Preparing for COVID-19

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It's not The Stand, or even any of the zombie movies quite yet... Nor The Road Warrior. Whoever wrote the script for this movie sucks.
It fits Contagion (2011) pretty well, thankfully not as potent though.
 
In The Netherlands, the game plan is to have 50-60% of the population slowly infected (ideally the not at risk groups) so group immunity starts kicking in. Hopefully they manage the hospitalization rate. Idea is that lock down / complete isolation is not effective, as spreading will restart when opening up again.
 
I think that’s what will happen everywhere. You can’t outsit a disease as infectious as this one. The hope is that a vaccine will be available eventually and that should allow us to get closer back to normal.
 
i only have enough ammo for one wave of zombies.
Just plant the right stuff in your garden, and you'll be fine ;)
Plants-vs-Zombies-1280x720.jpg
 
Your age is important to us all if you don't mind?

I'm 33, healthy as is my partner. Luckily we both have jobs that we can WFH from, so the worst is cabin fever.

Living in NY we have infinite delivery options so we will be okay. But keep an eye on your neighbors folks! I imagine this would be quite difficult if I lived in the suburbs or the country.
 
As an attending physician...
Let’s just say we’re in for interesting and not particularly enjoyable times. The impact on health services and economy are only just beginning to ripple.

At least if we have to self isolate, we have our knives and time to do food prep right?
 
I second that. For me, 8 hrs of sleep every night, regular vitamin D (I had low levels when last checked), regular exercise, eating/drinking healthier than usual. I feel for healthcare workers, who need such self care more than anyone. I hope you have the time for adequate sleep.
I've been doing a deep dive on, well, a number of things, but one nugget that came up is that Vitamin D deficiency (known as rickets) wasn't just bone deformation. It was also associated with alveolar and bronchial damage. Covid19 seems to attack the lungs, particularly if that's a weak point. I upped my daily vitamin D to 4000IU (recommended max dosage) once I read that.
 
Hmm, I’ve only been doing 2000 so far. Can’t remember why I came to that dosage (it’s been a while). IIRC, it’s supposed to help directly with immune system function somehow. I posted this in another thread, but last winter whenever I got sick (which was frequently, since I have a kid in preschool) I invariably got a high fever and chills. A doctor told me my Vitamin D levels were low, so I started taking it. Since then, I still get sick from my kid, but the symptoms are mild and I’ve never had a fever. Maybe coincidence, but...
 
I've been doing a deep dive on, well, a number of things, but one nugget that came up is that Vitamin D deficiency (known as rickets) wasn't just bone deformation. It was also associated with alveolar and bronchial damage. Covid19 seems to attack the lungs, particularly if that's a weak point. I upped my daily vitamin D to 4000IU (recommended max dosage) once I read that.

Be careful with this.

Vitamin D is fat soluble, so your body doesn't wee it out if it gets too much (like it does with water soluble vitamins like Bs and C).

Whether or not you need it and how much you need is primarily determined by your sun exposure. I get that it's early spring in the northern hemisphere atm, so some may be deficeint, but taking vitamin D, especially in large doses, without monitoring levels is generally not recommended in Aus.

I also get that you want to make yourself as strong as possible in case you do become unwell but I am not aware of any evidence that vitamin D deficeincy increases risk of bad outcomes with Covid. Have you seen any high quality evidence of this?
 
In The Netherlands, the game plan is to have 50-60% of the population slowly infected (ideally the not at risk groups) so group immunity starts kicking in. Hopefully they manage the hospitalization rate. Idea is that lock down / complete isolation is not effective, as spreading will restart when opening up again.

That seems to be the take of the authors of this article in the New York Times, who believe there will be at least two if not three or four prolonged periods of "social distancing" needed before an effective vaccine can be developed:

"Unfortunately, normal is a long way off. We need to be thinking in terms of months, not weeks. We need to stop picturing that ubiquitous “flatten the curve” chart and start imagining a roller coaster.

Social distancing works. As China, South Korea and other countries have demonstrated, it is possible to slow the spread of the virus and limit how many people are infected at one time. This will keep hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients, so that those who are sick can be treated competently and compassionately. It will also give researchers time to work on developing vaccines and medications that could reduce the severity of the virus and save lives.

No one knows for sure how long social distancing will have to last to reduce the spread to near zero. But if South Korea and China are appropriate exemplars, we’ll need to stay apart now for at least eight weeks, and maybe more."
 
Vitamin D is fat soluble, so your body doesn't wee it out if it gets too much (like it does with water soluble vitamins like Bs and C).

I heard this too but instead of buying supplements I bought salmon and a few dozen eggs.
We're also taking dog for walks some can stretch our legs. get some air and Vitamin D, and maintain social distance...
 
