want to get together with extended relatives, Wen suggests following the “2-out-of-every-3 rule.” “We have 3 major tools at our disposal: vaccination, testing and masking,” she said. “We should have 2 out of every 3 things. And so if you’re not vaccinated, you should be masking, and if you’re gathering with people, testing,” Wen said. “If you are vaccinated, also get that booster, too. But if you want to get together with people indoors without masks, then make sure that people are tested that same day. If you’re unable to get that test, people should still be wearing masks indoors.” For children too young to get vaccinated — and who obviously can’t wear a mask while eating — “the key in that case is to surround the unvaccinated kids with others who are vaccinated,” Wen said. “This is classic herd immunity — others protect the young kids who can’t mask. And if everyone tests, that’s the second layer of protection.” Family travel work/life transmission variants vaccine treatment & prevention Does "fully vaccinated" mean two shots or three now? Vaccine variants treatment & prevention work/life myths & misinformation What should I do if I’m physically unable to go out and get a vaccine or booster shot? “If you have difficulty reaching a vaccination site, you may be able to get an in-home vaccination,” the CDC says. The CDC suggests contacting the following to see if they provide at-home vaccination in your area:
Family vaccine work/life treatment & prevention What exactly is in the Covid-19 vaccines? I’ve heard so many rumors and don’t know what to believe. The CDC lists active and inactive ingredients for each of the three coronavirus vaccines used in the US. “None of the vaccines contain eggs, gelatin, latex, or preservatives,” the CDC said. And contrary to popular myths, the vaccines don’t have microchips and can’t make you magnetic. “All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, rare earth alloys or any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, or nanowire semiconductors.” Myths & misinformation vaccine treatment & prevention family Can a PCR or rapid test tell me which type of variant I might have if I have Covid-19? No. Diagnostic tests like PCR tests and rapid antigen tests can help detect whether you’ve been infected with coronavirus. But they can’t tell you exactly which strain you have. It takes another layer of testing, involving genetic sequencing, to determine what strain or variant caused the infection. Variants treatment & prevention travel work/life If vaccine makers are already working on Omicron-specific boosters, shouldn’t I just wait to get one of those doses instead of getting a booster shot now? “The answer is no,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “If you are eligible … don’t wait,” Fauci said. “Get that extra boost now because we know when you do that, the level of antibodies that rise and go up following a boost is much, much higher than the peak level that you get after your second dose of a two-dose vaccine,” he said. “Our experience with variants such as the Delta variant is that even though the vaccine isn’t specifically targeted to the Delta variant, when you get a high enough level of an immune response, you get spillover protection even against a variant that the vaccine wasn’t specifically directed at.” Pfizer and Moderna have been working on Omicron-specific booster shots — just in case they might be needed. But even if Omicron-specific shots are needed, it would take a while to get them rolled out to the public. Vaccine variants treatment & prevention myths & misinformation What do we know about the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines in younger children? Are there any side effects? Vaccine family schools/education travel treatment & prevention How many kids were in Pfizer’s Covid-19 trial for ages 5 to 11? Do kids get the same doses as adults? And do kids get one shot, or two? Family schools/education vaccine treatment & prevention travel Why were kids in vaccine trials divided by age groups and not weight? Wouldn’t size or weight matter more than age when determining dosage? In this case, weight isn’t important, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I think people have a misconception about the way vaccines work. They think of them in the same way as drugs. If you give, for example, an antibiotic like amoxicillin, your weight matters because the antibiotic is distributed throughout your bloodstream,” Offit said. “That’s not true with vaccines. With vaccines, you get those as a shot in the arm, and that’s taken up by the local draining lymph nodes. So really weight doesn’t matter.” Adolescents ages 12 and up who get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine get the same dosage that adults get – 30 micrograms per dose. Researchers have been trying to see which doses give the best combination of high efficacy and minimal side effects among younger children. In September, Pfizer announced its Covid-19 vaccine was safe and generated a “robust” antibody response in children ages 5 to 11. It said the “preferred dose for safety, tolerability and immunogenicity” among that age group was 10 micrograms per dose – one-third the dosage for teens