[This message was originally sent by email 3/10/2020 to select group of friends and family – prior to the creation of this site.]
There is a bit of new information out there, so I thought a new update would be prudent. If nothing else, please see the CDC guidance links below.
Again, this appears to be a contagious illness with a moderate mortality rate (~3% for known cases) – but it is most dangerous to those in the high risk category (see below).
For those of you who don’t know – or don’t remember – keeping track of this kind of thing and building appropriate plans to respond used to be in my job description. It was part of business continuity planning and that was a primary consideration while I was at Red Cross (and continued at TRC). From my estimation, we have much more to worry about from the reaction of others than we do from the virus itself. With that in mind, here is the rest of the update.
- New cases in China seem to be slowing.
- Where there have been outbreaks in the rest of the world, the outbreaks do not seem as big or as deadly as China – with the possible exceptions of Italy and Iran
- Italy has closed its borders in an attempt to control the spread
- Israel has imposed a quarantine on new arrivals
- Iran has the third-highest incidence, behind China and Italy
- New York is isolating a ‘containment zone’ around much of New Rochelle
The CDC has issued new guidance, especially for those who are particularly susceptible: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html
The CDC defines those at higher risk as older adults, people with serious, chronic conditions (such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease). Those most susceptible seem to be those over 80 years of age. There is a significant reduction in mortality for each age group under 80. I know some on this list are in that vicinity, so please open the link above and familiarize yourself with the guidance.
Also, the CDC has issued a group of graphics for a quick reference for work, school and home: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf
I encourage you to read the full package, but in a nutshell:
- Practice good hygiene
- Be careful with travel or large group meetings
- Practice good food handling techniques
- Stay away from others if you are sick
I hope those of you who wanted disinfecting wipes were able to get them. I went to Wal-Mart on the way home yesterday and the Wet Ones and Clorox wipes areas were completely empty. Toilet paper and bottled water were fairly well picked over too.
Even if you are not directly impacted by the virus, you still may want to pick up enough toilet paper to last a couple of weeks (or more), if you can – just sayin’.