Coronavirus Facts and Information thread:

[Howard Is]

For those in the know, how does this coronavirus compare to SARS, swine flu, H1N1 and others? Is this the virus that will end the world and bring us to how things are in Stephen King’s The Stand?

Here are some articles which compare them.
RACGP - How does coronavirus compare with previous global outbreaks?

How novel coronavirus compares to SARS, MERS and other recent viral outbreaks

It isn’t trivial but it isn’t doomsday. The elderly make up most deaths. There have been zero deaths for those under ten years old.

The illness is not serious for most people, though they may have trouble buying toilet paper.

There will be economic damage.

 

[Quagmire]

Question, who pays for testing? I have heard that insurance will pay, what do those do who are not insured? Do they get the bill which may be several hundred dollars?

Good news in that regard so far:

Coronavirus testing is free, but the hospital trip may set you back thousands. One graphic breaks down potential costs.
California Requires Free COVID-19 Testing

 

[Quagmire]

Today:

Coronavirus Cases:
102,224
view by country

Deaths:
3,495

Recovered:
57,611

 

[Watchmen]

I just read that CDC is advising those 60+ and/or with chronic health issues should stay in as much as possible and avoid the public.

 

[Stevicus]

Today:

Coronavirus Cases:
102,224
view by country

Deaths:
3,495

Recovered:
57,611

Despite the number of the deaths, the recovery rate seems pretty solid. So, one's chances of surviving look pretty good, even if one catches the virus.

 

[Quagmire]

Well, all 5 of the stores I went to today were fresh out of rubbing alcohol (except for CVS, where there were still 16oz bottles of mint scented, for about a dollar more than what I'm used to paying). The good news is, there was still plenty of hydrogen peroxide to be had. Cheaper too: you can get a 32oz bottle at Dollar tree of 1$.

It's harder on your skin though, and it'll bleach your clothes if you spill.

Edit: white vinegar is another cheap alternative:

People also ask

Does vinegar kill the flu virus?
Household products you could cut to help the environment
Science also tells us, for example, that vinegar will kill off the flu virus. As part of research aimed at preparing us for a flu pandemic, UK researchers found that malt vinegar, much like bleach and washing up liquid, can rapidly inactivate the flu virus.Jan 11, 2018
Does vinegar really kill household germs? - Health - ABC News

Stinks a bit though.

 

[Quagmire]

I just read that CDC is advising those 60+ and/or with chronic health issues should stay in as much as possible and avoid the public.

I'm actually thinking about moving back to Chicago for a while so I can do the shopping and what-not for my 87 yr old father and his wife, who has diabetes. Not that there would be a huge advantage to my catching it at the store and passing it on to them, but it'll provide an extra layer of protection anyway.

Despite the number of the deaths, the recovery rate seems pretty solid. So, one's chances of surviving look pretty good, even if one catches the virus.

Yes, but we still don't know yet what percentage of the "Recovered" are going to mutate into flesh-eating zombies. And I don't think we can count on China to give us a decent heads up.

 

[Howard Is]

Here are some more stats.
I am no Trumpette by any stretch, however he may have a point regarding coved-19 stats.
If there are many unreported mild cases which resolve without medical intervention, current assumptions about mortality rates could be quite wrong.

(The figure for 70-79 has been mislabelled as 60-69)

 

[ChristineM]

I read this morning that the coronavirus has mutated to form a second strain, more aggressive than the original. Easier to transmit, more debilitating with a higher mortality rate.

The mutation occured some time ago, after the initial outbreak and the new form has spread quickly. Now approx 25% of people with the virus have the old strain, 75% with the new. The line is blurred because a patient can have both at the same time.


Saw it in Sud-Ouest but have since found an English language online paper with the same information.
How long will we have to wait for a coronavirus vaccine?

It also has an interactive coronavirus case tracker map

 

[ChristineM]

Well, all 5 of the stores I went to today were fresh out of rubbing alcohol (except for CVS, where there were still 16oz bottles of mint scented, for about a dollar more than what I'm used to paying). The good news is, there was still plenty of hydrogen peroxide to be had. Cheaper too: you can get a 32oz bottle at Dollar tree of 1$.


View attachment 37617

It's harder on your skin though, and it'll bleach your clothes if you spill.

Edit: white vinegar is another cheap alternative:


Stinks a bit though.

I remember watching a documentary about a private rocket research group who used hydrogen peroxide as one component of rocket fuel (oxygen is the other).

The scene was 2 technicians dress in full protective suits filling a tank with hydrogen peroxide.

The commentator calmly said, "hydrogen peroxide is concentrated and reacts violently with anything organic. Humans are organic."

 

[Quagmire]

I remember watching a documentary about a private rocket research group who used hydrogen peroxide as one component of rocket fuel (oxygen is the other).

The scene was 2 technicians dress in full protective suits filling a tank with hydrogen peroxide.

The commentator calmly said, "hydrogen peroxide is concentrated and reacts violently with anything organic. Humans are organic."