and adults. Family vaccine treatment & prevention myths & misinformation Why bother getting vaccinated if there’s still a chance you could get Covid-19? No vaccine is 100% effective, but the Covid-19 vaccines significantly reduce the chances of severe illness and death — across multiple age groups. For adults under age 50, the rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations among those unvaccinated was 15 times higher than for those fully vaccinated, according to August data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among those ages 50 to 64, the hospitalization rate is 31 times higher for unvaccinated people. And the risk of dying from Covid-19 is more than 11 times higher for unvaccinated adults than it is for vaccinated adults, according to the CDC data. For seniors, who are more susceptible to severe Covid-19, that gap is smaller. Among those 80 and older, the risk of dying from Covid-19 in August was about five times higher among those unvaccinated compared to those fully vaccinated. Of the breakthrough cases resulting in death, 85% were among people age 65 and older, according to the CDC. But those cases are extremely rare. As of October 12, about 7,178 breakthrough Covid-19 infections resulting in death had been reported, and 187 million people had been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. In other words, about 0.004% of fully vaccinated people died of Covid-19. Vaccine myths & misinformation family treatment & prevention What are the side effects of a Covid-19 vaccine booster? Data suggests side effects from a booster dose of a mRNA Covid-19 vaccine have been similar in frequency and type to those seen after second doses — and were “mostly mild or moderate and short-lived,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said September 28. The two-shot vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer both use genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA, to deliver immunity. Walensky cited a study published that day by the CDC. It covers 22,191 people who received a third dose of an mRNA vaccine and made reports to CDC’s v-safe system, a voluntary, smartphone-based app that lets people report how they feel after they’ve been vaccinated. The reports were made from August 12 (when the US Food and Drug Administration OK’d additional doses for certain immunocompromised people) through September 19. Among those 22,191 who made reports, about 7,000 – nearly 32% – reported any health impacts. More than 6,200 – about 28% – reported they were unable to perform normal daily activities, mostly commonly on the day after vaccination. The most common complaints were injection site pain (71%), fatigue (56%) and a headache (43.4%). Of those who reported general pain, only about 7% described it as “severe.” Severe was defined as pain that makes “daily activities difficult or impossible.” Nearly 2% said they sought medical care and 13 people were hospitalized, but it was not clear from the v-safe reports why these people sought medical care or were hospitalized. Those who sought medical attention are contacted by staff members from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and encouraged to make a report, it said. Of the 22,191 people, 12,591 happened to have tracked how they felt after all three doses. Out of that smaller group, 79.4% reported a local reaction to the third shot and 74.1% reported a systemic reaction. That’s similar to what they reported after a second dose, when 77.6% reported local reactions and 76.5% reported systemic reactions. No unexpected patterns of adverse reactions were identified, the report said. Some people reported getting a booster from different company than their original vaccine or getting a second dose of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but the report’s authors said the numbers in both cases were too small to draw any conclusions. Vaccine treatment & prevention What should I do if I lost my Covid-19 vaccination card? Contact the vaccination provider site where you received your vaccine. “Your provider should give you a new card with up-to-date information about the vaccinations you have received,” the CDC said. “If the location where you received your COVID-19 vaccine is no longer operating, contact your state or local health department’s immunization information system (IIS) for assistance,” the CDC said. “Please contact your state or local health department if you have additional questions about vaccination cards or vaccination records.” To be clear: “CDC does not maintain vaccination records or determine how vaccination records are used, and CDC does not provide the CDC-labeled, white COVID-19 vaccination record card to people. These cards are distributed to vaccination providers by state and local health departments,” the agency said. And don’t try to use a forged or fraudulent vaccination card — that could land you in prison. Should pregnant women get vaccinated? Family vaccine treatment & prevention work/life myths & misinformation What are the chances of long Covid if someone fully vaccinated gets a breakthrough infection? Vaccine work/life family myths & misinformation If I’ve already had Covid-19, should I still get