approach, it's very hard to find any hard evidence that ibuprofen is causing harm.carry on taking it. if it is a new thing for you and you're unwell than perhaps avoid it. and some fake news circulating about this crisis? we have lots of good news stories about people helping friends and neighbours but there are scammers out there and in the last few days we've had plenty of stories on the internet about ibuprofen, purporting to be from hospital in cork in ireland, from vienna, from the south of france. the vienna story apparently saying that the disease spread more quickly in italy because people were taking ibuprofen. these are also stories so if in doubt go to places that you can trust, the nhs website, mediate that you can trust and worth repeating do not automatically believe everything you read on social media. thank you very much. the restrictions introduced on monday are having an impact on people's everyday lives across the uk, as many work from home, and avoid social contact. tim muffett has been speaking to people in london, to find out how they are copin

ibuprofen is used to treat fever headaches and other symptoms associated with covid 19.en previous studies linking ibuprofen to the worsening of respiratory infections. but health officials say currently there is no strong data on covid 19 specifically despite the lack of convincing evidence many health agencies like the world health organization are advising you to exercise an abundance of caution regarding ibuprofen in fact england's national health service put it this way saying there is currently no strong evidence that ibuprofen can make over 19 worse but until we have more information take acetaminophen to treat the symptoms of coronavirus unless your doctor has told you it's not suitable for you. one final word on this because potential side effects with both acetaminophen and ibuprofen before you take either one of those medications it is crucial consult with a doctor before deciding on a treatment option and then follow your doctor's advice, working to be mystified the covid 19 situation for you, i'm consumer investigator. these patients. >>and that wraps up kro

journal the lancet and chinese researchers hypothesize they are pompous eyes that compounds like ibuprofen could affect certain receptors that are found on the surface of cells there are called a c e 2 receptors and what we think by was the coronavirus uses to get into the cell but that's just a hypothesis we don't we don't have enough information right now it's either really proven to work or just group. that said i talk with a doctor in the field this morning about this and and he was pretty certain that it was going to have an effect on prescriptions i think that most physicians from now on would probably prefer to err on the side of caution and prescribe other medicines for fever though prescribe things like paracetamol which is called acetaminophen in the united states. one caution though an important point that came up time and time again when i was researching this topic is that if you if you take ibuprofen on the advice of your doctor then you really should not stop taking it from one day to the next without consulting them because you're worried about what will happen if you catch

sort of a chaotic informational now it's there could you try to explain a trace i mean why might ibuprofen be posing a threat to some patients. well i mean it's important to say that there really aren't any clinical trials backing up these allegations and the figures appear to have been sparked by a letter last week to the medical journal the lancet and chinese researchers hypothesize they are pompous eyes that compounds like ibuprofen could affect certain receptors that are found on the surface of cells that are very very whole a c e 2 receptors and they were what we think i was the corona virus uses to get into the cell but that's just the hypothesis we don't we don't have enough information right now it's either really prove that it worked or disprove it still i think that said i talked with a doctor in the field this morning about this and and he was pretty certain that it was going to have an effect on prescriptions i think that most physicians from now on will probably prefer to err on the side of caution and prescribe other medicines for fever though prescribe things like paracetamo

said that doctors and yet the university clinic had discovered that taking the anti inflammatory ibuprofen made cove at 19 cases worse now the clinic came out and quickly to announce that post as a nuisance but then the french health minister again alton basically said it was true and since then we've had a w.h.o. official who said it also might cause problems but then you've got the european medicines agency saying the opposite that there is no clinical evidence whatsoever that i've been profoundly affects the course of over 19 so now in the w.h.o. is also about trying to live and says it's gathering further evidence before making any kind of recommendation so all in all it's kind of sort of a chaotic informational now it's there could you try to explain that face i mean why might ibuprofen be posing a threat to some patients. well i mean it's important to say that there really aren't any clinical trials backing up these allegations and a few years appear to have been sparked by a letter last week to the medical journal the lancet and chinese researchers hypothesize they ipart the size th

derek i want to ask you about a question that's been circulating about the safety of the use of ibuprofen what is the layer latest that you've heard on that. well as a science journalist this is one of those stories that kind of turns into a nightmare because different authorities have ended up issuing different recommendations and they're often they're often contradictory ones and in the end you feel like there's kind of no clear answers it started for me when i received the what's out message from a colleague last week you might have gotten it to it's really circulated very quickly on german speaking social media platforms and it there was this woman claiming to be a young mother who said that doctors and yet the university clinic had discovered that taking the anti inflammatory ibuprofen and made covert 19 cases worse now the clinic came out and quickly to announce that post. but then the french health minister again alton basically said it was true and since then we've had a w.h.o. official who said it also might cause problems but then you got the european medicines agency saying the

