Doctors are warning Americans to wear face masks and take other precautions at the ballot box today amid a ‘perfect storm’ for diseases.
Millions will head to polling stations where they’ll face long waits in cramped lines and touch pens and electronic screens used by countless others.
Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said with flu and an unusual type of pneumonia around, it raised the risk of getting sick.
He urged people to wear masks while in indoor lines and consider keeping a distance of six feet.
Dr. Tess Barton, a pediatric infectious diseases expert in Texas, also urged voters to wipe down voting screens and pens before casting their ballots.
Dr Schaffner told DailyMail.com: ‘I would hope everyone has already received both their influenza and Covid vaccines, and those aged 75 years and older, their RSV vaccines.
‘But, beyond that, wear a mask — because influenza is starting and Covid is still spreading out there.
‘This refers particularly to a group of people who are a high risk group, so those who are older and have underlying conditions like lung disease and heart disease.’
Pictured above is a woman wearing a face mask at a postal ballot center in Phoeniz, Arizona, during the 2020 presidential election
CDC surveillance so far this year shows minimal flu and Covid activity, but does suggest there has been a surge in ‘walking pneumonia’ cases.
It comes after health officials started urging people to mask up again as winter approaches.
Dr Schaffner added: ‘I would start by wearing a face mask when I am waiting in the line, particularly indoors. If the line snakes out of doors, you are still in close proximity to people so I would wear a mask then also.
‘I think it would be good to do social distancing too. I have seen in our local public library that people are very respectful and have a little bit of distance between themselves, but certainly not six feet, so it is not entirely successful.’
‘This is not just something I preach too. I voted by mail, but whenever I go to the supermarket, since I have some grey hair and I am in one of those more at-risk groups, I wear a mask.’
Doctors say infected patients could spread the disease via sneezes and coughs that release airborne droplets.
They may also spread the disease by touching their nose or mouth and then a surface, such as a voting machine or pen.
Others may then pick up or breathe in these droplets while waiting in line to vote or while in voting booths, risking an infection.
Dr Barton said: ‘We’re all touching the same little pens and touch screens when we vote.
‘If you’re going to be in line with a lot of people, some of them may be sick.’
The above map shows that at the end of September, the latest week available, all states had ‘low’ or ‘minimal’ flu activity
There has been an uptick in ‘walking pneumonia’ infections, however, particularly among children
The US flu season typically starts in October, and peaks around December and February.
But data suggests that infections with flu, Covid and RSV are yet to take off — although there is a surge in ‘walking pneumonia’, mostly among young children.
All states had a ‘low’ or ‘minimal’ level of flu activity in the week to September 28, the latest available, data shows.
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Mask mandates became a staple in many Democrat states during the Covid pandemic as a way to stop the virus spreading.
But studies have failed to show they reduced infections or deaths.
A major review by the Cochrane Institute found they make ‘little to no difference’ to someone’s risk of catching Covid.
At the same time, some research suggests Covid measures like masking and social distancing may put people — especially children — more at risk of severe infections.
They say it robs children of exposure to diseases early in life, which means their immune system may not develop correctly.
Walking pneumonia is a bacterial infection that can cause excessive coughing, a fever and a headache.
But it is also considered to be less severe than the main form of the disease, with patients not sick enough to stop carrying out daily tasks.
