Don't Cough On Me

This is where we discuss the coronavirus.

Hi, JoshuaB, did you not see the ongoing discussion under the Jan-April 2020 Social Chatting Topic? That is where there have been a good number of entries already. :) Just wondering.

@AK He did, I'm sure, but it's nice sometimes to have a separate thread for a busy topic to keep conversations from getting jumbled.

As far as the virus goes, I'm in the States now because they sent my brothers and me back here on 12 hours notice (which was chaotic and not very fun). Why is no one wearing masks here??

Thanks, Random, for the post. Yes, I will agree . . . it is probably best to have a separate thread on this subject, as the social forum will switch after the end of April to a new forum.
Where were you before you were 'sent' back to the States? Is the States your family's home?
I've learned through a lot of reading and listening to medical personnel that masks do not do as much as people think they do at protecting a person from catching the virus. BUT masks definitely should be worn by people who are sick and/or infected (with coronavirus, a cold or a flu, but they should also be staying isolated until they are symptom free) as it minimizes the spread of the virus when they cough or sneeze.
Looking at the world tracking site for Coronavirus (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/), more than 40,000 people each day have become infected today and during the past couple of days. Every day the rate of new infections is climbing (worldwide) from the previous day. Probably tomorrow, the total cases throughout the whole world will exceed 500,000!!! Ouch!! That's a lot!!
In the past several days, the rate of new cases in the USA is about double the rate in Italy (which is still high). At this rate, USA will probably jump to being the 2nd most infected country in the world in the next 2-3 days, and in 4-5 days (or less), its total infections will no doubt exceed China's total cases.
A grim picture to be sure! I'm just glad that our Memverse community has our faith in God to fall back on to, along with the ability to write God's promises on our minds to give us comfort, courage, and hope through these challenging times.

@AK: My dad is a missionary in South Korea, so our family (except my married sister) lives there. We were there during that spike (when it was second only to China in the number of cases) and now we've come back to the States right as the fun is starting here. I get to experience the same pandemic twice. I have to say it's an experience I never cared to have once, much less twice in the span of less than 30 days.

As far as the masks are concerned, there are masks with multiple layers and filters and a more secure border that actually can help block the virus; the more basic ones don't but it would be nice to see people taking that step to show consideration.
On a similar note, I of course agree that infected people should wear them, but there is a period of time as a carrier before symptoms show up so you can't always be sure whether you are infected or not, so to be on the safe side it's best to always wear a mask.

Thanks, Random. Some of the stats coming out now in the media on countries that are getting a handle on the spread of COVID19 is that they did it because they made most people wear masks, healthy or not. Even today, I read about this being more seriously talked about in both Canada and the USA.

This is certainly a strange little "bug". I'm glad that it isn't as serious as some have been in the past, though it is infecting others by storm. It sure gets around, leaving hundreds of sick people in its tracks. I'm really praying that everyone, everywhere, will take it to heart and stay home, only go out when it is absolutely necessary, practice social distancing, wash their hands with soap and water frequently, etc.

Probably an opportune time to deepen one's relationship with God and His Word, rather than just spending all of this inside time on things that may be more time wasting than really productive or helpful to preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ back to our world.

Texas has recommended always wearing a mask outside the house now. It's getting really annoying.

Wow! So far so good throughout Canada. No such similar "law" . . . yet.

I was already so tired of the smell of the inside of my mask before we even came here. I’m glad even a few people are finally wearing them in the States too though…

Canada's top public health doctor, Dr. Theresa Tam, came out today with the recommendation of all "healthy" people should consider wearing any type of non-medical mask. It can be just about anything worn over the nose and mouse. While its purpose is not to keep you from getting sick, it will protect others around you from you in case you have the virus but no symptoms to alert you to the fact that you are contagious. In various countries that have mandated mask wearing for everyone, their ability to contain the spread of the virus has been significant. Fascinating info!

Oh good! Hopefully the numbers start dropping in all of North America as a result of the States and Canada putting out that recommendation.

Yes, that is my prayer. It's really very sad when so many people think they are invincible and simply ignore the orders to social distance one's self from others, and to limit going out of your home except for groceries and a few other absolutely necessary reasons. I'm glad (at least up here in Calgary, and in other parts of Canada) they are starting to hand out very stiff fines for people caught breaking the mandatory health requirements in this crisis. Not sure if this is happening anywhere in the USA yet. Do you?

Hey everyone! Below is the link to a talk by Curtis Bowers (writer and producer of Agenda) in which he discusses the COVID-19 virus and tries to separate the facts about it from the fiction we often hear. I hope it's helpful to you!
https://anchor.fm/curtisbowers/episodes/Covid19—Separating-Fact-from-Fiction-ece7h2?fbclid=IwAR3VzuhudDiUEj9xKAn-t7O4zMdE-Gw5ktknbYgL_kdOlFjBg0ftTwwfCFo

It’s happening in Arizona….still a lot of people aren’t paying attention and are lying about their destination when the police stop them and ask. It’s crazy….it never got this far in Korea, with the police actually stopping people. Everyone just kind of stayed in their homes…..