does taking ibuprofen make coronavirus symptoms worse what do we know? >> lester, there's a lot of concern about this after the french minister of health tweeted to avoid anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen the bottom line is there's no good evidence to support the theory ibuprofen makes symptoms worse but if you're concerned you can take acetaminophen also known as tylenol it works as well as ibuprofen to control a fever. plenty of rest can also help. if you start experiencing difficult breathing that's when it's time to go to the emergency room, but call ahead so they're ready for you. >> thank you for addressing that, dr. john >>> coming up next, we'll bring you a welcome high note. >>> look, i know a lot of the stories have been grim tonight, so how about a story about the power of music. bringing us together even when we're forced to stay apart. here's kevin tibbles >> i'm ready to hear music. >> reporter: in uncertain times music to our ears. a front porch symphony in clintonville, ohio. tor enchen, 9 and kid sister, 6 now home from school have to p

approach it's very hard to find any hard evidence that ibuprofen is causing harm.'s a new thing for you and you are unwell then perhaps avoid it, but you certainly don't need to be panicking that because you took ibuprofen last week, you're going to run into trouble. it's inevitable when everyone is hungry for answers, want to know what is happening, that they look anywhere for sources of information? there is a lot of stuff out there thatis there is a lot of stuff out there that is not necessarily right to trust. unfortunately we have already seen trust. unfortunately we have already seen it. just as they will be plenty of stories over the next few weeks and months about people going beyond to help their neighbours, their friends, other people, there are also scam scam and hoaxes. there have been plenty of fake medical advice on the internet about ibuprofen, stories reporting to be from cork in ireland, the university of vienna, from toulouse in southern france. the vienna one was the university apparently saying it had discovered that the speed of reproduction of

ibuprofen was recommended before.ommunity is backing off the recommendation. what is your take on that? >> yeah. actually there has been a lot of flip-flopping last couple days. even in the last 24 hours i've seen now, some reports saying world health organization is not necessarily saying that you can't use ibuprofen. let me tell you what my thoughts are. okay, the idea hind eye ibuprofa class of medications called nsaids. there are plenty in this class like ibuprofen. the theory, medications like ibuprofen may change the body's immune system make it not fare so well if it gets the coronavirus. changes the way the body deals with coronavirus and may negatively impact the patient if they get coronavirus and they're treated with this medication. a few weeks ago i was recommending tylenol and motrin or either one for patients who had mild symptoms of coronavirus. however new research has come out maybe we should reconsider that. i as a result am changing my stance. now look, i think we'll have some back and forth. there

it works as well as ibuprofen to control a fever, one of the main symptoms of the virus. plenty of rest can also help you feel better if you start experiencing problems breathing that's when it's time to go to the emergency room, but call ahead so they're ready for you. >>> coming up next, we'll bring you a welcome high note. ibuprof >>> look, i know a lot of the stories have been grim tonight, so how about the story about the power of music. bringing us together even when we're forced to stay apart. here's kevin tibbles >> i'm ready to hear music. >> reporter: in uncertain times music to our ears. a front porch symphony in clintonville, ohio. now home from 6 have to practice the cello anyway so mom rebecca wielded her conductors baton. >> it started off for us as just a personal bright spot. >> reporter: their 78-year-old neighbor helen is isolating herself at home as a precaution >> she was stuck inside of her house, so we decided to do something for her. >> we just wanted to make her happy >> reporter: so the mini maestros in their sunday best from a safe distance, of

of confusion about whether it's safe or not yeah quite a lot of conjecture but what is it about ibuprofen that prices at that might pose a threat. well this is really kind of at the heart of the problem of these cases where coping 1000 patients reportedly had a poor outcome due to i can prove and are anecdotal so there aren't any critical trials that are that are backing up these allegations the fears appear to have been sparked by a letter last week to the medical journal the lancet it some researchers note that compounds like both affect certain receptors found on the surfaces of cells which happen to be the same receptors and viruses used to invade the cell so these researchers hypothesized a connection but we don't have enough information to either prove or disprove that hypothesis at this particular juncture still just this morning i talked with a doctor about this and he left no doubt that this was definitely going to have an effect on what people are prescribe whether that decision is based on science or not most physicians from now on are probably going to prefer to err on the sid

