BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For most of us working from home, it's halfway through week two. At 7 Eyewitness News, we appreciate you writing in with questions during this time.
A big question many of you have — taxes.
Q: “Can people still go file their taxes during this virus or will the time to get your taxes done be extended?”
-Kara from Buffalo
A: April 15th no more. The IRS announced Friday the federal income tax filing date this year has been extended to July 15, 2020. Federal income tax payments can also be deferred to this date.
Switching gears to questions about COVID-19 symptoms.
Q: "Is it possible to have coronavirus without having a fever? If someone has cough, sore throat and shortness of breath, but no fever, should they be concerned? Thank you.”
-Jen from West Seneca
A: “With serious disease, fever is almost certain. Having said that, if you are developing significant shortness of breath, but you don’t think you have fever, I wouldn’t absolutely assume the case, oh this is something else. I think regardless of the case of that shortness of breathe is going to warrant evaluation by a healthcare provider and that’s the circumstance when you should reach out," Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Dr. Thomas Russo, said.
Q: "I heard coronavirus can live up to 3 hours in the air. Does this mean that the virus can be transmitted via breathing, or only if someone sneezes or coughs? Accordingly, is there any way we can help protect ourselves from breathing in the virus?
-Jimmy from Kenmore
A: "Airborne transmission is the major mode where an individual can get infected is if your within six feet of someone that’s infected and they cough or sneeze. That puts you at maximum risk, Dr. Russo said. He continued, "If you’re outside sort of that six-foot zone, yes there’s maybe a small, but finite risk that someone at a distance had coughed or sneeze or there’s some concentration of the virus in the air that could infect you. But as the air volume increases and the distances increase, that risk significantly decreases as it does with time as eventually the virus falls out and becomes inactivated."
7 Eyewitness News will continue to ask the experts for answers to your questions. You can send them in here.
