Keeping up with Covid
Keeping up with Covid
Createscape makes every effort to stay on top of the news so that we can create the safest coworking space we possibly can. And since a new administration has recently moved into the White House, there have been quite a few updates, from the battle to fight Covid, to new strains and mask safety. Then there’s also local news to follow, too, like vaccine distribution in Austin and eligibility in Travis County.
So here are a few recent headlines that we’ve been reading and following to keep Createscape safe.
Kardashian sisters trying hard to look cute and to follow COVID-19 guidelines
CDC Guide to Wearing a Mask
When the pandemic first hit, experts advised against wearing masks (mostly because they didn’t know that much about the virus but did know that the U.S. was — and still is — woefully short on lifesaving PPE). But then, word came from the CDC that covering your mouth and nose helps prevent spreading the deadly, contagious virus. A few months later, we were told that bandanas and single-layer gaiters barely work to prevent spread at all, but an ordinary cloth mask can definitely save lives. The CDC recently updated mask guidelines again and the federal government even implemented mandates that masks be worn in commercial and public transportation systems, in federal buildings on federal lands, and other locations. Agencies really needed this leadership from above so they could enforce virus-prevention rules.
Here is the CDC’s latest mask do’s & don’ts, updated February 2021.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
Mask Mandate in Austin
Austin and Travis County recently extended “Stay Home, Mask, and Otherwise Be Safe” orders, through February 16, 2021.
And here is the Texas Health and Human Services Covid-19 Vaccine Information dashboard. If you or a family member are a front-line health care worker, 65 or over, or have a health condition that increases risk for severe illness, you qualify to get the vaccine now.
New Covid Strains
Just as the new administration is ramping up vaccination programs across the country, Covid has also been ramping up its insidiousness. It’s almost like the virus knows its days are numbered (maybe? hopefully.). Apparently, when it comes to severe respiratory viruses like Covid, new variants are common. Some persist; some don’t. And fortunately, while some of the newer Covid strains are seemingly more contagious, Johns Hopkins Medicine is reporting, “there is not yet clear evidence that any of these [new] variants are more likely to cause severe disease or death.”
So wear your mask, stay more than six feet away from people not in your pod, and avoid lingering in the vicinity of people you don’t know for more than a few minutes. Also, wash your hands.
Dogs Can Sniff Out Covid
Apparently canines can be trained to sniff out Covid. Back in November, a French-Lebanese team trained dogs to smell Covid on human sweat and the pooches picked up the scent 100% of the time!
Doggie detection programs are in development right now around the world. If this ends up working out, experts want to see sniffer dogs everywhere large groups of people congregate, like airports and sports arenas. But they also want to place the pooches in hospitals to keep those infected with the virus away from non-infected patients, visitors and staff. In the US, there are already a few Covid canines on the job — in fact, at recent Miami Heat games, fans had to pass four-legged sniffers before entering American Airlines Arena.
Article by Riki Markowitz