a provision i don't want people popping a lot of ibuprofen.take tylenol more than ibuprofen. the main thing is to get the temperature down. this is not something you absolutely cannot take. >> tucker: interesting. you are saying has a general matter you would want people to take tylenol, but it will not poison you if you take advil. >> yes, and i don't want people take way beyond the amount of tylenol they are supposed to be there. look, this is a time of great fear in our society. people are worried. people are looking for solutions. and i want to tell them, look at the public health officials and follow these guidelines to decrease the amount of virus. >> tucker: >> tucker: i appreciate that thank you for your time. >> thanks tucker. the chairman of the senate intelligence committee sold more than $1 million in stock in february after learning how devastating the chinese coronavirus could be. he had inside information about what could happen to the country which is now happening, but he didn't want the public. he didn't give a proper time of

we've got a question from dana gilbert who says is it true you should avoid ibuprofen, alleve aroundirin if you get covid-19. i keep hearing about that. >> there's been a lot of discussion about ibuprofen over the past couple weeks. there were concerns that it perhaps could make the viral infection worse and in fact some countries even came out with a warning agai against using that. the world health organization came out with a statement on the 17th of the month saying they were looking into the issues regarding ibuprofen. the very next day they came out with a statement saying they didn't have any data that suggested you should not use ibuprofen. that being said, to treat the symptoms of fever, the body aches, you might consider using acetaminophen. we believe that is safe for treating the symptoms of covid. gillian: so maybe acetaminophen. dr. nesheiwat, want to throw the next question to you. this comes from viewer named nadine. she said i am having a baby in july and i'm getting nervous. i'm worried about bringing a baby into all of this. quick note, sounds like the world health

. >> what about ibuprofen? rumors oh, you shouldn't take ibuprofen if you have coronavirus. that true? >> now there were some anecdotal evidence. people were sharing stories how ibuprofen -- and ibuprofen's effect on kind of anti-inflammatory properties in your body could make your immune system act differently and aggravate your coronavirus symptoms. but again, these symptoms, these claims have not been evaluated by the fda. we don't know if they're true or not. but one really important take home point is that a fever is a natural response by your immune system. you don't necessarily have to treat it. and in many cases, monitoring your fever symptoms might be a good way to know if you have a disease or how long your disease is going on for. but in any case, to be safe, you might as well take acetaminophen if you're not feeling well. remember, you don't just have to drop a fever because you see it. >> is it true -- i saw something that said not treating the fever could make your symptoms like -- the time of you

the reason that painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin have side effect is due to the way they work injured or inflame too she releases certain fatty acids these are converted by so-called cox enzymes into messengers substances known as prostate gland ins these messenger substances bind themselves to pain receptors at the know the ending they transmit the pain signal to the central nervous system ibuprofen aspirin and similar drugs dampen the cox enzymes activity the body produces fewer prostitute landon's and the pain goes away across the plantains also regulate other bodily functions like blood clotting liver function and the regeneration of mucus membranes in the gut. an overdose of the. these over the counter painkillers can cause kidney damage liver damage which in some cases then requires organ transplants and you can have stomach bleeding patients are also more at risk of having a stroke especially patients who already had a heart attack so they should be very cautious about these drugs. is also a patient at the pain clinic she has multiple sclerosis and has had severe back pain for

is ibuprofen okay to take if you contract the virus?re are reports ibuprofen can make the virus worse. >> two very big questions are let's talk about the two strains. china has identified two separate strains, the l strain that being a bit more severe and lethal, that is the majority of what people are dying from as opposed to the s strain which has more mild symptoms. viruses want to survive, they find if they are killing you to quickly, that's not good for them. often times they will mutate and they tend to mutate to a more mild strain. people are starting to question is there something more lethal going on, we have not heard anything or at least i have not heard anything -- i think there are multi-factors that are causing the problems that we've seen in italy. as far as the two strains, the more mild symptoms is what we've been seeing in the united states. the other question is very good come of the world health organization just came out today recommending not to take anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen because there had been some

infection curse in europe and around the world and has been a question about the safety of using ibuprofen what's the latest on that. you know this is one of those stories that's very quickly grown very difficult to follow you know the problem is that different authorities event is showing different recommendations and they're often really contradictory and in the end you feel like there's no really clear answers i mean i started to follow the story when i when i received this 2 minute what sepoys message from a colleague last weekend you might have gotten to it was circulated very quickly on one german speaking social media forms and then it there was this woman claiming to be a young mother who said that doctors at 'd university clinic had discovered that 1000 cases got worse for patients caking the anti inflammatory program now the clinic responded very fast to that in just a few hours and announced that post this fake news but then the french health minister got involved and basically said the rumor was true that the program could indeed be dangerous for coronavirus so now w.h.o. offic

