Protect Yourself From Coronavirus

[Jim Oaks]

Not to sound paranoid and leaning on the side of caution.....


Although this is becoming a huge problem in other countries (global death toll has passed 3,000), as of 03/02/2020 the United States has had 6-deaths and has been reported in 11-states.

Do your part to help prevent the spread:


1) Wash your hands with soap and water to minimize your infection risk. The best way to prevent coronavirus is to wash your hands as often as possible. Wet your hands with warm water, then apply a mild soap. Work the soap into a lather for 20-30 seconds, then rinse your hands clean under warm running water.

• Always wash your hands before you eat or drink anything. However, it’s also best to wash your hands anytime you’re out in public or after you’re around someone you suspect may be sick.
• If you can't wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer that contains 60%+ alcohol.

2) Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. You may come into contact with the coronavirus on a surface, like a doorknob or countertop. When this happens, the germs can linger on your hands, so you can easily infect yourself if you touch your face with dirty hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth in case the virus is on your skin.

• If you need to touch your face, wash your hands first so you’re less likely to infect yourself.

3) Stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing. Since coronavirus is a respiratory infection, coughing and sneezing are common symptoms. Additionally, coughing and sneezing both release the virus into the air, so they may increase your risk of infection. Keep your distance from people who appear to have symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.

• If it’s appropriate, ask the person to stay away from you. You could say, “I noticed you were coughing. I hope you feel better soon, but please keep your distance so I don’t get sick.”
• If you know someone has been around sick people, it’s a good idea to distance yourself from them, too.

4) Don’t shake hands with people, whether they show symptoms or not. Unfortunately, people who are infected with coronavirus may spread the illness even if they aren’t showing symptoms. To protect yourself, limit your contact with others just in case. Kindly decline to shake hands until the coronavirus threat is over.

5) Disinfect high-touch surfaces daily using a product that kills viruses. Unfortunately, coronavirus can linger on surfaces, such as doorknobs, countertops, and faucets. Use a spray disinfectant or bleach wipes to clean these surfaces daily. Make sure the surface stays wet for about 10 minutes so it effectively kills the virus. This limits the risk of the virus lingering on the surfaces and potentially causing an infection.

• In your home, disinfect your front doorknob, kitchen counters, bathroom counters, and faucets.
• At work, clean surfaces that people tend to touch, such as doorknobs, stair railings, tables, and surface counters.
• You can also make disinfectant by mixing 1 cup (240 ml) of bleach with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of warm water.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Damn it Jim... That just made me paranoid!

I love the money they give me... but money is some kind of nasty germ carrying vessel.

I simply have to take it... Thank goodness that 70% of what comes in is typically electronic payment.

I probably need to set the standards for front counter/pos/credit card machines a bit higher while this is around.

UGH!!!

 

[sgtsandman]

And if you are sick, for God's sake! Stay home. I get sick more often going to volunteer organization meetings than anywhere else. You don't have to be there, stay home until you get better!

 

[97RangerXLT]

And if you are sick, for God's sake! Stay home. I get sick more often going to volunteer organization meetings than anywhere else. You don't have to be there, stay home until you get better!

The sad reality is that most people in minimum wage jobs can't afford to stay home. staying home means no pay, or worse yet, being wrote up for calling off work or disciplined. so, your cashier (who handles all of the items you are buying) makes it to work even though they are coughing their lungs out because one more call off they get fired or rents due and they need the pay check.

AJ

 

[sgtsandman]

That’s why I didn’t say anything about work. A lot of places don’t have any kind of sick leave. So, taking time off without pay isn’t an option.

Showing up to a volunteer organization meeting when you don’t have to be there, is unnecessary and is spreading the illness for no good reason.

 

[8thTon]

I really think focusing on prevention is pointless. This thing is highly contagious and will be will us indefinitely. We will all get it eventually, but it won't be a big deal for most - the nasty part is that it seems to be really hard on those with other health issues. I'd focus more on treatment and recovery than on a hopeless effort of prevention.

