COVID-19 Useful Information to help us all surive

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I was concerned about this getting buried in one of the many threads we have going so thought it needed it's own thread as this is for posting information that will actually help people.

Although we have some governments and agencies suggesting people use Banana's and other ineffective DIY masks that do not actually do much to protect you and others from the virus, we do have some better DIY options that DO help. For example this Physician has provided a good DIY on how to make a safer mask using a HEPA filter Vacuum bag:

https://mikeshouts.com/doctor-explains-how-to-make-the-safest-face-mask/


We are all dealing with all sorts of problems that arise during this, so if anyone else has anything they think might help others please share it here!

 

[Squilookle]

I thought masks were to prevent the giving of the virus. They do next to diddly squat in protecting the uninfected from the virus. Regular washing is the best defence.

Having checked out the video- it kinda looks like he's talking about using the masks for people who have the virus too.

That said, it does look robust. Much better than the standard fare masks

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I thought masks were to prevent the giving of the virus.

My understanding is that a lot of evidence is suggesting it's possible to be contagious while asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic. So wearing masks even if you don't believe yourself to be sick could just be a "stay on the safe side" move.

Also, people, please don't be an idiot and try to burn down a cell phone tower out of some moronic belief that 5G wireless Internet is spreading the coronavirus. Because that's actually happening and it's basically a step away from accusing people of witchcraft.

 

[stroopwafel]

I thought masks were to prevent the giving of the virus. They do next to diddly squat in protecting the uninfected from the virus. Regular washing is the best defence.

Having checked out the video- it kinda looks like he's talking about using the masks for people who have the virus too.

That said, it does look robust. Much better than the standard fare masks

Pointless and gives people a false sense of protection. I believe only those N95 masks work but those are only useful in medical settings and there is a shortage of them. Viral particles are too small for dust masks and surgical masks are only useful for mouth bacteria to not contaminate the wound. Sneeze and viral particles will erupt from around the mask and through the mask and tear ducts are also unprotected. I bet most people with those stupid masks wear them multiple times or are otherwise contaminated so that they breathe more difficult through infected garbage. It's hysteric group think that gives a false sense of control. Wearing those masks in public comes from Asian cultures but it's more from collectivist group think and it hasn't exactly helped them. What probably would have helped is changing those disgusting eating habits and stop abusing animals.

Maintaining a few meters distance from people and washing hands regularly is the only effective method to prevent further spread or infection. 'Effective' being relative ofcourse with an endemic virus that spreads through water droplets that are potentially aerosol and for which a vaccine is still years away.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

My mother-in-law is a biochemist and virologist (specializes in SARS) and she's my go-to source of info for these situations.

She's sensible and level-headed and I trust her opinion. Of course here I'm some rando, which makes her a rando twice removed for you, of the "my uncle works at Nintendo" kind, but make of this what you will. I promise it's a reliable source.

According to her, face masks ARE useful but not THAT useful and only good for about 4 hours. The virus itself isn't airborne but can survive in the air for about 2 hours from an unguarded cough or a sneeze. The face mask just minimizes (without 100% cancelling) the risk from getting it that specific way.

In my personal opinion governments are likely to downplay the effectiveness of the face mask either because they don't want the population to panic in the face of a shortage and/or they don't want to lure them to a false sense of security either.

The greater risk remains tactile, ie. touching an infected surface and then touching your face. On a surface the virus can survive for about 24 hours. Wash your hands regularly, carry some alcoholic gel with you, wear latex gloves and discard them as soon as you get home. Also rinse with detergent or alcohol all of your groceries, as well as the soles of your shoes (leave them by the door). Hell it's probably prudent to take off your clothes and wash them as soon as you get back home too.

As of right now there're 1.3 million cases of Covid-19 and 75,000 dead around the world.
Take this seriously people. In this case there's no such thing as being too careful.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

There's quite a lot of info out there about the virus. Face masks are a lot more useful against this virus than most because you are possibly most contagious when asymptomatic and someone just talking puts droplets into the air, not only stuff like coughing and sneezing. Sure sitting next to someone for awhile (hanging out, talking, etc.), the mask probably won't help too much over that extended period with lots of possible transmissions but going to the store to get groceries with little interaction, the mask will help quite a bit. There's pretty solid data from countries that are handling the virus well where masks are consistently used. There was a graph (that I forget where I saw it) of South Korean infections prior and after people started wearing masks, and the infection rate went down quite a bit. There's also a video from the Czech Replubic [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZtEX2-n2Hc] about the effectiveness of masks.