. >> and should you stay away from ibuprofen? the warning from a foreign minister that has doctors scratching their heads. >> i'm chief meteorologist jeff, more rainfall this afternoon, and we'll talk about the rain chances ahead and when we will get a warm and sunny break in the forecast in about eight minutes. >>> most of us are not traveling but for those who are, it is stressful and it's an eerie journey especially international travel. melissa colorado was in mexico and just flew back to sfo, she chronicled her struggle behind the scenes. >> reporter: our journey back home started in mexico city's airport, where we noticed a lot had changed in the days since we landed. nearly all airport workers were wearing surgical masks. masks and monitors that typically advised mexico's tourism industry were now teaching travelers facts about how the coronavirus spreads, and tips on how to protect yourself from it. we also stumbled upon a local news crew reporting on the international pandemic. >> good morning. >> reporter: the reporter

lauren: 95% of ibuprofen is supplied from china.ed right now in terms of masks and disinfectants. >> to be fair to the chinese, they have at this point probably the largest number of cases so i'm not sure we're seeing evidence of them deliberating slowing down exports. i think they will prioritize meeting their own demands before allowing significant exports around the world. lauren: how does this affect the trade deal? it's been argued there's a possibility that as stimulus for the american economy and the chinese economy too, that maybe the best stimulus is a rollback of the tariffs. your thoughts? >> well, that probably wouldn't hurt but as a number of your guests have already noted, we're looking at an american and almost certainly global economic slowdown. i think that we're looking at a situation where trade is going to -- that's even before people start worrying about whether or not things are safe that are being transported across the world's oceans. so anything that would improve trade, whether it's reduction in tariffs or

ibuprofen, don't take it, covid-19 loves it. is that true?re's been a lot that i've read about this, and there was some concern initially. a lot of people said, look, ibuprofen could be making the covid disease worse. world health organization weighed in looked at the data and said probably not. it's okay. it is an anti-inflammatory, a nonstero nonsteroidal. if you're someone who deals with autoimmune disease, it may not be the best option. for most people, chris, this ibuprofen, advil, medications shouldn't be a problem. >> okay. and just in terms of perspective, tony fauci says 100,000 people may die. people thought it might be in the millions. and they're saying that the rate of acceleration is slowing down. what is the reality about what is our current state of expectation about how bad this could be and whether or not we're anywhere near flattening the curve? >> well, this is really interesting, chris. i think that a lot of people pay attention to something known as doubling time, how long does it take to double the numbers, the number o

first up, i should avoid taking ibuprofen. >> false.of the french health minister saying that you cannot take ibuprofen if you have covid-19. in fact, ibuprofen can really help with the symptoms of the illness in people who have the milder form. >> reporter: this one's false. next, i should be stocking up on vitamin "c." sorry to your morning glass of oj, but to this one the experts say it's false. even when it comes to the common cold or flu, vitamin "c" hasn't shown a consistent scientific benefit. any advantage would be modest at most. >> vitamin "c" in a dose of 200 milligrams a day can give your immune system just a little boost. but it's not going to help against the coronavirus. >> reporter: next up, i should take extra caution opening cardboard and paper mail. false. >> the virus needs moisture. so if it's a dry cardboard, it's not going to last for a very long time at all. >> reporter: next up, if i can hold my breath for 10 seconds without coughing, i don't have the virus. this one's false. the claim originating on social medi

now, this person lists aspirin or ibuprofen. also you could add in ase acetaminophen or should you let the fever come down on its own? >> it is fine to reduce the fever. the systmptomatic treatment of this, people will be more comfortable. there is a lot circulating around ibuprofen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, is there a concern about these, it got a lot of traction on the internet last week, world health organizations, cdc commented on this thing. there is no problem with using things like ibuprofen. one of the concerns is that those nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories can suppress your immune system more. if you're someone who already has a weakened immune system, maybe tylenol is the better bet. for most people who don't have that sort of underlying illness, you know, i think any of those will work fine. >> okay, this one comes from leilani. it says has any vinvestigation been made into the possibility that vaping and smoking may increase vulnerability to younger age groups. it stands to reason there would be a connect

world health organization is warning people who suspect they're infected not to take the painkiller ibuprofen christian limbaugh speaks for the w.h.o. and joins us from geneva welcome to day to you what's behind this advice.

