*Italy and Coronavirus - READ IT*

[Amin Sabet]

A lot of young people are dying in New York. Compare with the data from Korea.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

In news closer to home, a medical assistant and a medical receptionist in my office both just tested positive for SARS CoV 2.

 

[Phil K]

In news closer to home, a medical assistant and a medical receptionist in my office both just tested positive for SARS CoV 2.

OMG! Please take extra care. Wishing them a speedy recovery.

 

[Palouse]

All of you medical folks, thanks, and take care.

My take on a lot of this is that the data are incomplete, collected using different protocols, referring to different time periods, etc., and thus should best be regarded as preliminary/transitory data. Locally, the story is of course more authoritative.

 

[Jonathan F/2]

Quick question for all the medical folk here. How useful are UV light sanitizers? I'm looking at other methods of sanitizing besides wiping everything down with alcohol and bleach. Would it also be safe to expose surgical masks to UV light?

 

[Phil K]

Some info here:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200327-can-you-kill-coronavirus-with-uv-light

https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/can-uv-light-kill-coronavirus/

 

[Jonathan F/2]

Some info here:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200327-can-you-kill-coronavirus-with-uv-light

https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/can-uv-light-kill-coronavirus/

My main thought would be to use UV light as finishing method to sterilize food packaging, car interiors, masks, keys, wallet, etc., but only after thoroughly wiping the items down with alcohol or some other cleaning solution. I wouldn't want to rely on UV light as my only means of disinfectant though. If hospitals are using UV, it probably wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

That BBC article sure went off on a tangent though with Brazil and smoke. What does wood burning have to do with sterilizing equipment? Reminds me of those articles trying to discredit the use of masks.

 

[7006]

Anyone using steam cleaners in addition to disinfectants and regular household cleaners ?

My main thought would be to use UV light as finishing method to sterilize food packaging, car interiors, masks, keys, wallet, etc., but only after thoroughly wiping the items down with alcohol or some other cleaning solution. I wouldn't want to rely on UV light as my only means of disinfectant though. If hospitals are using UV, it probably wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

That BBC article sure went off on a tangent though with Brazil and smoke. What does wood burning have to do with sterilizing equipment? Reminds me of those articles trying to discredit the use of masks.

if I summarise the BBC article:
UV bad for humans so NO not a solution.
Far-UV May work but not tested yet.
Exposure to the Sun does not work for many reasons.
It then compares the impact of UV on various viruses including flu.
The wood burning in Brazil was there to show that when it occurs the smoke masks the Sun and flu cases increase.
Useful datapoint methinks.

 

[atlanta_man]

It is interesting that regular old pneumonia and flu are not killing very many people these days.

 

[7006]

It is interesting that regular old pneumonia and flu are not killing very many people these days.

Probably because COVID-19 gets to people first.

 

[Beagledog]

Regarding UV sterilization.

First off, a sufficient dose of UV will kill the virus as it will most things. But the main problem is how do you determine what a sufficient dose is when you are trying to sterilize a mask. The big problem is masks and other equipment have nooks and crannies that the light does not get into so it only sterilizes the surface. This is why UV is good for sterilizing clear water in that the light can penetrate sufficiently to kill the bacteria and viruses.

There is not a good method for sterilizing disposable items that has been proven to work. Lots of ideas, but one needs proof because if you think it works and it doesn't then you are worse off.

But, if you have to reuse a mask something is better than nothing. For me, I would go with alcohol vapors and ozone for home use. I mist my mask with ethanol after use. Is it totally effective? no but it is what i have.

Cheers,
alexis and Georgie beagle

 

[TomP]

Regarding sterilization. what about using a pressure cooker?

 

[7006]

Regarding sterilization. what about using a pressure cooker?

Interesting idea, from what I am reading it could work.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12267939/
https://missvickie.com/using-a-pressure-cooker-as-an-autoclave/

There may be some practical challenges and limitations though.
I would love to see what more expert members think.

 

[Desmond]

We're down to 29 new cases in New Zealand which is good progress.
From my mother back in South Africa: "We have 18 deaths up to yesterday and almost 2,000 cases. St Augustine hospital in Durban has been closed because of so many staff members having the virus."

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[TomP]

Interesting idea, from what I am reading it could work.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12267939/
https://missvickie.com/using-a-pressure-cooker-as-an-autoclave/

There may be some practical challenges and limitations though.
I would love to see what more expert members think.

Availability would be one issue, and then they are not for novice users, but we still do canning now and then.

We're down to 29 new cases in New Zealand which is good progress.
From my mother back in South Africa: "We have 18 deaths up to yesterday and almost 2,000 cases. St Augustine hospital in Durban has been closed because of so many staff members having the virus."

Glad to hear that Des, we have 1000 cases and 64 dead in a smaller town, Albany Ga. Spreader attended 2 funerals on the same day and created a hot zone. Numbers still going up State was slow in ordering a stay home at notice. My county has only 7 cases. Any news out of Tasmania?

This virus is taking a toll on our medical HEROS!
.

 

[Mike Buckley]

We're down to 29 new cases in New Zealand which is good progress.

CNN's American broadcast during prime time included a report on how successful New Zealand has been, explaining that the success is mostly due to the prime minister's decision to "go hard and go early" and for the citizens' willingness to buy into the need for doing so.

The countries that experience the virus later than others have the opportunity to learn from the failures of countries that experienced it earlier. They can then keep their citizens and the rest of the world safer. As an example, New Zealand confirmed its first patient to have contracted the virus one month later than America's first confirmation. New Zealand's prime minister closed its country to all outsiders and required citizens returning to the country to quarantine for 14 days in a government facility. That still hasn't happened in America on either the federal or the state level.

 

[Palouse]

That still hasn't happened in America on either the federal or the state level.

Some states are pondering this. Just that read that Utah may move in that direction.

 

[Desmond]

CNN's American broadcast during prime time included a report on how successful New Zealand has been, explaining that the success is mostly due to the prime minister's decision to "go hard and go early" and for the citizens' willingness to buy into the need for doing so.

The countries that experience the virus later than others have the opportunity to learn from the failures of countries that experienced it earlier. They can then keep their citizens and the rest of the world safer. As an example, New Zealand confirmed its first patient to have contracted the virus one month later than America's first confirmation. New Zealand's prime minister closed its country to all outsiders and required citizens returning to the country to quarantine for 14 days in a government facility. That still hasn't happened in America on either the federal or the state level.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but a few of us said we should have shut down our borders a month before they actually did. But of course the biggest part of the decision is based on finances, not lives.

 

[ijm5012]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but a few of us said we should have shut down our borders a month before they actually did. But of course the biggest part of the decision is based on finances, not lives.

At least here in the US, there were quite a number of left-leaning individuals in politics and on TV that chastised President Trump when he banned flights coming from China back in early February.

They claimed that such a move was racist, xenophobic, etc. Then, less than a month later they were begging him to do more.

 

[Desmond]

At least here in the US, there were quite a number of left-leaning individuals in politics and on TV that chastised President Trump when he banned flights coming from China back in early February.

They claimed that such a move was racist, xenophobic, etc. Then, less than a month later they were begging him to do more.

This has been a great opportunity for politicians to criticize each other for things that are being done and should have been done. There's always someone who would have done it different/better AFTER they see how things went.

 

[ShaunK]

I'm surprised to see CA relatively low on the list given our density and total population... of course, it was one of the earlier states to go with stricter measures. I found this site which breaks things down by state. One thing I find interesting is in looking at the expected peak here in CA, it shows we are predicted to have over 20,000 extra beds available for when our projected peak hits (mid-next week). (I don't know where that site gets its numbers from, so...)

Also interesting is that Fauci just downgraded the est. total deaths in the US to 60,000 today based on latest projections.