7 myths are fueling new waves of Covid-19.

By Holly Yan | CNN

It is easy to fall into a false sense of security now that states have reopened. And many are already paying the price.

States are closing deals again. Popular beaches have closed. And the rate of new Covid-19 infections continues to grow in most states, threatening to reverse the progress made during orders to stay home.

So what happened? When states reopened to try to save the economy, the fate of this pandemic shifted from government mandates to personal responsibility.

But many ignore that responsibility, but let their guard down too soon due to popular misconceptions:

If the economy is open, the pandemic is improving, right?

No. “This is not even close to ending,” said the head of the World Health Organization.

Only about 5% to 8% of the US population has been infected with this new coronavirus, which means we have a long way to go before we achieve herd immunity.

Herd immunity generally occurs when 70% to 90% of a population becomes immune to an infectious disease, either because people became infected and recovered or were vaccinated.

But it will be many months before a Covid-19 vaccine is publicly available, if one becomes effective and available.

There is also no cure for the new coronavirus. So the only way to control this deadly pandemic is through personal behavior, such as staying 6 feet away from others, even in social settings, and wearing a face mask.

“It is critical that we all take personal responsibility for delaying the transmission of Covid-19 and adopting the universal use of facial covers,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Tuesday.

More than 127,000 Americans have died from Covid-19 in less than six months, with hundreds more deaths each day.

I am young and healthy, so I am not worried.

New Covid-19 infections have skyrocketed in Generation Z and millennial age groups. And although the death rate is lower among young adults, many struggle with the long-term effects of the disease.

“Specifically, I am targeting the youngest members of our society, millennials and Generation Z,” Redfield said, asking to have their faces covered. “I ask those who are listening to spread the word.”

In Florida, the average age group for people infected in March was people in their 60s. But in recent weeks, that average age has plummeted for young adults in their 30s, Governor Ron DeSantis said in late June.

The rapid rise in infections in Florida “is being fueled by that age group of 18 to 35,” DeSantis said.

After Florida began reopening in early May, Erika Crisp and 15 friends went to celebrate a birthday at a bar where no one wore a mask. The 16 friends came with Covid-19.

During their night out, the virus seemed “out of sight, out of mind” because they didn’t know anyone who had contracted it, Crisp said. The group also had a false sense of security, he said, because its governor said it was safe to reopen.

“I feel silly. It is too early, ”Crisp said.

Dr. Jen Caudle, from New Jersey, said she has seen young patients experience serious or long-term complications from Covid-19, including strokes, shortness of breath, fatigue, or the inability to smell and taste long after recovering from virus.

Utah Jazz Center Rudy Gobert, 28, was the first NBA player to report a positive result for Covid-19 in March. Three months later, he still has not fully recovered, Gobert told French sports publication L’Equipe.

Days before his diagnosis, Gobert had ignored the pandemic when he jokingly played each microphone during a press conference.

He later publicly apologized and urged the public not to fall into a false sense of security as he did.

“I wish I had taken this more seriously, and I hope everyone else will,” Gobert said.

We are checking the temperatures of all employees / customers / party guests

Temperature tests will not detect asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic carriers of coronaviruses, who do not feel sick but are contagious.

According to the CDC, an estimated 40% of coronavirus transmissions occur without any symptoms.

Even those who have symptoms may not have a fever. In fact, many older adults, the age group most likely to experience serious Covid-19 complications, have no fever at all.

I don’t need to wear a mask

“As economies open more, masks become more important, not less important,” said Jeremy Howard, a scientific researcher at the University of San Francisco.

Howard has spent much of the past four months in Texas, where he noted that the use of face masks declined when the state began to reopen.

Now Texas is dealing with a dangerous Covid-19 resurgence, forcing the governor to close some deals once again.

At least 17 states and the District of Columbia now require people to wear masks in public when social distancing may not be possible.

Arizona, Texas and Florida do not require masks. All three states now have one of the highest infection rates in the country, with Arizona closing bars, gyms and other businesses to deal with the crisis.

If 95% of Americans wore face masks in public, it could prevent 33,000 deaths by Oct. 1, according to the University of Washington Institute for Health Assessment and Measurement.

Why did senior health officials reverse their guidance on face masks?

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said if you want more businesses to open and stay open, wear a mask.

“Some feel that facial coatings violate their freedom of choice, but if we use them more, we will have MORE freedom to go out,” Adams, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, tweeted.

“Facial covers → less asymptomatic viral spread → more open spots, and sooner! Exercise and promote your freedom by choosing to put on a mask! ”

The death rate is decreasing, so things are improving, right?

The United States recently reported its highest number of new Covid-19 cases in a single day, and doctors say the infection rate is outpacing the increase in testing.

“Our daily case / new infection rate has really skyrocketed to more than 40,000,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Health experts say the current spikes in new cases coincide with what happened several weeks ago, when states began to reopen and many people abandoned security measures, such as wearing masks or social distancing.

Why does it take so long after infections to learn about diagnoses and deaths?

However, as new cases skyrocket, the daily number of Covid-19 deaths has generally decreased. Don’t be fooled by that, doctors say.

First, Covid-19 deaths often lag behind new infections. Symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear. After that, people may not be tested right away. So it can take even longer for severe cases that require hospitalization.

“It takes about a week after someone gets infected until they get sick enough to be hospitalized, and then often around a week after that until you start seeing deaths,” said Reiner.

“We have stagnated with a mortality rate that fluctuates between 600 and 800 deaths per day. … Obviously, everyone is concerned that the death rate will start to take off again. ”

Second, many of the newly infected are young people who are less likely to die from the virus. But they can still easily infect others simply by talking or breathing.

At current transmission rates, “we will reach 100,000 cases per day” in the United States, said internal medicine specialist Dr. Jorge Rodríguez.

With this virus, “one person – on average – infects three people, and we are already at 40,000” new cases reported daily, Rodríguez said Tuesday.

Your main coronavirus questions answered

I’ve already tested negative, so I’m fine

That is not an excuse to stop taking precautions.

“Sometimes there are false negatives, which means you have the disease but the test doesn’t detect it,” according to Penn Medicine.

“Because it is possible to get a negative result even when you have coronavirus, it is important to be careful even when you get a negative result.”

Even if a negative test result is correct, you may have been infected since that test was performed.

Maybe we should let nature take its course and get herd immunity

That is not a good idea because some intensive care units are already at or near capacity, Rodríguez said.

Even if you get coronavirus but are not seriously ill, this virus is highly contagious and could infect other people who will need hospitalization.

And that could reduce care for anyone else who needs it, like car accident victims or people with heart attacks.

“People are being admitted to hospital beds and being admitted to ICU beds faster than they are being discharged” due to the coronavirus, said Will Humble, executive director of the Public Health Association of Arizona.

Humble said he is concerned that hospitals fall into “crisis care standards,” which basically means “less care for everyone, not just for people with Covid-19.”