@MrWebster @MrWebster

The cautions are those during flu season. Maybe the best is to stay away from crowd and hand santizing.

Dr. Campbell's March 7th video gives pictorial demonstration of proper hand washing technique. Keep your hands off your face and mouth until you have thoroughly washed them.

Pandemic? I don't see it. Even on the biological experiment named the Diamond Princess, only about 704 people out of 3700 passengers and crew tested positive including those tested 8 days after quarantine ended. This is far from 30 - 40%

The risks, though significant, are vastly overblown. 18% was the infection prevalence on Diamond Princess passengers and crews as of Feb 27, 8 days after quarantine ceased--but monitoring of as yet unaffected persons may reveal a longer than 14 day incubation period. To qualify as pandemic, infection must affect at least 30% of the population. I don't see this happening. I've been wrong before. I may be wrong again. But I believe lethality is highly variable. Why for instance are Iranian and Italian death rates so high compared to other countries? Yes, other countries may be lying but I think that by now ALL global governments realize that honest discussion of this growing threat cannot be avoided.

Had an exam this Friday. My doctor who I think is really good (not great bed side manner, but experienced and very smart) said he wanted to throw stuff at his TV on what he was seeing. Also, the clinic he is at had to lock away masks for staff as patients were taking bunches of them.

Same report from two people I work with who went to different clinics. Same take on the false information and fear mongering. Also, reported stealing of masks.

The cautions are those during flu season. Maybe the best is to stay away from crowd and hand santizing.

@Lookout @Lookout

What I think about COVID-19 this morning

March 5, 2020

Maybe I'm the closest thing you personally know to an infectious disease epidemiologist. Maybe not--I'm not an expert on this virus by any stretch, but I have general knowledge and training from studying epidemics that is applicable, so here are my thoughts.

First and foremost: we are going to see a tremendous increase in the number of US cases of COVID-19 in the next week. This is not because of some new pattern in the spread of the disease, but rather due to a major change in the requirements to be tested. Until yesterday, if you had flulike illness but had not recently traveled to China, Italy, South Korea, or Iran, you could not be tested. This is just the way healthcare works, you get tested if you meet the case definition and the case definition included travel.

As of yesterday, you can be tested if you are sick and have a doctor's order to be tested. So expect things to feel a lot more panicky all of a sudden. We will see hundreds or thousands of new cases as a result of testing increases.

Second: is that panic legitimate? Sort of. This is not the zombie apocalypse. The death rate of 30 deaths per 1000 cases is probably a wild overestimate. (The denominator is almost certainly wrong because it is confirmed cases--and we only confirm cases when we test for them). That said, even at 3 per 1000 cases, this would be a big deal. A very big deal. By way of comparison, the death rate for influenza is between 1 and 2 in 1000 cases. So, yeah. Roughly 0x to 30x worse than a huge global flu pandemic? That's a problem.

Unlike flu, COVID-19 is not *particularly* dangerous for children, so that’s some happy news. It is dangerous for older adults and those with lung conditions, so we need to be extra careful to protect those populations from exposure.

Also, for millions of Americans, getting any serious illness requiring a hospitalization is a major problem because they can't pay for it. And our health care system is probably going to struggle to keep up with it all. And with China basically closed, our global economy is going to take a huge hit and we'll feel the shockwaves for years. Those are real concerns.

What can we do? Our focus should be on *slowing down the spread* of this disease so that we have time to get caught up. Here is my advice:

1. Wash. Your. Hands. Wash them so much.

The current best guess is that coronavirus is transmitted via close contact and surface contamination. A very small study came out yesterday suggesting that the virus causing COVID-19 is *mostly* transmitted via contact with contaminated surfaces.

I have started washing my hands each time I enter a new building and after being in shared spaces (classrooms especially), in addition to the standard practice of washing after using the bathroom and before eating. Soap and water. Hand sanitizer also kills this virus, as does rubbing alcohol (the main ingredient in hand sanitizer).

There is no need to be obsessive about this. Just wash your hands. A little bit more effort here goes a long way.

2. Don’t pick your nose. Or put your fingers in your mouth, on your lips, or in your eyes. Surface contact works like this: you touch something dirty. Maybe it's an elevator button. Virus sticks to your hands. Then you rub your eye. Then you touch your sandwich, and put the sandwich in your mouth. Now there is virus in your eyes and mouth. See?

