Coronavirus Watch: ADA warns of fake face mask exemptions
Face coverings continue to be a national flash point even though health experts recommend their use to stem the rate of transmission. Recently, for example:
- Video showed a maskless Trader Joe's shopper in California being kicked out of the store.
- An Oregon man was arrested after he refused to wear a face mask in a courtroom and walked out
- The Americans with Disabilities Act website is warning of "fraudulent face mask flyers" that claim people are exempt from wearing them due to health reasons.
If you need a mask: Here are 10 popular ones you can buy online now. Or, make one yourself with these these easy instructions.
It's Sunday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's what you need to know today, as of 1 p.m. ET:
- A new study has found further evidence of a correlation between severe cases of COVID-19 and brain complications, but researchers say they still aren't sure whether those complications are directly caused by the disease.
- Vice President Mike Pence has canceled campaign events in Florida and Arizona "out of an abundance of caution" as cases climb in both states.
- Tyson Foods announced this week that 371 employees at its chicken plant in Noel, Missouri, had tested positive for COVID-19.
- Just two states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, reported a decline of new coronavirus cases this week compared to the previous week, CNN reported Sunday.
- Today's numbers: The world has surpassed 10 million confirmed cases and almost 500,000 people have died. In the U.S., more than 2.5 million people have tested positive and more than 125,000 have died. See the numbers in your area here.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? You can submit them through this form, and we'll answer them. Andrea from Wanaque, New Jersey, asks: I've tested positive for the antibodies and plan on donating convalescent plasma. Will I continue to produce them afterwards?
If you have fully recovered from COVID-19, you may be able to help patients fighting the infection by donating your plasma, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood collected from patients who have antibodies. This plasma is then injected into patients who are actively sick to give them the virus-fighting antibodies so they don't have to wait for their own immune systems to kick in.
Plasma donation does not lower antibody levels, even when donating as frequently as twice weekly, because the body makes more, according to the New York Blood Center.
The real question is – how long does the body produce antibodies? A recent study out of China found that some people stop producing antibodies in as little as two months. At most donation centers, an antibody test is performed with each plasma collection in order to make sure that antibodies are still present.
As always, thank you for subscribing! We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.
– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck