Preps for Coronavirus by A.J.S. for Survival Blog
Coronarvirus Simplified and Explained with Suggested Actions
At this late stage the time for preparedness has largely passed but it is not entirely too late. Please read the following and consider either preparing accordingly or supplementing your current preps accordingly.
BACKGROUND INFO:
The novel coronavirus (COVID 19) currently spreading rapidly around the globe is reportedly spread primarily by droplets (think the size droplets you get when you sneeze–big enough to feel most of the time) with some spread being reported by airborne particles (think the size of the dust motes that you see suspended in the air if the sunlight hits them just right). What this means in practical terms is that most of the time people get the virus when someone contagious coughs or sneezes into their hand and touches an object (think doorknobs) or directly onto an object and then someone else touches it and subsequently touches their eyes, nose or mouth which introduces the virus into the body or when someone sneezes or coughs into the air at a distance of less than 4-6 feet from you and you inhale the droplets. Those size droplets usually fall out of the air within a few feet.
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There is practically no chance of it going through intact unbroken skin into the body; that is simply not how it works. Some people–specifically the people on the cruise ship–reportedly got it from those much smaller particles that suspend in the air which is called airborne transmission. What makes this such a challenge to contain is that these size particles suspend in the air for a long time–they get sucked up into HVAC systems and recirculated, they drift on air currents etc.
The only real way to be assured of avoiding these particles is to wear both a N95 mask AND goggles for eye protection. Fortunately the risk of getting it this route is much lower unless you are in certain specific circumstances (in a building or on a cruise ship where the air is recirculated and you are constantly exposed and re-exposed until finally enough makes it into your body to cause you to get sick). Masks and goggles can prevent this type of exposure and reduce this risk however, the biggest reason masks and goggles are helpful is simply because they serve as a physical reminder and barrier to keep you from touching your eyes, nose and mouth which are the three places where viruses of all types most commonly enter your body.
This particular virus is very easily spread–according to info I am seeing online it spreads as much as 6 times quicker and easier than the flu and as much as 3-4 times easier than the stomach flu–in other words it spreads FAST! Making things worse, there is no natural immunity anywhere in any human population–no one has ever been exposed to it and developed antibodies to fight it off before now so everyone is susceptible to getting it. Fortunately it is not a devastatingly deadly disease.
Assuming adequate medical care it kills about 2-3% of the people who get it. Another 16% will have serious complications and end up hospitalized– with a smaller percentage in ICU, on a ventilator for a week to 2 weeks and then recover. The common flu kills about 0.2% of the people who get it and about that many more require hospitalization. Much like the seasonal flu is currently and chicken pox was when we were kids, if this coronavirus persists for long enough pretty much everyone will eventually get it–it is too contagious not too.
The biggest goal of the public health sector is to slow it down so that hospitals and the healthcare system aren’t overwhelmed. As a simplified example: if your hospital has 10 ICU beds and 100 people need an ICU bed right now its a bad, bad day but if 10 people need them this week, ten next week and ten for each of the following 8 weeks then its no big deal. Most of the things that should be coming down the pipe will be to try to spread the illness out over time so that it can be better managed. The impact this has is very, very, obvious when you look at China–in cities with a low caseload the death rate is 2-3% but in Hubei province where the system is totally overwhelmed it is about 4-5%.
