more than 3500 americans but my next guest is while long covid is real, the risks have been greatly exaggerated. doctor marty makary is a fox news medical contributor. good to see you. it has been a while. you wrote for us this week about the exaggerated fears of long covid. how so? i have patients to have had long covid. there are those that have brain fog, loss of smell and general fatigue and malaise and a neurological pins and needles sensation but the incidents is not 20%, the cdc dangles that number is if one in 5 americans is going to be struck by a permanent disability. the uk suggests that number in a much better study is close to 3%, and two new research articles in the last few weeks of shown they are common to any respiratory infection, long-haul symptoms can happen
you know, one of the toughest winters that i ve been delivering mail. reporter: this meter maid, who s used to getting the cold shoulder, takes it all in stride. in and out, sip on some coffee, anything to keep us warm. reporter: the two biggest risks for those working in the cold, frostbite and hypothermia. frostbite is a damage to the skin caused by overexposure to the cold. in subzero temperature you can start to feel the preliminary symptoms in minutes. numbness or a pins and needles sensation. without treatment, it could cause permanent damage. hypothermia occurs when the body core temperature drops below 95 degrees. below 82 degrees, it can be fatal. according to this worcester, massachusetts, sanitation worker, the best advice for battling the cold likely came from mom. i got about six shirts and three pants. reporter: tuesday s forecast calls for a high of 36 degrees.