mine and a woman saying that at the university clinic and vienna they had discovered that taking ibuprofen. worsens the course of the disease the university clinic immediately came out is that no that's fake news there is we didn't conduct any studies in that direction that's not true but it things were complicated by the fact that the french health minister came out and said actually that there was a connection with and he himself is a doctor now firearm legis have now gone on record saying there is no scientific proof that i've been profound which also interacts with some of the receptor that that are active with the corona virus apparently there is however no scientific proof that there is a connection between those 2 things that's just a hypothesis ok more confusion they have problem play a direct williams in the south isolation thank you so much. and here's a look at more of the latest coronavirus developments u.s. federal authorities are mulling curfews and mandatory closures of businesses such as shops restaurants and bars infections their search to over $3702.00 is close to 70 deat

ibuprofen has come up assort of a -- asp sort of a question.tweeted information because we should be cautious and the thought that ibuprofen antiinflammatory drugs may actually change the way the body responds to the virus. in other words, taking outcomes and linked to ibuprofen. there are two camps with this. i've taken a look at this in the last two days. initially last week i was recommending tylenol or ibuprofen. i would say it's still evolving. my advice at this point since we are getting information that this may not be the best route for some i'm advising patients to stick with tylenol. my advice to my patients as of today is if you can take tylenol, you should take that until we learn more. veronica: we are seeing images of young people, 20-year-olds partying and i tried to explained to them the dangers, protect the grandparent and people around you and the argument they often give back. yes, i understand but i'm only going to have spring break once and i don't want to miss out my good times so i'm just wondering what advice do you have

maybe at the end of this we'll know whether or not motrin or ibuprofen made a difference.l of detail we don't have yet. >> doctors, gentlemen, thank you. >>> we just got updated numbers on how many people nationwide are infected with coronavirus, plus move of your questions coming up including whether drinking hot beverages can help stave off the virus. you're watching msnbc live. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin... i want that too. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? reeling in a nice one. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruis

is it safe to take anti—inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen?lammatory drugs might weaken the immune system which is trying to fight off the virus. at the moment it isa fight off the virus. at the moment it is a theory and health officials say they do not know if it is true but the sensible thing is to take paracetamol instead. if you already taking an anti—inflammatory on the advice of your doctor, then do not stop taking it without checking first. what is the advice for families with newborn babies especially where siblings still have to attend school? it is an anxious time for parents but the advice has not changed. schoolchildren like all of us are meant to wash their hands regularly and doctors say even if the new mother gets the virus she should stay with her baby and breast—feeding is thought to be safe. i belong to a bereavement group meeting once a fortnight, is it safe if we go for a walk along the beach instead ? it safe if we go for a walk along the beach instead? it is not safe to walk close together even if you are outside, you nee

people have said ibuprofen might make it worse?alth organization did a quick review of the data and said they found no data to support this overall they are both equally good if you're excessively worried about it, then just switch to acetaminophen or tylenol at this point. there's no evidence to say ibuprofen is any worse than acetaminophen. >> dr. torres, thank you keep the questions coming. >>> good morning. 8:26. i'm marcus washington. a high school in martinez will soon be housing less critical high school patients. the gym and adjoining kitchen areas will be used but no classrooms. this is an effort to relieve some of the burden on east bay hospitals expecting to see a surge of covid-19 patients. >>> starting today the dmv will be closed for a temporary statewide shut down. this comes after an employee tested positive at a southern california dmv office. in all, office appointments are scheduled. starting next week the dmv will reopen but only online. >>> let's get a look at the commute. mike inouye is standing by. mike? >> t

azar, i heard warning not to take ibuprofen for fever with covid-19.fda and the world health organization weighed and say there's no compelling evidence that nsaids and ibuprofen can worsen symptoms. it can be used as a fever reducer. >> that post that i saw on facebook isn't true that if i take buprofen i will die of covid-19. >> they also were not thought to worsen covid-19. you have to continue taking those meds. >> i'm very salty about facebook posts that lie about coronavirus. that's a topic for o whole other post. whykits? >> we need an hour for that one too. >> we don't have an hour. >> from the very beginning we messed up the process for identifying a test that doulcoue circulate widely. we didn't take tests that were offered to us by the world health organization. this will require a postmortem to what went wrong. we're incredibly far behind the rest of the world in terms of how many people have been tested. that's hampered our abilities to understand how many people have and are walking around the virus. it's clearly just catch up. >> five se

