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Hi!

Thanks for your question and no worries it's not a silly question! Short answer to your question is no we are unlikely to contract the virus from the second hand smoke. 
If we are however standing close to a smoker, and he/she were to cough, those droplets released into the air are potentially infectious. 

Don't worry! Stay safe, mask up, wash up! 
Dr. Aditya S
space doctor
Hi @vermie 

Very unfortunate that you got a burn. Managed to see the pic. Hope you get better soon.

Did you run the hand under running cool water  after the burn ? That can potentially help.

As for the paste, I wouldn’t suggest it as it has chemicals in the whitening component which can be more harmful.

Aloe Vera and honey can be helpful home remedies.

From the retail pharmacies - you can request for a Silvin cream ( Burn cream ) and apply it twice a day.

If you notice increasing redness , swelling or feeling feverish or notice discharge , pls consult  your  doctor at the soonest.

Hope this helps. 
Dr. Kannan R
space doctor
@BusinessJing  thanks for your question again. Critically ill patient can develop anytime any complications by secondary infections also.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7152411/

SERS COV 2 does not cause directly meningitis, endocarditis but after attacking of this virus when immune system doesn’t work properly ,the patient may develop other complications by others micro-organism and can develop above mentioned complications.
When the virus enters someone’s cell through nostrils or inhalation ,cytokine release and develop alveoli oedema in periphery of lungs and can cause pneumonia.Patient develops breathlessness.
But some drugs need to treat the COVID 19 patient to prevent secondary infection(azithromycin,fexofenadin, hydroxyichloroquine) have some side effect of QT prolongation of heart and chance of myocardial infarction.that is why during under treatment of COVID 19 patient ECG should be routine check up. Singapore Government is very cooperative and treatment facilities is high standard comparative others country.
In late stage of COVID 19 patient who are in critically ill they may develop any complications at any time and can develop organ failure finally death.
Stay home and stay blessed. Because this is deadly virus and spread very rapidly.
Dr. Mst S S S
space doctor
@BusinessJing  thank you for your question.
Those who are on duty in Corona related patient they need respiratory filtration type mask and also need surgical type of mask with face sheild. But mandatory mask is respiratory mask.

N95 Mask:
(The N95 mask has a full name of NIOSH-certified N95 respirator, which means these respirators are tested of 95% filtration and certified by the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)

KN95 mask:
(The KN95 respirator is a particulate-filtering mask tested using the China criteria)

FFP2 mask and KF94 mask:
FFP2 made as Europian standard and KF94 South korean standard.

(The FFP2 is a filtering facepiece score of 94% filter capacity approved by Europe and the KF94 is tested by Korea criteria. Actually, both the N95, KN95, FFP2 and KF94 respirators have almost the same filtration efficiency, it means that KN95, FFP2, and KF94 are as effective as the N95 respirator mask. The main difference between these respirators is that they are tested by different nations.
 
Comparative criteria:
N100 (99.97%) = FFP3 (99.95%) > N95 (95%) = KN95 (95%) = FFP2 (94%) = KF94 (94%) > KN90 (90%).
Hope you can understand now easily.

The normal and the safest way to avoid and suffering from corona is to stay at home.We are frontliner fighter working at  battle field that u all are safe.Each and every life is important to the nation.
Plz keep maintain distance and wear mask in appropriate way.Stay safe.
Dr Mst Shabnam Shaila Sharmin.
Dr. Mst S S S
space doctor
Hello oldancer,,

Sorry to hear about the sudden pain. Sharp upper thigh pain can have a few different causes. Nerve related issues either from the spine and lower back, or around the pelvis could be responsible. You may want to check out a condition called meralgia parasthetica which comes from nerve compression around the pelvis. Also, even though it feels like soft tissue, it’s still a possibility it could be  coming from the hip joint too. Either way, if it doesn’t go away would be good to get it checked out by a medical professional.
Dr. Ken J T
facilitator
Hi @Tani 

1) Your main complaint sounds like a septal ( the  internal part which separates the left and right nostril) deviation. If you had any injury in the past, this could be a possibility too. This at times can be related with slightly higher likelihood with allergic rhinitis .  Simple anti histamines like Cetrizine or prescription nasal sprays might be helpful. If symptoms are persistent and worsening , would need a review by an ENT specialist to take a closer look inside.

