- Hey, I'm dr Mike Varshavski,
a board certified family medicine physician.
And I wanna take on the top 10 questions
on COVID-19 that I received from my friends, family,
social media, and even my patients.
Can pets transmit COVID-19?
The answer to that question is both yes and no.
No, because pets don't seem to be having
symptoms of COVID-19,
they're not coughing, they're not having fevers.
So we're saying that they don't seem to be infected with it.
That being said, if you go for a walk
and you have a very cute puppy, like Bear,
and someone wants to pet it,
and they just sneezed into their hands,
and they touch your dog,
and now your dog comes home, you touch your dog,
you could bring that virus
and introduce it into your own body.
So yes, pets can be carriers of this virus as a surface.
So if you're gonna be socially distancing yourself,
also get your pets to socially distance themselves too.
Should I use soap to wash my produce?
Well, I've actually gotten this question a lot recently
because of a viral video of a doctor doing just that.
And the truth of the matter is,
not only do you not need to do this, you shouldn't.
Most fruits and vegetables are porous,
meaning they can absorb the soap
and that's not great for your stomach.
It can cause all sorts of gastrointestinal symptoms
like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
All you have to do to disinfect your fruits and vegetables
is to run them under cold water.
That's gonna get 90 to 95%
of whatever is out there off of them.
Is it okay if I throw a mini party
but we all stay six feet apart?
The answer to this question is a hard no.
Social distancing means physical distancing,
and more than six feet apart.
The reason why we give the six foot guidance
is in case you have to go out, to do your grocery shopping,
or you're an essential employee like a doctor or a nurse,
then yeah, six feet makes sense to mitigate the risk.
It's not 100% foolproof.
Imagine one of your friends comes over,
they're asymptomatic, meaning they're having no symptoms,
but they have COVID-19, now they give it to you,
you give it to one of your family members in your home,
and they have serious consequences.
Not something you want.
Should I be taking an immune boosting supplement?
I get really mad when I see claims
made by marketing companies
saying that they have an immune boosting shake,
or detox drink, or supplement.
They don't exist.
There's no such thing as boosting your immune system.
Your immune system works
because you have vitamins, minerals inside your body
that you get naturally from foods
or they're created within your own body.
You do not need more of them.
The analogy I like to give folks
is like a construction site.
If you want to construction to be done sooner,
you can't just deliver more materials
and think that's gonna speed up the process.
In fact, I can create more problems.
So no, taking a huge amount of vitamin D, and C, and E,
and zinc is not gonna help you protect yourself
from COVID-19, it's just never been proven.
Well, if not supplements, how can I boost my immune system?
Well, the answer is, again,
you're not trying to boost your immune system,
you're trying to optimize it.
In fact, a boosted immune system almost makes it sound
like you have an autoimmune disorder
where your own immune system is attacking your body.
You don't want that.
To optimize your immune system,
you should focus on the four pillars of health.
Sleep, getting at least seven to nine hours a night.
Studies have shown that if you get less than six hours,
it drops her natural killer cells by up to 50%
and they're responsible for protecting you from COVID-19.
Two, eat healthy, get fruits, get vegetables,
make sure you're loading up on the good stuff.
Three, exercise now is no better time than ever to exercise.
Do some sit-ups, take a class on your TV,
on your iPad, iPhone, or go out for a run like I do.
I've fallen in love with running because of Nike.
And four, don't engage in bad habits.
Smoking can increase your chance
of having a severe case of COVID-19, two to three times.
Overdrinking impairs your monocytes.
It's a type of white blood cell
that protects you from COVID-19.
Is COVID-19 an airborne virus?
The preliminary research says no.
It looks like the main form of transmission for this virus
is through respiratory droplets.
That's what happens when you sneeze or cough,
and you see that fine mist shoot out into the air.
Now those germ particles tend to be heavier,
so they don't spend a lot of time in the air,
they end up falling to the ground.
Now these germs do have some hang time,
and I've seen media already make a huge spectacle
that this virus can live in the air for up to three hours.
