Health, Fitness and Style
*GAO SCIENCE & TECH SPOTLIGHT: Coronaviruses: "They can cause respiratory issues, such as pneumonia, and are believed to be one cause of the common cold"
What is it? While the outbreak of COVID-19 in China has brought the term coronavirus into daily usage, coronaviruses can vary in severity. They can cause respiratory issues, such as pneumonia, and are believed to be one cause of the common cold. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people will be infected by a coronavirus at some point in their lifetimes. As of March 2020, seven coronaviruses have been identified that can cause illness in humans. Most infections result in mild to moderate symptoms, such as runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and a run-down feeling. Coronaviruses are most commonly transmitted by coughing, sneezing, person-to-person contact, and touching objects that have viral particles on them, according to CDC. The best prevention is washing hands with soap and avoiding contact with people who are sick or work in quarantine areas. Current treatment methods are limited, and research is being fast-tracked to develop a vaccine against existing and emerging coronaviruses. more »
It's a Whole New World! Where Am I? What Day Is it? Never Mind That, What Century Is It?
Rose Madeline Mula writes: Another oddity — everyone today walks around clutching a water bottle in one hand and a tiny, flat, rectangular object that they claim is a telephone in the other. Huh? If that’s a telephone, no wonder they have no idea what we mean when we tell the to “hang up the phone” or if we complain that the phone is “ringing off the hook.” They are also baffled when we talk about “dialing” a number. But then we are equally bewildered when they complain that someone has “ghosted” them or they describe something as “dope” or “lit.” If these kids were transported back to the past, they would be lost. Literally. No GPS back then.
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Updated: COVID-19: CDC Press Briefing Transcript, Friday, February 28, 2020; How A 'Drive-through' Testing Facility in London Works
Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Good afternoon, thank you for joining us today. Since I last briefed you, there has been one new case of COVID-19 detected through the U.S. public health system. As has been widely reported, at this time we don’t know how or where this person became infected. This brings the number of confirmed cases of person-to-person spread in the United States to 3. We also have confirmed 2 more people who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 among U.S. citizens repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. That brings the total number of people with COVID-19 to 44 among this group of people. more »
Legislative Update: "Safe to Report" Policy in Armed Forces, Parental Involvement Leave, Maternal Health Crisis, Work Opportunity Tax Credit for Military Spouses & Toxic Navy Plume
Bills Introduced: Parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children's and grandchildren's educational and extracurricular activities; transportation career opportunities; “National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month,” "Safe to Report" Policy in Armed Forces, Maternal Health Crisis in the US, A bill to reauthorize comprehensive research and statistical review and analysis of trafficking in persons and commercial sex acts; toxic Navy Plume on Long Island, New York
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