Surgeon General Says There Is Much Misinformation About Coronavirus

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INDIANAPOLIS–The largest piece of misinformation regarding the coronavirus among the general public—many feel they still can’t get it, says U.S. Surgeon General and former Indiana State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams.

He wants to remind you that’s not the case.

“Our data is actually running very similar to Italy’s data. We see a precipitous increase in complications from coronavirus. The complications go up precipitously when you hit age 65 and when you have comorbidities. Lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes are the big three. That’s who we’re most concerned about,” Adams said.

Dr. Jerome Adams, Indiana’s former state health commissioner who is now the U.S. Surgeon General

Adams says young people don’t tend to get as sick, but that shouldn’t give young people a false sense of security.

“We see in the United States more young people than in other countries are getting complications and ending up on ventilators. We still don’t know why. It may be because the United States, in general, is not as healthy as it could be, so more people have an underlying disease. It could be because a quarter of our young people report having used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days. A lot of them have been inhaling things into their lungs, which can cause inflammation and set them up for the disease. Anyone can get coronavirus. Young people are not immune,” says Adams.

Adams was asked if Ibuprofen is harmful to coronavirus patients.

“We are learning more and more about this virus every day. The best advice I can give you is to talk to your healthcare provider if you’re having symptoms. If you’re on ibuprofen, I wouldn’t stop taking ibuprofen because of those concerns because you may do more harm than good. But talk to your healthcare provider to get the best possible advice for you because it’s going to be different in every person,” Adams says.

Adams declared Indianapolis a “potential hotspot” for the coronavirus earlier this week.

“I said that not because Indianapolis is alone, but because Indianapolis is MY home. I still have family in Indiana. But I’m hearing that some people are not taking aren’t taking this seriously on the ground level there,” Adams continued.

He commended the actions taken so far by Governor Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health, and other state health experts.

“But it’s still going to require on the ground level to stay home for the next 30 days to stop the spread of the virus,” says Adams.