Thanks, Titus, I will check it out on the weekend. I trust everyone in your household is staying healthy and well, and strong in their faith in God.

Thanks, Random. Many countries would probably be a lot further ahead in getting over this virus if people would just do as they're told to do! :) Especially because this is a health issue, not a conscience or principle issue. We need to remember the "Golden Rule" spoken by Jesus in this particular situation: Do to others what you would like them to do to you. Or, Do for others what you would like them to do for you. Keep to social distancing, wash hands frequently, and probably, when you're out and about for groceries, wear a face mask of some kind if you don't have symptoms or access to a medical mask.

All of these are good ideas, and I will try to follow them whenever I go out. Some people are saying that Texas won't reach it's peak until mid May. That seems kind of absurd for it to take that long. The virus is going like a wave. It started in China, went to Italy, and then all around the world. Right now the wave is in the states. Who knows? When everybody thinks that it's gone, it might come back with greater force than before if people aren't careful.

Something that many people don’t seem to remember is that it dies in high temperatures, which means that once summer hits it won’t be able to last as long outside the human body in places that get up into the high 90’s F. That might help to slow down the spread.

"While health experts agree warmer weather is a factor in containing the outbreak, they stress the outcome of each country's response may depend on how robust its healthcare infrastructure is, how quickly those tools are deployed, and how proactive citizens are.

They also said there are other crucial variables to consider in fighting the infection, warning that simply relying on weather patterns without observing safety precautions and other health protocols invites risk.

Even as the weather warms up in the northern hemisphere, the coronavirus may still survive for days at temperatures up to 25C (77 F), according to a study in Germany published by the Journal of Hospital Infection.

The study showed a human coronavirus could persist for five days in 21C (69.8 F) temperature on a Teflon, ceramic or steel surface. In comparison, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) could last on a plastic surface for more than five days between 22C and 25C (71.6-77F).

Dr Edsel Maurice Salvana, director at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines, told Al Jazeera that a direct correlation between warmer countries and the slower spread of the virus "is a myth".

"It might deactivate the virus faster if it is in on surfaces, but it won't affect people who get sick from inhaling droplets from someone's cough or sneeze," said Salvana, who is also an adjunct professor for Global Health at the University of Pittsburgh in the US."

• quoted from a current events news article

True. I had to laugh about the bit where they were talking about warmer countries having slower spreads. We’ll have to wait for summer to reach the northern hemispheres before we can know for sure. Both my hometown and my current neighborhood have daily summer temperatures of 90-100 degrees F, but that doesn’t mean people should let down their guard. Surfaces will be safer (I was glad to see that your quote agreed on that) but it can still spread from person to person just as quickly as ever.

We must not forget that while this virus started in China in December, being our winter in the northern hemisphere, it did spread even into the southern hemisphere countries, that were in their summer time of weather. Whether their warmer weather helped them to limit the spread remains to be seen, as you have surmised, when we begin our warmer weather in the northern hemisphere and they move into their cooler winter-like weather.

I have really enjoyed your comments, Random. They have been very insightful and stimulating. Keep it up!! :)

Right. I think the main problem is that people hear the fact that “the virus can’t survive in high temperatures” and think that that means that there’s no way to catch it if it’s so hot, which isn’t the whole truth. It dies MORE quickly on surfaces but it can still stick around for a little while and it can still spread by contact with infected people.

Thank you.

You're welcome. I am sure there is still much to learn from the researchers who are studying the behavior of this virus. I just pray that it will not infect anyone that we know and love in our lives.

Hi, Titus, I listened to the link you provided above. Interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

Hi, Everyone, it's been awhile since anyone commented here.
Has anyone been directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19 in the past 31 days?
Are any of your country's restrictions being lifted now?
Do share an update when you can.

The Korean government is considering allowing non-working foreigners back into the country if their family lives there, so my brother and I might be able to get back in before autumn after all. It’s not certain yet though.

That's definitely good news!! Hope everything works out well for you and your brother!!!

Our church has just opened, but we are only allowed to stay six or more feet away from everyone, so we are not going yet.

Makes sense. Except for families sitting together, chances are every other pew would need to be kept empty along with ensuring unrelated people sitting on the same pew keep their 6 feet distancing. Would make for a sparsely attended church service, to be sure. Hopefully, not long from now, more and more restrictions will be removed so that all faith communities would be able to begin functioning as they used to do before the pandemic.

Looks like this virus is finally going down.

Praise the LORD for that!! But the new cases, worldwide, is still increasing on and off . . . just that other new countries are now taking the heat of the problem, while our countries are beginning to slow down.