Alain Guillot

Life, Leadership, and Money Matters

The Coronavirus; the only antidote is to stay home

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The Coronavirus, what is it?

Coronavirus drawingThe coronavirus started early January in China, in the Wuhan seafood market, where wild animals, such as marmots, birds, rabbits, bats, and snakes, are sold to the public. As someone who follows a plant-based diet, I think we should stop consuming meat.

The disease is spreading fast, now in over 150 countries and it’s growing at an exponential level.

How are countries responding

Countries have responded, some more efficiently than others,  in closing their borders, and closing places with large gatherings of people. However, not all leaders have done a great job of protecting their citizens. In the U.S. For example, the lack of leadership is leading to many deaths.

What are the Symptoms? What is the mortality rate?

Generally, the symptoms are mild (dry coughing and slight fever). However, for people who are older or who don’t have a strong immune system, the symptoms can be a lot stronger, like pneumonia or bronchitis. So far, two-thirds of those who have died have been men, and more than 80% were over 60 years old.

What makes this virus more dangerous than the others is that a person could be infected and not know it. The symptoms are not felt for a couple of days, during that time, the infected person could infect many others without knowing it.

In Italy, where the medical system has reached its capacity, and where they don’t have enough respiratory machines for everyone, they have decided to let the older people (those over 80 years old) without a respiratory machine.

The average mortality rate is 3.4% but this varies depending on the age of the patient. For younger patients, the mortality rate is almost zero while for older people (80 or more) it can go as high as 14%.

What can we do about it?

So far there is not a vaccine against the virus. There is nothing the doctors and nurses can do for you. Except, if you have respiratory problems, they can put you in a ventilator machine to help you breathe. Most of the patients recover within one or two weeks. But as you know already, many die as well.

Here is author Todd Herman describing what it feels like to have the Coronavirus.

The only thing we can do to protect ourselves and those who we love is to prevent the virus from spreading by practicing some social distancing and washing our hands often.

Here are some rules to follow:
  1. Don’t go to crowded places. This means, churches, restaurants, bars, etc.
  2. If you can do your work from home, stay at home.
  3. Wash your hands often. When a person coughs the virus stays there, alive for a couple of hours. If you touch anything, a counter, a bus handle, any place where other people put their hands, then you could get it too.
  4. Do not use public transportation. You will be in a close environment with other people who might have the virus.
There is only one solution: Stay home

The incubation period of the Coronavirus is 2-14 days. Thus, the solution is simple. If we all stay home for 14 days, we have a big chance of isolating this virus.

There will be people who will encourage you to help your local coffee shop or business. My suggestion is to stay at home. Every one can recuperate from a bankruptcy. As far as I know, no one has recuperated from dying.

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