You shouldn't be so paranoid about getting the virus (unless you do have pre-existing conditions or interact with people that do) because for most people, it really isn't very bad along with the fact that you will probably get it at some point unless you're lucky enough to be in a country that has it on lockdown like Taiwan. The whole point of flattening the curve isn't to stop people from getting it but to change when they get it. The virus becomes dangerous when health care is overwhelmed and people can't get medical assistance. The one telltale sign that you probably do have the virus is a symptom you probably won't get that colds/flus usually do give you, which is a runny nose. So if you get a fever and cough (plus 1 or 2 other covid symptoms) but not a runny nose, it's probably a good chance you have it. That's from scouring all sources I could find as everyone reacts differently, but (not) a runny nose seems like the best overall indicator. I personally think I had it because I got sick for the 1st time in my life without getting a runny nose. Overall it wasn't even as bad as a normal cold for me. A big problem in the US is that you can't really get tested.

Overall, just be smart and use common sense. Use some kind of mask in public places. You can feel fine seeing a few friends in very small gatherings, don't let the stay-at-home freaks guilt you into literally not leaving the house. The objective is to flatten the curve (in the US) and you'll be helping out and doing your part very much if you limit human interactions by 90+% (which you can easily do assuming you're not working). Remember the numbers really don't tell you anything at all (testing in the US is totally not where it should be) and places like New York City had all those transmissions happen BEFORE the stay-at-home orders because even perfectly accurate numbers show what happened about 2 weeks ago (incubation periods and everything). The only numbers that will tell you if it's getting better or not will be looking at hospital capacity numbers and seeing the change (up or down) of those.

 

[stroopwafel]

You can feel fine seeing a few friends in very small gatherings, don't let the stay-at-home freaks guilt you into literally not leaving the house.

Here I would disagree. Leaving the house for a walk in the neighbourhood or groceries when you can keep 2 meters distance ok. I would go insane if I couldn't go for a walk. But actually meeting people is a real risk of catching the virus even if the risk for yourself is low you have to think about parents or sick people for which this could be deadly. That's why I also think with masks people think I can do this and I can do that when..no. In China recently thousands of people again in a park. But they wore a mask. It's fucking stupid.

Unfortunately the most responsible thing to do is put your social life on indefinite hold. It fucking sucks but what can you do.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Here I would disagree. Leaving the house for a walk in the neighbourhood or groceries when you can keep 2 meters distance ok. I would go insane if I couldn't go for a walk. But actually meeting people is a real risk of catching the virus even if the risk for yourself is low you have to think about parents or sick people for which this could be deadly. That's why I also think with masks people think I can do this and I can do that when..no. In China recently thousands of people again in a park. But they wore a mask. It's fucking stupid.

Unfortunately the most responsible thing to do is put your social life on indefinite hold. It fucking sucks but what can you do.

Meeting other people in small groups is fine as long as everyone involved understands that they should cancel the moment they have symptoms of Covid-19 (no "it is my allergy" or "I just have a cold" excuses, you cancel) or someone close to them, like people in the same home, exhibit symptoms. For those of us who are introverts it is a lot easier to just go "let's meet on Discord and game" then it is for those that are extroverts and absolutely need to meet people regularly to stay sane. The balancing act between wanting to stop the spread, maintaining your mental health and preventing undue harm to the economy is really hard.

If you haven't risked exposure and the people you meet haven't and all of you are healthy and avoid piling on each other in a tiny couch, you are minimizing risk (preferably you meet at whoever has the biggest home). Of course, if your country is on lockdown just stay at home and follow government mandate.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Although we have some governments and agencies suggesting people use Banana's

Yeah Banannas aren't the best fruit to protect your face with. I suggest oranges.

Oh a serious note heres a tip too for everyone I think is good. Even when you get a mask you feel confident works, for safety wear the mask but act as if you have no mask at all don't trust it to save you or prevent your coughs/sneezes from hitting other people.

Would anyone disagree with that sentiment or is that good to point out?