the use of ibuprofen.on twitter. the story around ibuprofen has very weak evidence and although we are taking a cautious approach, it is very hard to find any hard evidence that ibuprofen is causing harm, so if people are already on it and for good reasons they should carry on taking it. if it isa they should carry on taking it. if it is a new thing for you and you are unwell, perhaps avoid it, but you don't need to be panicking because you took ibuprofen last week you will run into trouble.” because you took ibuprofen last week you will run into trouble. i will come to you in a minute, gina ra dford. come to you in a minute, gina radford. you treat them with liquids, paracetamol, at what point do you have to escalate and perhaps worry a bit more? the vast majority of people willjust get the fever, temperature and a dry cough. if you develop any breathing difficulties, so shortness of breath, perhaps tightness in your chest that is unusualfor tightness in your chest that is unusual for you, tightness in yo

world health organization is warning people who suspect they're infected not to take the painkiller ibuprofen kristin lynn speaks for the w.h.o. and joins us from geneva welcome to day to you what's behind this advice. thank you for having me there have been concerns that i book profaned might have a situation if you're treating see the. 19 but there's very weak knowledge about this and very weak. evidence sold the 1st reviewer lives it rich or she has not shown any evidence on this but we're looking deeper into it during this time it might be recommendable double not to self medicate and that's what it's all about don't self medicate it isn't sense check with your health care provider check with your doctors and follow that advice ok let's talk about the response to the pandemic so far a china won praise from the w.h.o. for its efforts to contain covered 9 taking a countries here in europe doing enough. yeah this is a an interesting development now just a few weeks to go. people were criticizing all over europe of the strong measures and then china indeed. as joe was. kind of praising but no

people, secondly, it's important to maintain good health habits, good sleep, good hydration, taking ibuprofen and tylenol for fever and manage symptoms to feel better. >> i go sick and go to the basement of my house, you know, we separate from the rest of the family and people and i'm down there and i'm still feeling sick. do you want me to call my primary care physician? how do i know when it's time to go to the e.r. if i start to feel really bad? >> right. as was mentioned, we're all keeping on eye on the overall capacity of the health care system both locally and in the united states. so it's going to be really important that everyone works to match their level of symptoms with their level of care. so for example, people who are well or have mild symptoms, it's really important to go to the local health department or cdc to understand what's going on with you and how -- >> the websites. >> the websites, yeah. for people with more moderate symptoms, it's important to utilize some telehealth platforms to continue to self-isolate but seek evaluation and consult and certainly, for the people w

i think, for now, until we know more, it's prudent not to take drugs like ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirinuntil we know more i would acetaminophen and tylenol for people who need the fever reducer or medicine for pain. >> harris: i wonder if we have more time for a quick one for dr. saphier. tracy c says, "is there an alternative for azithromycin for those who have an allergy to it? "this is extremely important. dr. saphier? >> dr. saphier: that's an interesting question. you have to remember, we are not taking this antibiotic for its antibiotic properties. at this point i have not heard of an equivalent. we are using this specific azithromycin because it has antiviral properties, as well. as far as i know, we have not come out discussing anything that can be used as an equivalent. i want to say one caveat about using aspirin, because i'm married to a neurosurgeon who specializes in strokes. if you are supposed to be on aspirin for strokes, or a stent or your heart, please make sure you talk to your doctor before you go off of your aspirin. it's crucial that we don't try and protect oursel

the ibuprofen study is fascinating. a special enzyme might interact with covid-19, and perhaps there's another doctor who says, well, maybe there's a connection between ibuprofen and this enzyme. you have two sort of thoughts but no studies. then a french minister tweets, be worried about ibuprofen and covid-19, and suddenly it spreads around the world. there's no malin tension, but people panic about ibuprofen. they go to cvs, dangerous in and of itself, and start buying lots of acetaminophen that has its own potential concerns. so a hazard is created totally unintentionally but just because of the speed at which ms. -- which misinformation can spread. >> what do we do to combat this type of spread of misinformation? >> you know, i've actually been pretty impressed with the social media platforms. i've been critical of them over the last few years, as you know. they've all stepped up. silicon valley was quite early to see the magnitude of this crisis. so they all have worked hard to adjust their algorithms, to help fin

