Don’t buy the media hype over the new China virus

[Steeleballz 7,550]

20 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Many folks in Korea wear them due to the pollution that comes across the Yellow Sea.  A lot of particulate matter coming from China.

 

  Most of the masks I have seen on the pictures are not designed to filter viruses though, so it's debatable how helpful they are. They do block some droplet aerosols and I guess they stop you from touching your own face with your hands so they are somewhat helpful. I wouldn't be walking around ground zero just using a store bought mask though.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

37 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  Most of the masks I have seen on the pictures are not designed to filter viruses though, so it's debatable how helpful they are. They do block some droplet aerosols and I guess they stop you from touching your own face with your hands so they are somewhat helpful. I wouldn't be walking around ground zero just using a store bought mask though.

Precisely.  Personally, I think they are somewhat effective when sick people wear them, but for a healthy person trying to not get sick, not so much.  Especially when you consider how much airflow there is around the sides as opposed to THRU the material.

 

Another interesting belief to examine is Korean fan death.  Purt near every single fan in Korea has a timer on it so you don't inadvertently fall asleep and get "blown to death".

[Steeleballz 7,550]

2 hours ago, ALFKAD said:

Precisely.  Personally, I think they are somewhat effective when sick people wear them, but for a healthy person trying to not get sick, not so much.  Especially when you consider how much airflow there is around the sides as opposed to THRU the material.

 

Another interesting belief to examine is Korean fan death.  Purt near every single fan in Korea has a timer on it so you don't inadvertently fall asleep and get "blown to death".

 

   I don't think it's just a Korean thing. Many Russian people we know do this too. Our old house had the HVAC registers on the ceiling so we couldn't ever have the AC running because (according to my wife) you can't just let cold air blow in your ears like that. One of several specifics I gave to the builder when we bought a new house was to have floor registers. 

[Neonred 3,575]

16 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   I don't think it's just a Korean thing. Many Russian people we know do this too. Our old house had the HVAC registers on the ceiling so we couldn't ever have the AC running because (according to my wife) you can't just let cold air blow in your ears like that. One of several specifics I gave to the builder when we bought a new house was to have floor registers. 

OK, now it makes sense.  We live in FL and like so many others here we have, or had, many ceiling fans.  One by one my wife has been getting rid of them. 

Fortunately I think I have finally broken her from this obsession.  There are a few other things I have had to get her to accept here.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

6 minutes ago, Neonred said:

OK, now it makes sense.  We live in FL and like so many others here we have, or had, many ceiling fans.  One by one my wife has been getting rid of them. 

Fortunately I think I have finally broken her from this obsession.  There are a few other things I have had to get her to accept here.

 

  We have had our back and forth on some things, but she wouldn't budge on the cold air one. She still doesn't like it with the floor registers, but she lets it go a little longer. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Steeleballz

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Not liking cold air is a bit different from the Korean fan death I'm guessing.  Unless your Russian brides also believe air blowing on them will kill them while they sleep.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

1 minute ago, ALFKAD said:

Not liking cold air is a bit different from the Korean fan death I'm guessing.  Unless your Russian brides also believe air blowing on them will kill them while they sleep.

 

   Same difference. Can't have fans or AC running. Night or day sometimes.

 

  The belief that I have seen many Russian people express is that the cold air from above will make you sick. We could extrapolate death as one potential consequence, but there is not the suggestion that cold air will lead to sudden death. In fact I have argued that having the house hit 90 degrees on summer nights is more likely to do that. 

[Neonred 3,575]

1 minute ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   Same difference. Can't have fans or AC running. Night or day sometimes.

 

  The belief that I have seen many Russian people express is that the cold air from above will make you sick. We could extrapolate death as one potential consequence, but there is not the suggestion that cold air will lead to sudden death. In fact I have argued that having the house hit 90 degrees on summer nights is more likely to do that. 

And don't forget that drinks with ice will give you a sore throat and make you sick.

[Dashinka 24,593]

1 hour ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   I don't think it's just a Korean thing. Many Russian people we know do this too. Our old house had the HVAC registers on the ceiling so we couldn't ever have the AC running because (according to my wife) you can't just let cold air blow in your ears like that. One of several specifics I gave to the builder when we bought a new house was to have floor registers. 

 

1 hour ago, Neonred said:

OK, now it makes sense.  We live in FL and like so many others here we have, or had, many ceiling fans.  One by one my wife has been getting rid of them. 

Fortunately I think I have finally broken her from this obsession.  There are a few other things I have had to get her to accept here.

Interesting, I have not experienced the same thing.  My wife is not a big fan of AC, but she does appreciate it when it is particularly hot and humid out.  She also likes the ceiling fans in the bedrooms.  Maybe it is a regional thing in Russia.

[Dashinka 24,593]

50 minutes ago, Neonred said:

And don't forget that drinks with ice will give you a sore throat and make you sick.

Now that I do see, tepid water is her favorite, and nothing drank or drunk right out of the fridge.  Heck, even when she drinks a beer, I have to pour it in a glass 30 minutes before she plans to drink it, and white wine is consumed room temperature.

[Neonred 3,575]

12 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

 

Interesting, I have not experienced the same thing.  My wife is not a big fan of AC, but she does appreciate it when it is particularly hot and humid out.  She also likes the ceiling fans in the bedrooms.  Maybe it is a regional thing in Russia.

