CU Guru [1315]
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As a physician I offer this COVID-19 basic summary
Mar 14, 2020, 1:27 PM
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Some basics about COVID-19:
Coronavirus is a respiratory illness spread through droplets, from a cough or sneeze, to someone else’s nose or eyes directly or from a surface contaminated by an infected person. There’s no evidence that the illness is transmitted through food (orally) or fecally.
The chances of having a serious COVID-19 infection are very low. 96% of people with symptoms will test negative.
Bottom line: Try to NOT touch your face ( something we do 3-23 times/ minute!) unless your hands are as CLEAN as possible. If you can, try to wash your hands with soap and hot water for 20 seconds, followed by hand sanitizer (ie. CLOROX Disinfecting Wipes (w/o bleach), before you touch your face OR just do the same two things every 4 hours or so (less if only at home). Do the best you can and keep a mind set re cleanliness.
Remember that 80% of people with the virus will recover without issues; 14% of the affected will experience severe disease and 5% will be critically ill. The overall death rate is between 1-3.4%.
The most severe cases occur in the over 60 age group and especially people with underlying health issues, such as COPD or other underlying lung disease, heart disease, immune suppression for any reason (to include chemo or radiation therapy), smoking history, diabetes, people without pneumo-vax vaccinations ( 2 are required) for pneumococcal pneumonia. Health care workers are especially at risk.
Symptoms to watch for: 1) Fever ( 100.4 or higher), 2) Cough (productive or not), 3) Shortness of breath that's new, 4) Generally feeling ill (headache, aches and pains). If you do become ill, it's very important to stay at home and call your doctor for instructions. If you become very ill (unlikely) call your doctor or the ER immediately and ask for advice.
Dining out: Take along some good sani-wipes (for the table) and hand sanitizer and use it! Salt and pepper shakers, silver ware and the like CAN retain the virus. If you touch these items, scrub again and or use copious amounts of hand sanitizer BEFORE you touch your mouth, nose or eyes again.
The number of new cases in China is declining, which will hopefully be the case in the USA in the near future (ie. 6-8 weeks). Rest assured that the US has the best facilities and manpower in the world to address this rapidly unfolding pandemic. Nobody is close to our capabilities.
Chances are very high that we will be OK but, of course, the unknown creates fear, which can become widespread and actually be more damaging to our psyche, especially when the liberal media attempt to discredit the response by the Trump administration for political gain, stoking fear and confusion.
A colleague (medical school classmate--psychiatrist) says that in times of uncertainty, people should strive for emotional balance. Maintain routines. Find someone who can help check fears and concerns. Don't talk frequently to the friend who's in a frenzy about it – fear, experts say, is contagious.
The number of testing kits is a problem since the CDC has NEVER had a stockpile to address the huge numbers of potentially infected. That will soon NOT be a problem. Drive through testing sites in large parking lots ( thank you corporate America) will be set up soon. Initially, time was consumed by having to identify the RNA genomes of the virus in order to produce a suitable reagent ( chemical) to test the samples from patients. The CDC did not trust the kits from other countries and wanted to create their own.
**** The Chinese GOVERNMENT did monumental damage to the world by keeping their epidemic under wraps, avoiding transparency and even refusing US help before the virus EXPLODED EXPONENTIALLY.
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