Oh and if you eat or have a smoke don't trust a mask you just took off or rolled up your head and then allowed the inside to touch potentially contaminated surfaces like your hair or the table.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Oh a serious note heres a tip too for everyone I think is good. Even when you get a mask you feel confident works, for safety wear the mask but act as if you have no mask at all don't trust it to save you or prevent your coughs/sneezes from hitting other people.

Would anyone disagree with that sentiment or is that good to point out?

Oh and if you eat or have a smoke don't trust a mask you just took off or rolled up your head and then allowed the inside to touch potentially contaminated surfaces like your hair or the table.

You're on the money. The most basic assumption in hospital quarantine procedures is that one or more of the efforts to contain a disease can fail, so there are several efforts in place to ensure that spread doesn't occur. Stuff like wear gloves but clean and disinfect your hands after using them. Wear a face mask and a visor to ensure no pathogen reaches your respiratory organs. These are good to live by as a civilian in these times. Wear a mask, but keep social distance. Don't touch people unless absolutely needed, but wash your hands regularly.

Also, any form of protection that you have removed should always be treated as contaminated or damaged and should be replaced. Doesn't matter if it is masks, gloves or otherwise. Once you remove it, never use it again no matter if you used it for a minute or an hour.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

You can feel fine seeing a few friends in very small gatherings, don't let the stay-at-home freaks guilt you into literally not leaving the house.

Here I would disagree. Leaving the house for a walk in the neighbourhood or groceries when you can keep 2 meters distance ok. I would go insane if I couldn't go for a walk. But actually meeting people is a real risk of catching the virus even if the risk for yourself is low you have to think about parents or sick people for which this could be deadly. That's why I also think with masks people think I can do this and I can do that when..no. In China recently thousands of people again in a park. But they wore a mask. It's fucking stupid.

Unfortunately the most responsible thing to do is put your social life on indefinite hold. It fucking sucks but what can you do.

I would agree and totally not see anyone if the objective was to completely stop the virus, but that's not what the US is doing. If literally everyone stayed home for a couple weeks to a month (everyone stocked up in preparation), then we could stop the virus. But we'd then have to zero essential workforce and literally martyr the people that do need medical attention (as hospitals would be closed too) to save more lives in total, which is definitely inhumane and not something Americans would probably ever do nor is this virus that bad to even put that on the table.

It's going to take months for the virus to work it's way through the essential workforce, I very much doubt Americans will be staying at home for that long. So when everyone does get back to work, the virus is still going to be out there, and you most likely will catch it at some point. What does it really matter if you get it now due to seeing some friends once or twice a week with maybe like a 10% chance of getting it vs having a high % chance when the country opens back up? You're just changing WHEN you get it, not if you get it. I said in my 1st post that you definitely have to be more careful if you or someone you're with has pre-existing conditions. When everyone does go back to work, you're still going to be in the same boat as most people can't not go back to work (for 4+ months) and survive so you will have to have the same set of precautions with a parent/grandparent (or anyone else at higher risk). This isn't going to be over and done in a month or 2 even if everyone followed the stay-at-home orders to a T.

And the main reason the stay-at-home orders have been enacted (not counting 0 preparation from the government) is because what do you think would happen if they weren't? What non-essential business would voluntarily close? How many people do you think would actually change their daily routines? You don't need 0 human interactions to flatten the curve, you need to very greatly reduce them and if everyone just interacted with a handful of people once or twice a week, the curve will be very flat (until people go back to work and then it's going back up). And the thing is that this flattening wouldn't happen if people were just "recommended" to stay-at-home as you see what most people in the South are doing.

 

[Silvanus]

I thought masks were to prevent the giving of the virus. They do next to diddly squat in protecting the uninfected from the virus.

This isn't true, actually. They're certainly not a foolproof method, because they're not airtight, don't cover the eyes, etc etc. But they are quite effective at capturing airborne droplets (from breath, for instance) which can carry the virus, and studies suggest they provide some measure of protection.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/can-a-face-mask-protect-me-from-coronavirus-covid-19-myths-busted#maincontent

 

[Casual Shinji]

I thought masks were to prevent the giving of the virus. They do next to diddly squat in protecting the uninfected from the virus.

