loner_t

Read Can Masks Capture Coronavirus Particles? with some skepticism. The virus particles vary in size - 60-140 nanometer ( source - A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019 published on 24 Jan 2020 in New England Journal of Medicine). The goal of a mask is typically to prevent distribution of fluids and vapors from an infected person to the surroundings, and, if there is anything in the surroundings, then prevent such aerosolized fluids and vapors from entering a healthy person's system. Unless every person has access to an N95 (or similar) surgical mask, other masks will provide general protection that varies, better than the no-mask case. Virginia Department of Health > Coronavirus > Cloth Face Covers also provides some guidelines. Similar guidelines exist on other websites.

Cytokine storms: When the body attacks itself that @RichP714 mentioned earlier have become a fascinating area for me to read. The fine machine, that a human body is, seems to become a very scary behemoth gone wild, under the misdirection of CoVid-19. "Cytokine storms are also raging among US patients. “I’ve seen plenty of it,” says Roberto Caricchio, chief of rheumatology at Temple University in Philadelphia. Precise data isn’t in yet, but he says that a “sizeable fraction” – perhaps 20 to 30% – of patients with severe cases and lung symptoms have signs of a cytokine storm." The county I live in, has a full day on Wednesday of drive-by testing. Loudoun County Hosts Free COVID-19 Testing for All Ages May 20, 2020. Look for something similar close to you. Local hospitals can also help and participate as support for your teams.

All of them are acceptable, but with precautions and perhaps social distancing. We should differentiate between what is 'risky' behavior and safe behavior. Personal wellness is paramount, to provide adequate defenses for the survival of as many as possible as @Nahash5150points out. Like @itchitchsays, wear a mask, wash your hands, be safe at work. The difference between wearing a condom and not wearing one can be life and death. The advent of HIV/AIDS changed humanity's sexual practices, perhaps CoVid-19 should, too. Wearing a mask to go to work should not be construed as an affront to personal freedoms. My personal situation may help make this a simpler matter to explain. My younger son graduated from Virginia Tech on Friday in a 'contactless' graduation ceremony. He drove home on Sunday. He offered to stay in the basement in quarantine, which I refused. He was given a mask to wear for next 14 days whenever he comes into 'common' traffic areas. Wash his hands, and stay in his room. He will not be stopped from accessing any part of the house. He is not a prisoner. The food chain dependency that you allude to, is scary. The dependency all of us have on each other as part of the 'social' fabric is now visible to the naked eye. There are other utilities - electricity, water and similar for which many depend on public infrastructure. It is not a trivial dependency. The dependencies now transcend boundaries on political maps, case in point is the N95/KN95 needs. Our political proclivities should not get in the way of recognizing the human frailties we all have. We are all 70+% water bags, with affinity and individual capabilities to deal with and fight infections.

Denmark and Sweden are opening back up, but the 'Social Distancing' model seems to be the basis for such reopening. Coronavirus: How Denmark reopened its schools Are Sweden already living the 'new normal'? Such voluntary efforts will allow the immune systems to adapt, without requiring evasive and fatal action from human bodies. "We are all aware of the disease and people are being far more careful about it. Social distancing and cleanliness will go a LONG way to keep the spread controllable." to quote @Nahash5150.

People who are asymptomatic can still be at risk. In this specific case, autopsy may reveal CoViD-19. Coronavirus: A third of hospital patients develop dangerous blood clots Autopsies of COVID-19 patients reveal clotting concerns COVID-19 cytokine storm: the interplay between inflammation and coagulation @RichP714has mentioned this somewhere in this discussion. The line between 1918-20 and 2020-? vis-a-vis pandemics is beginning to blur. Stay safe!

Sorry to hear this, @Charlie. 😢

Diversity of opinions should be welcome, and civilized debate should be the coveted crown jewel, but alas 'tis been lost to trenches and moats that we are now digging around ourselves, perhaps in the name individuality. John Donne's 'No Man is an Island' is worth a read.

I did. The ability of the people to gather inside Michigan Capitol is by itself the sign of freedom accorded for such protests. Is the lockdown itself justified? No, but, given should be a voluntary act. When it becomes an enforced directive, is where the crux of the debate lies. Is #AloneTogether conveying the message? It is very tacky indeed. COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint postulates a 2-year cycle. The macroeconomic costs of a global influenza pandemic - PDF (from Purdue) is an interesting study, and worth a definite glance. Pandemics Depress the Economy, Public Health Interventions Do Not: Evidence from the 1918 Flu No matter how we look at this, humanity has seen this before, and can learn from the past.

That is a much better estimate. 5-7% is a horrible toll. I was using JHU's web page, which currently has 1.12M infected confirmed, and 65K deaths. I am ignoring all projection models, and just using the JHU numbers (even if they are higher than actuals). I agree that such measures are draconian. They are meant to address incidents like Chicago house party host’s mom is first responder ‘astounded’ by son’s behavior: reports . Common sense should be the prevalent norm. I had much rather see cooperation between populace and authorities, instead of a confrontational setting. I am allowed to leave home for groceries anytime I need to. As a rational human being, I should establish such need. I should not be required to hurt anyone to get such essentials. "It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government." From my perspective, the keyword is 'peaceably'. If I need to come to your house for a drink, you and I can make a judgement call together. If I have a heart attack, my spouse should be allowed to drive me to the hospital, because the EMTs will be too late coming to my rescue. Absolutely!

If we assume 5-7% mortality (as it currently stands), and 60% population (~192M+) providing herd immunity, there is 8M+ (~ 328M * 5%) population loss in US alone. This is approaching the 1917-1920 Spanish Flu numbers. The 'emotional' aspect (and trauma) of such loss is much more than the numerical aspect of it. (perhaps this belongs in the CoVid thread). Potentially, with collaboration and modern video editing techniques.

Coronavirus R: Is this the crucial number? R (or Rt) is the reproductive (or propagation) index of an infectious disease.

Thanks for this, @RichP714. IL-6: A New Era for the Treatment of Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases is worth a read.

Special Report: As virus advances, doctors rethink rush to ventilate - Reuters Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with COVID-19, are dying from strokes - The Washington Post

@zumbini is in your corner of the world.