Paul Goldfinger, MD:

a.  Preventing influenza will be increasingly important this year. Less than half (45%) of Americans got a flu shot last year, and “influenza is a deadly disease in its own right.”  So get your flu shot soon.

b.  “Currently the CDC and AMA both explicitly warn that antibody tests should not be used to make decisions about returning workers to the office or students to school.”

c.    COVID-19 is not always a short-term illness. There are “long-haulers” who have lingering issues, and it is reported that “months of illness have contributed to anxiety and depression, exacerbated by the difficulties of accessing medical services and disruptions to work, social and exercise routines.”

d    COVID-19 is not the only virus which can cause similar symptoms including cough, fever, fatigue, and muscle aches.  And there is no diagnostic test for influenza.  “The CDC has listed shortness of breath (dyspnea) as one of only two symptoms (along with loss of taste and smell) not commonly shared with influenza.

e. Obesity has been found to be a predictor for severe COVID-19 disease.   The US has “one of the highest obesity rates in the world.”

f.  The government has so far given biotech companies $10 billion toward developing a COVID-19 vaccine. 

“The FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn has repeatedly said that he would not approve a vaccine until it has been shown to be safe and effective.”

Government officials do not expect a vaccine by election day, but “Pfizer says that they should know if their vaccine is effective next month.  If it is, they will seek approval immediately.”

g.  Experts say “coronasomnia” could have major impact on public health.  The Washington Post reports that “physicians and researchers are seeing signs” that the coronavirus pandemic “is doing deep damage to people’s sleep.”

Dubbed “coronasomnia” by some experts, it “could prove to have profound public-health ramifications – creating a massive new population of chronic insomniacs grappling with declines in productivity, shorter fuses and increased risks of hypertension, depression and other health problems.”