vaccinated? What if I got monoclonal antibody treatment? “Yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19,” the CDC says. “Evidence is emerging that people get better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had COVID-19. One study showed that unvaccinated people who already had COVID-19 are more than 2 times as likely than fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again,” the CDC’s website says. “If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.” The concept that immunity gained through vaccination may be stronger or lasts longer than the immunity achieved from previous infection isn’t new. “Many of the vaccines that we’ve made in history are actually stronger than the virus is itself at creating immunity,” epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant said. Vaccine treatment & prevention work/life family schools/education transmission Is it true you’re just as likely to get the Delta variant from any vaccinated person as you are from any unvaccinated person? No. “The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus,” the CDC said about the Delta variant on August 26. A study published by the CDC in late August showed vaccinated people were 5 times less likely to get infected than unvaccinated people. When a fully vaccinated person does get a breakthrough infection, “your chances of having symptoms go down by 8-fold” compared to an unvaccinated person, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said August 1. “People infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit the virus to others,” the CDC said. “CDC is continuing to assess data on whether fully vaccinated people with asymptomatic breakthrough infections can transmit the virus.” Even if a vaccinated person gets a breakthrough infection and is contagious, “vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time,” the CDC said. “For people infected with the Delta variant, similar amounts of viral genetic material have been found among both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people. However, like prior variants, the amount of viral genetic material may go down faster in fully vaccinated people when compared to unvaccinated people,” the CDC said. “This means fully vaccinated people will likely spread the virus for less time than unvaccinated people.” Myths & misinformation transmission vaccine variants treatment & prevention Does a vaccine need to be fully approved by the FDA for an employer or business to mandate vaccination? Work/life schools/education vaccine myths & misinformation When will the other Covid-19 vaccines get fully approved by the FDA? Vaccine work/life treatment & prevention What's the difference between the Delta and Delta Plus variants? Transmission work/life schools/education vaccine travel variants What should I tell friends, family or coworkers who are hesitant to get vaccinated? “It is a normal human reaction to be afraid,” pediatrician Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez said. “They’re having a normal reaction, and perhaps they haven’t been able to sit down with their physician.” She suggests finding a time to have a calm, rational conversation — when neither person is angry or likely to start a fight. “The first thing I would say is ‘I get it. I totally get where you’re coming from and I understand that you’re concerned about this,’” Bracho-Sanchez said. It’s also important to cite scientific data — like the truth about side effects, the safety of Covid-19 vaccines and why it’s important for young, healthy people to get vaccinated. Work/life family transmission treatment & prevention vaccine How much does a Covid-19 vaccine cost? “It’s all free. The government is paying for this,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. What is aerosolized spread? What’s the difference between aerosols and droplets? Aerosolized spread is the potential for coronavirus to spread not just by respiratory droplets, but by even smaller particles called aerosols that can float in the air longer than droplets and can spread farther than 6 feet. Respiratory aerosols and droplets are released when someone talks, breaths, sings, sneezes or coughs. But the main difference is size. Respiratory droplets are bigger – between 5 and 10 microns in diameter. (For perspective, a human hair is typically 60 to 120 microns wide.) “If you have droplets that come out of a person, they generally go down within 6 feet,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But aerosols (aka droplet nuclei) are smaller – less than 5 microns in diameter, according to the World Health Organization. “Aerosol means the droplets don’t drop immediately,” Fauci said. “They hang around for a period of time.” This becomes “very relevant” when you are indoors and there is poor ventilation, he said. Multiple case studies suggest coronavirus can spread well beyond 6 feet through airborne transmission, such as during choir practices, said Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer of Providence Health System. In Washington state, for example, 53 members of a choir fell sick and two people died after one member attended rehearsals and later tested positive for Covid-19. Last July, 239 scientists backed a letter urging public health agencies to recognize the potential for aerosolized spread. “There is significant potential for inhalation exposure to viruses in microscopic respiratory droplets (microdroplets) at short to medium distances (up to several meters, or room scale), and we are advocating for the use of preventive measures to mitigate this route of airborne transmission,” the letter said. transmission treatment & prevention family schools/education work/life travel This pandemic is taking a toll on my mental health. How can I get help if I’m feeling isolated and depressed? The Crisis Text Line is available texting to 741741. Trained volunteers and crisis counselors are staffed 24/7, and the service is free. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. For health care professionals and essential workers, For the Frontlines offers free 24/7 crisis counseling and support for workers dealing with stress, anxiety, fear or isolation related to coronavirus. For more resources, check out CNN’s guide to giving and getting help during the pandemic. Family Work/Life Treatment & Prevention schools/education What “underlying conditions” put people at higher risk of bad outcomes with Covid-19? Treatment & prevention transmission family work/life Are coronavirus and Covid-19 the same thing? How did they get their names? Coronavirus and Covid-19 are not the same thing, but sometimes the terms can be used interchangeably. This “novel coronavirus” is novel because it just emerged in humans in late 2019. There have been six other coronaviruses known to infect humans, such as SARS (circa 2003) and MERS (circa 2012). “Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surface,” or coronas, the CDC says. The scientific name for this novel coronavirus is SARS-CoV-2, which stands for “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.” Covid-19, however, is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The letters and numbers in “Covid-19” come from “Coronavirus disease 2019.” Myths & misinformation schools/education Should we clean our cell phones daily? Yes, that’s a good idea because cell phones are basically “petri dishes in our pockets” when you think about how many surfaces you touch before touching your phone. You should regularly disinfect your mobile phone anyway, with or without a coronavirus pandemic. “There’s probably quite a lot of microorganisms on there, because you’re holding them against your skin, you are handling them all the time, and also you’re speaking into them,” said Mark Fielder, a professor of medical microbiology at Kingston University. “And speaking does release droplets of water just in normal speech. So it’s likely that a range of microbes – including Covid-19, should you happen to be infected with that virus – might end up on your phone.” Watch the best ways to disinfect your cell phone here. Transmission work/life treatment & prevention family Is it safe to go back to the gym? There are certainly more risks if you’re not fully vaccinated. Coronavirus often spreads more easily indoors rather than outdoors — especially if you’re indoors for an extended period of time. Researchers have also found that heavy breathing and singing can propel aerosolized viral particles farther and increase the risk of transmission. During one fitness instructor workshop, about 30 participants with no symptoms trained intensely for four hours, according to research published by the CDC. Eight participants later tested positive, and more than 100 new cases of coronavirus were traced back to that fitness workshop. To help mitigate the risk, many gyms are limiting capacity or requiring masks. And while health experts have recommended staying 6 feet away from others, it’s smart to keep even more distance than that at the gym. “With all the heavy breathing, you may even want to double the usual 6 feet to 12 feet, just to be safe,” CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. Transmission work/life treatment & prevention What’s so different about coronavirus that made us shut down the economy? Why did we have to practice social distancing when we didn’t during the SARS and swine flu epidemics? Unlike SARS and swine flu, the novel coronavirus is both highly contagious and especially deadly, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said. “SARS was also a coronavirus, and it was a new virus at the time,” Gupta said. “In the end, we know that SARS ended up infecting 8,000 people around the world and causing around 800 deaths. So very high fatality rate, but it didn’t turn out to be very contagious.” The swine flu, or H1N1, “was very contagious and infected some 60 million people in the United States alone within a year,” Gupta said. “But it was far less lethal than the flu even — like 1/3 as lethal as the flu.” What makes the novel coronavirus different is that “this is both very contagious … and it appears to be far more lethal than the flu as well.” Work/life transmission treatment & prevention Can you get Covid-19 through sex? The odds of transmitting coronavirus through sex hasn’t been thoroughly studied, though it has been found to exist in men’s semen. But we do know Covid-19 is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can