More answers to your COVID-19 questions

The Houston Chronicle is asking readers to submit questions and story ideas about the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Questions are answered online at houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus.

The Chronicle also has compiled coronavirus information by topic. Here’s where to access that special coronavirus content:

Tributes to those who have died of COVID-19: houstonchronicle.com/ liveslost

Map the virus: houstonchronicle.com/virus-map

Resource guide: houstonchronicle.com/ resourceguide

Houston metro area news and reports: houstonchronicle.com/ coronavirus

Daily coronavirus podcast: houstonchronicle.com/ podcasts

Testing sites: houstonchronicle.com/virus-testing

And here are the answers to questions from readers:

Q: Is the virus airborne? How much of a distance should you maintain from other people outdoors?

A: Yes, COVID-19 is airborne. A recent study suggests it can travel more than 13 feet in the air. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending people keep a minimum distance of at least 6 feet.

Q: Are homemade face masks safe to use? Are they helpful for hospitals?

A: If you’re making a mask at home, they obviously aren’t approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and that means the CDC doesn’t recommend them in hospitals or health care settings. However, your homemade mask is perfect for Harris County’s guidelines that people should wear face coverings while outside.

They are easy to make, even without a sewing machine. Watch Chronicle staffer Laura Duclos show you how to make no-sew, CDC-approved coronavirus face coverings at houstonchronicle.com/no-sewmasks.

Q: How does the new coronavirus attack the body?

A: Once the virus enters your body through the ears, nose or eyes, it attaches itself to a “door” on the cells of the respiratory system, said Dr. Pedro Piedra, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Ridges on the virus allow it to hook onto a cell, and the coronavirus fuses itself inside. Then, the coronavirus takes over. It kidnaps the cell and directs the body to replicate the virus, Piedra said.

The coronavirus itself can create enough direct injuries to the body that it causes an infection in the lungs, destroying itself and damaging the organ. The immune system also can become overzealous in fighting the virus, causing more destruction in the respiratory tract.

In most patients, people see symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. In the worst cases, patients can develop pneumonia in both lungs and multiorgan failure, according to the CDC.

Q: When will I get my stimulus check?

A: If you’re waiting for your stimulus check, you’re not the only person still looking for that $1,200 check from the government.

In the first three weeks of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service said that 88.1 million payments worth nearly $158 billion had been issued, the Washington Post reported.

The $2 trillion program will eventually divvy out a total of 150 million stimulus payments, meaning millions of households are still waiting for aid. Those payments will be made within the next few weeks, according to the Associated Press.

Q: Do allergies make a person more susceptible to the new coronavirus?

A: There isn’t any research suggesting that people with seasonal allergies are more likely to contract COVID-19. However, people who have respiratory issues or are immunocompromised have a higher risk of contracting the virus.

All allergies are caused by the immune system’s reaction to things such as dust or pollen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. If you have allergy symptoms such as a runny nose or a migraine, it’s because your immune system is attacking an allergen. People who have allergies are not necessarily immunocompromised because their immune systems regularly and actively fight allergens.

samantha.ketterer @chron.com hannah.dellinger @chron.com