Doctors today warned Americans to wear face masks and take other precautions at the polls amid a “perfect storm” for disease.
Millions will head to the polls today, where they will face long waits in cramped lines and touch pens and electronic screens used by countless others.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said flu and an unusual form of pneumonia increase the risk of getting sick.
He urged people to wear masks when queuing indoors and to consider maintaining a distance of six feet.
Dr. Tess Barton, Texas pediatric infectious disease expert, also called on voters to wipe down voting screens and pens before casting their votes.
Dr. Schaffner told DailyMail.com: ‘I hope everyone has had all their flu and Covid vaccines, and those aged 75 and over their RSV vaccines.
‘But otherwise wear a mask – because the flu is starting and Covid is still spreading there.
‘This mainly concerns a group of people who form a high risk group, i.e. elderly people who have underlying conditions, such as lung and heart disease.’
Above, a woman is seen wearing a face mask at a postal voting center in Phoeniz, Arizona, during the 2020 presidential election
CDC surveillance shows minimal flu and Covid activity so far this year, but does suggest there is an increase in cases of “walking pneumonia.”
It comes after health officials began urging people to mask up again as winter approaches.
Dr. Schaffner added, “I would start by wearing a face mask when waiting in line, especially indoors. When the line snakes out the door, you’re still around people, so I would wear a mask then too.
‘I think it would be good to practice social distancing as well. I’ve seen at our local public library that people are very respectful and have a little bit of distance between each other, but certainly not six feet, so it’s not entirely successful.”
“This isn’t just something I preach. I voted by post, but when I go to the supermarket I wear a face mask because I have some gray hair and I belong to one of the risk groups.’
Doctors say infected patients can spread the disease through sneezing and coughing, which release droplets into the air.
They can also spread the disease by touching their nose or mouth and then a surface, such as a voting machine or pen.
Others can then pick up or inhale these droplets while lining up to vote or sitting in voting booths, risking infection.
Dr. Barton said, “We all touch the same little pens and touchscreens when we vote.
‘If you have to queue with many people, some may be ill.’
The map above shows that at the end of September, the last week available, all states had ‘low’ or ‘minimal’ flu activity
However, there has been an increase in the number of ‘walking pneumonia’ infections, especially among children
The US flu season typically begins in October and peaks around December and February.
But data suggests that infections with flu, Covid and RSV have not yet taken off – although there has been an increase in ‘walking pneumonia’, especially among young children.
All states had ‘low’ or ‘minimal’ levels of flu activity in the week to September 28, the latest available data shows.
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Mask mandates became a staple in many Democratic states during the Covid pandemic as a way to stop the spread of the virus.
But studies have failed to show that they have reduced the number of infections or deaths.
A major study by the Cochrane Institute found they make ‘little to no difference’ to a person’s risk of contracting Covid.
At the same time, some research suggests that Covid measures such as masking and social distancing may put people – especially children – at greater risk of serious infections.
They say it deprives children of exposure to diseases at a young age, meaning their immune systems may not develop properly.
Running pneumonia is a bacterial infection that can cause excessive coughing, fever and headache.
But the disease is also considered less severe than the main form of the disease, in which patients are not sick enough to stop performing daily tasks.