Face masks and hand-washing are a good start, but to protect your kids from the coronavirus you’ll need to up your game on the road, too, a leading pediatricians’ group says. There are a number of things parents should do to protect children from COVID-19 infection when they’re traveling in cars or using other types of transportation, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As always, children in vehicles should be properly restrained in an appropriate car safety seat, belt-positioning booster seat, travel vest or seat belt. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that surfaces be disinfected. However, disinfectant chemicals can weaken the strength of car safety seats and seat belts, possibly affecting their effectiveness in a crash, according to the academy. In most cases, all parts of car safety seats and vehicle seat belts can only be cleaned with mild detergent and water. Because car safety seats and seat belts can’t be disinfected, you should take other measures to prevent transmission of the coronavirus when children are in vehicles, the AAP advised. Those precautions include: physical/social distancing; using cloth face coverings; and hand hygiene. Parents and caregivers of children with special needs (such as compromised immune systems, tracheostomy tubes, or use of a wheelchair) must take the child’s specific needs into account when developing a transportation plan, the academy said…  read on >

If you’re thinking about traveling this summer, you need to consider the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic, an expert says. Factors to think about include your age, your health and other people in your household. “The first question you should answer is whether you or a member of your household have a condition that increases the risk for developing COVID-19,” said Dr. Michael Chang, an assistant professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and pediatric disease specialist at UT Physicians. People at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness include those 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions. These folks might be safer if they avoid traveling. If you’re at higher risk and must travel, take extra precautions to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, Chang advised. “Another thing to consider is the prevalence of the virus at your destination and how strictly you will be able to adhere to precautions such as social distancing during planned activities or excursions,” Chang said in a UT news release. You can check the spread of COVID-19 at your destination by using a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data tracker. It’s also important to find out about pandemic guidelines at your destination, because many areas have restrictions on activities or have particular rules. “Before you travel, you should also…  read on >

A new cruise ship study suggests that the number of people who are infected with the new coronavirus but have no symptoms may be much higher than believed. More than 80% of those who tested positive for the infection had no symptoms, according to the study published online May 27 in the journal Thorax. The findings could be important as lockdown restrictions begin to be eased, and they highlight the need for accurate data on how many people worldwide have been infected, journal joint editor-in-chief Alan Smyth said in a linked blog. The study focused on a ship with 128 passengers and 95 crew that left Argentina in mid-March for a planned 21-day cruise of the Antarctic. The voyage began after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the new coronavirus a global pandemic. Passengers who in the previous three weeks had been in countries where coronavirus infection rates were high were not allowed to board. All passengers who were allowed to board had their temperature taken before embarkation, and the ship had numerous hand sanitizing stations, particularly in the dining room. After the first case of fever was reported on day 8 of the voyage, infection control measures were immediately implemented, including confining passengers to their cabins and the use of personal protective equipment by any crew member in contact with sick passengers. The…  read on >

(American Heart Association News) — Since marrying in 2002, Doug Behan and Lise Deguire have gone on safari in Tanzania, watched the sunset over the Santorini caldera in the Greek Islands and walked through the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And those are just a few of their annual excursions. “It’s on my bucket list that I want to visit every continent,” Deguire said. Early this year, the Yardley, Pennsylvania, couple began planning a 12-day trip to Japan in March. But then news of COVID-19 began saturating the airwaves. By February, the couple made the difficult decision to cancel, instead booking a one-week trip to New Mexico. As the virus continued to spread even more, they nixed that, too, replacing it with a three-day retreat at a local spa. But on March 19, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close their physical locations. “That was pretty devastating,” Deguire said. “Travel makes me feel very alive, like living on the edge in a way that’s exciting and fulfilling.” It’s not just tourists who are canceling trips. North Carolina’s Outer Banks set up checkpoints to greet visitors, temporarily barring non-permanent residents and those without an entry permit. It’s one of several resort communities around the country, including Key West and California’s Mono County, which requested visitors stay away – sacrificing vital tourism dollars…  read on >