This isn't true, actually. They're certainly not a foolproof method, because they're not airtight, don't cover the eyes, etc etc. But they are quite effective at capturing airborne droplets (from breath, for instance) which can carry the virus, and studies suggest they provide some measure of protection.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/can-a-face-mask-protect-me-from-coronavirus-covid-19-myths-busted#maincontent

Apparently this advise differs quite a bit from nation to nation. I've heard experts state that a face mask does nothing. Apparently air droplets from your breath will bleed through a face mask in no time, so even in wearing one when you've got the virus won't work in stemming the spread. Also, you'll end up touching your face when wearing one either to readjust or itch, increasing the risk of catching the virus via your eyes.

 

[stroopwafel]

Latest study also shows efficacy of face masks to prevent viral infection is pretty much 0%

Compared to no masks there was no reduction of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases (Risk Ratio 0.93, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.05) or influenza (Risk Ratio 0.84, 95%CI 0.61-1.17) for masks in the general population, nor in healthcare workers (Risk Ratio 0.37, 95%CI 0.05 to 2.50).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.30.20047217v2

 

[Dalisclock]

Latest study also shows efficacy of face masks to prevent viral infection is pretty much 0%

Compared to no masks there was no reduction of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases (Risk Ratio 0.93, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.05) or influenza (Risk Ratio 0.84, 95%CI 0.61-1.17) for masks in the general population, nor in healthcare workers (Risk Ratio 0.37, 95%CI 0.05 to 2.50).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.30.20047217v2

The biggest problem I'm seeing is that apparently, for masks to be remotely effective, you need to:

1. Avoid touching/messing with it while wearing it. This includes not pulling it down to eat/drink/talk.

2. Toss a disposable mask/Wash a reusable one as soon as you have touched it.

3. Get a clean mask to replace the old one.

A lot of people I work with are wearing masks(it's recommended but not required), and I see them pretty much reusing the same mask constantly, touching/readjusting them constantly, etc. So it feels like they might as well not bother. I wore one for about a day before realizing with a single cloth mask there's no point unless I'm going to use it for a single, uninterrupted stretch(and of course, once I eat lunch or drink coffee/water the mask is done).

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Latest study also shows efficacy of face masks to prevent viral infection is pretty much 0%

Compared to no masks there was no reduction of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases (Risk Ratio 0.93, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.05) or influenza (Risk Ratio 0.84, 95%CI 0.61-1.17) for masks in the general population, nor in healthcare workers (Risk Ratio 0.37, 95%CI 0.05 to 2.50).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.30.20047217v2

The biggest problem I'm seeing is that apparently, for masks to be remotely effective, you need to:

1. Avoid touching/messing with it while wearing it. This includes not pulling it down to eat/drink/talk.

2. Toss a disposable mask/Wash a reusable one as soon as you have touched it.

3. Get a clean mask to replace the old one.

A lot of people I work with are wearing masks(it's recommended but not required), and I see them pretty much reusing the same mask constantly, touching/readjusting them constantly, etc. So it feels like they might as well not bother. I wore one for about a day before realizing with a single cloth mask there's no point unless I'm going to use it for a single, uninterrupted stretch(and of course, once I eat lunch or drink coffee/water the mask is done).

In addition, they are only effective in combination with social distancing, if you are in a confined space where social distancing isn't possible, more PPE is required in order to provide adequate protection. Covering just your mouth and nose help when not in constant close contact, but when you are in close contact, you really need to be wearing this in order to have adequate protection:

If you thoroughly wash your hands prior to adjusting your mask, you can safely do so. You should also wash your hands after adjusting your mask as well though to ensure you are not spreading anything around that was on your mask in the first place.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Spoiler

You can feel fine seeing a few friends in very small gatherings, don't let the stay-at-home freaks guilt you into literally not leaving the house.

Here I would disagree. Leaving the house for a walk in the neighbourhood or groceries when you can keep 2 meters distance ok. I would go insane if I couldn't go for a walk. But actually meeting people is a real risk of catching the virus even if the risk for yourself is low you have to think about parents or sick people for which this could be deadly. That's why I also think with masks people think I can do this and I can do that when..no. In China recently thousands of people again in a park. But they wore a mask. It's fucking stupid.

Unfortunately the most responsible thing to do is put your social life on indefinite hold. It fucking sucks but what can you do.

