Coronavirus - Health and preparedness aspects - II

[JoeWras]

And their recommendation for individuals :"Begin now to adopt and rigorously practice the most important preventive measures for COVID-19 by frequent hand washing and always covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing;"

Not joking here... I need to finally break my nail-biting habit. It is terrible for this kind of thing.

 

[sengsational]

Another of my Nutty Ideas

Not joking here... I need to finally break my nail-biting habit. It is terrible for this kind of thing.

Whenever I'm drifting off to sleep, or in the shower, I come up with things that seem ingenious. Then, in the light of day, they seem nuttier than a fruitcake. Here's one I'll share: onions.

We know this stuff (virus) lasts for many days on a shiny surface. You simply can't wash your hands after touching everything. You simply have GOT to keep from touching your face (or biting nails). Why not take a big ole nasty red onion, chop it up, and put it in a bag in the fridge. Then every so often, grab a few bits and rub them on your hands.

Now, every time your hands get close to your face, you'll be reminded "Don't do it!"

Buy like 20 boxes of tissues and put them everywhere you hang out. When your nose itches, your eye itches, you wish to strike a thoughtful pose (hand near mouth), maybe you'll smell the onion and grab a tissue before making contact with yourself.

 

[Philliefan33]

As far as preparation goes, I’ll have a little bit of work to do when DH and I get home next week. (We are current basking in a beach in PR).

We should get home Monday night. After being away for a week, I will of course need to make a grocery run on Tuesday. I mentioned to DH last night that I’ll buy a little more than usual, so that if conditions warrant staying isolated we can make do with the food and supplies in the house.

I’m curious— what would be your trigger to shelter in place? I think for me it would be the local school district closing the schools.

 

[sengsational]

Can a Vaccine Save Us?

I'm thinking a vaccine isn't going to offer much help (see image). I'm no virologist, but this picture (below) from the WHO report (link posted above), makes me think it's a steep uphill battle at best. There are only 2 original SARS variations. There are 40 SARS2 (2019-nCoV) variations. Given the lack of a vaccine for the original SARS, I have very little confidence that there will be some "magic bullet"; when I see those stories about how such and such a company will have a vaccine in a month, I'm very much more than skeptical. There's probably people that believe it, more because they want to believe it than that it's likely. I hope I'm as wrong as wrong can be.

 

[Khan]

We had already been stocking up for hurricane season.
Much propane and gasoline.
Solar panels.
2 months of survival rations, and a vegetable garden.

 

[TromboneAl]

onions.

We know this stuff (virus) lasts for many days on a shiny surface. You simply can't wash your hands after touching everything. You simply have GOT to keep from touching your face (or biting nails). Why not take a big ole nasty red onion, chop it up, and put it in a bag in the fridge. Then every so often, grab a few bits and rub them on your hands.

Now, every time your hands get close to your face, you'll be reminded "Don't do it!"

Buy like 20 boxes of tissues and put them everywhere you hang out. When your nose itches, your eye itches, you wish to strike a thoughtful pose (hand near mouth), maybe you'll smell the onion and grab a tissue before making contact with yourself.

I've done that using garlic.

 

[NW-Bound]

The smell of onion on your hands may cause raised eyebrows from people around you.

How about rubbing some crushed habanero on your fingertips? You would stop picking your nose in no time.

 

[brewer12345]

Apparently Mountain House, pretty much the brand name in dehydrated foor for hikers and campers, is waving the white flag. Their website spits out the following: "Due to increased demand, shipments are delayed and we're unable to answer individual questions over the phone. Apologies for the inconvenience!"

When you click past this you see: "Thanks for visiting Mountain House! Due to high demand we're checking our inventory and in the kitchen cooking up more food. In the meantime, we're not accepting orders online or over the phone. Please do not call. Apologies for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience!"

 

[Gumby]

If I understand correctly from the report, physical contact is the transfer method of the virus.

And their recommendation for individuals :"[/FONT]Begin now to adopt and rigorously practice the most important preventive measures for COVID-19 by frequent hand washing and always covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing;"

Last week, we made a sign for ourselves and posted it on the back door, which is our primary entrance. It says, simply, "wash your hands". We hope to develop the habit of washing our hands whenever we come in the house.

