THE Coronavirus seems to be on everyone’s mind, and while we don’t have any special expertise regarding this illness, we do suggest that you keep the following in mind:
- The “go to” source for the latest authoritative information on this virus is the website of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html
- While the virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person in China and many other countries, including the United States, at this point there are many other respiratory illnesses that are more widespread in the US, such as seasonal influenza.
- Thousands of people die every year in the US from common forms of influenza, so everyone who is a candidate for vaccination should consider having one (even at this late date) if they have not already done so.
- The CDC is encouraging people with flu symptoms to remain at home and take steps to prevent the spread of their infection to anyone else in their households.
- At the first signs of a flu, you should explore, with your health care professionals, taking a medication that can treat influenza, such as Oseltamivir or Xofluza. Naturally, if your symptoms worsen, you should seek treatment by a health professional immediately. If you are enrolled in the Cigna medical Plan, the Cigna’s Telehealth benefit can help in both these cases. You can use or sign-up for that benefit at https://equityleague.org/my-health-plan/speak-to-a-real-doctor-anytime-anywhere-through-telemedicine