I guess it's the draft, or maybe she was just not used to ceiling fans, just like she wanted to get rid of that strange dishwasher thing.  My wife LOVES AC and insists the house be cold.  I hate it and it's a constant battle for us especially when it's in the 90's outside.  It's just too much of a contrast and extreme to come into a house that's low 70's when I have been outside working.

 

Why is it this time of year when it is just perfect outside (today low 70's and not humid) she still wants to run the AC....at 69!  Crazy!

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

9 hours ago, yuna628 said:

To a degree this year, based on figures from the CDC, the regular flu has been pretty potent this year and has killed a high number of persons. Whether that's because less are getting the vax, or it hasn't been effective, or this strain has been tough to beat. That being said, China is not, by any account telling the truth about the numbers that are infected and dying... that will skew things statistically. And as you can see, the virus has quickly spread as it has taken on characteristics that SARS did not have. The big SARS outbreak, required so-called 'superspreaders'. nCoV, can now spread through everyone and infecting even though the host is not symptomatic. It's also not a very pleasant way to die, and your decent to death is fairly rapid. Some very good scientists in the UK have been working out numbers that they feel is closer to the correct statistic. 1 person can spread it to about 2.6 persons, and so on and so on. Another thing we don't know... are persons dying because it is *that* lethal, or are they dying because of poor treatment? At best, some studies show the most that can be done is supportive care - and the patient either lives or dies very quickly. Gilead has developed some promising anti-virals (that are typically used for Hep patients) but they cost mega-dollars. There is no way to avoid becoming sick it seems if in contact, and many health workers have contracted it.

 

I know the article pokes fun at a reporter wearing a mask. But honestly? I'd be doing that too. There is not a lot known about the virus to begin with. Even if it is not effective, it will make the person wearing it feel psychologically safer. There is also a suggestion the virus can live on objects for long periods of time. Shipments out of Wuhan are still being handled by the postal service and suppliers. And yes, we've been through hysterias. The fact is though H1N1 did kill many people (including seemingly healthy persons), and I can personally attest, as an immuno-compromised person - I was much more extremely ill than an average flu.

 

There is limited info on the patients that are 'doing well'. I would hope their odds will be better in more developed countries with solid controls. Even in China vague reports of a person being 'cured' or even stable, are nearly non-existing. My point is, the author of the article is speaking too soon and going off of pretty bogus figures out of China. Some scientists have urged caution not to overhype, while at the same time stating we cannot downplay it either. Hopkins recently ran some simulations on this very virus - and the results weren't good. At this time there's no way I'd be getting on a plane anyway.. and no amount of vitamin is likely going to save you if you encountered someone with this infection.

I have been following this "Wuhan flu" for almost 4 weeks now but that is only because I scour international news sites all the time. It has been getting worse and the Chinese government has been suppressing the numbers not to mention any videos getting out of that area. 

 

So the wife and I went to town yesterday to get medical supplies. We got about 20 N95 masks from Wal-Mart and another 20 from Walgreens. The most striking thing from the Wal-Mart venture was a conversation I had with a older gentleman who got the last of the masks in stock. We asked a stocker about if they had any more in the back. The reply we got from him was that "No, we don't have anymore in the back but the next shelf over has clearance items from Christmas". We then asked him if he knew what's going on in China and he shook his head no. 

 

After I left Walgreens I ordered some kids masks online with extra carbon filters. We looked today and almost nothing is in stock online

Edited January 27, 2020 by Cyberfx1024

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

1 hour ago, Neonred said:

And don't forget that drinks with ice will give you a sore throat and make you sick.

I was always told that cold drinks with ICE make you fat. 

[yuna628 9,680]

56 minutes ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

I have been following this "Wuhan flu" for almost 4 weeks now but that is only because I scour international news sites all the time. It has been getting worse and the Chinese government has been suppressing the numbers not to mention any videos getting out of that area. 

 

So the wife and I went to town yesterday to get medical supplies. We got about 20 N95 masks from Wal-Mart and another 20 from Walgreens. The most striking thing from the Wal-Mart venture was a conversation I had with a older gentleman who got the last of the masks in stock. We asked a sticker about if they had any more in the back. The reply we got from him was that "No, we don't have anymore in the back but the next shelf over has clearance items from Christmas". We then asked him if he knew what's going on in China and he shook his head no. 

 

After I left Walgreens I ordered some kids masks online with extra carbon filters. We looked today and almost nothing is in stock online

I regularly get masks and gloves.. and yes they have been getting harder to find lately. I already had a stock of hospital strength clorox germicidal bleach and sani cloths (regular store clorox or lysol wipes will not kill superbugs) from last year that came in ridiculously handy. That stuff will kill nearly anything including SARS if you follow protocol carefully. I'd consider getting some more of it.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

13 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I regularly get masks and gloves.. and yes they have been getting harder to find lately. I already had a stock of hospital strength clorox germicidal bleach and sani cloths (regular store clorox or lysol wipes will not kill superbugs) from last year that came in ridiculously handy. That stuff will kill nearly anything including SARS if you follow protocol carefully. I'd consider getting some more of it.

Is this what you are referring to?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Bleach-Germicidal-Cleaner/dp/B0056LUPJY/ref=asc_df_B0056LUPJY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167133788114&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1480404500388294883&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011975&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-338144665114&psc=1