| ICYMI: Rep. Allen Holds Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall |
WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) held a telephone town hall Wednesday night to answer questions from residents of Georgia's 12th District about the coronavirus situation. Congressman Allen gave an update on steps the federal government is taking to keep Americans safe. For those who were unable to participate in the call, here are some of the highlights:
Blair from Swainsboro asked how the coronavirus compares to the flu.
Congressman Allen: “Yes, a couple things. One is, this virus is very infectious… it tends to affect people who are older than 60, and if you’re over 80—and really anybody who is compromised—is going to have a very difficult time surviving this virus. Right now the mortality rate is one out of fifty. Flu is about one out of a thousand. And again, we don’t have a vaccine for this virus. Based on those statistics and what we’ve seen happen in Italy, in Iran, in China, we do not want that to happen in the United States.
Chris from Dudley asked about travel bans within the United States.
Congressman Allen: “Currently there are no restrictions on who is allowed to fly. The CDC recommends that people who are higher risk, such as those over the age of 60 or those who are compromised with either heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, or other serious underlying conditions, avoid non-essential travel, such as long plane trips. Obviously, if you’re sick, I would not travel.
“The experts tell me that this thing will probably begin to subside when we get to warmer weather in, say about mid-June and that the risk will be pretty much gone—of spread—until October, and the only way it would come back in October is if someone still has it…. The thing that we want is the vaccine. Once we get that vaccine, we’re pretty much home-free. But that vaccine is probably not going to be available for, they’re saying, it may be a year, hopefully sooner.”
If you would like to learn more about the work Congressman Allen is doing in Washington and for the 12th District, please visit allen.house.gov.
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