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First there was the twindemic. Now there is another potential overlap of illnesses facing Austinites, as cedar fever season nears its peak and the local COVID-19 caseload continues its upward climb.
Cedar fever is a seasonal allergy caused when people inhale the pollen from mountain cedars, drought-resistant evergreen trees common in Central Texas. Pollination occurs between November and March, according to the Texas MedClinic. Allergies tend to be most severe in December, January and February.
Symptoms of cedar fever include a runny nose, fatigue, mild headache, sore throat and partial loss of smell, among others. As a result, some residents may be pressed to determine whether they are suffering from a seasonal allergy or the coronavirus.
"That's really the million-dollar question," said Dr. Jackee Kayser, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Dell Children's Medical Group.
Although cedar fever and COVID share some symptoms, there are ways to distinguish between the two.
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
"The key difference is the itch factor," Kayser told Austonia, adding that if one has nasal or ocular itchiness it is likely that they are suffering from allergies, not COVID.
On the other hand, symptoms such as fatigue, malaise and fever are likely to point to the coronavirus, rather than allergies.
"Cedar fever is sort of a misnomer," she added. "You really shouldn't have fever with allergies."
When symptoms occur may also hint at the culprit. Austinites who suffer from cedar fever annually shouldn't expect this year to be any different, Kayser said.
In tough cases, where the symptoms don't definitely point to one malady or the other, she encourages Austinites to seek out a COVID test.
"If there is anxiety surrounding patient symptoms, fortunately we're in a place in Austin where we have testing readily available," she said, adding that those who receive negative results can always seek out an allergist for more guidance.
In less severe cases, there are some remedies that may help reduce the symptoms of cedar fever.
Texas MedClinic, which has two locations in Austin, recommends running the air conditioner and regularly dusting and vacuuming during the peak season. Bathing pets and nasal irrigation, such as with a neti pot, can also provide relief.
Kayser recommends those with allergies avoid spending time outdoors when pollen counts are especially high. Closing the doors and windows in one's car and home can be helpful, too.
For those who do spend time outside, she suggests showering—making sure to wash eyelashes, eyebrows and hairlines, where pollen can lurk—upon returning home.
"The other thing that you can do is really just take advantage of some of the good medications that are available over the counter," she said.
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Popular
(Paxton Smith/Instagram)
Paxton Smith’s 2021 valedictory speech at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas wasn’t the same speech she had previously shared with school administrators. She dropped the approved speech and made a case for women’s reproductive rights after lawmakers passed the Texas "Heartbeat Bill.”
Her advocacy made news on NPR, YouTubeTV and in The Guardian. Just over a year later, the “war on (women’s) rights” she forewarned has come to a head as the U.S. Supreme Court voted Friday morning to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection for abortion access.
“It is up to the people to show up and show the courts and the politicians that we won’t sit back and let this happen,” Smith told Austonia Friday morning. “We will show up, we will fight back. Before, we were scared of them, now they should be scared of us.”
Now a University of Texas sophomore and abortion rights activist, 19-year-old Smith said she wanted to give the same speech in the “the most public way possible” to reach “as many people as possible who don't agree that I deserve this right.”
However, she says the response was “actually overwhelmingly positive” and supportive of her cause. According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
The speech opened up further opportunities for activism: she advocated for reproductive rights at the International Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, interviewed with Variety magazine and spoke to tens of thousands at Austin’s Bans Off Our Bodies protest at the Texas Capitol in May.
Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, a national nonprofit organization that helps fund abortions or medication abortion—like Plan C pills—in all 50 states. Most recently, Smith has been attending protests in Washington, D.C. leading up to the ruling.
“This is land of the free. This is where you get to choose how you live your life,” Smith said. “Overturning Roe v. Wade violates everything that we have come to believe about what it means to live in this country. I think a lot of people aren't willing to accept that this is a human right that is most likely just going to be gone for over half of the country within the next couple of weeks.”
Bracing for the next steps, Smith gave some tips for supporters:
- Find a protest to attend.
- “I would say invite somebody to go to those protests with you, invite a couple of friends, invite people into the movement,” Smith said.
- Talk about the issue on social media—use the platform you have.
- “Have these kinds of conversations where people can just talk about their fears and then find ways to go and advocate for yourself,” Smith said.
- Volunteer at a nonprofit near you.
“I feel like a lot of the reason things have gotten as bad as they have within the abortion rights world is that people are not making a scene, not protesting, not putting the effort into ensuring that the government doesn't take away this right,” Smith said. “I want to emphasize that if you're not doing anything, don't expect the best scenario, expect the worst because that's the direction that we're going in.”
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(Council Member Chito Vela/Twitter)
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, Friday morning. Moments later, Austin City Council set a special meeting for next month to pass a resolution aimed at decriminalizing abortion.
The GRACE Act, which stands for guarding the right to abortion care for everyone, is a twofold plan submitted by council member Jose “Chito” Vela. It recommends that city funds shouldn’t be used to surveil, catalog, report or investigate abortions. It also recommends that police make investigating abortion their lowest priority.
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who co-sponsored the resolution along with council members Paige Ellis, Kathie Tovo and Mayor Steve Adler, said the importance of the GRACE Act cannot be overstated.
“By introducing this resolution during a special session, City Council is doubling down on fighting back for reproductive health,” Fuentes said. “Items like the GRACE Act will promote essential healthcare while enabling individuals to exercise their bodily freedom.”
The act takes an approach similar to when former council member Greg Casar moved to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Ultimately, state law doesn't allow city officials to order police chiefs to adopt specific enforcement policies so the resolution would be a request to Police Chief Joe Chacon. In May, Politico reported that Vela is having "ongoing conversations" with Chacon about the proposal.
Austonia contacted Attorney General Ken Paxton for comment on the GRACE Act but did not hear back by time of publication. On Friday, Paxton celebrated the overturning of Roe and announced an annual office holiday on June 24 in recognition of the high court's decision.
In a press release, Vela said the Texas state government has a history of overturning municipal protections of human rights. Thirty days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texas will ban all abortions, with exceptions only to save the life of a pregnant patient or prevent “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”
Still, Vela expressed hope for the GRACE Act’s longevity. Council’s special meeting on it is set for the week of July 18.
“We know this resolution is legally sound, and Austin is not alone in this fight,” Vela said. “We are working with several other cities who are equally horrified by the prospect of an abortion ban and want to do everything they can to protect their residents.”
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