Introduction
With the spread of the novel coronavirus, it is more important than ever to take precautions to protect yourself and your family from the virus. A virus expert has warned that certain people are now at a higher risk of contracting the virus and should take extra precautions. Eating the right foods can help protect you from the virus, so it is important to know what to eat and what to avoid. This article will provide information on which foods to eat and which to avoid in order to reduce your risk of contracting the virus.
Virus Expert Warns These People Now “At Risk” — Eat This Not That
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, experts are warning that certain groups of people are now at a higher risk of contracting the virus. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, those at risk include people over the age of 65, those with underlying health conditions, and those who are immunocompromised.
In addition to taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the virus, such as social distancing and wearing a face mask, Dr. Fauci also recommends that those at risk pay special attention to their diets. Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help boost the immune system and reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
Dr. Fauci recommends that those at risk eat foods that are high in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as zinc and selenium. Foods that are high in these nutrients include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and lean proteins. He also recommends avoiding processed foods, which are often high in sugar and unhealthy fats.
Eating a healthy diet is just one way to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. It is important to remember to follow all the necessary precautions, such as social distancing and wearing a face mask, to protect yourself and those around you.
With coronavirus cases going down, it’s easy to become complacent. Don’t. That’s the big warning from Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, who appeared on his podcast to say that the pandemic is far from over. And in fact, we could all be in danger of repeating past mistakes that may lead to another surge. Read on for 5 points of life-saving advice, including who is most at risk and where—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Cases are on their “way down,” says Osterholm. “This is great news, but there are still 65 million Americans who today could be vaccinated by our current recommendations who are not. And while surely some of them have already been infected and likely have some protective immunity, we still have more than enough human wood for this coronavirus forest fire to burn….So while this surge may drop and continue to drop, hopefully coming back to the baseline that it was in June, or it may be like the UK, and we’ll see increased number of cases. I think with our limited testing, that probably won’t happen. Even if it does occur, really, we won’t pick it up, but what will happen over the days ahead is certainly that those 65 million people will continue to be at risk as well.”
Osterholm said cases are up in “Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and North Dakota, clearly really challenged right now in those states, but collectively they only make up 1.2% of the U.S. population. That’s 4,029,000 people important people. We love you in those states. We love your states, but just take a look at two other areas. L.A. County in New York City— L.A. county has roughly 10 million people. New York City has 8,340,000 people. So basically 18 million people compared to the 4 million in those states I just mentioned. L.A. county has actually seen the number of cases drop 18%. In the last 14 days, they are at 10 per a hundred thousand cases per day….Only 61% of the residents in LA county are fully vaccinated for those 12 and older, only 71% are fully vaccinated. They’ve got a lot of people there that are susceptible to this virus. Let’s take a look at New York City—there they’re reporting about 15 cases per a hundred thousand. Again, much lower than the states have been most impacted. They have had a 15% decrease in case numbers over the last 14 days, only 65% of their population is fully vaccinated. And for those 12 and older, only 76% are fully vaccinated. Again, the same situation as L.A. They never got hit by the surge and they surely have a large number of people who are susceptible to this virus. They will be part of future surgeries. You know, we don’t have to wait for this to happen, to understand why it’s still so important and, only growing more important to get these people vaccinated. And what I worry about is that we will hit another quote, unquote, June period, where people see case numbers dropping, dropping, we’re done with the pandemic. We don’t want to hear about it. And as such we won’t get people vaccinated. …The case numbers could increase also substantially there.”
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“Younger kids who yet are not able to be vaccinated 28 million kids between the ages of five and 11 are not yet able to be vaccinated. Hopefully that will change very quickly, but they too will add to that potential pool of future cases.” Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday on ABC’s This Week: “If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November.”
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Does Osterholm think we will all need boosters eventually? “I do. And quite honestly, this recommendation now of anyone 65 years of age and older, those 18 to 64 at high risk of severe COVID, or with high exposure to the coronavirus for their jobs or living situations, you can almost drive the semis through that recommendation. And so I think that many people will interpret themselves to be at some increased risk, but officially, will it be expanded? Ultimately, I think it will. I think you’re going to see as we collect more data, that’ll just be, this is a three dose vaccine. Whenever you start that vaccine series, or this is a two dose vaccine, whenever you start that vaccine series. So I think that that’s what will happen.”
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Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.