Can the virus enter through the pores in our skin?
This is part of The Morning Call’s initiative called “Your Call,” which allows you, the readers, to ask the questions you want answered. Have your own question? Ask us at mcall.com/yourcall.
We are answering your questions throughout the coronavirus crisis. For some of the more specific health and medical questions we’ve received, we’ve sought an expert opinion from Vicky Kistler, director of the Allentown Health Bureau. Below are Kistler’s answers to recent questions.
Of all the people who died from COVID-19, how many got the flu shot, or how many did not receive the flu shot?
Public health does not have access to that information since all physicians and vaccination sites are not mandated to enter flu shots into the statewide vaccination tracking system.
Why are some workers in grocery stores, etc., allowed to continue to work without a mask on if they say they are unable to wear a mask due to a health condition?
The governor allows an exception for those individuals with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a mask.
We can contract COVID-19 by touching our mouth with our hands, but not by eating food that goes into our mouths. What is the difference?
Experts don’t have all the answers about how the virus lives and for exactly how long on every surface, however, there is no evidence of persons contracting the virus after touching food or food containers. Most food doesn’t enter our mouths directly after contact with another person’s hands. That’s why good food handling practice is so important, not just now but always and for all diseases. The assumption is made that the people handling food are washing it as they are supposed to, wearing gloves when required and adhering to all of the efforts to prevent cross contamination. Your hands, however, are a different story. We pick up millions of germs, virus cells and all types of bacteria from all sorts of surfaces and putting your hands into your eyes, mouth, etc., is a direct route into the body. Think of all the surfaces you touch as you go through the day. Washing our hands frequently is such an important defense against all illness.
We cover our eyes and mouths, but all exposed skin has pores. Can’t we absorb the virus droplets that are airborne through our skin?
No, the droplets are not absorbed via pores in the skin.
What is the difference between a seasonal flu virus death vs. a coronavirus death?
They are two totally different viruses. Influenza and the coronavirus have an important difference in the transmission speed. Influenza has a shorter incubation time (the time from infection to the appearance of symptoms) and actually can spread person to person faster than the coronavirus.
(Note from The Morning Call: Pennsylvania recorded 102 flu deaths during this flu season, from October to April. As of Saturday, two months after it first appeared in Pennsylvania, COVID-19 had claimed 3,688 lives across the state.)
Why is the coronavirus still spreading since we are mitigating and social distancing?
There are many reasons the virus continues to spread. Despite best attempts to social distance, some occupations as well as employment sites have extreme difficulty in stopping the spread of the virus once it enters a facility or a workforce. Since people are communicable up to 48 hours before a symptom is present, persons who are ill may not realize it and, therefore, may still put others at risk. Faulty handwashing, improper mask use or no mask use at all can also contribute.
Many older adults have had the latest pneumonia shots. Will these shots offer any protection from or reduction in symptoms with COVID-19?
We do not know if previous vaccination with other vaccines will provide any protection, but research is being done to determine the answer.