How much risk is there of getting infected during a flight?
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(CNN Spanish) -
In this episode, Dr. Huerta answers the audience's questions about the coronavirus.
We clarify doubts about the covid-19 tests, if hair or beard increases your risk of contagion and we answer if the coronavirus vaccine modifies human DNA.
You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform, or read the transcript below.
Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta, and this is your daily dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
Today we will answer some of the questions about the coronavirus that have been left us on our twitter account @DrHuerta.
Questions about coronavirus testing
@drhuerta good morning I would like to consult since I had a molecular test 20 days ago and it came out positive, I have no symptoms, a relative of mine tested positive a week before and for work I have to take the test again, what time would it be prudent to wait
- jhonpc (@jhonypradoc) September 16, 2020
You seem to have developed an asymptomatic infection, John, and your airways should be clear of the virus approximately 10 days after the first test.
@drhuerta good evening I was positive for covid on August 19, I was discharged on September 7, now how long do I have to wait to take the test again?
since my discharge was only x phone once the doctor saw me thank you greetings
- alejandritaaa (@ brujita2015) September 15, 2020
Sure you do, Alexandrite.
The latest CDC recommendations say it is no longer necessary to do a test to discharge a patient.
It is enough with the clinical evaluation of the doctor.
Doctor, my partner had Covid-19 and we never stopped using the same glasses, cutlery, bed and I was without protection the entire time since contagion was inevitable.
I did the rapid blood test twice and it came out negative.
That's possible?
- VENEZUELALIBRE (@Vzla_InformaSOS) September 14, 2020
Good question, Venezuela.
It is possible that you have been infected with coronavirus, are asymptomatic and that the serological tests are false negative, a very common situation with this type of tests.
Obviously, it is also possible that simply - for unknown reasons - you have not caught it.
Questions about using the mask to prevent coronavirus:
@drhuerta
Thank you for your podcast on MASKS and VARIOLIZATION.
It is a very powerful argument to use it constantly.
My question: Data indicate that also in prisons the vast majority of infected are asymptomatic.
Does it have to do with the use of the mask?
- CarlosRodrigo Zapata (@CharlsZapata) September 15, 2020
Excellent question, Carlos.
Although there are reports that the vast majority of inmates in some prisons in the United States are asymptomatic, it is not known why this phenomenon occurs.
Undoubtedly, the overcrowded conditions in which the prisoners live makes the contagion frequent, but it is not known why they are - for the most part - asymptomatic.
@drhuerta @doctormacias @SdeStendhal a question please, is a surgical mask useful if there are some holes left where the air enters?
It is very difficult to close them completely
- Salo (@ggenios) September 15, 2020
Good question, Salo.
There is no doubt that a mask that is not airtight - like the N95, for example - could allow an infection.
But it is also possible - as we mentioned in the episode of September 14 - that, thanks to the variolization effect, the infection that occurs is milder or asymptomatic.
@drhuerta Dr. Excuse my ignorance.
If it is said that the virus in an inert material remains active for a maximum of 72 hours, a way to reuse a mask would not be to stop using it for that time and it would be ready to be used again.
Thank you.
- FELIX RIVERO (@FELRIVERO) September 15, 2020
If you've used the mask for a very short time and it's clean, you may be able to leave it in for 72 hours and use it again.
To avoid doing this, it is best to have cloth masks that you can wash after each use.
@drhuerta one more question in relation to the new # COVID19, I have a police friend who works in homicides, they collect bodies, whether they are injured or deceased, at some point due to a maneuver they fall off the mask, there is some treatment to eliminate the virus in that moment?
- Dennis Arispe (@DennisArispe) September 13, 2020
Excellent question, Dennis.
Corpses only transmit the infection through their fresh secretions, so if your friend is exposed to a corpse, it is enough to wear gloves or wash their hands well after handling it.
With regard to the injured, it is possible that one of them is infected and could infect your friend.
For that, he should use a more airtight mask, like the N95, for example.
Questions about the spread of coronavirus
Greetings Doctor I want to know what is the protocol to follow for the treatment of covi19?