2)  sounds like an allergic problem. As long as there is no fever, shortness of breath or cough when you are not wearing the masks and symptoms of shortness of breath and dizziness only appear when you the wear the mask , then it’s most likely related to the mask itself. If you are using a cloth or cotton mask - there is higher chances of it. Did you manage to try surgical masks to see whether the symptoms appear with those as well? 

Hope this helps .
Dr. Kannan R
Hi.

Yes you are correct in a way to be experiencing some side effects if medicines like ella is taken twice in very short intervals.

But a good news is, ella has a half life ( the time taken for the drug concentration in the body to be halfed each time after consumption) is about 1 1/4 days ( 32 hours). So within 3-4 days, the drug levels should come down to negligible levels and you should be feeling back to normal.

As for your question whether Ella is harmful if taken  second time within 2 days, i would not say its harmful. There are instances where we do give it, though its rare. There is a high chance of contraceptive failure and the higher likelihood of side effects.

That being said, if you are still concerned about contraceptive failure, please look out for your menstrual cycle. If there are any signs that its being delayed, please see your family physician at the soonest possible.
Dr. Kannan R
space doctor
Hi Celestine,

You are correct in that there could be multiple causes for hand or foot numbness after waking up from sleep. One of the more common causes would be nerve compression which can be exacerbated by certain sleeping positions. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome is a common cause of hand numbness which can be worse during sleep. Would suggest if it’s troublesome to get a consultation to reach a diagnosis.


Dr. Ken J T
space doctor
Hi @SL 

Sorry to hear about your finger. It does sound bothersome. 
I would advise that you see a doctor to exclude infection in view of the symptoms you mentioned. 

Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Hi @Jayde sorry to hear that! The truth is, although this is suggestive for BPPV, it could be due to any of those causes, including other possibilities. Others include low sugar levels since you were exercising at the time, or other more severe problems involving parts of the brain such as the cerebellum that could be life-threatening. Unfortunately it is not possible to differentiate between them without performing a more detailed assessment. 

Therefore, I strongly recommend to seek medical attention for a more detailed assessment. I hope this helps!
Dr. Dinesh G
Hi @jumpygiraffe 
That is a good thought. 
However, in some individuals, they may require serial testing before it turns positive as the virus has an incubation period. 
Hence, in high risk individuals, a single negative test does not mean the person will not be infected subsequently. Mass giving out kits may lead to misconception that a single negative test excludes one from being tested positive in the future. 

Currently in Singapore, they are already adopting a pro-active approach whereby healthcare workers are being rostered to swab people residing in clusters such as the recent dormitory cluster. I feel that that may give us a higher yield, to swab those individuals with known risks/exposure rather than the general public. 
Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Hi @Kenny 
In view of ur sore throat, I would advise you to see a doctor and also to monitor your fever. 

It is good that you took pictures of how the initial rash looked like- so u can monitor the progression. Often, we need to take some history (such as presence of itch?, any contactents? History or family history of eczema, occupation etc) in clinic to further evaluate the likely diagnosis. However, as a general piece of advice- use gentle soaps and avoid too harsh alcohol based hand rubs. And moisturise ur hands. Try not to scratch. 

Hope this helps! 
Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Yes. It might be a possibility but the government is now enforcing food workers to wear mask of face fines. As Long S they have masks on, you should be safe. 
Dr. Felicia H
space doctor
Hi @Shawn that is correct, patients that remain positive on re-testing will continue to be quarantined until they recover. They will need to test negative on consecutive days before being discharged as a safety measure to protect others in the community. The MOH DMS recently gave an interview about this which is covered in this article: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid19-coronavirus-singapore-discharged-patients-moh-12477696

As you can see here from the MOH data dashboard, most patients eventually test negative and have been discharged: https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19

For the few that do not, some eventually progress and end up requiring more advanced care and support. Having this group of patients under quarantine also affords added benefits for them - of closer monitoring and earlier intervention in the event they do deteriorate. Hope this helps!
Dr. Dinesh G
space doctor
Hi @Gabriel 

Thanks for ur questions. Sounded like an essay in the making. 

