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Coronavirus Facts and Information thread:

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
Figured it would be a good idea to create a thread specifically for facts, information, and updates about the coronavirus for anybody who actually wants to keep abreast of what's going on. Please let's keep attitudes and opinions out of this thread. We have the rest of the forums for all that.

And:
*** Note: this thread is in the Current Events forum, which is a sub of General Discussion. Debating is not allowed here. If you want to hold a debate about whether or not we should be taking this whole thing seriously or whatever, please create your own thread in one of the debates forums. ***



For starters:

Today's tally:

Coronavirus Cases:
90,433
view by country

Deaths:
3,118

Recovered:
48,110
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
From the New York Times:

--- How to Prepare for the Coronavirus
"Stock up on home supplies, medicine and resources
Skip the masks, but don’t skimp on your household supplies — and that goes for prescription and over-the-counter medicine, too.
Experts suggest stocking at least a 30-day supply of any needed prescriptions, and you should consider doing the same for household items like food staples, laundry detergent, and diapers, if you have small children.

Remember, alcohol is a good disinfectant for coronaviruses so make sure to keep surfaces in your home clean. Throw out those tissues in a wastebasket after you blow your nose.

The C.D.C. also recommends cleaning “high touch” surfaces, like phones and tablets.

Beyond physical items, prepare your home for a potential outbreak in the United States by staying up-to-date with reliable news resources, such as the website of your local health department."

How to Prepare for the Coronavirus ----



The last few weeks every time I go shopping I pick up a little something extra: a 2lb bag of rice, a 1lb bag of beans, a 32 oz thing of oatmeal, a few extra canned goods . .

At this point I have enough food for a cpl of months. It's that easy. And, I haven't done the math yet, but I would be surprised if its cost me an extra $100 so far, probably less.
 
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Thief

Rogue Theologian
it seems to prefer cool temps and moist air
and can survive on a firm surface for days

beware your door knobs
 

74x12

Well-Known Member
Figured it would be a good idea to create a thread specifically for facts, information, and updates about the coronavirus for anybody who actually wants to keep abreast of what's going on. Please let's keep attitudes and opinions out of this thread. We have the rest of the forums for all that.

And:
*** Note: this thread is in the Current Events forum, which is a sub of General Discussion. Debating is not allowed here. If you want to hold a debate about whether or not we should be taking this whole thing seriously or whatever, please create your own thread in one of the debates forums. ***



For starters:

Today's tally:

Coronavirus Cases:
90,433
view by country

Deaths:
3,118

Recovered:
48,110
Good info, unfortunately I don't think we can fully trust the Chinese government's numbers. However, it's all we got for now.
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
it seems to prefer cool temps and moist air . . .

Let's hope the change of seasons slows this thing down. We'll still have to deal with it next year, but I can wait. :D

Good info, unfortunately I don't think we can fully trust the Chinese government's numbers. However, it's all we got for now.

Unfortunately, we'll have other sources of information soon, as the rest of the world seems to be catching up quickly.

"South Korea coronavirus cases pass 4,800"
Coronavirus news and live updates: South Korea cases pass 4,800 - CNN
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
From the New York Times:

--- How to Prepare for the Coronavirus
"Stock up on home supplies, medicine and resources
Skip the masks, but don’t skimp on your household supplies — and that goes for prescription and over-the-counter medicine, too.
Experts suggest stocking at least a 30-day supply of any needed prescriptions, and you should consider doing the same for household items like food staples, laundry detergent, and diapers, if you have small children.

Remember, alcohol is a good disinfectant for coronaviruses so make sure to keep surfaces in your home clean. Throw out those tissues in a wastebasket after you blow your nose.

The C.D.C. also recommends cleaning “high touch” surfaces, like phones and tablets.

Beyond physical items, prepare your home for a potential outbreak in the United States by staying up-to-date with reliable news resources, such as the website of your local health department."

How to Prepare for the Coronavirus ----



The last few weeks every time I go shopping I pick up a little something extra: a 2lb bag of rice, a 1lb bag of beans, a 32 oz thing of oatmeal, a few extra canned goods . .

At this point I have enough food for a cpl of months. It's that easy. And, I haven't done the math yet, but I would be surprised if its cost me an extra $100 so far, probably less.
you forgot the lentils
white navy beans and some lentils have the same nutrition as a steak
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
you forgot the lentils
white navy beans and some lentils have the same nutrition as a steak

Actually, I bought a lb of lentils too. :D

Only thing I still need that I haven't picked up yet is pancake mix. I like the good stuff, Kodiak whole wheat, so I'm waiting for it to go on sale.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
One thing to watch out for are the supposed cures and preventative measures which could be more deadly than the virus: https://nypost.com/2020/02/27/phony...ng-deadly-vitamin-doses-to-fight-coronavirus/

And now “wellness influencers” on social media platforms are making matters worse by offering virus prevention in the form of possibly “near-lethal doses of vitamins,” Business Insider reports.

Conspiracy theorists have already advised followers to drink something alternately known as Master Mineral Solution, Miracle Mineral Supplement or MMS, which is made with an industrial bleaching agent, to stave off illness. And it should go without saying that guzzling Clorox is a no-no.

Miracle Mineral Supplement, with bleach.

But now, other self-proclaimed health experts are feeding followers with dubious remedies made of herbs, extracts and potentially deadly amounts of dietary supplements. While some suggestions, like eating some herbal remedies, could be relatively harmless — so long as it’s not replacing conventional methods of hygiene — megadoses of vitamins A, C and D could land someone in the hospital or worse.

The advice is particularly insidious due to the “health halo” effect of over-the-counter vitamins, which some don’t realize can be too much of a good thing.

