You’re in lockdown, yet you still have to go grocery shopping, but how do you stay safe and avoid catching the coronavirus? The American Medical Association has some timely tips. When you go to the store: Stay at least six-feet away from other shoppers. Don’t shake hands, hug or have any physical contact. Wipe down grocery carts or basket handles with disinfectant wipes if you have them. Don’t touch your face. Wear a cloth face mask. While waiting and after leaving the store, use hand sanitizer if you have it. If you’re sick, don’t go shopping. But if you must, wear a mask, wash your hands often and keep a safe distance between you and others. When you get your groceries home: Although it’s unlikely you’ll be exposed to the virus from the items in your shopping bag, wash your hands after unpacking your groceries. Wipe surfaces with a household disinfectant. Take precautions when preparing food: Wash your hands before eating. Do not share plates or silverware with others. Rinse fruits and vegetables before eating them. If you’re 65 or older: Ask a neighbor or friend to pick up groceries and leave them outside your house or bring them in while keeping at least six-feet apart. Check with your local market and go during store hours reserved for older shoppers. See if your grocer delivers…  read on >

Even if your takeout dinner was prepared by a cook who has COVID-19, there’s little need to worry about your risk of infection, according to an expert in viruses. “Restaurant kitchens can be one of the safest places in this coronavirus outbreak because they already practice strict hygiene protocols to avoid foodborne illness,” said Paula Cannon, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. “Owners are taking this extremely seriously and monitoring their staff for symptoms, and encouraging the strictest adherence to all food hygiene procedures,” Cannon said in a university news release. Even if a sick chef was preparing your pizza, burger or lo mien and they coughed onto the food — “which I think is extraordinarily unlikely to happen,” Cannon said — there are also easy, additional safeguards you can adopt at home. For example, she pointed out that it’s easy to kill the new coronavirus with heat. So rewarming your meal when you get it home, or making sure that it’s hot, should provide extra reassurance, Cannon said. If you’re still uneasy, buy food to eat the next day and store it in the fridge or the freezer, she suggested. Time, as well as heat, kills the new coronavirus. Concerned that the virus may be lingering on the outside…  read on >

Advice on eating fish while pregnant has flip-flopped over the years. Now, a new study suggests that the benefit of eating fish in moderation during pregnancy outweighs the risk. Fish is a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for a developing fetus. But some fish — such as swordfish, shark and mackerel — can contain high levels of mercury, which can cause neurological damage. The new study included 805 mother-child pairs in five European countries. During pregnancy, the women were asked about their fish consumption and tested for mercury exposure. When their children were between 6 and 12 years of age, the kids’ metabolic health was assessed. Metabolic health includes factors such as waist circumference, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The University of Southern California (USC) researchers found that children whose moms ate fish one to three times per week during pregnancy were more likely to have better metabolic health than kids whose mothers ate fish less than once a week during pregnancy. But the benefits decreased if their mothers ate fish more than three times a week during pregnancy, according to the study published online March 16 in JAMA Network Open. “Fish is an important source of nutrients, and its consumption should not be avoided,” said senior investigator Dr. Leda Chatzi, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School…  read on >

Supplemental application of Epclusa approved to treat HCV in children without cirrhosis, with mild cirrhosis  read on >

Social distancing measures have many Americans cooking at home during the coronavirus pandemic, so one food safety expert has tips for storing and preparing leftovers properly. One of the most important safety measures is to place perishable foods — those that require cold storage to be kept safe — in the refrigerator or freezer within two hours of being cooked, said Elizabeth Andress, a food safety specialist at the University of Georgia. “Cooking doesn’t remove all bacterial concerns from foods — they still have to be kept at recommended temperatures,” Andress said in a university news release. “After food is safely cooked, enjoy your meal, but within two hours of cooking food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, leftovers must be refrigerated,” she stressed. Divide large amounts of food into shallow containers. Cut or slice roasts, hams and whole turkeys into small pieces placed in small containers. Other larger items like casserole dishes should be packaged in smaller portions. Place leftovers in tightly sealed containers or wraps. For freezer storage, packaging should be moisture and vapor-resistant materials to prevent freezer burn. Plastics should be freezer weight and glass jars should be meant for freezing and have air-tight lids. Label each package with the name of the food, ingredients and packaging date. Package foods in amounts you’re…  read on >

In a bit of good news about the novel coronavirus, one expert says it looks like livestock and poultry don’t appear to be at risk from COVID-19. The coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal species into humans and mutated into a virus that mostly affects people, said Jim Roth, director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University. “If livestock were getting the virus and getting sick we’d most likely know that from what’s gone on in other countries,” Roth said in a university news release. “It does seem to be pretty species-specific to people,” said Roth, a professor of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine. Researchers are examining the possibility that livestock might develop minor infections or carry the coronavirus, but the virus is still too new for any firm conclusions at this time, he explained. The low level of risk to livestock and poultry is good news for U.S. livestock producers, meat packers and consumers, who could use some stability as uncertainty about the coronavirus restricts many normal daily activities, Roth noted. However, he added that the coronavirus could disrupt the U.S. food supply by causing workforce shortages for the meat packing industry. Meat packing, processing and distribution occurs around the clock, and fresh meat has a limited shelf life, so if a significant portion of meat packing…  read on >

Could a blood pressure or diabetes medicine make COVID-19 more severe? A proposed new theory says the coronavirus could be binding to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the lower respiratory tracts. Commonly used drugs ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), often used to control heart failure and blood pressure, can increase the number of ACE2 receptors in the body — making these patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19. Dr. James Diaz, a professor at Louisiana State University’s School of Public Health in New Orleans, warned of the possible risk in a letter to the editor published online March 24 in the Journal of Travel Medicine, based on an analysis of nearly 1,100 COVID-19 patients by Chinese researchers. That analysis found COVID-19 patients with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes or chronic kidney disease often required treatment in an intensive care unit, were placed on ventilators or died. Diaz wrote these patients all had conditions that probably were treated with ACE inhibitors or ARBs and called for studies to see if these drugs were at least partially responsible for the severe outcomes. Diaz said the Chinese researchers did not include information on whether the patients studied were taking these drugs. However, cardiologists like Dr. David Kass, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, are urging that “people who take…  read on >

As Americans empty grocery shelves over fears of possible shortages during the coronavirus pandemic, one nutritionist says healthy eating doesn’t have to fall by the wayside. There is no need to hoard because there is plenty of food in the United States and food distributors are working to keep shelves stocked, said Diane Rigassio Radler, director of the Institute for Nutrition Interventions at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. However, it is a good idea to have plenty of food at home to reduce the number of times you have to go grocery shopping, she added. When you go shopping, try to go at times when stores are less crowded so that you can maintain adequate social distancing. Another option is online grocery shopping. Wash your hands as soon as you get home from grocery shopping. Then unpack your bags. Wipe off packaged foods with an alcohol-based paper towel or commercial antimicrobial wipe, and wash all produce. If you have reusable bags, wash them if possible or wipe them down with an alcohol-based towel. Follow the same routine if you order groceries online, she noted in a university news release. Stock up on canned, frozen and dried non-perishable foods, but understand the differences. Canned foods last for years, but generally have a higher sodium content than the others. Frozen foods will last for months, but could…  read on >