Be careful with the vitamin D, the oil soluble vitamins are the ones you CAN overdose on.

I have a full range of vitamins and supplements. I'm taking them and also cooking from scratch and eating better than I could have taken the time to do if our normal work could be done.

If it were not for the anxiety and worry about friends, family, employees and neighbors, plus watching my bank account ticking down towards zero with no chance for us to do our previously scheduled paying work... This would almost be a nice vacation.
 
Many, many more people out for walks and jogging in my neighborhood this past week then I have ever seen in the last 22 years. Hard for us to go out for a walk without there being a couple instances of near-contact along the route. Three days ago a woman jogging toward us coughed twice without turning away or covering her mouth just as she got within a few feet of us. :mad:
 
Where I live, everything with a long shelf life has been hoarded. Tins, grains, meats (for the freezer). The vegetable section is still relatively well stocked!

I went unto the local Walmart this afternoon and saw how things were going there.

Yes, pretty much all the fresh produce they usually have was available-

20200317_171502.jpg


Except for potatoes, onions and garlic. Only a few white onions were left. This area was originally settled largely by German and Scandinavian imigrants, not Irish... I know about the potato monument near Hirschorn. So does my neighbors DNA.

The display of empty bins where those foods usually were:

20200317_171522.jpg


The aisle where frozen pizzas and dubious quality microwave frozen "TV dinners" usually are found was completely empty:

20200317_174532.jpg


But you could buy all types of frozen fruit and as much ice cream as you wanted.

20200317_174547.jpg


There were no eggs, milk, cheeses, flours, dry pasta of any kind or canned soups, stews or meats in the store.

All the meat was gone except the most expensive cuts of beef and pork and some bags of frozen chicken wings. But there were plenty of frozen/fresh fish and shrimp?

We won't talk about the toilet paper aisle.
 
Yes, pretty much all the fresh produce they usually have was available-

Weird huh? Not many people willing to batch cook and freeze.... We usually buy fresh veggies, on the way home from work, every three or four days for dinner. Usually I try to cook enough to last us at least two nights. On my last shop, I decided to get slightly more than double what I am used to... The veggie stew I made [cross post] is frozen in 2L batches. It should last about a week.

Except for potatoes, onions and garlic. Only a few white onions were left.

Yeah... my shops were low on potatoes. Onions seemed ok though.

The aisle where frozen pizzas and dubious quality microwave frozen "TV dinners" usually are found was completely empty

Ha! Crazy... In the shops I went to, they were definitely low stock. But not cleaned out like that! Perhaps we haven't reached peak paranoia yet?

But there were plenty of frozen/fresh fish and shrimp?

Same... near identical consumer patterns actually! Fish isn't at its best after freezing... but you could still make a curry from it? Go figure...


Eventually (I assume?) people are going to realise this is the new normal for the medium term. Hopefully that will make people relax and the shops wont look like they have been ransacked. How much more can you buy when your fridge is full? How many rolls of toilet paper can you own before you have nowhere to store them? Unless things go really south, and the shops remain open, I imagine the stock in the shops will bounce back soon. People will be obligated into consuming their hoard.
 
How many rolls of toilet paper can you own before you have no where to store them?
Watch the TP futures. Six months from now, TP sales will absolutely crater because everyone is sitting on two years worth of a hoard…

I'm planning to short TP companies! ;)
 
As an attending physician...
Let’s just say we’re in for interesting and not particularly enjoyable times. The impact on health services and economy are only just beginning to ripple.

At least if we have to self isolate, we have our knives and time to do food prep right?
We all have knives and toilet paper supplies - it's time to test the knife versus toilet paper ...
unused paper only
 
Anyone lives alone? I'm on day 7 of isolation and I'm losing my mind.

I was going to suggest you don't need to be a complete shut-in

Think we might be on different level of fears. 1 confirmed case at my work announced this afternoon. Indefinite telework effective immediately. That's where I am.

I had to comb back through the thread to find this piece of information. That sucks. Im sorry you are in that situation.... Sounds like you are currently ok physically? That is good. I can see how the social/mental part would be problematic. You'll have to complete your quarantine. I guess our modern comforts are a blessing - you can still maintain social bonds over the phone/video calls or messaging.

Check with your local health professional what your quarantine rules are. This is what the CDC advises. If you can take a walk around the block (or in a local park?) and maintain a healthy distance from others, it might help clear your head and provide a change of scenery. If the idea appeals, check if it is permissible.

I'm the opposite. I've been such a slob. I'm too depressed to clean, and I just washed my hair yesterday...

Ha! Sounds like a regular day for me... except the hair washing thing.... when was the last time.... :p;)
 
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