Do you really know?

What is anosmia? Thanks for asking! Anosmia is the clinical name for a complete loss of the sense of smell. Awareness of the disorder is somewhat low, and there is no known cure. But as many as 5% of people are impacted. With odor being intrinsically linked to taste, most sufferers also have some kind of alteration to their sense of taste. Permanent anosmia can be brought on by damage to olfactory neurons, or a brain injury. More rarely it is a congenital condition, which means the sufferer has no sense of smell from the day they are born. Temporary anosmia has been observed in a number of Covid-19 patients, drawing attention to the condition. It’s increasingly being recognized as an early symptom of the virus, with some countries like the USA and France adding it to public health guidelines. The World Health Organization also officially added it to its list of symptoms in mid-May.Should those who lose their sense of smell be worried then?Some data has shown that anosmia is most often experienced by those with less severe cases of the disease. Researchers from the US Department of Defense looked at a group of 169 Covid-19 patients and found that those who required hospitalization were far less likely to report a loss of smell or taste. The study’s summary went like this: “We and others have observed that anosmia manifests either early in the disease process or in patients with mild or no constitutional symptoms.” While that may sound reassuring, the authors warned that it was still too early to draw definitive conclusions. So how does COVID-19 actually cause anosmia? And if I recover from Covid-19, will my anosmia go away? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is zumping?What are coronabonds?What is tocilizumab?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a webinar? Thanks for asking! A webinar is a type of web conferencing, generally taking the form of a workshop, lecture or presentation. If office workers weren’t already familiar with webinars before the coronavirus pandemic, the overwhelming majority are now. That’s due to remote working practices brought on by lockdown measures in many countries.How the term webinar was born? The term is a portmanteau of web and seminar, which caused some controversy in linguistic spheres after first appearing. Lake Superior State University included it on its annual list of banished words in 2005. It did nevertheless make it into the dictionary the same year. There are several logistical advantages of webinars over in-person conferences. Users don’t need to travel in order to participate, and it’s more cost-effective. Which platforms can be used for webinars? Are they safe for us? And are there safer alternatives to big platforms? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is zumping?What are coronabonds?What is tocilizumab?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is zumping? Thanks for asking! Zumping is one of many new words to be invented since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. It refers to the practice of getting dumped, or dumping someone, on video call app Zoom. Perhaps the first to talk about American journalist Julia Moser. Her tweet from April 10th asked: “Am I the first person who’s been dumped via Zoom”? Since then her tweet has been retweeted over 60,000 times and many others have shared their stories of breakups on Zoom, Facetime or Skype.So, how "zumping" became a real word? The Guardian invented the term zumping in reaction to the story, and Julia Moser later wrote in greater length about her experience on the Buzzfeed News website. She said: “I’m no stranger to breakups...But there is something particularly bruising about this happening in the midst of a global public health crisis. Crying over FaceTime to your sister isn’t the same as getting to wipe your snot on her shoulder IRL.”Have every couples had a tough time being under lockdown ? Can we notice, for example, an increase of divorces since the lockdown? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is tocilizumab?What is mass testing?What is an FFP2 mask?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are corona bonds? Thanks for asking! A political crisis is currently emerging in Europe, and it’s down to Corona bonds. The term is derived from eurobonds, which were joint bonds issued during the debt crisis at the start of the last decade. The idea is that investors loan money to the entire Eurozone bloc, which is then forwarded to individual states. It’s been a divisive issue in the past, and it’s causing debate again in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Old tensions are being exacerbated; some countries are calling for greater solidarity from their fellow members, while others feel they shouldn’t have to bail out less responsible neighbours. Europe Day is celebrated every year on 9th May, commemorating the date of the Schuman Declaration in 1950. But in 2020 Europe is far from a celebratory mood. While member states try to contain the Covid-19 epidemic, the EU itself can’t act directly. The scope for it to legislate in health policy is limited. But it holds greater influence in economics and finance. So, what are the solutions to the recession that's already hitting now ? States are indeed going to have to invest large amounts of money in order to save their economies. To do so, they have to borrow from a wide range of domestic or international sources, like other states, banks and insurers.Kind of like someone taking out a mortgage at a bank, right? And what’s been decided then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is tocilizumab?What is mass testing?What is an FFP2 mask?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is tocilizumab? Thanks for asking! Tocilizumab is a prescription drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients in over 100 countries. It’s administered by intravenous infusion in medical centres and hospitals, or by subcutaneous injection, which patients can carry out at home. In some cases, it has shown potential effectiveness in treating critically ill covid-19 patients.What is the power of tocilizumab? Tocilizumab was developed in the early 2000s by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-La Roche. Its trade names are Actemra and RoActemra and it is a humanized monoclonal antibody, which blocks the interleukin-6 receptor. Believe it or not, the main danger to critically ill patients isn’t the coronavirus itself, but the response the body has in trying to fight it. That’s because the immune system can sometimes harm healthy cells by overreacting to the threat of a disease. One such example is a cytokine storm, which can lead to excessive inflammation. Cytokines are proteins which are important in cell signaling. When an illness occurs, they are released to mobilize defensive forces in the infected part of the body. Cytokine signalling usually ceases once the infection threat fades. But in the case of a cytokine storm, the alarm continues to sound, calling more and more cells and molecules. These end up causing more harm than the disease itself.So, is there a chance that tocilizumab could work? Or is tocilizumab the new chloroquine? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is an FFP2 mask?What is social distancing?What is herd immunity?