The hydrogen peroxide they sell in retail stores is only 3% strength. I'm guessing the stuff they were using for rocket fuel was a lot more potent.

It's used to sterilize wounds so I just assumed it would be OK to use as hand sanitizer. It was too, at first The third or fourth time I used it to clean my hands they started to tingle, then they started to burn a bit (something like mild sunburn).

Could be you're supposed to delute it even more if you plan on using it a lot.

Will Google.

 

[Quagmire]

The hydrogen peroxide they sell in retail stores is only 3% strength. I'm guessing the stuff they were using for rocket fuel was a lot more potent.

It's used to sterilize wounds so I just assumed it would be OK to use as hand sanitizer. It was too, at first The third or fourth time I used it to clean my hands they started to tingle, then they started to burn a bit (something like mild sunburn).

Could be you're supposed to delute it even more if you plan on using it a lot.

Will Google.

Looks like 3% is what you're supposed to use. Apparently what I was doing wrong was not wiping my hands off afterwards.

 

[ChristineM]

The hydrogen peroxide they sell in retail stores is only 3% strength. I'm guessing the stuff they were using for rocket fuel was a lot more potent.

It's used to sterilize wounds so I just assumed it would be OK to use as hand sanitizer. It was too, at first The third or fourth time I used it to clean my hands they started to tingle, then they started to burn a bit (something like mild sunburn).

Could be you're supposed to delute it even more if you plan on using it a lot.

Will Google.

Yes, was very potent stuff.

But i think its reacting with organic you. Maybe some handcream after the hydrogen peroxide to replace some of the oils its leaching from your skin.

And more diluted too ;-)


Btw its also used in some hair dyes. I went peroxide blonde once.

 

[Quagmire]

Lol! I actually scored a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Dollar Tree. I just happened to walk in about the time they got their next shipment.

Think I'll put it up on eBay for $100 .

 

[Quagmire]

Today:

Coronavirus Cases:
106,066
view by country

Deaths:
3,598

Recovered:
60,190

 

[Cooky]

Dogs, cats can’t pass on coronavirus, but can test positive

Dogs, cats can't pass on coronavirus, but can test positive

 

[Stevicus]

Now they're talking about lockdowns in the U.S., and Italy put a large section of their country on lockdown.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Cruise Ship With Infected Passengers and Crew to Dock in California

• California prepares to take in a ship, New York declares an emergency, and Italy takes stark measures.
• The Grand Princess, turned away from San Francisco, will dock in Oakland.
• U.S. lockdowns are possible, a health official says.
• Italy orders a lockdown affecting 16 million people.
• An attendee at a conference where Trump and Pence spoke tests positive.

Apparently, an attendee at a conference where Trump and Pence spoke tested positive:

A person who attended a conservative conference where President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke last week has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the conference’s host.

The American Conservative Union, which hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, said the attendee was exposed to the virus before the four-day event and tested positive for it on Saturday.


“This attendee had no interaction with the president or the vice president and never attended the events in the main hall,” the group said in a statement. “The Trump administration is aware of the situation, and we will continue regular communication with all appropriate government officials.”

The attendee has been quarantined in New Jersey, the statement said.

There was a cruise ship which was barred from docking at San Francisco, but they ended up docked at Oakland.

The Grand Princess cruise ship that has been held off the coast of California after 21 people onboard tested positive for the coronavirus was on its way to dock on Monday at the Port of Oakland, the vessel’s operator said.

More than 3,500 passengers and crew members are aboard, and 19 crew members and two passengers have tested positive.

After the ship docks, those aboard will be taken to military facilities around the country to be tested and quarantined for 14 days, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

[Quagmire]

Today:

Coronavirus Cases:
109,843
view by country

Deaths:
3,805

Recovered:
60,973

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Well, all 5 of the stores I went to today were fresh out of rubbing alcohol (except for CVS, where there were still 16oz bottles of mint scented, for about a dollar more than what I'm used to paying). The good news is, there was still plenty of hydrogen peroxide to be had. Cheaper too: you can get a 32oz bottle at Dollar tree of 1$.


View attachment 37617

It's harder on your skin though, and it'll bleach your clothes if you spill.

Edit: white vinegar is another cheap alternative:



Stinks a bit though.

Most of the grocery stores are out of rubbing alcohol here, but I saw a bunch at a Big Lots today.

It hasn't hit Maine yet: Coronavirus test results come back negative, no confirmed cases in Maine so far

I am hoping the steady intake of Moxie and Allen's Coffee Brandy of most Mainers will hold it back.

 

[Cooky]

Most of the grocery stores are out of rubbing alcohol here, but I saw a bunch at a Big Lots today.

It hasn't hit Maine yet: Coronavirus test results come back negative, no confirmed cases in Maine so far

I am hoping the steady intake of Moxie and Allen's Coffee Brandy of most Mainers will hold it back.

I found this interesting:

Soap works better than alcohol and disinfectants at destroying the structure of viruses

"Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and, indeed, most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer."

Deadly viruses are no match for plain, old soap — here’s the science behind it