You may be thinking, but I don’t pick my nose because I am an adult! An observational study found that people sitting at a desk working touched their eyes, nose, or lips between 3 and 50 times per hour. Perfectly normal grown-ups, not lowlifes like my friends.

2a. There was one note that came out suggesting that face masks actually promote surface contamination because you're always adjusting them--i.e., touching your face. I don’t know if that’s true. But face masks should not be worn by the public right now, unless you are the person who is sick and you're on your way to or actually at the doctor's office. The mask’s function is to prevent spit from flying out of your mouth and landing on things when you cough or sneeze. It flies out of your mouth and is caught in the mask instead. If you are the person who is sick and not on the way to the doctor, go home. Let the people who really need them have the masks. Like doctors.

[ETA on 3/6/2020 honestly people I am getting so much push back on the mask recommendation!! The world is running low on masks. If everyone wants a mask so they can feel ok about keeping their Daytona Beach Spring Break plans and then hospitals in India can't buy them anymore, shame on us.]

Coronavirus does not appear to be airborne in the sense that doesn't remain floating around freely in the air for a long time, like measles does. You are probably not going to breathe it in, unless someone is coughing in front of you. If someone is coughing in your face, feel free to tell them to get their ass home and move 6 feet away from them. (Yeah I know, if you have a toddler, you're screwed.)

3. Sanitize the objects you and lots of other people touch, especially people outside your family--like door handles, shared keyboards at schools (brrr), salad bar tongs, etc. Best guesses are that the virus can live on surfaces for 2-48 hours, maybe even longer, depending on the surface, temperature, and humidity.

Many common household cleaning products will kill this virus. However, white vinegar solution does not. You can make your own inexpensive antimicrobial spray by mixing 1 part household bleach to 99 parts cold tap water. Spray this on surfaces and leave for 10-30 minutes. Note: this is bleach. It will ruin your sofa.

4. "Social distancing." You're going to get so sick of this phrase. This means keeping people apart from one another (preferably 6 feet apart, and sanitizing shared objects). This public health strategy is our next line of defense, and its implementation is what will lead to flights and events cancelled, borders closed, and schools closed.

For now, you could limit face-to-face meetings, especially large ones. Zoom is an excellent videoconferencing option. If you spend time in shared spaces, see #1. Ask your child's school about their hygiene plan, if they haven't already told you what it is. If I were in charge of a school setting, I'd be hand sanitizing the s*** out of the kids' hands, including in and out of each space, and taking temperatures at the door. I am planning to email our school nurse right after this to ask if they need my volunteer help cleaning surfaces.

If you can telecommute, do that a little more. If you are someone's boss and they could do their job remotely, encourage them to do that.

Avoid large gatherings of people if at all possible, especially if they are in an area with cases OR places that lots of people travel to. If you attend group events and start to feel even a little bit sick within 2 to 14 days, you need to self isolate immediately. Like for a tiny tickle in your throat.

5. All your travel plans are about to get screwed up. If you are considering booking flights right now, get refundable tickets. ETA: most trip insurance will not cover cancellations due to a pandemic. Look for "cancel for any reason" trip insurance.

Considerations for risks related to that trip you’re planning: how bad would it be if you got stuck where you are going for 3 to 6 weeks? How bad would it be to be isolated at home for 2-3 weeks upon your return? Do you have direct contact with people who are over 70 and/or have lung conditions? If those seem really bad to you, rethink your trip, especially if it is to a location where there are confirmed cases.

6. If you are sick, stay home. Please! For the love of all that is holy. Stay at home. Your contributions to the world are really just not that important.

7. There is a good chance some communities will see school cancelled and asked to limit non-essential movement. If someone in your family gets sick your family will almost certainly be isolated for 2-3 weeks (asked to stay at home). You could start stocking up with essentials for that scenario, but don't run out and buy a years' worth of toilet paper. Again, not the apocalypse. 2 weeks' worth of essential items. Refill any prescriptions, check your supply of coffee, kitty litter, and jigsaw puzzles.

8. I do want to remind everyone that when public health works, the result is the least newsworthy thing ever: nothing happens. If this all fizzles out and you start feeling like ‘Wah, all that fuss for nothing??’ Then send a thank-you note to your local department of public health for a job well done. Fingers crossed for that outcome.

