Many people in #NewOrleans are sneezing and coughing right now. A weather expert said: “It’s just bad pollen – no rain for over 10 days, and it’s peak #pollen season!” But here’s the truth in simple words: Right now, about 1 in 98 people in #Louisiana have active #COVID19 and can spread it. That means in a room with just 25 people, there’s roughly a 23% chance at least one person has COVID. So don’t just blame “miserable pollen.” Your symptoms could be BA.3.2 (#Cicada) variant #COVID. BA.3.2 uniquely "mimics allergies" more than other recent #Omicron lineages; most COVID variants can cause overlapping upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose or sneezing. New Orleans is a high-pollen area in spring, so differentiation often requires testing. Please get tested if you feel sick. Better safe than worst! pmc19.com/data/ cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7… today.com/health/coronav… #COVIDisAirborne @michael_hoerger @PeterDaszak @PeterHotez @BenjaminMateus7 @CarolineDKee @ramyakannan