Are Temperature Checks Effective? Dr. Mallika Marshall Answers Your Coronavirus Questions
BOSTON (CBS) – Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your coronavirus-related medical questions. If you have a question for Dr. Mallika, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.
Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.
A viewer writes, "My husband and I are in our 70's. Both of our cars have dead batteries and we need to call AAA. Is it safe or should we wait?"
Having a technician come to your car to replace your car battery or give you a jump start is not likely to pose a great risk. I'm assuming you'll be outdoors and wearing masks and that the technician won't need to climb into your car or enter your home.
"Would you go to the gym now? I am 60-years old and would like to go back but I am nervous about it." - Lori in Walpole
It depends on the gym. If you go to a small gym where you can easily socially distance and you can trust that they're taking the greatest precautions, it might be fine. But if it's a large gym with lots of people working out in closer proximity, I would wait. I would also wait if you have underlying medical conditions that put you at high risk. Try walking in your neighborhood or use an online workout video instead.
"There is a lot of discussion about screening people's temperature when returning to school work to screen for COVID. If someone is asymptomatic or presymptomatic, wouldn't they not have a fever?" - Marlene
You're right. Doing temperature checks will miss people who are infected but are either pre-symptomatic - meaning they haven't yet developed symptoms, asymptomatic - meaning they don't ever develop symptoms, or have symptoms but just don't have a fever. But if someone does have a fever, it is a red flag and that person should be sent home so they don't expose others.
"My daughter tested positive for the virus back in April and lost her sense of taste and smell. Occasionally she will get a hint of both. Will her smell and taste come back?" - Robert from Leominster
While most people who lose their sense of taste and smell in the setting of COVID recover them within a few weeks, some still report problems months later. Experts believe that most patients will eventually regain their taste and smell, and the fact that your daughter occasionally gets a hint of both is probably reassuring.