9. Look, I think there are some positives here. All this handwashing could stop flu season in its tracks! We have an opportunity to reduce our global carbon footprint by telecommuting more, flying less, and understanding where our stuff comes from. We can use this to think about the problems with our healthcare system. We can use this to reflect on our positions of privilege and implicit biases. We can start greeting each other using jazz hands. I'm genuinely excited about those opportunities.

There is a lot we don't yet know about this virus. It didn't even exist 90 days ago. So stay tuned, it is an evolving situation. The WHO website has a decent FAQ. Free to email or text with questions, and you can forward this to others if you think it's useful.

May the force be with you.

Malia Jones, PhD, MPH

The quote you referenced is repeated here in full because of its pertinence and the soundness of the advice.

This disease may come it like a lion but may also infect like a lamb. Onset in newly affected areas may be rapid OR slow. Check at disease progress in nation around the world. Cultural habits and political (dis)information greqatly influence this.

Case in point--until March 7, Iran continued allowing religious pilgrims into Qom and other holy sirtes. Apparently, believers are convinced that kissing the holy shrines with their lips will protect them with healing powers. We'll see--but I very much doubt that will be the case. This ongoing oral-oral transmission at Qom et al. might explain the high death rate. Dr. Campbell in the March 7 video said that no further viral mutations, other than S and L types, have occurred. Good news.

I think the next few weeks are critical provided the virus declines as summer approaches.

I left this comment about the virus this Am in smiley's OT.

I wish us all well on the other side of this! Like it or not, it is coming to a theater near you.

@Lookout Disease may first infect a previously COVID-19 (virus) naive area like a lion or like a lamb. This is influenced by culture and political (dis)information. For instance, why is the death rate in Iran and Italy higher than other reported ares--including recent Chinese figures of new deaths?

As for Iran, one reason may have been the government's inaction, until March 7 (today) to close religious sites such as Qom. The believers think that kissing the shrines protects them by conferring healing powers. I suspect this does quite the opposite.

I have no explanation for the relatively high death rates in South Korea or Italy. This depends upon further knowledge.

I am including the full quote linked by smiley concerning the virus:

What I think about COVID-19 this morning

March 5, 2020

Maybe I'm the closest thing you personally know to an infectious disease epidemiologist. Maybe not--I'm not an expert on this virus by any stretch, but I have general knowledge and training from studying epidemics that is applicable, so here are my thoughts.

First and foremost: we are going to see a tremendous increase in the number of US cases of COVID-19 in the next week. This is not because of some new pattern in the spread of the disease, but rather due to a major change in the requirements to be tested. Until yesterday, if you had flulike illness but had not recently traveled to China, Italy, South Korea, or Iran, you could not be tested. This is just the way healthcare works, you get tested if you meet the case definition and the case definition included travel.

As of yesterday, you can be tested if you are sick and have a doctor's order to be tested. So expect things to feel a lot more panicky all of a sudden. We will see hundreds or thousands of new cases as a result of testing increases.

Second: is that panic legitimate? Sort of. This is not the zombie apocalypse. The death rate of 30 deaths per 1000 cases is probably a wild overestimate. (The denominator is almost certainly wrong because it is confirmed cases--and we only confirm cases when we test for them). That said, even at 3 per 1000 cases, this would be a big deal. A very big deal. By way of comparison, the death rate for influenza is between 1 and 2 in 1000 cases. So, yeah. Roughly 0x to 30x worse than a huge global flu pandemic? That's a problem.

Unlike flu, COVID-19 is not *particularly* dangerous for children, so that’s some happy news. It is dangerous for older adults and those with lung conditions, so we need to be extra careful to protect those populations from exposure.

Also, for millions of Americans, getting any serious illness requiring a hospitalization is a major problem because they can't pay for it. And our health care system is probably going to struggle to keep up with it all. And with China basically closed, our global economy is going to take a huge hit and we'll feel the shockwaves for years. Those are real concerns.

What can we do? Our focus should be on *slowing down the spread* of this disease so that we have time to get caught up. Here is my advice:

1. Wash. Your. Hands. Wash them so much.

The current best guess is that coronavirus is transmitted via close contact and surface contamination. A very small study came out yesterday suggesting that the virus causing COVID-19 is *mostly* transmitted via contact with contaminated surfaces.

I have started washing my hands each time I enter a new building and after being in shared spaces (classrooms especially), in addition to the standard practice of washing after using the bathroom and before eating. Soap and water. Hand sanitizer also kills this virus, as does rubbing alcohol (the main ingredient in hand sanitizer).

