Some information on COVID-19
Hey everyone. This is outside of my usual content. However, I felt the need to spread some information that I've collected. I'm not a doctor - I have close friends who are knowledgable and worked in a team that was part of building technology during outbreaks and therefore have access to some good streams of information.
1. What immediate actions should I take?
First and foremost, implement a routine hand wash and take hand sanitizer with you whenever you interact with external objects or people. The virus has been tested to survive more than 24 hours on the surface, and so you want to be safe whenever you introduce a new object to your environment. For instance, if you order a package, spray it down or clean it and wash your hands after, as that package has been handled by a lot of people within the 24 hours before. Try not to touch your face unless you washed your hands or sanitized it. If you order delivery, order half-baked pizza or something which you can re-heat and that will kill the virus. Do not use delivered napkins or utensils. Use your own. By staying home and taking proper precautions we have the highest chance at flattening the curve.
2. Should I stay home?
My answer here is that it depends on the circumstances, but generally yes unless you have an incredibly good reason not to. For instance, if you are in a high-risk group (e.g. 70+) you should ask a family member or friend to get groceries, as long as that person can safely do so, has been taking proper hygiene precautions for at least 2 weeks (estimated higher end of the incubation period), and is not showing symptoms. You should also follow proper hygiene steps when getting groceries. Avoid general events and don't go barhopping for St. Patrick's day - even if you are not at high risk of death yourself, the long-term effects of the virus are still largely unknown and you become a vector in the train of transmission without necessarily knowing it, as you can infect others without showing symptoms. This is one of the larger dangers of the virus. You are also unnecessarily causing strain on the system if you require hospitalization, which could take away from others requiring life-saving treatment. For instance, during the Ebola crisis, there were a lot of Measles-related deaths as vaccination and response efforts of Measles were decreased in order to fight Ebola
Source: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/…/drc-fighting-measle…
3. How long will this last?
It's hard to tell at this point because we are still in fairly early stages of testing. As a result, we don't know how high the case count in the US is. The longer the curve isn't flattened (which we achieve through social distancing and proper hygiene) the longer it will take, as it is generally an exponential problem - more infections means more vectors (example of this is that the chance of the person delivering your groceries having it goes up as the case count rises, even though that person may not know it), which means more stress on the system (hospitals could be overloaded and thus not able to treat cases properly) and thus the eventual containment of the disease will be delayed. Since the US was fairly late in implementing good testing procedures, it may last longer here than it does in other countries that took proper containment measures early, but it is hard to tell without proper testing and case data.
4. What are the dangers to my family?
Data indicates that the CFR (case fatality rate) goes up with age. Therefore, the highest risk group are my parents and grandparents. It will be different for everyone, but it is probably a good idea to remind them of the proper hygiene precautions, make sure they know how to reach you when they need groceries or anything else out of the house, and make sure they are informed with the fast-moving information around testing, precautions, and symptoms. Although the highest risk group is elderly, the long-term effects of the virus are not yet fully known, and if you are in the group that requires hospitalization or shows severe symptoms, it is very unpleasant.
Stay safe, and I'll try to tag some of my old colleagues to answer some questions if there are any I'm unable to answer.
Source: https://www.vox.com/…/211…/coronavirus-covid-19-virus-charts
Stay safe.