I would agree and totally not see anyone if the objective was to completely stop the virus, but that's not what the US is doing. If literally everyone stayed home for a couple weeks to a month (everyone stocked up in preparation), then we could stop the virus. But we'd then have to zero essential workforce and literally martyr the people that do need medical attention (as hospitals would be closed too) to save more lives in total, which is definitely inhumane and not something Americans would probably ever do nor is this virus that bad to even put that on the table.

It's going to take months for the virus to work it's way through the essential workforce, I very much doubt Americans will be staying at home for that long. So when everyone does get back to work, the virus is still going to be out there, and you most likely will catch it at some point. What does it really matter if you get it now due to seeing some friends once or twice a week with maybe like a 10% chance of getting it vs having a high % chance when the country opens back up? You're just changing WHEN you get it, not if you get it. I said in my 1st post that you definitely have to be more careful if you or someone you're with has pre-existing conditions. When everyone does go back to work, you're still going to be in the same boat as most people can't not go back to work (for 4+ months) and survive so you will have to have the same set of precautions with a parent/grandparent (or anyone else at higher risk). This isn't going to be over and done in a month or 2 even if everyone followed the stay-at-home orders to a T.

And the main reason the stay-at-home orders have been enacted (not counting 0 preparation from the government) is because what do you think would happen if they weren't? What non-essential business would voluntarily close? How many people do you think would actually change their daily routines? You don't need 0 human interactions to flatten the curve, you need to very greatly reduce them and if everyone just interacted with a handful of people once or twice a week, the curve will be very flat (until people go back to work and then it's going back up). And the thing is that this flattening wouldn't happen if people were just "recommended" to stay-at-home as you see what most people in the South are doing.

I do not think this is good advice. Instead, EVERYONE should behave as though they have the virus and can spread it to others and actively take measures to avoid spreading it to others. This means getting together with a few friends without adequate PPE is not something that should be done right now until we have the means to actually treat patients because any one of those friends could be a carrier, or could have an unknown underlying condition that could result in severe illness. Intentionally contracting it is honestly a pretty stupid thing to do. The difference between catching it now and catching it later can be the difference between whether or not you live or die. Until we have treatment options readily available, you will have a higher risk of severe illness or death. Waiting for the medical community to have more time to gain more data and prepare means we will have more of the knowledge and resources we need to improve patient outcomes.

The medical community all over the world right now is diligently working on and testing treatments so that we will be able to save more lives. The goal here is to buy time for us to have what we need to combat the virus, not to just " let people get sick in waves". That isn't our goal at all here, as far too many people will die unnecessarily if we allow that to happen. The goal here is to keep as many people as we possibly can from contracting the virus so that we can better take care of those that do and buy time to be able to better treat the people who do become ill.

If everyone actively behaves like they have the virus and takes measures to not spread it to others, we will have the time we need to be better prepared to handle new outbreaks when they happen in the future. In addition, when they reopen businesses, this will be slow and in stages, and not just " everyone go back to the way it was". They really should make sure they have enough adequate PPE on hand supplied to those working in public at every stage of the process and not move on to the next stage until they do and this be the " way of life" until we have adequate means to treat and combat the virus, whether that it be an effective treatment or a vaccine. Intentionally infecting people in waves is ignorant and unethical so I can't imagine any government in their right mind would actually choose to do that in the first place.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Oh a serious note heres a tip too for everyone I think is good. Even when you get a mask you feel confident works, for safety wear the mask but act as if you have no mask at all don't trust it to save you or prevent your coughs/sneezes from hitting other people.

Would anyone disagree with that sentiment or is that good to point out?

Oh and if you eat or have a smoke don't trust a mask you just took off or rolled up your head and then allowed the inside to touch potentially contaminated surfaces like your hair or the table.

You're on the money. The most basic assumption in hospital quarantine procedures is that one or more of the efforts to contain a disease can fail, so there are several efforts in place to ensure that spread doesn't occur. Stuff like wear gloves but clean and disinfect your hands after using them. Wear a face mask and a visor to ensure no pathogen reaches your respiratory organs. These are good to live by as a civilian in these times. Wear a mask, but keep social distance. Don't touch people unless absolutely needed, but wash your hands regularly.

Also, any form of protection that you have removed should always be treated as contaminated or damaged and should be replaced. Doesn't matter if it is masks, gloves or otherwise. Once you remove it, never use it again no matter if you used it for a minute or an hour.

Yea it has honestly been quite horrifying seeing the conditions that many of the healthcare workers have been forced to endure during this, especially in NY and other places where they have been sending healthcare providers in without adequate single use PPE, forcing them to reuse N95 masks or telling physicians when they come in they do not even have enough supplies to even supply them with a mask to use for the entire day. Oh and the sterilization methods that have been recommended for reusing N95 masks degrade the effectiveness of the mask in the first place by damaging the fibers that are supposed to trap contaminants rendering them ineffective so what exactly is that accomplishing besides sending people in with inadequate PPE but giving them a false sense of security and endangering them? Instead of distributing enough resources to maintain safety standards, they have been lowering safety standards to be ineffective here because they refuse to allocate adequate PPE to keep first responders safe.

When we already have a global shortage of healthcare providers, needlessly losing so many due to incompetent leaders and policymakers is not something the world can really afford to do.

Although we have some governments and agencies suggesting people use Banana's

Yeah Banannas aren't the best fruit to protect your face with. I suggest oranges.

Oh a serious note heres a tip too for everyone I think is good. Even when you get a mask you feel confident works, for safety wear the mask but act as if you have no mask at all don't trust it to save you or prevent your coughs/sneezes from hitting other people.

Would anyone disagree with that sentiment or is that good to point out?

Oh and if you eat or have a smoke don't trust a mask you just took off or rolled up your head and then allowed the inside to touch potentially contaminated surfaces like your hair or the table.

LMAO! I seriously did not see that until you pointed it out. The government might as well have recommended people use bananas at this point, they would be about as effective as bandannas at preventing the spread of COVID-19, so I think I will leave it that way! XD

Yes, you are 100% correct, the mask is only an additional tool, but not very effective unless it is used alongside everything else we should already be doing. We should all still be social distancing, hand washing, coughing and sneezing into your sleeves and not all over the place and do not cough or sneeze into your hands that you then touch everything with. If everyone behaves like they have the virus themselves and take measures to not spread it to others, we can keep more people safe.

The study suggests that people may acquire the coronavirus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. Scientists discovered the virus is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200320192755.htm

ALSO: Disinfecting anything you bring into the home, whether it is groceries or the mail is important as well as it does no good to wash your hands then go open a box that could be contaminated, as COVID-19 is known to survive on surfaces for days, so it is a good idea to set mail or packages aside for a few days before opening them if you do not have disinfectant handy. I have been covering just about EVERYTHING (non produce of course) that enters my house either in industrial grade Lysol or bleach and always wash fresh produce well (don't put chemicals on your food though, just washing it well with water with soaking and scrubbing). Wiping down plastic shampoo containers and spraying cardboard/paper with disinfectant before handling it can help too.

If the person who put the shampoo or water bottle you just purchased on the shelf an hour ago is a carrier and you touch it, you can still spread it to yourself and others through contact due to how easily this is spread.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I do not think this is good advice. Instead, EVERYONE should behave as though they have the virus and can spread it to others and actively take measures to avoid spreading it to others. This means getting together with a few friends without adequate PPE is not something that should be done right now until we have the means to actually treat patients because any one of those friends could be a carrier, or could have an unknown underlying condition that could result in severe illness. Intentionally contracting it is honestly a pretty stupid thing to do. The difference between catching it now and catching it later can be the difference between whether or not you live or die. Until we have treatment options readily available, you will have a higher risk of severe illness or death. Waiting for the medical community to have more time to gain more data and prepare means we will have more of the knowledge and resources we need to improve patient outcomes.

The medical community all over the world right now is diligently working on and testing treatments so that we will be able to save more lives. The goal here is to buy time for us to have what we need to combat the virus, not to just " let people get sick in waves". That isn't our goal at all here, as far too many people will die unnecessarily if we allow that to happen. The goal here is to keep as many people as we possibly can from contracting the virus so that we can better take care of those that do and buy time to be able to better treat the people who do become ill.

If everyone actively behaves like they have the virus and takes measures to not spread it to others, we will have the time we need to be better prepared to handle new outbreaks when they happen in the future. In addition, when they reopen businesses, this will be slow and in stages, and not just " everyone go back to the way it was". They really should make sure they have enough adequate PPE on hand supplied to those working in public at every stage of the process and not move on to the next stage until they do and this be the " way of life" until we have adequate means to treat and combat the virus, whether that it be an effective treatment or a vaccine. Intentionally infecting people in waves is ignorant and unethical so I can't imagine any government in their right mind would actually choose to do that in the first place.

