Coronavirus - what do you think?

[sydr]

Here's some information that might prove food for thought:

The author is James Robb, MD UC San Diego

 

Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

 

Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources. 

 

The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April. 

 

Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

 

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.

 

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove. 

 

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.

 

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts. 

 

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been. 

 

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands.

 

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

 

What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

 

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.

 

       Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average - everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth. 

 

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

 

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

 

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like" symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available. 

 

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.

 

I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us! Jim

 

James Robb, MD FCAP

[wilson59]

I just want to get it over and done with and catch it . Not doing any of that

[tazzieman]

I am also a pathologist , and this is an interesting article from my pathologist friend today!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-may-be-beginning-to-learn-to-love-the-virus-20200302-p545zy.html

and my wife says it's OK to stop at Bunnings and enlarge my arsenal of zombie apocalyse tools (axes , spikes etc) so the whole family can join in on their 14 days off

[wilson59]

9 minutes ago, tazzieman said:

I am also a pathologist , and this is an interesting article from my pathologist friend today!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-may-be-beginning-to-learn-to-love-the-virus-20200302-p545zy.html

and my wife says it's OK to stop at Bunnings and enlarge my arsenal of zombie apocalyse tools (axes , spikes etc) so the whole family can join in on their 14 days off

I already have my select group of Zombie killers . Already pruned the ones that will get us all killed

[LeeM]

[Troubleshooter]

Since the news broke I'm vaxxing with a 6 pack of Coronas daily for immunity 👍

[LeeM]

 I think it's the governments of the world collectively saying 'Buy more drugs that you don't need that are made in China, along with all the other crap they export so we can make more money out of you...'

 I also think it's the media having a great time at the public's expense...but that's just me

[wilson59]

14 minutes ago, LeeM said:

 I think it's the governments of the world collectively saying 'Buy more drugs that you don't need that are made in China, along with all the other crap they export so we can make more money out of you...'

 I also think it's the media having a great time at the public's expense...but that's just me

No I think your on it . I actually think I may have had the Coronavirus already anyway. 
I came back from Japan with a super flu. Feeling better now 

[42 South]

2 hours ago, LeeM said:

 I think it's the governments of the world collectively saying 'Buy more drugs that you don't need that are made in China, along with all the other crap they export so we can make more money out of you...'

 I also think it's the media having a great time at the public's expense...but that's just me

I work in health and the Pharmacy areas are now becoming concerned with the potential loss of generic drugs that nearly all come from China and India once they are no longer copyright protected.

[Airhead]

Fake News.

Or read Dean Koontz book Eyes of Darkness from 1981

A Chinese scientist … defected to the United States, carrying a diskette record of China’s most important and dangerous new biological weapon in a decade,” the character says.

[LeeM]

4 hours ago, 42 South said:

I work in health and the Pharmacy areas are now becoming concerned with the potential loss of generic drugs that nearly all come from China and India once they are no longer copyright protected.

 I'm not usually one to pass judgement on this sorta thing (in public anyway), yet I SWEAR it's a deliberate act by the Chinese to hold the world to ransome. 

 

 

[BlitzKonig]

2 minutes ago, LeeM said:

 I'm not usually one to pass judgement on this sorta thing (in public anyway), yet I SWEAR it's a deliberate act by the Chinese to hold the world to ransome. 

 

 

Or to push manufacturing back into the Western world, this is the great thing with theories, anyone can make up their own.

[LeeM]

7 minutes ago, BlitzKonig said:

Or to push manufacturing back into the Western world, this is the great thing with theories, anyone can make up their own.

 Oh it's TRUE mate. I read it on the internet 👍🤔😉

[sleazius]

As a person in the 40-50 age bracket I've got almost no concern, it is just another flu for me.

If however you are over 60, suffer from respiratory or kidney diseases, heart disease or diabetes, you're at high risk and I would be much more careful. Oh, and anyone with a suppressed immune system too.

If you look at the deaths by age people under 60 have very little to worry about.

[Raven]

over blown media Hype ,,,,,,,,they love spreading the news of imminent doom ..........if Corona dose not kill you this month ,some other dooms day apocalypse will next month we are all doomed ,,,,,,I dont know how I survived the cold war , the depletion of the Ozone layer , Y2K Bug , 911 ,sars virus ,, the War on terror ,mayan doomsday calendar, flat earthers ,, last months bush fires and yesterdays toilet paper shortage at coles ,,,it never ends with these scaremongers ,,they just love doom and gloom 

[wilson59]

[Coastr]

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

in some areas the death rate is pretty high.

outbreaks in care facilities are a real concern.

Thankfully no children have died so far, but if you’re over 60 start thinking about precautions.   I’m currently in Washington state where they suspect it’s been circulating undetected for 6 weeks.  6 confirmed deaths and climbing as they autopsy people who died in Feb.  Mainly all at aged care.  We had a confirmed case at my work which goes back two weeks, before a lot of precautions were being taken.

i would say I have gone from skeptical to at least paying attention.

[firstone]

What's up with the run on toilet paper ffs?

And I thought I was weird. 😂😂😂

[Raven]

People believe they will have to lock them selves away in their homes isolated from the virus so they are stocking up on essential items 

doomsday preparations 

[sleazius]

6 hours ago, Coastr said:

I would say I have gone from skeptical to at least paying attention.

This. Everyone should be paying attention, but there is no need to be alarmed unless you are already on Death's door.

If you take comorbidities out of the stats the death rate falls to 0.9%. Now this is still extremely high, but take anyone over 60 out of the stats and you're down below 0.1% in most age groups.

[Zelrik911]

4 hours ago, firstone said:

What's up with the run on toilet paper ffs?

And I thought I was weird. 😂😂😂

The checkout-chic at the local supermarket told me that she recognised a lot of the chi. persons bulk buying the loo rolls as the same ones that were buying up all the A2 milk to sell back to China.

She reckons they are stocking up to on sell locally at huge inflated prices, when there is a shortage.

[firstone]

Capitalism, supply n demand. 😉

[9fan]

What about the GFC bug - this corona virus is just accelerating the spread of the world debt through economic strangulation ?

[edgy]

On 04/03/2020 at 14:15, Airhead said:

Fake News.

Or read Dean Koontz book Eyes of Darkness from 1981

A Chinese scientist … defected to the United States, carrying a diskette record of China’s most important and dangerous new biological weapon in a decade,” the character says.

 

Just ^^ wondering; Tina was "too busy" with Danny ... doing what now? 

[jakroo]

On 04/03/2020 at 10:44, LeeM said:

All of those things are known and to a strong degree well understood. They are in a relatively flat state of increasing or decreasing. 

This particular virus is capable of growing in a hyperbolic/exponential or some other very rapid and steep growth pattern.  And it will kill many people across the world over it's lifecycle just as influenza and many other respiratory diseases have done in historical times before we were able to develop strategies to defend against them (hygiene, medicines and isolation).   Some will be old, some young, some healthy and some already health compromised.  This makes it a real danger and very hard to contain.

By all means don't go crazy by ceasing all contact but as it starts to influence supply of important things that are made across our very global and interconnected supply chain, then stuff starts to slow down and that's why people should take care with hygiene.  Your food and health security is now contingent on many others around the world. This was very much less the case 30-50 years ago.

Anyway, got to go and lie down, I don't feel so good. cough cough, splutter splutter