There is no need to be obsessive about this. Just wash your hands. A little bit more effort here goes a long way.

2. Don’t pick your nose. Or put your fingers in your mouth, on your lips, or in your eyes. Surface contact works like this: you touch something dirty. Maybe it's an elevator button. Virus sticks to your hands. Then you rub your eye. Then you touch your sandwich, and put the sandwich in your mouth. Now there is virus in your eyes and mouth. See?

You may be thinking, but I don’t pick my nose because I am an adult! An observational study found that people sitting at a desk working touched their eyes, nose, or lips between 3 and 50 times per hour. Perfectly normal grown-ups, not lowlifes like my friends.

2a. There was one note that came out suggesting that face masks actually promote surface contamination because you're always adjusting them--i.e., touching your face. I don’t know if that’s true. But face masks should not be worn by the public right now, unless you are the person who is sick and you're on your way to or actually at the doctor's office. The mask’s function is to prevent spit from flying out of your mouth and landing on things when you cough or sneeze. It flies out of your mouth and is caught in the mask instead. If you are the person who is sick and not on the way to the doctor, go home. Let the people who really need them have the masks. Like doctors.

[ETA on 3/6/2020 honestly people I am getting so much push back on the mask recommendation!! The world is running low on masks. If everyone wants a mask so they can feel ok about keeping their Daytona Beach Spring Break plans and then hospitals in India can't buy them anymore, shame on us.]

Coronavirus does not appear to be airborne in the sense that doesn't remain floating around freely in the air for a long time, like measles does. You are probably not going to breathe it in, unless someone is coughing in front of you. If someone is coughing in your face, feel free to tell them to get their ass home and move 6 feet away from them. (Yeah I know, if you have a toddler, you're screwed.)

3. Sanitize the objects you and lots of other people touch, especially people outside your family--like door handles, shared keyboards at schools (brrr), salad bar tongs, etc. Best guesses are that the virus can live on surfaces for 2-48 hours, maybe even longer, depending on the surface, temperature, and humidity.

Many common household cleaning products will kill this virus. However, white vinegar solution does not. You can make your own inexpensive antimicrobial spray by mixing 1 part household bleach to 99 parts cold tap water. Spray this on surfaces and leave for 10-30 minutes. Note: this is bleach. It will ruin your sofa.

4. "Social distancing." You're going to get so sick of this phrase. This means keeping people apart from one another (preferably 6 feet apart, and sanitizing shared objects). This public health strategy is our next line of defense, and its implementation is what will lead to flights and events cancelled, borders closed, and schools closed.

For now, you could limit face-to-face meetings, especially large ones. Zoom is an excellent videoconferencing option. If you spend time in shared spaces, see #1. Ask your child's school about their hygiene plan, if they haven't already told you what it is. If I were in charge of a school setting, I'd be hand sanitizing the s*** out of the kids' hands, including in and out of each space, and taking temperatures at the door. I am planning to email our school nurse right after this to ask if they need my volunteer help cleaning surfaces.

If you can telecommute, do that a little more. If you are someone's boss and they could do their job remotely, encourage them to do that.

Avoid large gatherings of people if at all possible, especially if they are in an area with cases OR places that lots of people travel to. If you attend group events and start to feel even a little bit sick within 2 to 14 days, you need to self isolate immediately. Like for a tiny tickle in your throat.

5. All your travel plans are about to get screwed up. If you are considering booking flights right now, get refundable tickets. ETA: most trip insurance will not cover cancellations due to a pandemic. Look for "cancel for any reason" trip insurance.

Considerations for risks related to that trip you’re planning: how bad would it be if you got stuck where you are going for 3 to 6 weeks? How bad would it be to be isolated at home for 2-3 weeks upon your return? Do you have direct contact with people who are over 70 and/or have lung conditions? If those seem really bad to you, rethink your trip, especially if it is to a location where there are confirmed cases.

6. If you are sick, stay home. Please! For the love of all that is holy. Stay at home. Your contributions to the world are really just not that important.

7. There is a good chance some communities will see school cancelled and asked to limit non-essential movement. If someone in your family gets sick your family will almost certainly be isolated for 2-3 weeks (asked to stay at home). You could start stocking up with essentials for that scenario, but don't run out and buy a years' worth of toilet paper. Again, not the apocalypse. 2 weeks' worth of essential items. Refill any prescriptions, check your supply of coffee, kitty litter, and jigsaw puzzles.

