Sustenance

How do I Get a COVID-19 Test?

How can I get a COVID-19 test? Anika H. Ahmed, MD Being a physician working in public health for more than 25 years, I fully appreciate the importance of testing and the management that follows from the results of a particular test. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, there is a national emergency with …

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Food Supply During Pandemic

How does the US manage its food supply during COVID-19? Anika H. Ahmed, MD August 2020 The massive pandemic of COVID-19 started from China and spread like a wave across the globe, infecting humans, shaking economies, crippling businesses, and shutting down operations in all commercial locations, forcing people to stay in quarantine and isolation. With …

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U.S. Food Supply During COVID-19

How does the US manage its food supply during COVID-19? Anika H. Ahmed, MD The massive pandemic of COVID-19 started from China and spread like a wave across the globe, infecting humans, shaking economies, crippling businesses, and shutting down operations in all commercial locations, forcing people to stay in quarantine and isolation. With the start …

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Virus Transmission Through Pets

Can my pets spread COVID-19? Anika H. Ahmed MD   Pets are loved members of many households and need to be cared for. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern for humans as well as animals. Ongoing clinical trials, research, limited available information, and data collected about the novel Coronavirus causing COVID-19 indicate that pets …

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Underlying Conditions of Concern with COVID-19

What underlying conditions should I be worried about with COVID-19? Anika H. Ahmed, MD Being a physician dealing with infectious communicable diseases throughout my career, I find it particularly challenging to establish the main risk factors involved in causing an infection. Like other infectious communicable diseases, COVID-19 also poses this challenge. COVID-19 is a novel …

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Coronavirus Transmission by COVID-19 Recoverer

Can someone who had COVID-19 and recovered still spread it to others? Anika H Ahmed, MD   October 2020 This is a particularly important question and crucial to the well-being of the patient recovering from COVID-19 as well as the people around the patient. Scientifically there are two ways of handling this scenario. The first method …

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Children Socializing During Pandemic

Can I let my children see their friends? Anika H. Ahmed, MD   September 2020 When the pandemic of COVID-19 first became public knowledge, the term most frequently heard and used was ‘social distancing’. What does that mean? It means keeping at least 6 feet away from other individuals. But in truth it is more like …

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Treatment for COVID-19

Is there a treatment for COVID-19? Anika H. Ahmed, MD The biggest challenge for a physician is to explain to a patient that there is no curative treatment available for the present coronavirus infection. As a physician whose main focus is on the primary prevention of infectious communicable diseases, I myself understand fully how hard …

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COVID-19 Fever OTC Medication

At what temperature should you begin taking a fever reducer? Anika H. Ahmed, MD  August 2020 A fever is a physiological reaction of the body to any infection due to a virus or a bacterium, triggering an inflammatory reaction. The first questions a parent may ask a child complaining about being sick, or a doctor …

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