spread via saliva, coughs, sneezes, talking or breathing — with or without symptoms of illness. So three Harvard physicians examined the likelihood of getting or giving Covid-19 during sex and made several recommendations. For partners who haven’t been isolating together, they should wear masks and avoid kissing, the authors write. In addition to wearing masks, people who have sex with partners outside of their home should also shower before and after; avoid sex acts that involve the oral transmission of bodily fluids; clean up the area afterward with soap or alcohol wipes to reduce their likelihood of infection. Transmission treatment & prevention family myths & misinformation Is it true young people with coronavirus are also having blood clots and strokes? Yes, some young adults have suffered strokes after getting coronavirus. “The virus seems to be causing increased clotting in the large arteries, leading to severe stroke,” said Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. “Most of these patients have no past medical history and were at home with either mild symptoms (or in two cases, no symptoms) of Covid.” Family work/life schools/education How can I stay safe in an elevator? Doctors say getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent coronavirus infection. If you’re not vaccinated, it’s best to take the stairs if you can. But if you can’t, emergency room physician Dr. Leana Wen offers several tips:
transmission work/life treatment & prevention How safe are public restrooms? For those not fully vaccinated, try to avoid public restrooms if you can, said microbiologist Ali Nouri, president of the Federation of American Scientists. But he acknowledged that’s not always possible: “Sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go.” Close contact with others is the most significant risk in a public restroom, Nouri said. So if there’s a single-person bathroom available that doesn’t have multiple stalls, using that might be best. If you do use a multi-stall public restroom, Nouri offers the following tips:
Transmission treatment & prevention work/life Is hand sanitizer as effective as soap and water in killing coronavirus? Yes — as long as you use the right kind of sanitizer and use it correctly. Hand sanitizers “need to have at least 60% alcohol in them,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventative medicine and infectious disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. And don’t just put a little dollop in your hand and smear it around quickly. “You’ve got to use enough and get it all over the surfaces,” Schaffner said. “Rub it all over your hands, between your fingers and on the back of your hands.” But it’s always better to thoroughly wash your hands, if you’re able to. “Alcohol is pretty effective at killing germs, but it doesn’t wash away stuff,” said Dr. John Williams, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “If somebody’s just sneezed into their hand, and their hand is covered with mucus, they would have to use a lot more alcohol to inactivate that bacteria or virus.” Schools/education treatment & prevention work/life transmission family What’s the risk of having a maid service come to clean your house if you’re not home? “It’s probably safe if you’re not at home,” emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said. She suggested leaving the windows open to improve ventilation and asking the cleaners to use your own cleaning supplies so they don’t bring items that have been in other people’s houses. transmission work/life treatment & prevention family Can I disinfect my mask by putting it in the microwave? That’s “not a great idea,” said Dr. Joseph Vinetz, a professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine. “We have no evidence about that.” “If there’s a metal piece in an N95 or surgical mask and even staples, you can’t microwave them,” he said. “It’ll blow up.” To disinfect masks that you can’t wash, Vinetz recommends leaving them in a clean, safe place in your home for a few days. After that, it should no longer be infectious, as this coronavirus is known to survive on hard surfaces for only up to three days. treatment & prevention work/life myths & misinformation Is it safe to perform CPR on a stranger? Doctors strongly recommend performing CPR when someone needs it. You could be hundreds of times more likely to save that dying person’s life than you are to die from Covid-19 if you contract it after performing CPR, according to a report published by a group of Seattle emergency room physicians in the journal Circulation. But it’s important to act quickly for CPR to be effective. “The chance of survival goes down by 10% for every minute without CPR,” said Dr. Comilla Sasson, vice president for science and innovation in emergency cardiovascular care at the American Heart Association. “It’s a 10-minute window to death in many cases.” If you’re not certified in CPR, performing chest compressions could also buy more time until help arrives. Bystanders should “provide high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the middle of the victim’s chest, with minimal interruptions,” the American Heart Association said. If you’re not sure how “fast” to do to those chest compressions, singing any of these popular songs will help you get the right rhythm. Transmission work/life family myths & misinformation I saw other countries spraying down sidewalks and other public places with disinfectant. Why haven’t we done that in the US? Randomly spraying open places is largely a waste of time, health experts say. It can actually do more harm than good. “Spraying disinfectants can result in risks to the eyes, respiratory or skin irritation,” the World Health Organization said. “Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is also not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris, and it is not feasible to manually clean and remove all organic matter from such spaces,” the WHO said. “Moreover, spraying porous surfaces, such as sidewalks and unpaved walkways, would be even less effective.” Besides, the ground isn’t typically a source of infection, the WHO said. And once the disinfectant wears off, an infected person could easily contaminate the surface again. Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation travel transmission Can protests increase the spread of Covid-19? Any large gathering can increase the spread because this coronavirus is transmissible by talking or even just breathing. Carriers of the virus can be contagious even if they don’t have symptoms. And when people are “shouting and cheering loudly, that does produce a lot of droplets and aerosolization that can spread the virus to people,” said Dr. James Phillips, a physician and assistant professor at George Washington University Hospital. So doctors and officials say its important to get vaccinated or wear a face mask and try to keep your distance from others as much as possible. Transmission treatment & prevention work/life Do vitamin D levels affect your risk for coronavirus? Is there a correlation between vitamin D and those who test positive for Covid-19? “To date, there is no evidence that very high vitamin D levels are protective against COVID-19 and consequently medical guidance is that people should not be supplementing their vitamin D levels beyond those which are currently recommended by published medical advice,” wrote Robin May, director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Vitamin D is important for healthy muscles, strong bones and a powerful immune system. The recommended daily dose of vitamin D for anyone over age 1 is 15 mcg/600 IU per day in the US. For anyone over 70 years of age in the US, the recommended daily intake goes up to 20 mcg/800 IU per day. But too much vitamin D can lead to a toxic buildup of calcium in your blood that can cause confusion, disorientation, heart rhythm problems, bone pain, kidney damage and painful kidney stones. Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation Do I need to wash fruits and vegetables with soap and water? Treatment & prevention work/life transmission This “Contact tracing 101” article explains how contact tracing works, who can get hired, and how contact tracing has helped quash previous outbreaks. But the US hasn’t been doing nearly enough contact tracing, experts say. Here’s why. Work/life transmission treatment & prevention travel Should I wash my hands and laundry in very warm or hot water? Hot water is best for killing bacteria and viruses in your laundry. But you don’t want to use that kind of scalding hot water on your skin. Warm water is perfectly fine for washing your hands — as long as you wash them thoroughly (like this) and for at least 20 seconds. (To time yourself, you can hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice or sing a couple of verses from any of these hit songs from the past several decades.) Cold water will also work, “but you have to make sure you work really vigorously to get a lather and get everything soapy and bubbly,” said chemist Bill Wuest, an associate professor at Emory University. To do that, you might need to sing “Happy Birthday” three times instead of twice. “Warm water with soap gets a much better lather – more bubbles,” Wuest said. “It’s an indication that the soap is … trying to encapsulate the dirt and the bacteria and the viruses in them.” Treatment & prevention work/life transmission myths & misinformation How does soap kill coronavirus? If I don’t have disinfecting wipes, can I use soap and water on surfaces? Yes, you can use soap and water on surfaces just like you would on your hands to kill coronavirus. But don’t use water alone — that won’t really help. The outer layer of the virus is made up of lipids, aka fat. Your goal is to break through that fatty barrier, forcing the virus’ guts to spill out and rendering it dead. In other words, imagine coronavirus is a butter dish that you’re trying to clean. “You try to wash your butter dish with water alone, but that butter is not coming off the dish,” said Dr. John Williams, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “You need some soap to dissolve grease. So soap or alcohol are very, very effective against dissolving that greasy liquid coating of the virus.” By cutting through the greasy barrier, Williams said, “it physically inactivates the virus so it can’t bind to and enter human cells anymore.” Work/life transmission treatment & prevention schools/education Will an antibody test show whether I’m immune and can go back to work or school? Work/life treatment & prevention transmission schools/education Can I use vodka as hand sanitizer? Please don’t. The CDC advises using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Vodka typically contains between 35% and 46% percent alcohol. If the stores are out of hand sanitizer and you want to make your own, the Nebraska Medical Center offers this recipe: What you’ll need:
