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COVID-19 for the Ada Community

A guide to help the public research COVID-19 using reliable sources.

AMA: COVID Questions

What is an AMA?

AMA is the abbreviation for "Ask Me Anything," a term commonly used on the Reddit website to indicate a Q&A forum. For this AMA, the Ada SAFE 2020 group asked several local experts to answer questions submitted by community members in regards to COVID-19, masks, etc. 

What makes someone an expert?

Ada SAFE 2020 pooled our knowledge of individuals in this community, or nearby communities, who are experts in their field. Which MDs/PhDs, pediatricians, epidemiologists, psychologists, infectious disease specialist (i.e. Board Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist), etc could we contact to see if they would be willing to field questions about COVID-19? We knew that the specifics about who we would wind up asking for answers would depend on the questions submitted, so the list of experts was not set in stone prior to the event. The individuals we identified as experts are considered such because they practice and research in the associated field and are accredited by their disciplines. 

AMA Expert #1

Dr. Ross Kauffman

Ross Kauffman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Director of Public Health at Ohio Northern University. He received a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology as well as a PhD in Public Health, specializing in Epidemiology with a minor in Criminology, from The Ohio State University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Training in Research for Behavioral Oncology and Cancer Control Program at the Indiana University School of Nursing.


Question: Are confirmed cases inflated due to repeated tests of the same positive individual?


Question: What would be the criteria for allowing society to return to not having social distancing, mask wearing, and enhanced disinfecting practices in place?


Question: Have studies been done on the safety of children wearing masks for extended periods of time and for various school activities?

 

AMA Expert #2

Dr. Ann Johnson

Ann Johnson, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Ohio Northern University and received her training in clinical psychology. Prior to joining the faculty at ONU, she completed a clinical internship providing treatment to youth at Boys Town in Omaha, NE, and graduate training at the University of Notre Dame. Her area of research specialization is in clinical child psychology with an emphasis on understanding the role of cognitive impairments in youth mental health.


Question: How do we get children to wear masks? 


Question: How do we help kids cope with all of the questions surrounding COVID-19?

AMA Expert #3

Dr. Anna Kauffman

Anna Kauffman, MD, is a physician in Family Medicine and practices in Bluffton, Ohio. She received her MD from Yale University School of Medicine and completed a residency in family medicine at the VCU Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency Program.


Question: Where did the 6-foot rule come from, and if local plans only include a 3-foot rule, how effective will the 3-foot rule be vs. the 6-foot rule?


Question: What is the death rate for children affected by COVID-19?


Question: Why do healthy kids need to wear masks?

 

AMA Expert #4

Dr. Karen Kier

Karen Kier is a registered pharmacist with a PhD in Preventive Medicine from The Ohio State University. She did advanced residency training in drug information at University of North Carolina. Karen serves as a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ohio Northern University and is the Director of Drug and Health Information. She serves as an ambulatory preventive care specialist for the ONU HealthWise team.


Question: When someone dies of COVID-19, is there still a danger to the public in getting the virus from the deceased?


Question: Is there any justifiable reason or scientific evidence that can be provided that would argue against the effectiveness for mask wearing?


Question: What are the current CDC and OSHA stances on mask wearing, and how might they differ from each other and the State of Ohio’s Health Orders?


Question: What does it mean that COVID-19 has mutated and there are now multiple strains of the virus?


Question: Are there dangers to wearing homemade masks, are homemade masks effective to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, and is asymptomatic spread a real thing?

AMA Expert #5

Dr. Jamie Hunsicker

Jamie Hunsicker, DNP, RN, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Ohio Northern University and a member of the Kenton-Hardin Health Department's Board of Health. She received a MS in School Counseling from Butler University and a BSN and MSN in Nurse Education from South University. She also completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.


Question: Is this a short term virus or is it like the flu that will continue to show up seasonally? If this is like the flu, shouldn't we be letting our immune systems adapt?


Question: How healthy is it to wear a homemade or disposable mask several times? Why don't we have biohazard containers to dispose of the masks and gloves properly?


Question: How are cases counted? A lot of people are claiming that the numbers are inflated, repeated tests of the same positive individual are counted like they are new cases, positive antibody tests are counted as positive cases, etc? Can you clarify how Hardin County specifically counts a positive case?