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Geaton777,

I almost gagged when I read about the guy who brushes his teeth in a shared room.   Yuck.   



I've thought of another aspect of contact with potential Coronavirus carriers:   returning missionaries.  

I know that the Mormon church sends their missionaries to a lot of different places.    I assume they're subject to screening when they return via plane or boat.

They're generally brought back to local "wards" (local units, such as "branches"),  and mingle with the other members, including the older ones.   If they've been exposed but haven't yet manifested symptoms, they could be vectors.
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GA, I do indeed have HEPA filters and humidifiers throughout the house and I've already been to the asthma specialist for a lung check, x-ray, sputum testing to confirm bacterial infection, antibiotics, new nebulizer and a new inhaler medication. Using Epsom salts with eucalyptus to steam up the bathroom and take a "steam bath" for 1-2 hours a day helps to soften up the mucus so I can cough it up easier. Right now I have very little sinus involvement.
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TNTechnie, I've read as well of using eucalyptus to break up the mucous but hadn't read of its use in steam baths.   

Sounds like you got the Cadillac of tests and checks; I hope you're feeling better.

And that reminds me that I feel so much better just from being outside for a short while.   Nature is such a healer, in so many ways.

BTW, not to ask specifically where you are but were you affected by the tornadoes?
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Johnson City is in the Northeast corner of the state, about 160 miles from the closest major damages in the area around Cookeville TN, home of Tennessee Tech University. Whenever I have a day trip to Nashville, I usually stay in a locally owned hotel in Cookeville, then drive the 40 miles or so into Nashville the next morning and return to Cookeville at the end of the day. Cookeville hotels are generally nicer, quieter, less expensive and safer than accommodations in the larger city while Cookeville itself has lots of nice restaurants.

Cookeville has/had one of the original Holidome hotels where Holiday Inn enclosed the courtyard area between two buildings to create a large pool area. The pool in Cookeville had both an indoor area and an outdoor area where you can swim outside from the indoor pool. When we stayed there one weekend about 30 years ago, my nephew liked swimming outside where it was 20 degrees and patting his hair, which would freeze when he surfaced. I last stayed there 4 years ago but have not heard if the dome survived the tornadoes or not.

I have a few relatives and many friends in the tornado area, but haven't heard from everyone yet because several cell towers are down and many of the younger folks do not have landlines.
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For those who were wondering, it seems COVID also Spread by Fecal-Oral Route.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85315

This worries me a lot.

I've read that when a virus is transmitted this way we should stop drinking tap water. Do you think this is true/ the case?
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Where did you read that, Arwen?

Sigh. If it makes you feel better, boil and cool drinking water.

But with what will you wash your hands?

I suppose it depends on how much trust you have in your local water supplier. Have you been worrying about dysentery or E coli much lately? If not, then I shouldn't worry either about catching Covid-19 from what comes out of the mains water supply in the United States of America.
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Well, it IS a pandemic.

The warnings about fecal-oral route infections and boiling water are for unreliable water sources, not those in the US. (Govt regulation is what keeps our water safe, for those of you who want to tell me that "the markets will take care of that". Tell that to to mother of the child dead from dysentery.)
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Current information is important. Early reports should be taken with a big grain of salt as newer information is shifting. Here's a link to symptoms and differences between COVID-19, flu, and colds by webmd (dated March 10, '20):

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200310/know-the-symptoms-of-covid19

For those concerned about fecal transfer from diarrhea, diarrhea is a symptom for 4% of those infected.
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@Cuntrymouse and @BarbBrooklyn

Thank you for answering. I'm in a badly affected area in Europe and I think my main problem atm is galloping paranoia. Our water is normally very safe, but I recall reading somewhere that people in Hong Kong got SARS - which was also spread with feces - drinking tap water in the same building where others were found contagious, because some small particles could leak between pipes... or something similar. Please forgive me, I really don't want to alarm anybdody and I can't even quote the source, so this is probably not true. I have had some diahorrea in these last couple of weeks and my stomach gurgles a lot, but again I think is just the anxiety. I don't have any other symptoms.

See, this should deserve a topic by itself, how to fight virus panic, the real enemy.
I just hope this will be over soon, for all of us. And I will stop reading news now.
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Last Friday, I asked myself what would happen if we got the virus. We would face lockdowns or closures. I pay most of my bills in person. So, I decided to register on each utility's website and made my very 1st online payments.... I also figured that if the banks close how would I have access to my emergency cash? I don't have an ATM card for my checking or savings acct... Checked my Rx. I'm down to 6 cholest pills left. I will need to get the refill before they end up closing the pharmacy/clinic.

Today, our governor confirmed we have 3 cases of the virus. All non-essential govt offices are closed immediately (power, water, motor vehicle, tax dept...) I was able to complete all my errands with the bank and pharmacy today. My cards will come in 3 weeks. I asked the agent which bank app to download on my iPad. She said that it's good that I came in today. Because once the governor declares all private businesses must close, the bank will close. The ATMs will still be working, though. I have a d*rn headache from the stress of the unknown.
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TNtechie, I hope you have your asthma meds?

I suffer asthma with colds & tried to buy an spare Ventolin today. The sales woman just stared at me - there is NONE, nada, zilch.
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Katiekate,you are brilliant with informing the obvious or relaying worst case scenarios. Who exactly are you blaming for restricting our travel with China because I believe that was curtailed quickly? Are you really saying that China handled this better than we are? I realized you posted on March 5th and will credit you with calling it a pandemic. Too bad you don't like the handling our country is doing because you are surely stuck here now.
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Beatty, I am well stocked with asthma meds and even the OTC stuff we may need, not because of covid-19 so much as for the annual winter flu cycle. We only have one confirmed covid-19 case within 80 miles (from an international traveler) in Northeast TN but the grocery store shelves emptied this weekend. The national closures have finally caught the attention of a lot of folks. My brother went to Sam's Club for his normal shopping trip and discovered the meat counter was nearly empty; no chicken or beef, only some pork loin and chops and a little seafood available. Most of our standard groceries still have some stock of almost everything, but it's very strange to see the OTC med shelves empty. My niece-in-law had to visit a couple of stores yesterday to get cleaning and OTC supplies for her parents who had purchased nothing previously.

So far, no one is reporting problems getting prescription meds here but that may change this week as people call their doctors for new/extra scripts. The university, colleges and a couple of private K-12 schools have gone to online classes only (some churches too); unfortunately, that's not practical for the county school systems because internet access isn't available in large sections of the counties. The schools have plans and will shutdown as soon as the first community spread case shows up a little closer to our area. One school administrator told me Friday shutting down the schools now would be a shame (from an attendance POV) since last week was their best attendance rate as we come down from the annual flu season peak.

I really expected the college kids and other vacationers to bring covid-19 back from spring break to push the virus in our area because I think that group would have more exposure (in larger cities and travel hubs) and the fewer good hygiene practices. With the schedule changes, it might be the more normal transportation routes or family visits that ends up bringing covid-19 into our medium sized cities and rural areas.
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Add to our woes... Bad enough they buy up every damn sheet of TP, but now my online cat supply orders are showing up OOS (out of stock). I have it all on auto-ship, usually 2 day delivery and they are warning us of delays in shipping, which I am okay with. I was looking to reorg the various auto-ships to match our needs better, and can't finish it or push up the orders as MANY items are showing up OOS (if they are OOS, I can't add them to a different auto-ship so I can delete it from another.) At least the cat litter is coming and I do have enough food for them all for a while, just not what they might prefer...

While I understand the need for concern, stocking up A BIT just in case and being careful/cautious, this is ridiculous!
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Our esteemed leader (it's okay, don't panic, he's ours not yours!) has just told the UK that we should all - even if well - avoid non-essential social contact (e.g. work from home if possible) and unnecessary travel.

:(

Is seeing your kids and grandkids on Mother's Day essential? - if you haven't set eyes on them since September?

I do know the right answer, I just don't like it.
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There is 1 case in [my county] out of a local population of 192,107 (and has been for over a week now)

There are 23 cases in [son's county] out of a local population of 1,189,934

Which probably averages out as not so many more per head. But their heads are much closer together, and there are so many more of them.

I'd better stop at home, eh.
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Now they are saying this could last until July or August? Yipes, I know I can't self-isolate that long. I am thankful for the influx of grocery and food delivery services in my area. It does make life a bit easier.
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Countymouse - that's something I try to point out. Although some places, like Italy, are somewhat out of control, having about 5k CONFIRMED cases in the whole US, out of something like 327 MILLION people, that's not out of control, yet. Some areas have a lot of cases (WA, CA, NY), so it is wise to be cautious. Some conditions lend to becoming more ill and/or dying, but for most of us... Think about how many people might have been exposed, might have had mild cases, might not have had symptoms and certainly have NOT been counted. They did just lock down mom's facility, but although it would be more dangerous for all there, it isn't a NH, so medical issues are not as critical. All IL and AL need to stay in rooms, take meals in rooms, etc, but MC will proceed as was, minus any outside influences.

It is sad that so many are panicking and making life difficult for the rest of us...
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