- Crisaldy Rivera (@CrisaldyRvera) September 16, 2020
It's an excellent question, Crisaldy.
It is very important that more than 90% of covid-19 cases are handled at home.
Ideally, as soon as the diagnosis is made, the person should be isolated in his room and seek the supervision of a doctor.
First of all, remember that it is estimated that 80% of cases do not present symptoms or these are very mild, so it is very likely that the patient does not need to take anything or only a symptomatic medication.
On the other hand, 15% of cases have more intense symptoms and can fall into bed.
This person should use medical care, and - since there are no specific drugs against the virus - should only use symptomatic drugs.
Finally, knowing that the main complication of covid-19 is pneumonia, it is important for a sick person to check the oxygen saturation in their blood daily, using a pulse oximeter.
Any saturation less than 95% should require an immediate medical evaluation.
@drhuerta is there early treatment that modifies the serious evolution of the covid?
discounting the Remdesivir.
Thanks Dr Huerta.
- miguel reyes diaz (@ miguelreyesdia1) September 16, 2020
Good question Miguel.
Unfortunately, there is no scientifically proven treatment that prevents an infected person from getting worse.
Neither hydroxychloroquine nor ivermectin - widely used in some Central and South American countries - have been shown to prevent the disease from worsening.
Is it possible that doctors who have not yet been infected with sars-cov-2 are already immunized?
@drhuerta # Covid_19 # SARSCoV2
- Mabel Villanueva (@mvpmabel) September 15, 2020
Excellent question, Mabel.
Unfortunately, we do not have an adequate answer to your question.
It occurs to me that only if colleagues have developed an asymptomatic infection can they be immune immediately.
@drhuerta a friend is in ICU, no one in his close circle including his wife is infected, he was very careful when he got home and at work, however he has a thick beard.
Can the beard and long hair increase the risk of contagion by covid 19?
- fernanda (@fersafra_) September 15, 2020
Good question, Fernanda.
There are no studies that show that the beard or hair can cause the infection of a person.
However, it is theoretically possible that - if infected secretions are deposited on the beard or hair - that could happen.
@drhuerta hello.
Is there a relationship between h1n1 and covid?
and if a person had h1n1 is he more or less prone to get sick from covid 19?
Thank you!
- Andrés (@AndresBarrGuz) September 15, 2020
Good question, Andrés, but the answer is no.
Because the defense system is specific in the type of antibodies it produces against a virus, the antibodies produced against H1N1 do not protect against SARS-CoV-2.
@drhuerta hello doctor, one question is it true that you can expose yourself to a certain amount of coronavirus and not get sick from covid?
If so, then periodically exposing yourself to small amounts wouldn't generate antibodies over time?
Regards
- Rock0 Rock3r (@ Androk3r) September 14, 2020
Hello, Rock.
As we described in the August 11 episode, viral diseases occur when the number of viruses that infect a person is greater than the so-called infective dose, which, according to some experts, is 1,000 viral particles for SARS- CoV-2.
Unlike treatment to desensitize allergy sufferers, who are exposed to progressively higher doses of the allergen - or allergy-causing substance - to lessen the reaction, exposure to lesser amounts of the infectious dose would not cause illness.
@drhuerta Good morning.
Can a person who has suffered from Covid-19 and been discharged continue to infect others?
I read in one of your answers that there are only 2 documented cases of people who have acquired the virus for the second time.
Would someone already infected be immune?
- Victor J. Lopez M. (@ vlopez05) September 14, 2020
Good question, Victor.
It is considered that a person is capable of infecting two to three days before the onset of symptoms, until day 10 of the mild illness and 20 days of more severe illness.
Coronavirus treatment and symptom detection
Good evening, is it okay to measure your temperature on your wrist with IR thermometers, isn't it pointing at your forehead?
- Jacqueline Ludeña (@jackyludena) September 14, 2020
Good question, Jacqueline.
If your fear is if the temperature meter can affect the brain, I tell you that these types of devices do not cause any type of brain damage.
I explain.
These devices are called infrared temperature detectors or infrared thermometers and, incredibly, they do not emit radiation but, on the contrary, they have sensors that detect the infrared temperature or heat that the person's body emits, and that is why they measure the temperature.
