Knowledge is anathema to panic, so I figure I'll share some of the things I've learned as I've been watching this thing grow, and maybe it might help some of you. It's long, but maybe you'll find it useful. I care about you and want us all to do as well as we can. I’m not an expert at all, but I do like to use analysis, be pragmatic, and try to figure out what I can do to help. I know this is far outside what I normally post here, but on the off chance it will help someone, here you go.

1. The virus doesn't like direct sunlight; UV helps kill it. So it doesn't live outdoors very long. The higher the temperature, the faster it dies.

2. It can live on certain solid surfaces (ie glass, metal, plastic) for UP TO 9 days. The average seems to be three.

3. Ethyl alcohol kills it extremely effectively. After one minute of exposure to at least 62% concentration, it kills nearly all traces of the virus.

4. It doesn't live on soft surfaces (like cloth) as long, but still lasts for a few hours. You can use lysol for this.

5. It transmits via droplets from coughing, sneezing, boog-boogs. The spread of a sneeze can be up to 10 feet, but the average is a couple meters. It does not appear to be transmitted via regular respiration (like measles does) so that is very good news. That's why it's important to wash hands a lot, cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough, avoid touching your face.

6. The average time to show symptoms is 5 days, though it can take up to two weeks.

7. It attacks immunocompromised people and the elderly the most, HOWEVER, that doesn't mean everyone else isn't affected. Even if you aren't in a target group, you can spread it to someone vulnerable. So practice good hygiene and keep to yourselves, even if you're a super cool guy who feels like you won't be affected (HA), because we need to watch out for one another.

8. It spreads literally exponentially. The average person spreads it to 2.2 other people. That's why this is so scary.

9. Since it takes so long to infect and become deadly, it also overloads health systems. It takes a LOT of resources to treat people who can't breathe, and with it being a pretty bad flu system, US hospitals are already overtaxed. If we can do something called "flattening the curve". Say an area has 1000 cases. If those all hit in the same two weeks, and 50 of them are critical, the hospital is going to have a very hard time keeping up with all the treatment (personnel will be exhausted, it's likely that they will run out of critical supplies like masks, and they won't have room). However, if the same amount of people catch it over a one month period, that same hospital will have a much better chance of keeping up. When hospitals get overwhelmed by people who can't breathe, people die. This is what's happening in Italy right now. A lot of those people would live, if they could be treated, but there are just too many for the (very good) healthcare system. So we are trying to flatten the curve, and slow the spread of disease, to give EVERYONE a better chance.

So, what can we do?

1. Avoid groups of people! That means, avoid restaurants, theaters, games, big meetings (did you know the growing outbreak in Boston was due to one meeting that infected 70+ people? And it probably could have been an email ;) ). I know we have to work, but cut back on going out wherever you can. Italy wouldn't stop going to cafes or restaurants, and they have a 6% death rate now.

2. Clean yo self. Wash your hands, 20 seconds, hot water, all over. Wash your doorknobs in your home. We've been lysoling shoes whenever we come in the house. Clean, clean, clean!

3. If you can't wash, have hand sanitizer.

4. If you have any symptoms and have masks available, wear them! They keep it from spreading and we need to watch out for one another.

5. Don't buy into stupid conspiracy theories. We are on a planet of 8 billion + people, with a complicated biosphere. This came from nature, and the math makes sense. This isn't political, and you shouldn't allow your fear to overshadow your logic. This is real, it's happening, and we can do a lot to make it better.

6. Watch out for one another! If you know someone who is older or immunocompromised, take them some food. Knock and leave it on the doorstep, back away, and wave nicely from a good distance. Remember, you could be a silent carrier and we are just trying to help!

7. Reach out! This is lonely and scary, but we are still here for each other. Call or text people who are keeping to themselves, particularly the elderly. Maybe play words with friends online with them? Make a movie date, watch the same movie in different places at the same time! Maybe you can both make popcorn. Order surprises for people on amazon. FaceTime. You are not alone!

8. Have a few weeks of nonperishable food, things to do, medicine and tissues. Then you can avoid dealing with the rush, AND contributing to it.

9. If you have symptoms (cough, fever, trouble breathing), CALL your doctor first for instruction. Don't go to a clinic and spread it. The majority of cases are mild, so don't freak out!

10. Boost your own immune system! Try not to stress, do what you can to keep control because that will keep stress down. Stress makes our immune system vulnerable. Take vitamin c and d, and elderberry if you show symptoms (this has been shown to shorten the length of time that other viruses hit us, no official word on if it helps against coronavirus but I'm ready to try it). Hydrate, maybe have powdered gatorade on hand. One of the big things this does is dry people out, so hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Even if you feel you don't have it, your body operates better when well hydrated.

11. Remember that this too shall pass. We can make it a lot better by taking personal steps as early as possible.

12. DON'T PANIC! We have never had such a great chance fighting a pandemic as we do right now. We just need to be logical, acknowledge the problems, and learn the lessons other places are teaching us.

References:

How to build a home kit for emergencies:

https://www.ready.gov/kit

Reference for how long coronavirus lives on surfaces, and what kills it:

https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext

Disinfection advice:

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/environmental-services/best-approach-disinfecting-surfaces-amid-novel-coronavirus-outbreak

CDC advice:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html