Coronavirus questions answered: Can you have flu and COVID-19 at same time?

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Dr. Jeanette Nesheiwat answers your questions about coronavirus

Appearing on 'Fox & Friends' Wednesday, Dr. Jeanette Nesheiwat provides answers to viewers' questions about the spread of COVID-19.

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In an interview on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday morning with host Steve Doocy, family and emergency medicine Dr. Janette Nesheiwat answered your questions about the coronavirus pandemic.

Question: Is it possible to have the flu and COVID-19 at the same time? 

According to Dr. Neisheiwat, co-infection is possible, but extremely bad luck. She would differentiate between the two with a nose swab test.

"And, it takes about 10 minutes for the results to come back to tell me if they have influenza A or B," she explained. "If they're positive for Influenza A, we stop -- or B. We stop. We do not proceed to testing them for COVID-19."

However, Dr. Neishewat also told Doocy that if they were negative for influenza, that would meet the criteria to be tested for the coronavirus.

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Question: If someone in our apartment building gets the virus, what is the risk of it spreading through the shared heating?

Dr. Neishewat says that the risk of the virus being transmitted through shared heating is low.

"Even though it's possible, traditionally speaking, viruses tend to thrive in cold weather. So, we hope this virus will behave as many other viruses in history," she remarked. "So, once you hit about 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, viruses tend to degenerate. So, the likelihood of you getting this transmission from a heater is possible but low."

Dr. Neishewat told Doocy the risk lies in person-to-person or surface contact.

Question: Is it true that 80 percent of people will not even know that they have/had coronavirus?

Dr. Neishewat said that the data U.S. health officials and doctors have acquired shows that approximately 80 percent of people will have mild or no symptoms. Whereas about 15 percent of people will have moderate to severe symptoms and then five percent will have critical symptoms.

"The majority of people will recover with zero medical intervention," she stated.

However, in order to prevent the spread of the virus to the vulnerable, common-sense precautionary measures still must be taken.

Question: If you have all the symptoms except the fever, is that still considered the virus? 

"You don't always have to have a fever to be diagnosed with COVID-19. But, it's one of the typical signs and symptoms that we see," she told "Fox & Friends First's" Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt earlier Wednesday.

However, she noted, that the guidelines for the virus and its symptoms could "change at any day."

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Question: From playgrounds to items put back on store shelves, how long can the virus live on surfaces like plastic and wood?

Viruses can live on inanimate surfaces anywhere from a few hours to a few days, according to the Fox News contributor.

So, if there's something that's cleanable, she advises viewers to "clean it" and then wash your hands.

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Question: Should children and adults be taking vitamins to boost their immune systems?

Although people who have a regularly balanced diet do not need to take vitamins, Dr. Nesheiwat recommends a couple of vitamins and minerals for an extra boost.

"I tend to recommend Zinc because that has been shown to help fight viral replication and also Vitamin D has been shown to help prevent upper respiratory tract infection," she told the "Friends First" hosts.

To date, the coronavirus pandemic has infected over 200,000 people worldwide and killed over 8,000. In the United States, there have been just under 6,500 confirmed cases recorded with over 110 deaths reported.