What happens is that so that the person taking the temperature knows where to point the device and register the temperature well, the pistol emits a low intensity laser beam that does not cause damage, unless it is aimed at one eye for a long time weather.
@drhuerta Doctor, do you recommend the use of smart bracelets? for oxygen saturation reading.
Thank you.
- Jorge Eduardo (@ JorgeEd60925402) September 17, 2020
Good question, Jorge.
Pulse oximeters are very important devices for evaluating the respiratory function of a person affected by COVID-19.
However, bracelet oximeters are considered to be less accurate than those used on the fingers of the hand.
The coronavirus and outdoor activities
@drhuerta
A question, consider that going out to country areas or going camping only my wife and I go, is there any risk?
What do you think about that ?
Thank you very much
- Guillermo Garzón G. (@elguillegarzon) September 14, 2020
Excellent question, Guillermo.
Remember that the virus is in people and is not found in the open air, so if only you and your wife are outdoors, there will be no possibility of contagion.
@drhuerta I often go out by bicycle in my small city for sports purposes, where there are moderate cases, you consider that I should disinfect it when I get home, thank you very much
- cggarzongomez (@ cggarzongomez1) September 14, 2020
Good question, Garzón.
Remember that the virus is in people and is not found in the open air, so I do not think that the virus can stick to your bike, so that you have to disinfect it.
The covid-19 vaccine
@drhuerta doctor, I read your article in cnn regarding the covid mutation, what is currently known about the vaccine in that sense?
If this mutation replaces the current one, will we have to start from scratch?
Thank you
- Ela (@ Ela71351131) September 15, 2020
Excellent question, Ela.
So far, studies of the genome of the new coronavirus have shown that it has not undergone any mutation in the area against which the vaccines are directed.
The mutations that we hear in the media are the common mutations that viruses undergo as they circulate in various communities.
That indicates that the multiple vaccines that are in development may be effective.
@drhuerta hello doctor huerta.
I send you the question in a photo why it is very long and I want you to understand my approach pic.twitter.com/GBCiq2iYcT
- Raziel Salcedo (@Djrazil) September 15, 2020
Very good question, Raziel.
So far, analyzes of the virus genome have shown that it has not mutated in the areas that produce immunity and against which vaccines are directed.
Therefore, until now, all the vaccines that are being developed would be effective.
@drhuerta I am a volunteer for the Sinopharm vaccine trials and my family is afraid because they say they can modify my DNA, that there will be no going back.
They are all loyal fans of yours, could you please answer the question?
@RPPNoticias @INS_Peru @pmazzettis @Minsa_Peru
- Katherine Beraún (@Katty_Beraun) September 14, 2020
Excellent question, Katherine.
AND
That is not true because - like annual flu shots - Sinopharm vaccines use inactivated versions of the coronavirus itself, which do not change a person's DNA.
@drhuerta wanted to see why all the laboratories are so concerned about finding a vaccine for Covid-19 and no one is looking for a drug that reduces the effects of it and is just another cold.
Thank you
- Gustavo Salinas (@GtavexGustavo) September 14, 2020
Hello Gustavo.
I have to tell you that it is not so.
Both types of research are developing in parallel.
As we mentioned in the May 1 episode, there has been a lot of research with remdesivir and other antiviral drugs.
Also, as we mentioned in the June 24 episode, the use of specific antibodies for the treatment of the disease is being investigated a lot.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus?
Send me your questions on Twitter, we will try to answer them in our next episodes.
You can find me at @DrHuerta.
If you think this podcast is helpful, help others find it by rating and reviewing it on your favorite podcast app.
We will be back tomorrow so be sure to subscribe to get the latest episode on your account.
And for the most up-to-date information, you can always go to CNNEspanol.com/coronavirus.
Thanks for your attention.
If you have any questions you can send them to Dr. Elmer Huerta via Twitter. You can also head over to CNNE.com/coronaviruspodcast for all episodes of our “Coronavirus: Reality vs. Reality” podcast. fiction".
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