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Amid the alarming rise in coronavirus cases nationwide, U.S. Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams said the only symptom that can help people differentiate between COVID-19 and the flu is loss of taste. and smell, according to a report.
“If you experience this symptom, you should immediately contact your health care provider and take a COVID test,” Adams said on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Saturday.
When asked why the pandemic – which has infected nearly 11 million people and killed more than 245,000 in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University – has increased to such a degree, Adams attributed it to “pandemic fatigue”.
“The virus has hit different parts of the country at different times, and so there are people who have been doing these things since February, March, April, but they really didn’t start to see the wave until later. And they are just tired, ”he says.
Adams, the head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, said he was traveling across the country to provide advice on how to stem the spread of the disease in the community.
“I have been in South Dakota. I have been to Wisconsin. I’ve been to Ohio for the past two weeks, really speaking directly to people, helping them understand their flare-ups that are happening and the actions they need to take at the state level, ”he said. .
Host Michel Martin also asked Adams about remarks Dr. Atul Gawande, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus advisory group, told NPR that the Trump administration had failed to cooperate and shared important information on its response to the pandemic.
“There isn’t any of us on this side – and I hate that you even have to put it that way – that wants nothing more than to control this virus,” Adams replied.
“And we’ve always been willing to work with anyone to make it happen. So I hope we can really get past this whole Biden task force, Trump task force, and talk about what we need to do for the nation.
Pressed to find out if the White House task force is sharing information with the people who advised Biden, Adams said, “Well, and what I would say to that is we share information with everyone. world.
“We have no information that we do not share with the general American public that is not available to the Biden task force,” he continued.
“And so I’m here, and I’m ready to talk to anyone anytime. And that is the most honest answer I can give you because I think we all need the information we need to make informed decisions in order to protect ourselves.
Adams also reiterated that the coronavirus spreads “much more easily” than the flu, urging people to “take steps to avoid both – wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance”, as well as get vaccinated against the flu.
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