8. I do want to remind everyone that when public health works, the result is the least newsworthy thing ever: nothing happens. If this all fizzles out and you start feeling like ‘Wah, all that fuss for nothing??’ Then send a thank-you note to your local department of public health for a job well done. Fingers crossed for that outcome.

9. Look, I think there are some positives here. All this handwashing could stop flu season in its tracks! We have an opportunity to reduce our global carbon footprint by telecommuting more, flying less, and understanding where our stuff comes from. We can use this to think about the problems with our healthcare system. We can use this to reflect on our positions of privilege and implicit biases. We can start greeting each other using jazz hands. I'm genuinely excited about those opportunities.

There is a lot we don't yet know about this virus. It didn't even exist 90 days ago. So stay tuned, it is an evolving situation. The WHO website has a decent FAQ. Free to email or text with questions, and you can forward this to others if you think it's useful.

May the force be with you.

Malia Jones, PhD, MPH

The advice is sound. Too many physicians are prone to "blow off" patients' complaints, i.e., not take the patient seriously. This laissez faire nihilism has no place in conscientious medical practice.

I think the next few weeks are critical provided the virus declines as summer approaches.

I left this comment about the virus this Am in smiley's OT.

I wish us all well on the other side of this! Like it or not, it is coming to a theater near you.

@Snode

that dog eared copy of "The Stand".

@CB

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE

It has extensive data and map for the US showing cases for individual cities & states.

The current number for the US updated to 3/7/2020, 12:33:02 PM is 401 w/ 17 deaths and 8 recoveries. Recoveries tend to lag new cases by 2-3 weeks. Deaths usually reported within 5-10 days due to the fact that many people who get infected wait until symptoms are serious enough for them to seek medical assistance.

This is going to affect the velocity and pattern of the spreed of the disease in America where a large percentage of people do not have health care. They cannot go to the doctor if they are just feeling a bit sick as with the common cold/flu due to lack of funds. This allows them to infect others in their family and circle of acquaintances.

Frankly, I'm concerned about what will happen if the virus gets a substantial hold. There are no national systems now in place (unless it is a secret one) nor is there the political will to set them up at this time other than basic reporting. Trying to quarantine Americans will be like trying to herd and bell cats.

The US is behaving much like Italy which has now ballooned to 5,883 confirmed cases with 233 deaths and 589 recovered with no end in sight.

I get an eerie feeling of "whistling past the graveyard" on this one.

Personal note: I'm well prepared for a quarantine. I'm retired and buy in bulk to take advantage of special prices (I get zero for any money in the bank so why not invest it this way if you've got the space) and could easily last 60 days w/o too much effort provided the power stays on. I bought two LV-PUR131 HEPA filters (Filters 99.97% of dust, pollen, smoke, odors, mold spores, and pet dander. These air filters catch particles as small as 0.3 microns and filters air pollution of PM 2.5) because of allergies to mold and smoke. F*ing asshat neighbor started burning smoldering wet wood - now I have to sleep with windows closed. The corona virus is 0.8 and larger so this should remove most. I bought these two years ago and after several weeks of operation my snoring stopped and I woke up w/o stuffed up nose first time in I don't know how many years. I highly recommend but the unit and replacement filters ARE costly.

@CB

The current number for the US updated to 3/7/2020, 12:33:02 PM is 401 w/ 17 deaths and 8 recoveries. Recoveries tend to lag new cases by 2-3 weeks. Deaths usually reported within 5-10 days due to the fact that many people who get infected wait until symptoms are serious enough for them to seek medical assistance.

The statement is a bit ambiguous. Deaths usually reported within 5 - 10 days. What does that mean? Within 5 - 10 days of initial infection or 5 - 10 days of diagnosis? There is a huge difference in the figures depending upon how they have been calculated and reported.

The cost of air filters, good ones, is quite high. But how much is your health or your life worth? I have an excellent but pricey Swiss-made air filter, capturing 99.9+% of particulates down to a 3 micron size.

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE

It has extensive data and map for the US showing cases for individual cities & states.

The current number for the US updated to 3/7/2020, 12:33:02 PM is 401 w/ 17 deaths and 8 recoveries. Recoveries tend to lag new cases by 2-3 weeks. Deaths usually reported within 5-10 days due to the fact that many people who get infected wait until symptoms are serious enough for them to seek medical assistance.

This is going to affect the velocity and pattern of the spreed of the disease in America where a large percentage of people do not have health care. They cannot go to the doctor if they are just feeling a bit sick as with the common cold/flu due to lack of funds. This allows them to infect others in their family and circle of acquaintances.

Frankly, I'm concerned about what will happen if the virus gets a substantial hold. There are no national systems now in place (unless it is a secret one) nor is there the political will to set them up at this time other than basic reporting. Trying to quarantine Americans will be like trying to herd and bell cats.

The US is behaving much like Italy which has now ballooned to 5,883 confirmed cases with 233 deaths and 589 recovered with no end in sight.

I get an eerie feeling of "whistling past the graveyard" on this one.

Personal note: I'm well prepared for a quarantine. I'm retired and buy in bulk to take advantage of special prices (I get zero for any money in the bank so why not invest it this way if you've got the space) and could easily last 60 days w/o too much effort provided the power stays on. I bought two LV-PUR131 HEPA filters (Filters 99.97% of dust, pollen, smoke, odors, mold spores, and pet dander. These air filters catch particles as small as 0.3 microns and filters air pollution of PM 2.5) because of allergies to mold and smoke. F*ing asshat neighbor started burning smoldering wet wood - now I have to sleep with windows closed. The corona virus is 0.8 and larger so this should remove most. I bought these two years ago and after several weeks of operation my snoring stopped and I woke up w/o stuffed up nose first time in I don't know how many years. I highly recommend but the unit and replacement filters ARE costly.

@Roy Blakeley

Testing only sick individuals is like putting a dam half way across a river.

In a previous essay in which I discussed two classes of asymptomatic persons as either Class A, meaning those who would subsequently become symptomatic; or Class B, those individuals who are never symptomatic. The issue is how many of Class B patients are tested and how many are never tested. Related to this is the infectivity rate of Class B, calculated by measures such as R0.

There is now good evidence from sequencing COVID-19 isolates from individuals in Washington State that Asymptomatic or very mildly symptomatic individuals can spread the virus. Testing only sick individuals is like putting a dam half way across a river.

@Lily O Lady @Lily O Lady @Lily O Lady (added inks)(added sentence)
and not only not helpful, but rather completely the opposite. Wow. The probability of dying of cancer rises with age, so probably we will see many more cases in all of the population because it is tested more often now than before.

The virus is creeping in slowly also in my neighborhood here in Germany. It apparently comes mostly in from Italy.
Italy announces lockdown as global coronavirus cases surpass 105,000 - Helen Regan byline -By Helen Regan, CNN - Updated 1500 GMT (2300 HKT) March 8, 2020

German coronavirus cases jump, economic anxiety rises

Coronavirus in Germany: No End in Sight

Confirmed Coronavirus Infections in Germany’s Federal States (as of Saturday night)
Schleswig-Holstein: 8
Hamburg: 13
Lower Saxony: 19
Bremen: 4
Mecklenburg-Hither Pomerania: 6
Berlin: 28
Brandenburg: 2
Saxony-Anhalt: 0
Thuringia: 2
North Rhine-Westphalia: 377
Rhineland-Palatinate: 13
Saarland: 3
Hesse: 17
Saxony: 4
Baden-Württemberg: 170
Bavaria: 134
Note: The sum of the cases in Germany’s federal states and the total number of cases in Germany might not match, as some numbers are being updated during the day and the authorities are lagging behind in the counting process.

Our Sec. of Health Jahn just advised and to shut down all gatherings of more than 1000 people.

The Latest: Germany urges postponements of large gatherings - March 8, 2020 8:05 AM
ROME (AP) — The Latest on the coronavirus outbreak (all times local): 4 p.m.

So, self-quarantaine yourself as best as you can, try to not forget to wash your hands each time you had to leave your quarantaine quarter. Wear masks, if you could get one. And that's it.

It is not that useful to engage in speculations of someone, some country, some laboratory have released and built this virus on purpose. Please, don't do that again. I would be in a better mental shape, if I hadn't read it. In case I have misread what you said or meant to say, please let me know.

conspiracy theory. China has ended its “one child” policy and may be looking for a way to decrease the surplus population. Enter a virus that targets the old and medically fragile.

Early on in the outbreak I heard that it wasn’t affecting children. Could that be by design? Since it has gotten into nursing homes in Washington state, I can’t help but wonder. And being old myself, I want to take it personally.

Some paranoid musings from yours truly.