Dispelling Myths and Misinformation — Face Masks and the COVID-19 Vaccine

 

As I’ve been talking to friends, colleagues and acquaintances, I’ve noted that the degree of misinformation and lack of understanding about face masks and the COVID-19 vaccine is staggering. So, since I’m a scientist by training, I’m providing some brief insights into this topic, which is important from a public health perspective.

1- Many people say face masks don’t work, a most curious statement given that I wonder how many people would want to have surgery if their surgeon as well as anesthesiologist and others in the operating room didn’t wear a face mask. We’ve known that face masks that cover your nose and mouth prevent the transmission of disease-causing organisms since the late 1800s. 

2- Other people claim that if you’ve been vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. Untrue. If you’ve already had COVID-19 or you’ve been vaccinated, you still need to wear a face mask. That’s because the vaccine, like all vaccines, is not 100% protective. But, more importantly, because the COVID-19 virus — referred to as SARS-CoV-2 — had been allowed to spread unchecked or poorly checked in so many countries (including Brazil, the UK and South Africa), the virus mutated, resulting in an array of variants that are more infectious, more lethal or both. So you need to continue wearing a mask after you’ve been vaccinated if you’re around unvaccinated people. 

3- I’ve heard many people claiming they’re not getting vaccinated because they believe the vaccine was “rushed,” and wasn’t properly tested. Not true. Maybe people think it’s been rushed because we’re all accustomed to traditional vaccines that take a minimum of four to five years to develop. Those vaccines require growing the infectious organism in the lab. That’s not how the COVID-19 vaccine was developed. It depended on making synthetic viral mRNA, a segment of a molecule that would code for not the virus but its spike protein. And this research into mRNA has been going on for years. In fact, scientists have been studying it for a litany of infectious diseases, including rabies, Zika and the flu. So, there was no rush to develop the COVID-19 vaccine. It was the result of a long history of scientific studies. 

4- I was surprised to hear many people believe that if you get the vaccine it will do something to your DNA, changing it irreparably. In fact, one person said to me “Once you get the vaccine, it’s forever.” I wasn’t even sure what that meant. In fact, the mRNA in the vaccine does not and cannot enter the cell’s nucleus where DNA resides. In addition, after you get the vaccine and the mRNA forms the viral spike protein so the immune system is activated and ready to defend us against the virus, that mRNA is broken down by the body. End of the story. No changes are made in the body’s DNA.

5- Finally, there are people who claim they’re not getting the vaccine because they don’t trust the pharmaceutical companies or the government. Does that mean that these same people refuse medications when they have an illness, refuse to go to the hospital when they need treatment including surgery? I think not. 

Get vaccinated when it’s your turn and wear a face mask. It’s for your good and that of your neighbor. After all, we’re all in this together. 

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Hotel Stays and Travels (by car) in the time of COVID - Strategies

For the last many months, I’ve been renting a car and visiting scenic (and peaceful) locales within two hours of my home in New York City. That mostly meant small towns and villages in Connecticut and New York’s Hudson Valley. Here are some of the strategies I used in the time of COVID to deal with the car rental and the accommodations.

Here’s the COVID kit I pack for the trip:

— Clorox wipes

— DIY bleach disinfectant: two tablespoons of bleach to one quart of water in a spray bottle

— paper towels

— two-ply face masks and three-ply surgical masks

— polypropylene face mask filters

— goggles

— alcohol swabs

— alcohol-based hand sanitizer

— a bottle of 70% alcohol

— latex-free gloves

— detergent to wash face masks and washable polypropylene filters

Strategies with the Car Rental:

— Rent at a small location, not an airport. 

— I rent mid-week, hoping it’s less busy than a weekend

— All transactions are done outdoors

— Even though the car has been cleaned/disinfected, I disinfect all contact surfaces myself with bleach

— I keep the windows open for the first hour of the journey to allow for fresh airflow

— I choose a destination that’s short — more than 2-3 hours or from home — so there are no need for bathroom breaks

Strategies with the Accommodation:

— I choose only small hotels/inns where I can speak with the person in charge — preferably the owner — and directly assess their COVID consciousness

— I assess their COVID strategies for disinfecting and cleaning, as well as whether the staff (and guests) must wear masks over their nose and mouth 100% of the time in public places

— I ask them when was my room last occupied by a guest. I prefer a room that was unoccupied for a minimum of 24 hours. 

—  I request that they leave at least one window open for fresh air

— I choose a room that doesn’t require navigating through the building to get to my door, preferably a room in the rear of the accommodation with a separate entrance.

— I ask if I can eat in the room or, if it’s good weather, if there is a place outdoors to eat where I will not have to interact with other guests. After all, I’ll be getting take-out meals only. (I don’t eat indoors nor do I eat meals at outdoor venues near other patrons.)

— Check-in is best done contactless

— I request that no one enter my room during my stay, in other words, no room service

— if they serve breakfast, I ask if it can be delivered outside my door

— Once I’m in my room, I disinfect all contact surfaces with bleach

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