Directions: Myths & misinformation treatment & prevention Are smokers or vapers at higher risk? What if I only smoke weed? This is not a good time to be vaping or smoking anything, including weed. “Vaping affects your lungs at every level. It affects the immune function in your nasal cavity by affecting cilia, which push foreign things out,” said Prof. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Research Control and Education at University of California San Francisco. When you vape, “the ability of your upper airways to clear viruses is compromised,” Glantz said. Tobacco smokers are at especially high risk. In a study from China, where the first Covid-19 outbreak occurred, smokers were 14 times more likely to develop severe complications than non-smokers. Even occasionally smoking marijuana can put you at greater risk. “What happens to your airways when you smoke cannabis is that it causes some degree of inflammation, very similar to bronchitis, very similar to the type of inflammation that cigarette smoking can cause,” said pulmonologist Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. “Now you have some airway inflammation, and you get an infection on top of it. So yes, your chance of getting more complications is there.” Work/life family treatment & prevention Does this pandemic have anything to do with the 5G network? My ex and I have joint custody of our kids. Is it safe for them to go between two homes? Ideally, you should limit your children’s potential exposures to coronavirus and work out the safest plan possible with your ex. The problem: Some state and county family courts might be closed, or open only for emergencies involving abuse or endangerment. So it might be difficult to formally modify pre-existing custody agreements. But some states may be offering some flexibility during the pandemic. And there may be creative solutions, such as spending more time with one parent now in exchange for extra time with the other parent after the pandemic ends. How do I safely take care of someone who’s sick? It may be difficult to know whether your loved one has coronavirus or another illness. So it’s critical to play it safe and not infect yourself and, in turn, others. The CDC suggests:
Fatigue, fever, dry cough, difficulty breathing and the loss of taste or smell are some of the symptoms of Covid-19. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks after exposure, the CDC says. But some people get no symptoms at all and can infect others without knowing it. The illness varies in its severity. And while many people can recover at home just fine, some — including young, previously healthy adults — are suffering long-term symptoms. The stores are out of disinfectant sprays and hand sanitizer. Can I make my own? Yes, you can make both at home. “Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted” if you’re trying to kill coronavirus on a non-porous surface, the CDC said. The CDC’s recipe calls for diluting 5 tablespoons (or ⅓ cup) of bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water. You can also make your own hand sanitizer. The Nebraska Medical Center – famous for its biocontainment unit and treatment of Ebola patients – offers this recipe: What you’ll need:
Directions: Work/life Treatment & Prevention Can I be fired if I stay home sick? An employee can be fired if they don’t show up to work and don’t have sick leave that would cover the absence, says Krista Slosburg, an employment attorney at Stokes Lawrence in Seattle. But there are exceptions. Employers who make workers with Covid-19 come in may be violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] regulations, said Donna Ballman, who heads an employee advocacy law firm in Florida. What happens when workers don't get paid sick leave? If you work in a city or state that requires sick leave and you use it, you can‘t be terminated or disciplined. But there is no federal mandate that requires companies to offer paid sick leave, and almost a quarter of all US workers don’t get it, according to 2019 government data. Some state and local governments have passed laws that require companies to offer paid sick leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can sometimes protect a worker’s job in the event they get sick, but it won’t guarantee they get paid while they’re out. Employee advocates urge businesses to consider the special circumstances of the Covid-19, and some already have Can managers send a sick worker home? Yes, managers can. The Society for Human Resource Management recommends companies “actively encourage sick employees to stay home, send symptomatic employees home until they are able to return to work safely, and require employees