 

[fastpakr]

I really think focusing on prevention is pointless.

WTF?


No, really. WTF?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That’s why I didn’t say anything about work. A lot of places don’t have any kind of sick leave. So, taking time off without pay isn’t an option.

That is how my wife's work was when she had the flu. They were all grumpy because she didn't have any PTO time left after having maternity leave so she had to go to work when she really shouldn't have. The only days they let her go home was when she kept almost falling asleep one day and lost her voice another day. Being written up was mentioned but they never followed thru.

I told her to make sure to give it to her boss if they are going to be that flat out stupid... but she failed.

WTF?


No, really. WTF?

They were saying it was stupid contagious, like it was traveling thru the air ducts on the cruise ship and baggage handlers were getting it from luggage.

I don't know if it was as bad that way as it was hyped up to be though. I looked it up before typing this and it looks like it is about a cold/flu for transferring.

If it could go thru the air and whatnot like they were saying... yeah you are pretty much screwed. According to Wikipedia though you do have a fighting chance with soap and water:

2019–20 coronavirus outbreak - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[fastpakr]

Sure, it's certainly quite contagious from all information we have available. That still makes prevention on the front end the most important step, not one you dismiss entirely.

 

[sgtsandman]

All the reports I’ve been seeing on the mortality rate, it doesn’t look like it isn’t going to be any worse that the flu. The flu seemed to actually be worse. 2% for the Coronavirus. I forget what the flu was but we have thousands die from it every year.

Not wanting to down play it but it seems like it is being way over hyped by the media. Not that I want it. I didn’t like the last flu I got one bit.

 

[fastpakr]

2% is many times higher - traditional flu is around 0.1%.

 

[snoranger]

I have 700+ hours of sick time saved up... I should just stay home until it’s all over.

 

[8thTon]

WTF?


No, really. WTF?

Will I wash my hands? Of course, reasonable measures make sense, but I'm not going to be wearing masks. I assume I'll get it and be sick for a few days. No biggie, I'll let the fever cook like I always do. If it gets worse and kills me oh well, I wasn't gonna live forever anyway. I'm mostly worried about people who are vulnerable due to other conditions, but very unlikely that hand washing will prevent them from being exposed for very long.

From what I can tell China did pretty well with their efforts at containment - but to what end? They cannot keep everyone separated and have a functioning society, so they have to let people interact again which will bring the spread right back. Efforts to quarantine here will only cause more problems while solving almost nothing - about the only possible benefit would be to help slow down the initial spike in cases which would show just how gutted and unprepared our for-profit hospital system really is. There is no surge capacity (because unused bed are not profitable), and not enough supplies (the hospital my daughter works at is already taking about how to reuse what should be disposable PPE).

So yeah, I'm working on the assumption that prevention is hopeless and that I will get it, therefore I'm focused on treating it at home and not relying on a completely overwhelmed hospital system. You're welcome to try not to get it - good luck.

 

[fastpakr]

Oh! You meant that it wasn't 100% effective. That is -vastly- different from saying it's pointless.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

2% is many times higher - traditional flu is around 0.1%.

I had to check, and that seems accurate according to one source that I will link. But the regular flu has already killed 10's of 1000's and no media hype on that....

The flu has already killed 10,000 across US as world frets over coronavirus

"In the U.S., it's really a fear based on media and this being something new," Dr. Jennifer Lighter, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said of the new coronavirus.

www.cnbc.com

And maybe a way to help...
I don't pretend to understand any of this linked post, but if playing a game can help, why not?

Design a protein to inhibit Coronavirus

https://fold.it/portal/node/2008926 FoldIt is software developed by arguably the world’s leading expert on proteins, David Baker at University of Washington. He has done pretty remarkable things that deserve more press than they get, such as designing novel protein folds in silico and then...

forum.level1techs.com