 

[Bongleur]

The World Health Organization just returned from China. Here is their assessment and report https://www.who.int/docs/default-so...na-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

The text which gives the upbeat "80% mild" soundbite uses a different definion of "mild" than the bar chart A on page 29, which clearly shows that about 50% of cases are worse than mild (pneumonia, severe, critical).

>
Most people infected with COVID-19 virus have mild disease and recover. Approximately
80% of laboratory confirmed patients have had mild to moderate disease, which includes
non-pneumonia and pneumonia cases,

13.8% have severe disease (dyspnea, respiratory
frequency ≥30/minute, blood oxygen saturation ≤93%, PaO2/FiO2 ratio <300, and/or lung
infiltrates >50% of the lung field within 24-48 hours) and

6.1% are critical (respiratory
failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction/failure).

Asymptomatic infection has been reported, but the majority of the relatively rare cases who are asymptomatic on
the date of identification/report went on to develop disease. The proportion of truly
asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare and does not appear to
be a major driver of transmission.
>

 

[audreyh1]

This isn't a question particularly to the poster, but do you think the virus mutated and that's why some people seem to have been infected multiple times like with the seasonal flu? Or this test often shows false-negatives? I know for the passengers from the Diamond Princess who are hospitalized in Japan - they have to have multiple test results that come back negative before they're considered recovered, and I wonder why...

I read a pretty good write-up today where the doctor/public health person believes that it is a relapse, and that even though the person tested negative, they weren't over the original infection. The time between initial sickness and relapse in the Japanese woman really was too brief to believe that it was a new infection.

 

[sengsational]

Last week, we made a sign for ourselves and posted it on the back door, which is our primary entrance. It says, simply, "wash your hands". We hope to develop the habit of washing our hands whenever we come in the house.

That's been a rule at our house during "cold and flu season" for a few years now. I've upped the ante now, making a decontamination station, with all the required supplies, so that personal effects and any objects being introduced to the house can be at least assessed and (maybe) sanitized. Right now it's just practice for if there comes a time when there is a local outbreak and we're coming back from a likely contaminated zone.

 

[Gumby]

The text which gives the upbeat "80% mild" soundbite uses a different definion of "mild" than the bar chart A on page 29, which clearly shows that about 50% of cases are worse than mild (pneumonia, severe, critical).

>
Most people infected with COVID-19 virus have mild disease and recover. Approximately
80% of laboratory confirmed patients have had mild to moderate disease, which includes
non-pneumonia and pneumonia cases,

13.8% have severe disease (dyspnea, respiratory
frequency ≥30/minute, blood oxygen saturation ≤93%, PaO2/FiO2 ratio <300, and/or lung
infiltrates >50% of the lung field within 24-48 hours) and

6.1% are critical (respiratory
failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction/failure).

Asymptomatic infection has been reported, but the majority of the relatively rare cases who are asymptomatic on
the date of identification/report went on to develop disease. The proportion of truly
asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare and does not appear to
be a major driver of transmission.
>

MOD NOTE -- What is the possible use of this post? How will it help me or anyone else? Or is it just fear mongering? The warning with which I started this thread was a serious one. Heed it.

 

[brewer12345]

MOD NOTE -- What is the possible use of this post? How will it help me or anyone else? Or is it just fear mongering? The warning with which I started this thread was a serious one. Heed it.

Far be it from me to disagree with moderator wisdom, but as someone who did not click through the link I thought it was actually a helpful post. Call me crazy, but I don't consider any amount of pneumonia to be a "mild" illness.

 

[Gumby]

Far be it from me to disagree with moderator wisdom, but as someone who did not click through the link I thought it was actually a helpful post. Call me crazy, but I don't consider any amount of pneumonia to be a "mild" illness.

I suppose I would prefer not to have pneumonia either, but quibbling about the report's definition of "mild to moderate" disease adds nothing to the discussion as to what we as individuals or the government can or should do about the spread of this virus. If you catch it, it will be what it will be. If the message is "be more afraid," it simply is not helpful.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Not joking here... I need to finally break my nail-biting habit. It is terrible for this kind of thing.