This virus could likely end up with a fatality rate under 1%, this isn't ebola. Currently, the virus only really becomes deadly (to like 5% at worst) when health care is overwhelmed. The goal is just to not have that happen. And, that will more than happen if people reduce their human interactions by 90+%. The people with conditions that put them at higher risk definitely should be as isolated as possible and far more cautious. I definitely didn't say to intentionally get the virus by any means, I don't know where you got that from. When the US and other countries reopen the economy, there isn't going to be a treatment or a vaccine unless you actually think everyone is going to stay home for 3+ months, that's just not going to happen. A vaccine won't even be ready this year, it's possible that a current drug will be good at treating the virus but that will be months as well. Unless you're in a country like Taiwan that's been able to put the virus on lockdown basically, you are going to most likely get the virus before there is a treatment or vaccine. In countries like the US where locking down the virus isn't possible anymore, having a nice slow rate of infections is the best way to handle it building up herd immunity. The best current "treatment" is good testing and tracing, which the US is sorely behind on.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I do not think this is good advice. Instead, EVERYONE should behave as though they have the virus and can spread it to others and actively take measures to avoid spreading it to others. This means getting together with a few friends without adequate PPE is not something that should be done right now until we have the means to actually treat patients because any one of those friends could be a carrier, or could have an unknown underlying condition that could result in severe illness. Intentionally contracting it is honestly a pretty stupid thing to do. The difference between catching it now and catching it later can be the difference between whether or not you live or die. Until we have treatment options readily available, you will have a higher risk of severe illness or death. Waiting for the medical community to have more time to gain more data and prepare means we will have more of the knowledge and resources we need to improve patient outcomes.

The medical community all over the world right now is diligently working on and testing treatments so that we will be able to save more lives. The goal here is to buy time for us to have what we need to combat the virus, not to just " let people get sick in waves". That isn't our goal at all here, as far too many people will die unnecessarily if we allow that to happen. The goal here is to keep as many people as we possibly can from contracting the virus so that we can better take care of those that do and buy time to be able to better treat the people who do become ill.

If everyone actively behaves like they have the virus and takes measures to not spread it to others, we will have the time we need to be better prepared to handle new outbreaks when they happen in the future. In addition, when they reopen businesses, this will be slow and in stages, and not just " everyone go back to the way it was". They really should make sure they have enough adequate PPE on hand supplied to those working in public at every stage of the process and not move on to the next stage until they do and this be the " way of life" until we have adequate means to treat and combat the virus, whether that it be an effective treatment or a vaccine. Intentionally infecting people in waves is ignorant and unethical so I can't imagine any government in their right mind would actually choose to do that in the first place.

This virus could likely end up with a fatality rate under 1%, this isn't ebola. Currently, the virus only really becomes deadly (to like 5% at worst) when health care is overwhelmed. The goal is just to not have that happen. And, that will more than happen if people reduce their human interactions by 90+%. The people with conditions that put them at higher risk definitely should be as isolated as possible and far more cautious. I definitely didn't say to intentionally get the virus by any means, I don't know where you got that from. When the US and other countries reopen the economy, there isn't going to be a treatment or a vaccine unless you actually think everyone is going to stay home for 3+ months, that's just not going to happen. A vaccine won't even be ready this year, it's possible that a current drug will be good at treating the virus but that will be months as well. Unless you're in a country like Taiwan that's been able to put the virus on lockdown basically, you are going to most likely get the virus before there is a treatment or vaccine. In countries like the US where locking down the virus isn't possible anymore, having a nice slow rate of infections is the best way to handle it building up herd immunity. The best current "treatment" is good testing and tracing, which the US is sorely behind on.

Stating:

What does it really matter if you get it now due to seeing some friends once or twice a week with maybe like a 10% chance of getting it vs having a high % chance when the country opens back up? You're just changing WHEN you get it, not if you get it.

