CLEVELAND, Ohio (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Exercise, particularly outdoors, has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, as well as improve your mood. With the current COVID pandemic, people are itching to get out of their house and move. But how about outdoor sports?
Experts recommend maintaining six feet of separation to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19. So, are you at risk if you step outside for some exercise?
Neha Vyas, MD, Cleveland Clinic, explains, “Self-isolating does not mean giving up outdoor sports.”
Things like running and hiking are ideal as long as you keep that distance. Golf is also an option, just use separate carts and wipe everything down when you’re done.
“Any sport that doesn’t require close physical contact can be continued,” Dr. Vyas continued.
What about tennis or pickleball?
Raymond Pontzer, MD, FACP, Chief of Infectious Disease, UPMC, warned, “If you have a doubles partner and you’re banging into that doubles partner, that might be a risk.”
Contact sports like volleyball, basketball, or football, which require a lot of passing, should definitely be avoided.
Dr. Vyas now says to avoid any sport that requires more than one person. Wash your hands consistently. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. And if soap and water aren’t readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. For the latest stats on this area or anywhere you have relatives, go to: coronadatascraper.com/#features.json.
Contributors to this news report include: Gabriella Battistiol, Writer; and Roque Correa, Editor.
SPORTS SPREADING COVID?
REPORT #2731
BACKGROUND: Social distancing means minimizing contact with people and keeping a distance of at least six feet between you and others. This distancing helps slow down or stop the spread of a contagious disease. Examples of social distancing on a larger scale include limiting gatherings to 10 people or less, canceling events, and closing buildings. On a smaller scale, it includes practicing good hygiene habits and limiting person-to-person contact. Protective measures like social distancing are proven to “flatten the curve,” or decrease the daily number of cases of a contagious disease. Large gatherings of 10 people or more during an outbreak can result in many ill people and quickly overwhelm hospitals and clinics. By following the
recommendations from the Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the transmission can be stalled, and more cases prevented.
(Source: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02620b.pdf)
OUTDOORS DURING COVID-19: It is vital to know the most current information from the CDC on any changes with Covid-19, and that goes for changes to the way we spend time outside. When cases are increasing, it may not be possible to get out at all, so pay close attention to guidance in your community before heading outside. When outside, practice the physical distancing guidance, meaning staying at least six-feet away from anyone you aren’t living with. Many experts are recommending that you refrain from using public restrooms and other open facilities. Absolutely avoid crowded parks, trails and beaches. To avoid being part of creating large crowds and groups at popular outdoor areas, spread out to less popular spots, and avoid high-traffic times if possible. Stick to activities like hiking trails, remember to dispose of waste properly, minimize fire impacts, and keep a safe distance from wildlife. Just remember to be considerate of others in the outdoors by ensuring physical distancing.
(Source: https://lnt.org/the-leave-no-trace-recommendations-for-getting-outside-amidst-covid-19/)
COVID-19 POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH: Software from a University of Toronto research project is being described as a “critical breakthrough” in the search for a coronavirus vaccine. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and the U.S. National Institutes of Health recently announced they have created the first 3D, atomic scale map of the part of the virus that attaches to and infects human cells. These cells are known as spike proteins. Researchers relied on cryoSPARC, which is the software that resulted from Ali Punjani’s PhD research in computer science at University of Toronto and designed by Suhail Dawood, to process data of the coronavirus spike protein and obtain accurate 3D images in real time. Punjani’s startup, Structura Biotechnology, allows researchers to make the most out of a technique called cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM for short. Cryo-EM allows scientists to obtain high-resolution pictures of proteins by shooting electrons at frozen samples. The challenge is putting those pictures together to create an accurate 3D visualization, which is where cryoSPARC comes in. “The work by UT Austin and the NIH demonstrates the power of structural biology,” Punjani said. “We can actually look at a new disease that was discovered just a couple of months ago and see how it works at the molecular level. It’s very exciting.”
* For More Information, Contact:
Courtney Caprara, Public Relations
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