Have you tried something like this: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/grannicks-bitter-apple-16462?cm_mmc=PSH-_-GGL-_-SPP-_-PME-_-PET-_-AQU-_-0-_-PTC_P_SUP_LIA-GG_FY19_SBU04_Supplies_BOPIS-_-Local_Inventory_Ads-_-0&kpid=go_6481492731_80601462431_381040834018_pla-723436490155_c&utm_config=tad0iunwp&utm_campaign=PTC_P_SUP_LIA-GG_FY19_SBU04_Supplies_BOPIS&utm_source=google

Grannick's Bitter Apple

Taste deterrent and training aid for dogs

 

[Masquernom]

It may have already been mentioned here, but California now has it's second case of corona virus without knowing the infection route. This case is about 90 miles from the first case.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/health/coronavirus-us-updates-california-patient/index.html

Welcome to the pandemic.

 

[TromboneAl]

From someone who got it on the Diamond Princess:

I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I’ve ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don’t have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual.
​

Scary part bolded.

[Paywall] https://apple.news/AOSLYtkLIQ6eubvhhpy7OQA

 

[Sunset]

It may have already been mentioned here, but California now has it's second case of corona virus without knowing the infection route. This case is about 90 miles from the first case.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/health/coronavirus-us-updates-california-patient/index.html

....

This does not seem surprising to me, it just takes 1 person who has the illness that arrived before it was known, or snuck in because they just felt a little under the weather and didn't want to be inconvenienced by a quarantine.

I went grocery shopping today (again) for milk and 24 cans of vegies. So if I get the Covid-19, there is no way I will know who I got it from, there were dozens of people in that store. Who knows who used the cart before me as well.
Plus I filled up with gas, so we don't need gas for a month for either vehicle.

So I think it's very reasonable to expect this will spread throughout the USA, which is why I'm making a few trips to stock up, in case we need to shelter in place for a 3 weeks.

 

[Kwirk]

My plan, already started, is to wear gloves whenever I leave home and to remove them before reentering the house. This will both help to protect me and, hopefully, serve as a reminder not to touch my face. I’ll carry spare gloves for changing if I leave a high risk area. I expect to use a lot of gloves and these are still available at our local Costco in boxes of 400. Hand washing is a great idea but my skin just won’t tolerate frequent washing, even with moisturizers.

I would like to see everybody wearing masks in public. Soon any of us could be infected and infecting others, even without symptoms. A mask may not protect me but it may help protect others from me. Unfortunately, there just aren’t currently enough masks available to make this practical.

I’ll try to shop at off hours and distance myself from others.

If appropriate fear helps to motivate others to take protective measures then I see that as helpful. China has limited the spread of the disease with strong measures. The number of cases elsewhere in the world appears to still be growing exponentially. So far as I can tell this disease is not just another “flu.”

 

[Bir48die]

Thank you moderators for shutting down many of the panicking threads on this. People, just be smart and aware.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I didn’t find the other threads as panicking. They were just adult discussing the virus.

 

[brewer12345]

Thank you moderators for shutting down many of the panicking threads on this. People, just be smart and aware.

Yeah. Can't have consumers stop consuming or muppets not buying.

 

[harllee]

DH has a compromised immune system (takes Humira for psoriatic arthritis). One thing his doctor suggested (in addition to avoiding crowds, hand washing, etc) is to use a Nettie Pot every time we come in from out of doors. We actually use the NellMed squeeze bottle to rinse out the sinuses and eye drops to rinse out the eyes when we have been out. These things do seem to have helped to avoid colds and sinus infections. We have gotten so use to using the NellMed that we miss it when we forget to use it, it really cleans out the sinuses. Not sure what it will do for the new virus but maybe it will help.

As for the nail biting issue I use to have a terrible habit of nail biting--the hot sauces, etc never deterred me. What finally got me to break the habit was wearing artificial finger nails until my own nails finally grew out. Not sure how this would work for you guys but it worked for me.

 

[stepford]

I didn’t find the other threads as panicking. They were just adult discussing the virus.

There was also a tone of escalating alarmism, disbelief in official figures and, it seemed to me, an overall doomsday view. Some folks rely on this board as a source of real information and recommendations. I think having the mods tamp down the rumors is helpful for all of us.