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Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

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Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#511

Post by megous »

helij wrote: post #257
megous wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question is about disruptions caused by people's reaction to the outbreak, not the virus itself. Stuff like this: https://www.ibtimes.sg/wuhan-virus-italy-supermarkets-are-ru... The freaking panic is already starting in my country too. People buying up food in 10x the quantities than the usual shopping visit, etc.. I've gone shopping yesterday, when the virus was found in the country next to mine, to buy enough food…

It's not panic. It's reality. Many of us did the same. I went with 2 weeks worth of food, water and toiletries and we already have the usual stock which including refrigirated stuff should be enough for full month if needed. When you see small towns put into quarantine in Europe allowing people in and out only with 'written permission' you know you should prepare family and yourself asap. Get food, water, medicine an…

Well, I saw a lady who bought out a full cart of flour packages yesterday. There was last 1kg package of salt, and around 6 packages of flour left on the shelf. (normally there's ~200) Yes, it's not a generalized panic, but individual people like that can really screw up the shopping experience for others.

Is it panicking? Dunno, maybe she's just setting up a flour shop, or has 50 hungry necks to feed. But it was certainly unusual.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#512

Post by kps »

veemjeem wrote: post #274
cactus2093 wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assumed the reason not to re-use them is that the paper mask structurally wears out and no longer creates the proper seal on your face.

what about the P100 filter cartridges used on half/full face respirators? Those have a plastic skeleton with a rubber gasket.

They last indefintely, i.e. change the filter when it becomes clogged, which will be approximately never if you're not actually using it in a dusty environment. But check the manufacturer's instructions.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#513

Post by jiscariot »

mrfusion wrote: post #277
xboxnolifes wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "airborne" transmission in that link is what I believe is called "aerosol transmission", not airborne. Because it relies on liquid droplets in the air, and not actually able to transmit on something like dist in the air.

Is any virus truly airborne?

Measles is indicated as airborn transmission on the R0 wiki[1]. It is pretty crazy with an R0 of 12-18.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#514

Post by mercer »

disabled wrote: post #436
lapinot wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basic lottery is 1 in 14 million winning. I guess "citation needed", having that exact winner on hn is pretty low probability. This is an irrational comment in an irrational subthread. I'm not sure adhesive tape doesn't have high germs density but i'm pretty sure there is little correlation between your finger sticking to a material and a germ sticking to that same material. This message has no positive outcome besid…

It does attract bacteria plus other pathogens, plus makes them hard to remove. For example, in the 90s, roll tape (versus now: single use sterile IV tape) was sometimes used to secure IV lines. Here is a study on IV lines (not central lines): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1496597/ I was phenomenally stupid and also phenomenally lucky not to go in to sepsis for this move. I do know. Even though I am cur…

This complete internet stranger just wants to say he's happy to hear you're doing well and prospering, and wishes you the best in the circumstances you're in!

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#515

Post by mercer »

eveningcoffee wrote: post #361
pmoriarty wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if asymptomatic people transmit the virus "asymptomatic transmission likely plays a minor role in the epidemic overall, WHO says. People who cough or sneeze are more likely to spread the virus, the agency wrote"[1] [1] - https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/paper-non-symptomati...

WHO can say what they want but considering how the virus popped up in Italy tells a different story. Something has been overlooked.

I agree. It's probably aliens. Or reptilians.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#516

Post by mercer »

pmoriarty wrote: post #318
spking wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You don't have to go to the gym to exercise. Plenty of bodyweight exercise (like push-ups, L-sits, planks, burpees, etc) can be done at home without any equipment. Investing in a little bit of equipment, like barbells or maybe a pull-up bar, can let you do even more exercise at home.

While I could Google this, I often prefer asking people I 'know' even as tangentially as via HN comments: any suggestions for resources about this? I'd like to exercise more, and I have an entire room available, but I'm not sure where to start. I have the one-handed weight thingies, for one, but a pull-up bar is not an option. I heard one of those ball thingies with a handle is useful?

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#517

Post by selimthegrim »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #493
selimthegrim wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

JHP?

Jacketed Hollow Point bullets Essentially they create a shockwave in a soft target, causing a lot more damage than a Full Metal Jacket round (FMJ).

I thought cops lobbied for restrictions on this ammo

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#518

Post by mercer »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #510
droithomme wrote: post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As of this hour, Iran's now at 26 deaths.

Curiously Iran's smoking rate is low - 1/3 of America's. I had thought that lung-compromised smokers were responsible for high mortality in some countries. Hm.

That could still be true. I imagine there are a huge number of variables that influence mortality rates, to the point where finding correlations is difficult.

If I understand correctly, even the effect of weather/heat on various strains of viruses is extremely difficult to predict because of how many other factors play a role (air-conditioning, for example).

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#519

Post by mercer »

RJIb8RBYxzAMX9u wrote: post #77
jakkals wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is also transmission (actually the first one mentioned) "Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)"--this does not mention liquid droplets at all, which is why I figured it to be airborne.

That's because many people are disgusting and don't give a fuck about proper hygiene. Just among my acquaintances I need both hands an a foot to count the number that don't even vaguely cover their mouth / nose -- let alone _properly_ cover -- while coughing or sneezing. No amount of gentle reminder -> passive aggressive suggestion -> explicit suggestion had lasting effects on their behavior. All I could do is be vig…

The number of people I've seen 'properly' covering their mouth when they sneezed, with their hand instead of, say, elbow sleeve, and then touching all the things, is worrying.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#520

Post by runjake »

marshray wrote: post #314
runjake wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

A significant percentage of (probably 2 - 20%) of the cases require hospitalization. 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. http://www.kdheks.gov/cphp/download/KS_PF_Plan.pdf page 22

Thanks for the elaborations! Very informative.
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