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Friends, furry friends (pets), and family: who is at risk?

People who get the severe disease are more likely to fall within certain categories. From what we have seen so far, that’s people who have underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, and chronic lung disease. They’re also more likely to be older:

Generally, it seems that young people, children, and teens don’t really seem to get the severe disease. We’re not too sure why that is. We also don’t know if young people are ‘asymptomatic shedders’—meaning that they’re passing the virus on despite not showing symptoms.

Being immunosuppressed means having a reduced immune function, for example, because of an underlying health condition or being on medication such as chemotherapy. This may increase the risk of severe disease based on what we know from other infections such as the flu.

Expectant mothers are at increased risk of many viral infections. It’s sensible to assume they may be at increased risk of COVID-19, too, and should, therefore, be managed as a high-risk group until evidence emerges to the contrary.

So, as it stands, anyone who has a possibly reduced immune function, that’s:

People over 70

People with underlying health conditions: usually those that mean you’re eligible for a flu vaccine

Pregnant women

are advised to be extra cautious and follow physical distancing measures more stringently.

Here’s a great article for looking after kids and babies, but we’ve not really seen kids getting severe infections.

A Word on Pets

While there has been one instance of an infected dog in Hong Kong, to date, there is no evidence that a dog, cat, or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 mainly spreads through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently and thoroughly.

Also includes the answer to questions from: @rebsadvodka, @mightbemadhatter, @disbean, @shogologo, @robbiecore & @paqe-jeshile, @leolaphine, @morbid-apricots, @angel-stains

Check out the full Answer Time here!

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How can I keep myself healthy and safe?

From a personal perspective, I’d already gone on a bit of a health kick a few weeks back, which has meant trying to eat healthily (lots of fruit and veggies), exercising regularly, and quitting smoking and drinking (yes I do recognise the hypocrisy of being a doctor who occasionally smoked!).

I think one of the best things you can do during this time is to quit smoking or vaping because smokers are more at risk of respiratory infections. I wrote a little tweet-guide as to how I did it.

Vitamin C has been shown to help stave off the common cold. In general, I’d suggest you make sure you’re eating healthily. You can get natural sources of vitamin C, which include citrus fruits, kiwi, and broccoli.

Zinc has also been shown to be beneficial for colds. Natural sources of zinc include pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, and chickpeas.

If you’re eating a sufficiently varied diet, then you won’t necessarily need to take oral multivitamin tablets. However, as we’ll all be indoors more, we may find that we benefit from a vitamin D supplement (which we usually get from the sun).

If you’re living in an area where you can still go outside, then walks can be good for your physical and mental health. Try to maintain a good distance from others, and wash your hands for 20 seconds—especially when you get back home. As we still don’t have all the information about how long COVID-19 remains in the air, if you’re particularly at risk, I would perhaps advise staying at home.

I know COVID-19 is really scary; make sure you’re taking the right precautions, but also be sure to try and spend some time every day doing things you enjoy and taking your mind off the virus. My friend has put together a guide to ensuring good mental health at this time: