time-pressed parents, for sure — but worth the short-term effort to protect the long-term health of a very young child.

To access the full report, go to https://oversight.house.gov/ news/press-releases/oversightsubcommittee-staff-report-revealstop-baby-foods-contain-dangerous. drinks to two per day for men and one per day for women.

It’s the alcohol and sugar recommendations that have attracted the most criticism of the new DGA. Those recommendations were not changed, even though the advisory committee that produced the underlying scientific report strongly recommended cutting added sugars back to 6 percent of daily calories and limiting alcohol to one drink per day for men as well as women.

Whatever the internal politics dictating the recommendations, guidelines alone are not enough to change Americans’ eating habits. DGA authors acknowledge that most Americans do not follow the dietary guidelines, which were first issued in 1980. According to a DGA web page, “The average American diet scores a 59 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index, which measures how closely a diet aligns with the dietary guidelines.”

To motivate people to make more healthful food choices, the website myplate.gov offers a “Start Simple with MyPlate” app to make setting goals and tracking dietary changes easier to manage.

To download a full copy of the 164-page 2020-2025 DGA, go to www.dietaryguidelines.gov.

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, started offering free COVID-19 tests to symptomatic pets in mid-February — and a cat tested positive almost immediately. All human members of the cat’s family also had the disease. The question for many is: Who infected whom.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the risk of catching COVID-19 from an animal is low. The virus is much more likely to spread from people to animals than from animals to people. Cats and ferrets seem to be more susceptible to the disease than dogs, and they can spread it to other members of their species, at least in laboratory settings. At this time, there are no reports of dogs spreading the virus to other dogs.

If a pet shows signs of illness, such as fever, coughing, shortness of breath, sneezing, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, eye discharge or lethargy — and has been exposed to a human with a confirmed case of COVID-19 — talk to your vet about having the animal tested.

If your pet tests positive for COVID-19, the CDC says there is no need to abandon or surrender it. Instead, observe the following guidelines:

• Keep the sick pet isolated from other family members and animals.

• Outside the home, avoid other people, animals and public places (like dog parks).

• Keep a sick cat indoors.

• Set up a separate litter box or outdoor bathroom area for the infected animals.

• Use separate bowls, blankets and toys for sick pets.

Although catching COVID-19 from an infected pet is highly unlikely, you can take some simple steps to protect yourself and other members of your household: Wear a mask and gloves when you are in the same room as your pet and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol content before and after touching the animal or any of its bowls or toys.

Do not put a mask on your pets or try to “disinfect” them with alcohol, hand sanitizer, wipes, hydrogen peroxide or other chemicals. Such actions could seriously harm or even kill the animals.

Do call your vet if you suspect your pet may be infected with COVID-19; don’t just walk into an office or clinic with a sick animal. Follow your vet’s advice about home care. (Most infected pets do not need hospitalization.)

If you contract COVID-19, protect your pet by having someone else care for it. If that’s not possible, refrain from petting, snuggling with, sharing food or a bed with or kissing your pet. Wash your hands very thoroughly before and after touching the animal and wear a mask when you are in close contact.

— PATRICIA WEST-BARKER