From my point of view: 
Pressing Problems:
1) Numbers of covid-19 rising- rate of community spread is relatively high in Singapore compared to other developed countries in Asia 
2) Resource allocation- with more cases, Increased need for resources such as ICU/isolation beds, manpower including lab staff, Nurses etc. And hence prioritisation of need for non-covid19 cases in healthcare setting leading to postponement of procedures and reviews 
3) Disruption of schedule with lockdown 

Solution:
Solution to the above mentioned issues would be to control the infection rates of covid-19. And how do we do that? 
Everyone plays a part.
Be socially responsible, stay home, minimise unnecessary travel, wear masks when out of the house. 
If we are able to control the numbers, it is hopeful that everything can return to normal. However, the bigger issue is regional and global as the economy has taken a great hit. 

How to cope better: 
 If you are unable to change the situation, the best way is to change your mindset. Circuit breaker is a national effort with an aim of curbing infection rates by minimising contact within the community and hence community spread of covid-19. Staying home may be challenging for some, but it is still better to be home healthy than to be in the hospital unwell. 

I hope this helps. 




Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Hi @fair 

I’m sorry your family is going through a tough time. 

All procedures carry some form of risks, some may be common while some are rare. We always weigh the benefits versus the risks in deciding if the procedure is worth going ahead with. 
However, If you feel unsure about making a decision on which procedure to opt for, there is no wrong in seeking a second opinion from a cardiologist. 

My advise is: To bring the relevant records including past clinical investigations/reports and bring your mum for a consult with another cardiologist so that you can consider your options better. 

Take care >> 

Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Hi there,

I would be very happy to treat you if you are looking specifically for neuromuscular management for TMJ pain. Please kindly let me know the severity of your pain as this will decide if you can be seen at a dental clinic during the Circuit Breaker Period.

please kindly contact hello@nuffielddental.com.sg
Dr. Samintharaj K
space doctor
Hi @Charlycat
For your interest, this article talks about a Belgian-Dutch study which suggested that  safe distance when running, biking and walking during COVID-19 times is further than the typical 1–2 meter as prescribed in different countries!
In summary, the article suggested:
“for walking the distance of people moving in the same direction in 1 line should be at least 4–5 meter, for running and slow biking it should be 10 meters and for hard biking at least 20 meters.”
https://medium.com/@jurgenthoelen/belgian-dutch-study-why-in-times-of-covid-19-you-can-not-walk-run-bike-close-to-each-other-a5df19c77d08

In addition, Paris has also started to ban daytime jogging as outlined in the article below:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/paris-bans-daytime-jogging-to-fight-spread-of-covid-19-12618872?cid=FBcna

Henceforth, although the nature parks in Singapore are open air and safer than in confined spaces like indoor gyms, it is prudent for one to observe safe distancing measures to protect yourself and minimise travel to further curb the spread of covid-19. 
Dr. Jeanel G
space doctor
Hi @Concerned101 this is unclear as I am not able to find any descriptions on the effectiveness of Quat for this application, let alone the safety of doing this. Would not recommend it!
Dr. Dinesh G
space doctor
Hi @passerby  firstly, Im sorry to hear this and Im sure this must be concerning. Unfortunately as this is a new virus, the definition for what constitutes significant exposure that places you at risk is evolving as more information comes to light. That being said, I would reassure you that the risk in your situation is very low, unless you were directly exposed to the patient or their environment while they were coughing/sneezing. Also, not everyone with symptoms has the coronavirus as there are other common viruses that cause similar symptoms.

MOH has defined what you describe as “transient contact” that amounts to low risk, more information at this link https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/faqs. The CDC, also considered by most as a reliable resource, identifies this as direct exposure to coughing/sneezing from a confirmed patient, spending 10mins within 6 feet of a confirmed patient, among others at this link: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDexposed.pdf

Ultimately, with respect to what to do - there is possible community spread in Singapore now so it would be best to adopt the recommended social distancing measures to protect your loved ones, and seek medical attention early if you feel unwell, especially since you may have been exposed. If convenience is an issue, the assessment can be done online via apps like DoctorWorld that provide video-based consultations, and depending on your condition, the attending doctor may be able to prescribe suitable medications and have them delivered to you. Here is a link that shares more about this: https://www.todayonline.com/brand-spotlight/doctor-will-see-you-next-app

Hope this helps! 
Dr. Dinesh G
space doctor