the motrin which is another version of the ibuprofen made me feel worse. the inhaler made me feel worse. is this anecdotal evidence? nothing imperial to back it up. >> this is one of these stories which spread faster than the virus. it's based on anecdotal, things spreading by whatsapp mainly. it's referring to a recent paper which was published in the medical journals which seemed to imply some medications might increase the receptor for the new coronavirus. the problem is that study was just -- wasn't actually a scientific study, it was just a hypothetical. it was -- the correspondent and it wasn't reviewed carefully. it's full of conjectures. this is a story that can do more harm than benefit. patients are getting off a valuable medication. this is one of these times where you're getting sort of zero scientific news which is actually spreading faster and people not being able to see what really is true and what's really not true. >> the patient who we mentioned in the tweet about his experiences, he noted this just two days ago as he went through it. to

if you take ibuprofen, it can actually allow for the virus to enter the cell more easily. been proven. i think if you take one dose or two doses it's not going to make a huge difference. but there is an alternative which is acetaminophen also known as tylenol. that can -- an addition to drinking lots of fluids is very important. >> shannon: okay. we have heard if you do have worries you may be need to get tested. call your doctor's office, but what about the possibility of housecalls? seems like an old-school way of doing things. other doctors will actually come see you and -- what's the best way to go? >> we started a company called heel. that's the entire idea. if you do have mild symptoms, the best thing to do is stay at home. and presumably if you are not feeling horribly, you don't need to be tested. on the other hand, if you are feeling terrible and think you need to be tested i know the best thing to do is to work with the department of health to figure out where to go to get testing. we do deliver housecalls, but what is been interesting about our housecalls system

the french prime minister is feeling that medications like ibuprofen and advil and the sort and also using a lot of steroids can reduce the immune system. so if you're already immunocompromised, you can get sicker. it's a theory. no one has put it into use. >> let me go to gabe gutierrez, if i can. it's been at the press conference with andrew cuomo in albany, new york. what can you tell us? what are the headlines out of that? >> reporter: hi there, chris. we're here in brooklyn in a hospital where you can see behind many, there's been a line of people that has shown up at these pre screening tents. many of the hospitals across this area and across the country are setting up pre screening tents so they can see that the people coming in fit the criteria for a full covid-19 test. it's open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight. we can tell you about governor cuomo's news conference, he says the number of cases in new york state went up dramatically overnight. he's introducing some more density control measures. you'll remember, chris, yesterday the governor said all businesses in new york state,

. >> if i'm 30 and i've got a favor a fever and flu-like symptoms and drinking fluids and taking ibuprofen, stay away from people and maybe check in with your doctor through telehealth if you can. >> that's right. just like if you had influenza or a bad cold. >> i know you said respiratory december str distress. if i'm 68 or 70 and i -- the same thing happens and i start to feel really persistent dry cough, what's that line there about ris pespiratory distress? >> the more medical problems you have and the older you are. you mentioned 68, 70 particular lay if you have diabetes, or cancer otherwise immune compromised, it's important to seek care a little sooner when you're having maybe fever or cough. >> presumably those people have points of care before they get to the e.r., right? you want to be directing people -- should they talk to their personal physician. >> if they're able to, yes. >> if people are in urgent distress, they need to call 911 and go to the e.r. >> that's right. >> what's your capacity look like as a doctor running a large e.r. here in new york city which is rapidly exp

but what do we know about ibuprofen? >> there is some merit to the concern.he way to think about it. some of these medications, those -- the anti-inflammatories in particular, they can sometimes suppress your immune system a bit as well. so it is not necessarily it makes the covid worse, it is more that it may reduce your ability to fight the infection. for most healthy people, it is not going to be enough of a decrease to make a significant issue. but for someone who already has pre-existing illness, if you're trying to take something to fight a fever, tylenol is a better bet for that reason. >> david from michigan wants to know can a person increase or build stronger immunity by eating certain foods or vitamins as a precaution to stave off a virus? >> there is not necessarily a lot of great data on supplements doing this. there is a little bit of data. the basics do apply here with regard to building up your immunity. i think it is really important. we should not minimize the idea of building up your own immunity. we don't have an antiviral, don't have a va

it is okay to take tylenol, ibuprofen.n with severity and symptoms or outcome to the virus. and then we're seeing it with herbs and supplements. i'm getting barraged with hundreds of emails a day. there is no data that any of them work. what i don't want people to do is take one of them and go into high risk behavior because they say i'm protected because i'm taking this or that. i want people to realize that social distancing while it's not sexy and doesn't come as a pill in a bottle, it's the only thing that works against this horrible virus. >> i heard something and i've been doing it for the past week. i got something online. if you hold your breath for ten seconds and you don't experience any discomfort, that's a sign that maybe you're doing okay. does that -- allegedly it came from doctors at stanford. >> it's not true. i got some copies of that email. unfortunately it's made up and not true. you can stop holding your breath and you can breathe. >> i was only doing it -- i was so proud of myself because i was going f

