trying to put together a little blurb for friends/family. Does anything here seem wrong or is there anything important I've omitted:
let's talk coronavirus. Specifically the latest coronavirus, COVID-19.
here are some facts about it according to what we know now:
- it can transfer through your eyes, nose, and mouth, usually through droplets in the air from a cough or sneeze. This is why a mask alone would be insufficient for your protection: those pesky, pesky eyes. Wearing a mask is how you protect your germs from spreading to others.
- it has the highest rate of infection since the Spanish Flu, so it's super contagious
- incubation period of between one and 14 days...so you can have it and not even show symptoms for two weeks, which is part of why it's so hard to identify. People with no symptoms spread it.
- it most dramatically affects the elderly and immuno-compromised; you can see some recent stats in this chart:
https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/20860.jpeg
but viruses can
mutate so these things could in theory change! it could get worse, but it also might not. Right now,
most people who catch it will recover. So at this point in time,
the most dramatic impact of the virus will probably be the resulting social unrest. Avoiding panic is super important and the following situation is pretty reasonable to imagine:
- the first recorded outbreak happens in your area
- people who did not read this post PANIC and clear out your grocery stores of anything remotely useful
- the hospitals and urgent care facilities near you get overwhelmed, so getting healthcare becomes exceedingly difficult
so what can you do to prepare?? well, here are some things to consider:
- in terms of avoidance, don't touch your face and wash your hands frequently and well. here's a guide for thorough hand-washing:
http://atomalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/How_to_Handwash.jpg
- cover your face when you sneeze or cough
- consider what would happen if you couldn't go to the grocery store or get deliveries for a period of 2+ weeks. What would you need to survive? How much food and water? Multivitamins? Medication (anti-cold medicine, painkillers, antidiuretics)? Hygiene items (e.g. toothpaste, soap, menstrual products, toilet paper)? How would you take care of someone who gets sick in your family who got sick? Prepping
now and buying whatever you can in advance before most people panic will greatly improve your quality of life.
some other questions you might have:
- there is no vaccine or cure. It is you and your body vs. the virus, old school-style. And you'll probably win! Here's an article that goes into more detail about why a vaccine has been challenging to produce so far:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/02/covid-vaccine/607000/
- the U.S. government is woefully ill-prepared and the president's newest budget proposes millions in cuts to the CDC...so don't expect them to take charge of this. The U.S. is barely testing anyone at the moment, so the proactive movement you'd hope to see is just not there.
- even in Wuhan (where this strain of virus originated), they have never lost power or water so we're unlikely to reach that point of...well, apocalyptic outcome.
Not advocating for panic, but I do advocate for preparation. This whole thing could blow over with minimal impact, and that would be great! But also maybe not! I just wanted to bring it to more people's attention.
and I'll end by saying that any anti-Chinese racism or sentiment that's resulted from this outbreak is super awful and unnecessary.