returning from high-risk areas to telework during the incubation period (of 14 days).” If a manager feels an employee’s illness poses a direct threat to colleagues’ safety, the manager may be able to insist the employee be evaluated by a doctor, said Alka Ramchandani-Raj, an attorney specializing in workplace safety. If traveling on a plane, how do I stay safe? Since Covid-19 is a respiratory disease, many airlines require passengers to wear face masks during the flight, except for while eating or drinking. Health experts suggest eating, drinking and using the restroom before getting on the plane, to eliminate the need to take off your mask or go into a cramped lavatory on board. And always be mindful of where your hands have been, travel medicine specialist Dr. Richard Dawood said. Airport handrails, door handles and airplane lavatory levers are notoriously dirty. “It is OK to touch these things as long as you then wash or sanitize your hands before contaminating your face, touching or handling food,” Dawood said. “Hand sanitizers are great. So are antiseptic hand wipes, which you can also use to wipe down armrests, remote controls at your seat and your tray table.” Should I spray myself or my kids with disinfectant? No. Those products work on surfaces but can be dangerous to your body. There are some chemical disinfectants, including bleach, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform, that may kill the virus on surfaces. But if the virus is already in your body, putting those substances on your skin or under your nose won’t kill it, the World Health Organization says. And those chemicals can harm you. Treatment & Prevention myths & misinformation I’ve heard that home remedies can cure or prevent the virus. Is that true? There’s no evidence from the outbreak that eating garlic, sipping water every 15 minutes or taking vitamin C will protect people from the new coronavirus. Same goes for using essential oils or colloidal silver. Treatment & prevention myths & misinformation Why was the US been so far behind other countries with testing? Experts said cuts in federal funding for public health and problems with early testing forced the US to play catch-up. Problems with public health infrastructure: Two years ago, the CDC stopped funding epidemic prevention activities in 39 countries, including China. This happened because the Trump administration refused to allocate money to a program that started during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden warned that move “would significantly increase the chance an epidemic will spread without our knowledge and endanger lives in our country and around the world.” Problems with the testing: Malfunctions, shortages and delays in availability have all contributed to the slowdown. In the first few weeks of the outbreak in the US, the CDC was the only facility in the country that could confirm test results — even though a World Health Organization test became available around the same time. Some test kits that were sent around the country were flawed — a move that put the US behind about “four to five weeks,” says Dr. Rob Davidson, executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. Did Dean Koontz predict this outbreak in the book “The Eyes of Darkness” almost 40 years ago? No. There are some interesting coincidences in the 1981 fiction novel, which says “a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread around the globe” around the year 2020. Modern editions of the book call the biological strain “Wuhan-400,” and the current coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China. But there are important differences between the book and reality. The original version of the book called the strain the “Gorki-400,” in reference to a Russian locality, before it was later changed to the “Wuhan-400.” In the book, the virus was man-made, while scientists believe the novel coronavirus started in animals and jumped to humans. And in the book, the virus had a 100% mortality rate. Early estimates of the mortality rate for this coronavirus outbreak range from 2-4%. Can the heat from a hand dryer kill coronavirus? Hand dryers can’t kill the virus, the World Health Organization said. WHO also said UV lamps shouldn’t be used to sterilize hands or other areas of the body because the radiation can irritate skin. What are conclusion and recommendations?The interpretations given by the researcher of the significance of the findings of a research project for the client's business, along with recommendations for action.
What comes first conclusion or recommendations?Note Recommendations are generally included both in your conclusion section (briefly) and in your discussion section.
Is conclusion and recommendation are same?Conclusions are the findings or the problem of any well researched report, whereas recommendations are the suggestions or methods on how to handle the conclusion.
What does recommendations mean in a report?A recommendation report is written to propose or recommend the options available to solve a problem or fill a need. The goal of the report is to compare options, recommend one option, and support that recommendation.
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