Getting it now vs getting it later means getting it when we do not have treatment options available to increase favorable patient outcomes to waiting until we do have treatment options available to increase favorable patient outcomes. We are not just trying to keep our healthcare systems from being overcapacity, we are trying to buy time to find better ways to treat it so we can increase the survival rate. Intentionally ignoring the warning and doing things that have been determined to increase the spread, like getting together with friends, is intentionally exposing oneself and others and taking unnecessary risks. The idea here is not just to "control the flow", we currently do not have adequate treatments available even when you do come into the hospital. It isn't just about being overcrowded here, even if you were the ONLY patient in the entire hospital right now, if you become severe, we do not have " tried and true" methods to increase your survivability yet. Currently we are "just trying things and seeing if they work" and that is not a good place to be if you become severe right now. The longer we can postpone people contracting it, the more time we have to come up with better treatments. The current survival rate of COVID-19 patients on ventilators is not good.

Most of the people who come down with severe illness from COVID-19 did not think it would happen to them either. Many people do not even know if they have underlying conditions. We have had people of all ages, genders, ethnicities come down with severe illness and even die from COVID-19, some who were considered healthy without any known preexisting conditions even with ample medical care. We still do not even know if there is any long term protective immunity from contracting it, so that certainly is not something that should be used to determine policy.

No, trying to build up " herd immunity" when we do not even know if that is possible, nor how long any protective immunity lasts from contracting the virus is not in any way the "best solution". That is a myth that has been long busted here:

https://iser.med.unsw.edu.au/blog/busting-myths-about-covid-19-herd-immunity-children-and-lives-vs-jobs

https://www.sciencealert.com/why-herd-immunity-will-not-save-us-from-the-covid-19-pandemic

What we ARE trying to do here is reduce the number of people contracting COVID-19 until we can find a way to increase favorable patient outcomes. We need time here more than anything else. Instead of people accepting that they are going to get it at some point and letting their guard down, they need to be doing everything in their power to prevent it's spread. We have healthy first responders on the front lines here that we believe are coming down with severe illness due to the size of the viral load they are being exposed to.

The initial dose of virus and the amount of virus an individual has at any one time might worsen the severity of COVID 19 disease. Viral load is a measure of the number of viral particles present in an individual. Higher SARS-CoV-2 viral loads. might worsen outcomes, and data from China suggests the viral load is higher in patients with more severe disease. The amount of virus exposure at the start of infection ? the infectious dose ? may increase the severity of the illness and is also. linked to a higher viral load

Healthcare workers can be exposed more often due to numerous infected individuals exposures. In the early stages of an outbreak, initial contacts might not be recognized, particularly contacts with those with mild symptoms, or when the use of protective measures is suboptimal. Reducing the frequency and intensity of exposure to SARs-CoV-2 might reduce the infectious dose and result in less severe cases.

https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/sars-cov-2-viral-load-and-the-severity-of-covid-19/

This idea that people should just expect to get it is a terrible one. If I get it, for example, I have a low probability of survival. I have already survived another severe respiratory illness that I contracted while working with MSF that damaged my lungs in the same way that COVID-19 does and likely could not withstand more damage to my lungs. Whether or not you contract it can affect me, and everyone else who has/ can/ will die from this, as every single person who contracts it effects the probability of someone who will become severe contracting it. I still have to leave my home to go to the doctor myself as well. It isn't like we can all stay in our homes forever and that isn't what is being expected of us here. We just have to take the proper precautions when we do, and for the time being ,until we can actually do more than "just try what we can to save you to see what works" and obtain more reliable treatments, people should only go out when necessary.

Where I am at in Texas is under lockdown. I do not expect us to be under lockdown forever. I do expect everyone in public to have PPE right now, practice social distancing and utilize mitigating practices to help reduce the spread until we can obtain better treatments. If people continue to practice these mitigating efforts we will be able to open up more options slowly WHILE still utilizing proper PPE, social distancing and hygiene practices to keep people safe. As long as people actually comply with the efforts, we will be able to do more. If they fail to comply or it starts to surge again once we start opening up, we will have to shut if back down again. I know that is not what some want to hear, but it is what it will take to prevent this from becoming catastrophic. It is also a myth that the US cannot "lockdown". IF a nation with over 1.3 billion people can lock it down and reduce their numbers, A nation with over 300 million can do so as well, it is all a matter of leadership, enforcement, resource distribution and compliance, and no, we do not need to close our hospitals to accomplish this. The less PPE provided, the less compliance and enforcement, the longer this will take and the worse it will be.