While yes, we've seen small particles,
actually genetic material of this virus
live in the air for a period of up to three hours.
We have no evidence that those particles
can actually get people sick.
So for now, the main forms of spread
we need to be concerned about
is respiratory droplets and contact.
So you really have to avoid touching
your mouth, nose, or eyes
'cause that's how the virus enters your system.
As an exception for medical facilities,
when we're doing specific procedures like an intubation,
or we have a patient on a specific type
of breathing machine called BIPAP,
we have seen some particles of this virus aerosolized,
that's why the medical setting,
we have really quality protection
like N95 masks, or PAPA systems,
so the medical professionals don't get sick around them.
What can I do to lower my anxiety
and depressive symptoms during quarantine?
The first issue that arises during the quarantine
is a lack of social connections.
We as humans are social beings,
we need that type of interaction.
Remember, we're all in the same boat here.
There's no FOMO to be had.
So reach out and schedule a date on FaceTime.
Do a Skype with their entire family
so you could stir up a little trauma.
Just keep that interaction in your life,
it's really important.
Second, limit your time on the internet
and checking the news.
My God, all the numbers being thrown at you,
the outbreak warnings.
This is really anxiety provoking.
So check it once a day, or maybe even every other day.
And three, pick up a new hobby,
painting, reading, exercising, anything,
because as someone wise once said,
an idle mind is a devil's playground.
Is it true that taking ibuprofen or Advil slash Motrin
can make COVID-19 symptoms worse?
This started when the French minister
came out and made a warning about this.
There has been zero evidence
that shows ibuprofen directly makes COVID-19 symptoms worse.
The WHO even came out and made a statement about this
saying that they did not advise
discontinuing ibuprofen in COVID-19 patients.
That being said, we're still doing more research,
and we're still figuring out how it can play a role
in COVID-19 symptoms, but the answer is easy,
if you don't have to take ibuprofen
and you have an other option
like acetaminophen, a.k.a Tylenol, do it and ease your mind.
Should the general public be wearing masks
to decrease spread of COVID-19?
There are two types of masks
that are being discussed in this conversation.
First, our N95 masks.
These are the professional form-fitting masks
you see doctors and nurses wear on the front lines
to protect themselves.
These masks keep the virus out.
Then you have the loose-fitting, inexpensive surgical masks
that actually prevent you from putting the virus out.
So basically this is meant for sick people.
If a patient comes into my office,
they're coughing all over the place,
we put one of these masks on.
Now with COVID-19, having so many
asymptomatic sick patients,
meaning that we don't even know they're sick,
perhaps there's some logic
in having everyone wear these masks.
Well the WHO has never recommended
for the general healthy public,
to wear these surgical masks.
First, there's a huge shortage of these masks
right now for us as health professionals.
Two, it gives you a false sense of security
to feel like, "Oh maybe I can go out
"cause I'll just wear this inexpensive mask."
Remember, it doesn't protect you, it protects everyone else.
And then three, there's really limited scientific research
saying that it truly helps flatten the curve.
Is ordering food delivery safe?
Nothing is 100% safe,
but if you're gonna be ordering food delivery,
do it the best way you can and take some precautions.
Make sure that when you order on the app,
you click the no contact delivery option.
Most of the big apps, Postmates, Caviar, they all have them.
Next, when you get the items,
make sure that when you bring them in your home,
you wash your hands first, then you unpack the items,
you wash your hands again, you eat,
and you touch some of the containers,
afterwards, wash your hands again.
It's really about washing your hands,
washing your hands,
washing your hands.
And just know, if someone who had COVID-19
handled your food, it's a very low likelihood
that you will actually get the virus
transmitted to you through that way.
I highly recommend you check out my interview
that I did with Dr. Anthony Fauci here,
or if you wanna see some serious misinformation
get corrected from politicians and media,
click here for that playlist.
And as always, gotta stay happy, and healthy.
(lighthearted music)