Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19 • Hacker News Board

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#11

Post by pm_me_ur_fullz » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:20 AM UTC

whoisjuan wrote: post #4

So he claims that he got it despite practicing all the social distancing protocols, hand-washing, etc. Has anyone calculated what are the probabilities of infection in an area with an active infection cluster while practicing social-distancing and other hygiene measures?

The point is to slow it down, not actually know which ritual failed.

We aren't worried about how you or I really get it, it doesn't matter if it actually was carried by a supernatural deity following certain people around or if someone has a death note that uses 5g radio waves to target individuals in the phone book. We only know that crowds and ignoring hygeine carry it faster and we just need time to treat it.

If you are personally in an at-risk group and are avoiding it like the plague that it is, none of the policies have real answers you. We are operating on probabilities, not absolutes.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#12

Post by codac_mac » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:25 AM UTC

Thanks for this. I'm from MA - woke up a couple days ago with heavy breathing and am now progressing into GI issues. Been racing through the probabilities and dependencies of my potential contact so this encapsulated how I'm feeling well - awful how we are so helpless but not much you can do..

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#13

Post by FillardMillmore » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:26 AM UTC

DougN7 wrote: post #5

whoisjuan wrote: post #4

So he claims that he got it despite practicing all the social distancing protocols, hand-washing, etc. Has anyone calculated what are the probabilities of infection in an area with an active infection cluster while practicing social-distancing and other hygiene measures?

I don’t know but I’ve become aware of just how difficult it is to remain pristine. Touch a door handle? After that did you touch your phone, keys or wallet at the store? Did you touch your car door handle? When you washed your hands, did you disinfect the faucet handle and soap dispenser after? It’s always a game of percentages even when you’re careful.

That's the tough part - not touching things that other people touch or ensuring that you sanitize your hands after. A new CDC study claims this coronavirus can survive for hours on shoes, wall, floors, etc.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0885_article

Like you say, it's a game of percentages. The only way to completely eliminate the possibility of infection to yourself personally is to stay inside and live off whatever you've managed to stock up on for supplies. Not exactly practical and likely not sustainable for long.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#14

Post by DoreenMichele » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:26 AM UTC

But for those of us with Covid-19, the full force of modern social technologies that enable cooperation, communication and specialization among billions of humans around the world has been applied and come up snake eyes.

For the record, I don't think this is an accurate representation of the situation.

The world has done a remarkable job of coming up with ventilators, masks and new practices on the fly in the face of overwhelming demand and labor shortages.

The ventilators aren't working as well as expected, so doctors are collaborating via internet in real time to come up with other options. New hypotheses concerning the pathology of the condition are already emerging.

Also, with internet access, you can google up medically recommended airway clearance techniques, recommended OTC drugs, etc. You can double check that it's a reputable source and an established practice for management of lung issues.

Covid19 is not the first time people have been faced with managing deadly lung issues. You can find good info on that very thing by searching for resources for cystic fibrosis. It's very deadly and people routinely manage it from home with medically approved and doctor recommended treatment modalities.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#15

Post by wcoenen » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:31 AM UTC

whoisjuan wrote: post #4

So he claims that he got it despite practicing all the social distancing protocols, hand-washing, etc. Has anyone calculated what are the probabilities of infection in an area with an active infection cluster while practicing social-distancing and other hygiene measures?

Note that the protocol was followed for the "previous two weeks". The incubation period can easily be two weeks[1], so the infection could have happened earlier.

That said, more than 98% of corona cases involve fever[2] so this might have been something else.

[1] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-incuba...

[2] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-sympto...

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#16

Post by Havoc » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:35 AM UTC

Scary. Need to brush up on my stoicism in case the gods don’t favour me. I can def see myself feeling the same fears

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#17

Post by AlexanderNull » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:38 AM UTC

Great write up on the nature of fear! It's amazing how much the mind can fight to deny the reality of the situation you're in during such episodes.

The dull chest pain sticks around for a surprisingly long amount of time. I'm at day 25 now since my ER visit and just noticed that I haven't felt any of that dull pressure in at least 2 or 3 days at this point.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#18

Post by 0x8BADF00D » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:41 AM UTC

DoreenMichele wrote: post #14

But for those of us with Covid-19, the full force of modern social technologies that enable cooperation, communication and specialization among billions of humans around the world has been applied and come up snake eyes. For the record, I don't think this is an accurate representation of the situation. The world has done a remarkable job of coming up with ventilators, masks and new practices on the fly in the face of…

As a matter of caution, I always keep psychostimulants handy. Particularly: ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and amphetamine salts. Also keep some other beta receptor agonists, like Ventolin. You never know when it can save your life.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#19

Post by 3fe9a03ccd14ca5 » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:47 AM UTC

I hate to say it, but I’m actually jealous of people who have gone through and recovered from COVID-19. You can enter normal life again, you don’t need to have the fear, the rest of us are simply waiting because the chances of us getting it at some point is very high.

I actually wonder if some controlled exposure might be a good thing, I can get it and (statistically) recover from it at a place away from my family, and then come back and be the one that does everything for everybody.

Re: Fear and beauty: two weeks living with Covid-19

#20

Post by hilbertseries » Tue, Apr 14, 2020, 1:49 AM UTC

wcoenen wrote: post #15

whoisjuan wrote: post #4

So he claims that he got it despite practicing all the social distancing protocols, hand-washing, etc. Has anyone calculated what are the probabilities of infection in an area with an active infection cluster while practicing social-distancing and other hygiene measures?

Note that the protocol was followed for the "previous two weeks". The incubation period can easily be two weeks[1], so the infection could have happened earlier. That said, more than 98% of corona cases involve fever[2] so this might have been something else. [1] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-incuba... [2] https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-sympto...

Interesting, earlier reporting said that it frequently presented without a fever. I know that now they basically won’t even test you if you don’t have a fever. I wonder what’s correct.

https://www.mcknights.com/news/clinical-news/new-data-leads-...