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is mass testing? Thanks for asking!The benefit of screening for diseases is to enable early diagnosis when a person is asymptomatic. That’s the case for a large proportion of those infected with COVID-19, which is why mass testing is being championed as a solution to slow the spread of the disease. With lockdown measures being eased in many places, there’s a risk of the coronavirus circulating more freely again. To combat this, governments are ramping up their screening capacities, in order to test more widely.But is the mass testing working in other countries? Several countries have seemingly handled the health crisis better than others due to mass testing. South Korea has carried out more tests than any other country since the start of the pandemic. At 10,000 per day, the country was able to react quickly to new waves of infection. Meanwhile in Europe, Germany was quick to react to the danger of the virus spreading. From the end of January, they began widespread testing of those returning from countries where the virus had already struck. On the other hand, certain countries have been criticised for not reacting quickly enough in this area, even after a global pandemic had been declared. The UK government set itself a target of 100,000 tests per day, which it’s so far struggling to meet. And in the United States, researchers believe that 20 million tests would be required every day, in order to safely reopen the economy. So how exactly are these tests carried out? And what about antibody tests? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is herd immunity?What is social distancing?What is an FFP2 mask? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is an FFP2 mask? Thanks for asking! You likely hadn’t heard of FFP2 masks in pre-COVID-19 days, but they are in huge demand right now. The FFP abbreviation stands for filtering facepiece, which pretty much explains the purpose of such a mask. They are also known as respiratory protection masks and cover half of the face, specifically the chin, nose and mouth. FFP2 masks filter dust particles in the air, as well as viruses such as COVID-19. The spotlight is currently on care workers using them as personal protective equipment in hospitals. But they are commonly used by workers in many industries when they are exposed to fine particles.And what is the particularity of this mask? In the European Union, the EN149 standard is used to class FFP masks from 1 to 3 according to their efficiency. As you have likely surmised, the FFP2 mask is in the middle of the range. It has a minimum filtration of 94% and maximum 8% internal leak rate. Different criteria are used to classify masks depending on the jurisdiction. In the USA, the N95 mask is considered functionally equivalent to the FFP2 mask. In China, it’s the KN95 respirator and in Australia it’s the P2 mask. During the ongoing international health crisis, wearing a mask is recommended to limit airborne transmission of the virus. However, there are shortages of suitable surgical and respiratory masks in many countries, so they are being reserved primarily for frontline care workers. Does wearing a mask really help stop coronavirus? And what about homemade masks then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is the World Health Organization?What are tracking app?What is care work?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is social distancing? Thanks for asking!The term social distancing refers to measures taken to reduce physical contact between people to a minimum. The aim is to stop a contagious disease from spreading, in cases such as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. This can be done by ordering citizens to avoid shaking hands for example. Or in more extreme circumstances, people must stay a minimum distance away from others when in public, or remain under lockdown.One of the earliest instances of social distancing was introduced in October 1918, during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Max C. Starkloff, Health Commissioner in St Louis, Missouri, closed all public venues and banned gatherings of more than 20 people.At the official end of the lockdown, will we get back to normal? Do we risk further coronavirus peaks by coming out of lockdown? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is the World Health Organization?What are tracking apps?What is care work?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is herd immunity? Thanks for asking! Also known as community immunity, herd immunity is an indirect form of protection against an infectious disease. It occurs when a high enough percentage of the population has acquired immunity either naturally or through vaccination. This then prevents the spread of the disease, protecting those who are not yet immune. Herd immunity is generally beneficial for people who cannot be vaccinated due to their medical situation, for example if they have immunodeficiency or are waiting for a transplant.And what does it mean in the case of the COVID 19 pandemic ? In the case of the COVID 19 pandemic, this means allowing people to gain immunity by contracting the virus and of course recovering. Their organisms build their own defense system by developing the necessary antibodies. In other words, if you are not immunized yourself, but you only encounter people who are immunized, you aren’t at risk of being infected.The percentage of infected people varies by location, and there’s no way of having reliable data on this without widespread testing. Especially as infected people sometimes don’t show any symptoms. Experts have estimated that up to 10% of the population may have had coronavirus in some countries. In any case, the figure is a long way off the 66% required to make herd immunity effective.So why are so many of us in lockdown then? Aren’t these measures preventing us from reaching herd immunity? Wouldn’t countries be putting their citizens in danger through such a policy? And what about all the unknown factors? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is a lockdown?What is care work?What are tracking app?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the World Health Organization? Thanks for asking! The World Health Organization is a United Nations agency that is responsible for international public health. In the case of a global health pandemic, such as the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, the WHO has a central role in coordinating the response plan. However, some people have called into question its effectiveness.When the World Health Organization was created?The United Nations created the WHO in the aftermath of the Second World War, on April 7th 1948 to be exact. Its headquarters are located close to Geneva, Switzerland, and the agency has 7,000 employees around the world. Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom has been Director General since 2017. Due to its role as an international leader, the organization has to increase public awareness on health threats, fight illnesses and improve access to healthcare, especially in the world’s poorer countries.One of the key principles in the WHO’s constitution reads as follows: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”In the case of emergencies, especially international epidemics, the WHO has to coordinate the action plan to prevent the illness from spreading. They do that by making official recommendations, based on the information they get from countries affected by the disease. So is it down to the WHO that half the world’s population is under lockdown? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is a lockdown?What is care work?What are tracking app?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices