The author of this coronavirus precautionary measures is James Robb, MD UC San Diego. It’s a really great read.
Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic
Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources.
The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.
Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:
1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.
2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.
3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip – do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.
4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.
5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.
6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home’s entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can’t immediately wash your hands.
7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!
What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:
1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.
Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.
2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you – it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth – it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.
3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.
4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY “cold-like” symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.
I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.
I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us! Jim
James Robb, MD FCAP
中文翻译
主题：我为即将到来的COVID-19（冠状病毒）大流行所采取的措施
各位同事，您可能还记得，当我是加利福尼亚大学圣地亚哥分校的病理学教授时，我是世界上最早研究冠状病毒的分子病毒学家之一（1970年代）。我是第一个证明该病毒包含的基因数量的人。从那时起，我就跟上了冠状病毒领域及其从不同动物源到人类（例如SARS，MERS）的多种临床转移。
由于全球数据持续不足，目前对它在美国扩张的预测只是大概的，但最有可能在3月中旬至4月中旬在美国广泛传播。
下面是我所做的事情以及我将要采取的预防措施。这些是我目前在流感季节使用的相同预防措施，除了口罩和手套。
1）不能握手！使用拳头撞击，轻微的弓形，肘部撞击等。
2）仅用指节触摸电灯开关。电梯按钮等。用纸巾提起加油柄或使用一次性手套。
3）用拳头或臀部打开门-除非没有其他打开门的方法，否则不要用手抓住把手。在浴室和邮局/商业门上尤其重要。
4）到店时，请使用消毒湿巾，包括擦拭杂物车上的把手和儿童座椅。
5）每当您从他人居住地点的任何活动中返回家中时，请用肥皂洗手10-20秒和/或使用大于60％的酒精类洗手液。
6）在您家的每个入口处已经车上都准备一瓶消毒液。并且当您无法立即洗手时，在加油或接触其他受污染的物体后，可以在车上使用。
7）如果可能，咳嗽或打喷嚏到一次性纸巾中并丢弃。仅在必要时才使用肘部。肘部的衣服将包含传染性病毒，这些病毒可以传播长达一周或更长时间！
我为准备向美国大流行传播所准备的库存：
1） 乳胶或丁腈乳胶一次性手套（购物，使用汽油泵时使用的，以及接触污染区域时的所有其他室外活动）
注意：该病毒通过咳嗽和打喷嚏以大液滴的形式传播。这意味着空气不会感染您！但是这些飞沫降落的所有表面平均具有传染性，大约一周左右-与感染者相关的所有事物都会被污染并具有潜在的传染性。该病毒在表面，除非您未受保护的脸部直接被咳嗽或打喷嚏，否则您不会被感染。该病毒仅具有肺细胞的细胞受体（仅感染肺部）。唯一感染该病毒的方法是通过鼻子，嘴巴，手，被感染的咳嗽或打喷嚏或打喷嚏到鼻子或嘴巴。
2）现在要存放一次性外科口罩，并使用它们来防止您触摸鼻子和/或嘴巴（我们不知不觉每天触摸鼻子/嘴90倍！）。这是该病毒感染您的唯一方法-它是肺特异性的。口罩不会阻止直接打喷嚏中的病毒进入您的鼻子或嘴巴-只是防止您触摸鼻子或嘴巴。
3）现在要储备洗手液和乳胶/丁腈手套（为您的家人准备合适的尺码）。洗手液必须基于酒精，并且酒精含量大于60％才能有效。
4）现在库存含锌锭剂。这些锭剂已被证明可有效阻止冠状病毒（和大多数其他病毒）在您的喉咙和鼻咽中繁殖。当您开始感觉到任何感冒症状时，请每天按指示使用几次。最好躺下，让锭剂溶解在您的喉咙和鼻咽后部。 Cold-Eeze锭剂是一个可用的品牌，但还有其他可用的品牌。
我和其他许多人一样，希望这种流行病能够得到合理遏制，但我个人认为不会。人类以前从未见过这种与蛇相关的病毒，也没有内部防御措施。全球正在做出巨大的努力来了解这种病毒的分子和临床病毒学。关于这种病毒的基因组学，结构和毒力，已经获得了令人难以置信的知识。但是，今年将没有可用的药物或疫苗来保护我们或限制我们内部的感染。仅对症状有些药物支持。
我希望这些个人想法对这一潜在的灾难性大流行有帮助。欢迎您分享此电子邮件。祝大家好运！吉姆
詹姆斯·罗伯（James Robb），医学博士
