In the wake of COVID-19, National emergency announcements from Donald J. Trump, mandatory work from home orders from company CEO's, and governor issued orders of social distancing, I figured I'd write a little bloggie thingy.
As not to sound like a robot and regurgitate info found here, here and here... because plagiarism is bad, I'll pull from my personal experiences.
In true millennial fashion, I almost think I'm invincible (key word 'almost'). I've been questioning what all the fuss is about, especially since the mortality rate is at about 4% (13,000 deaths)... of about 0.00041% of the world population that's affected (319,000). For kicks and giggles, I did the math for you. That's .00017% (rounded up) of the world population that has been killed due to this virus.
Apparently the generation after mine (Z) isn't taking this seriously enough, and there's been a recent influx of younger people testing positive for the virus. Though non-immune-compromised persons are not at great risk of death from the Novel Coronavirus, we (all of us) can very well be harbingers of doom for our elderly, and immune-compromised loved ones.
Any who... as developed nations continue to poop their pants, and buy up all the toilet tissue,
hand sanitizer, and Clorox®... soap still appears to be readily available. My mind is blown. A virus that can be prevented by hand washing has caused our economy to almost crumble. Maybe we should wash our damn hands folks?
So, what's the science behind this thing?
Well as you may know, a virus needs a host to survive. Akin (not akin, but just like one... I just didn't know how to start this sentence lol) to a parasite, this thingamabobber can only replicate inside of a living organism. I like to think of a virus as a zombie, because for lack of better words, it is the living dead (is it bad I just laughed at my own joke?).
Living things are comprised of cells, and viruses don't have cells... so antibiotics and the antibacterial component of some soaps (bacteria are unicellular organisms), though tempting to use really have no effect on eliminating the spread of COVID-19.
"Wait what!?! So, why am I washing my hands? I hate washing my hands!" Well, my friend (Ya nasty *That's So Raven* voice), SOAP has the ability to break down lipids, and lipids (fats, oils etc) actually aide in the transport of viruses into host organisms, and water rinses the invisible mutilated corpses down the drain. Read this, this, and this to get a better idea. Or just take my word for it and don't, your call (I would recommend reading the links if you're an aspiring scientist).
Any who, since I'm not a virologist or certified medical professional, that's about as far as I desire to go into this.
I will advise everyone to take off their conspiracy hats. It is unlikely that the 'government' created this. Also, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE avoid xenophobic behavior toward our brethren with Chinese or Italian ancestry.
Stay safe, wash your hands, I wish you all success in your avoidance of "Cabin Fever" (I'm gonna watch the movie sometime this week), and if you get bored, join me in reading this neat article I found (book? idk).
If it gives you any solace, "Mild disease: non-pneumonia and mild pneumonia; this occurred in 81% of cases."