pain receptors at the nerve endings they transmit the pain signal to the central nervous system ibuprofen aspirin and some other drugs dampen the cox enzymes activity the body produces who across to land in and the pain goes away across the plantains also regulate other bodily functions like blood clotting liver function and the regeneration of mucus membranes in the gut. an overdose of these over the counter painkillers can cause kidney damage liver damage which in some cases then requires organ transplants and you can have stomach bleeding patients are also more at risk of having a stroke especially patients who already had a heart attack so they should be very cautious about these drugs. is also a patient at the pain clinic she has multiple sclerosis and has had severe back pain for. yes several operations didn't help. my mom. here always looking around for something to relieve the pain so of course i took over the counter drugs my experience was that they didn't help. but the side effects were terrible. my stomach in terrible shape i often have no appetite and have to throw up. becaus

. >>> the world health organization did an aboutface on ibuprofen. they are not aware of any of data that it could interfere with the coronavirus. at one time, there was a theory it could make the inflammation worse. >>> the death toll in italy has surpassed china making it the deadliest center in the outbreak. china is reporting 3300 deaths as of today. this comes as china marks a milestone in the battle with the virus. the country is reporting no new locally transmitted cases for the first time since the pandemic began. >>> meanwhile, the first lady melania trump tweeted a psa today. in the video, she underneaths americans underneath to stay connected. >> i urge family and loved ones to stay in touch with phone calls and social media and other. >> she concluded saying while many of us are apart, we are all in this together. >>> to campaign 2020, hawaii congresswoman tulsi gabbard is suspending her campaign for the democratic nomination and is offering her full support to vice president joe biden. >> i am confident he will lead our country guided by

advice do you give when you talk about somebody who should ,ake tylenol or advil acetaminophen versus ibuprofen? >> this has become one of the trickier questions that we get asked. erred on the side of caution. reporting that , takingdvil or motrin these drugs can somehow make the covid worse. it is weak evidence. i'm not here to say never do this. but there's a little bit out there. for the most part i've been telling people to take tylenol even the choice and that's been my base. cane are other people who say it is safe to take the other medications. one of the things about this disease is that if you have fever and you don't feel too hot , but you're not having any significant respiratory symptoms , having the fever isn't going to make it worse in terms of your overall course. tylenol, motrin, advil. drugs like that make you feel better. they don't help the course of the disease. ,o if there is a small risk ration tylenol for when you feel really lousy and then -- it's not going to change anything. it will just make you feel better. this is tennessee, darcy. good morning. you are on with dr.

if you have low-grade fevers, take the fever medication we typically talk about acetaminophen an ibuprofen to keep it under control. >> let me ask my own question every night we talk about the numbers of confirmed cases. those are not people sitting in hospitals those are not all people -- correct me if i'm wrong some of those people have recovered and are fine >> i think that's one of the biggest misconceptions, and we don't do a good enough job explaining it as scientists and physicians when we hear numbers like 130,000 people are infected, total infections, most people think there is currently 130,000 people lying in hospital beds around the world dying of this disease more than half have recovered, another 30% to 40% will recover and go home and be fine. >> some important facts and perspective on what we can feel very scary for a lot of us. >>> when we come back, final thoughts on the path forward >>> finally at the end of this difficult week, harry smith has some perspective on the challenges we face and how we are all in this together. >> reporter: for us, for we americans, it is cou

quarantine which is 14 days which means prescription medication and over the counter medicine like ibuprofen and acetaminophen and cough syrup, and so it is worth mentioning repeatedly that most of the cases are mild, and present like a cold, 80%. >> yes, a lot of times, we talk about this stuff and it could be scary for a lot of people, and we want to be prepared. and be aware, but not afraid is what i tell the kids everyday. >> good advice. >> and across the bay area, the schools are taking precautions amid the fears, and the high school is closed for four days, and this is after the school leaders learn that the parent is tested and treated for coronavirus. in oakland, the aspire monarch charter academy is closed monday and this is because the teacher there might have the virus. at the bottom of the screen and throughout at the day, we will list full school closings, and keep them up to date there. >> and developing for you now, president trump is in tennessee after tornadoes ripped through the state earlier in the week. president trump met with tennessee governor bill lee and he toured p