Dr. Peter Osborne of the Gluten Free Society on YouTube acknowledges the fact that there is no cure for coronavirus. In the meantime, Business Insider reports that he told his 56,600 YouTube followers to start with a daily dose of 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 150,000 international units of vitamin D to help support immune health, even though the National Institutes of Health recommends only 400 IUs per day for infants, and 600-800 for those up to 70 years old. Over 4,000 IUs could cause abdominal pain, vomiting, confusion, heart arrhythmia and kidney damage.

That's a lot of vitamin C and D.

Another clinic in Colorado is offering vitamin C treatments, also with high doses.

Loveland’s vitamin C treatment delivers a whopping 15,000 milligrams a day, which would be 200 times the recommended daily amount for women (75 mg) and 166 times that for men (90 mg), according to the NIH. Taking too much vitamin C, it says, could cause a patient to experience diarrhea, nausea or stomach cramps, or promote iron overload in those with a condition called hemochromatosis, which may lead to liver disease, heart problems and organ failure.

Siegfried Emme, a registered nurse at the clinic, told The Post in an email that their advice comes from Andrew W. Saul, the editor-in-chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, a site focusing on alternative medicine that touts heavy supplementation for optimal health. Emme specifically referenced an article by Saul that claims that Chinese doctors are already using vitamin C to help prevent coronavirus, as well as evidence that high doses could be used to treat cancer.
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
One thing to watch out for are the supposed cures and preventative measures which could be more deadly than the virus: https://nypost.com/2020/02/27/phony...ng-deadly-vitamin-doses-to-fight-coronavirus/
.

Personally, I'm uping my vitamin C intake a bit (half a gram supplement per day) and plan on eating healthier over all, including some herbs with known anti-viral properties, like garlic and ginger: 15 Antiviral Herbs to Keep You Healthy

But I binge on those from time to time anyway.
,
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
I just got back from the store a cpl hours ago and I noticed that half of the shelves holding rice and dried beans are empty, and the only bottles of rubbing alcohol that were left were the mint scented ones (probably because people didn't know what it was). I wasn't specifically looking either, these were just things that I noticed as I was buying groceries.

So I did a google search:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/02/grocery-stores-coronavirus-panic-buying/
Hoarding in the USA? Coronavirus sparks consumer concerns
Grocers, Retailers Prepare for Surge in Demand as Coronavirus Spreads


From Reuters:

Nothing in the United States yet resembles what Italy witnessed in recent days - where supermarket shelves were stripped bare and videos posted on social media showed consumers coming to blows over bags of pasta.

Consider, Italy saw it's first case about a month ago: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Italy - Wikipedia
 
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Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
More authoritative facts and advice from a New Zealand perspective

What is COVID-19?

Recently, an outbreak of a new coronavirus disease now called COVID-19 (sometimes called novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV) was identified. Coronaviruses are a large and diverse family of viruses which cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

New Zealand is prepared and ready to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak should it occur here. The risk of an ongoing outbreak is low-moderate, but we are monitoring the situation closely.

Symptoms
Symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to a range of other illnesses such as influenza. Having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have COVID-19.

Symptoms include:
  • fever
  • coughing
  • difficulty breathing.
Difficulty breathing is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

We don’t yet know how long symptoms take to show after a person has been infected, but current World Health Organization assessments suggest that it is 2–10 days.

If you have these symptoms and have recently been to a country or area of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19, please telephone New Zealand Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 or your doctor immediately.


How it spreads
Like the flu, COVID-19 can be transmitted from person to person. The scientific evidence confirms that coronavirus is spread by droplets. This means that when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, they may generate droplets containing the virus. These droplets are too large to stay in the air for long, so they quickly settle on surrounding surfaces.

Droplet-spread diseases can be spread by:

  • coughing and sneezing
  • close personal contact
  • contact with an object or surface with viral particles on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
That's why it's really important to practice good hygiene, regularly wash and thoroughly dry your hands and practice good cough etiquette.

Prevention - how to protect yourself and others
You can take some simple steps to help stop the spread of diseases like COVID-19.

  • Avoid close contact with people with cold or flu-like illnesses.
  • Cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing.
  • Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with water and soap and dry them thoroughly:
    • before eating or handling food
    • after using the toilet
    • after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or wiping children’s noses
    • after caring for sick people.

What to do if you may have been exposed
People returning from mainland China, Iran, northern Italy or the Republic of Korea, or who may have been exposed to COVID-19, are self-isolating to keep their communities safe.

  • If you returned from mainland China, Iran, northern Italy or the Republic of Korea in the last 14 days, then you should self-isolate for 14 days from the date of departure.
  • If you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 you should self-isolate for 14 days from the date of close contact.
We know from other outbreaks that self-isolation is effective, and most people are good at keeping themselves – and others – safe and well. To find out more, see our Self-isolation resource.

COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) – health advice for the general public
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
fyi, I managed to buy a lot of my emergency food supplies from the local Dollar Tree. I figure, rice is rice, oatmeal is oatmeal, pasta is pasta.

Just something to consider if you're planning on stocking up yourself.
 

Quagmire

Imaginary talking monkey
Staff member
Premium Member
Remember: if people think the stores are going to run out of food, the stores are going to run out of food.

I know I'm advocating hoarding, which is, ironically the source of the potential scarcity that I'm advocating preparing for, but I figure that it would be easier for the stores to keep up with demand now than it might be later on if the supply lines are interrupted in any way (we saw supply chain problems in Wuhan).

My philosophy is: better everybody freaks out a little now than freak out a lot later.
 
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