Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't forget exercise.
Do you suppose gyms are a bad place to go during an outbreak? So far I haven't stopped going, but seems like it could be an especially nasty hotbed of airborne and surface-based viruses.
Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
311–320 of 566 posts
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#3122) Learn difficult social skills, such as refusing to help a sick neighbor
3) Consider buying an autoclave
4) Learn to cook with quinoa and lentils in case of a rice and bean shortage
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#313I've already been preparing as a hobby for the last 3 years, not specifically for coronavirus, but here's how I'm prepared for it: - I work remotely, so I can hunker down at home and have my income totally unaffected. - I've close to 6 months worth of food, and I've been buying more in the last month as the news continues. I can give some tips on what I think is good inexpensive food to get in case anyone is interest…
I'm interested! I've mostly heard of canned foods and the military-style rations / dried meals that last many years (although those are actually a bit pricey, I think).
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#314Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because it has infected tens (probably hundreds) of thousands of people around the world, completely overwhelmed hospital systems, and there's very little reason to expect it will different where you are.
Fair enough. Is it killing a significant amount of non-immunocompromised people? I haven't devoted a lot of attention to COVID-19, but would assume it doesn't have a high casualty rate among healthy people who practice the basics (rest and hydration)? I guess one way to look at it is that it's a model for handling a much deadlier bug. And the world is doing a mediocre job at it.
As a point of reference, there are typically about 1000 free hospital beds[1] in the state of Kansas, for a population of 2.9M.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#315Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#316My father had the misfortune of being a civilian in Kuwait during the first gulf war. What I learned from his stories is that the line between normalcy and utter chaos is thinner than one would think. The war itself from the perspective of someone not actively participating is mostly boring (his words) - you can't really go outside, cable is down(no internet back then), not much is happening. But the brief transition…
Fat is actually one of the last things the body burns during starvation. Your muscles usually go first.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation_response
> the body burns fat after first exhausting the contents of the digestive tract along with glycogen reserves stored in liver cells and after significant protein loss.[2] After prolonged periods of starvation, the body uses the proteins within muscle tissue as a fuel source.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#317Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#318Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't forget exercise.
Do you suppose gyms are a bad place to go during an outbreak? So far I haven't stopped going, but seems like it could be an especially nasty hotbed of airborne and surface-based viruses.
Investing in a little bit of equipment, like barbells or maybe a pull-up bar, can let you do even more exercise at home.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#319I'm really surprised there's 300 comments (with lots of panic) and nobody mentioned the official WHO guidelines https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2... especially the part about "How to cope with stress during 2019-nCoV outbreak"
I commented below about doing what I am doing to not worry about it. Naturally it and was immediately dismissed by a panic induced response.
FUD is extremely powerful people.
If you want to stock up on some extra water and food - cool beans. But stay conscious of your own fears and manage your stress levels. Do what you can to stay calm about things and handle your emotions wisely.
Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?
#320Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do not overstock on masks or other supplies. Masks especially should be available to the sick. It's ironic that (I'm sure) someone out there will stock up on 10,000 masks and it will cause them to be in even greater danger because the sick people around them will have fewer masks. The CDC recommends that sick people wear masks to keep droplets in, and that people who directly interact with sick people wear masks whil…
And what use is of mask with a valve for a sick person? They are already sick and valve will let contaminated air straight out? Can healthy people at least buy these? I think that not recommending masks for everyone is very myopic considering that the virus tends to spread asymptotically.
[1] - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomati...