Got this from Choner, who got it from a doctor friend... (some of you may not know choner... he used to post here)
A few thoughts on covid-19, especially since there are so many questions….
This is information I’ve borrowed from other doctors, based on the Chinese data set, front lines in Italy and Washington State. It’s put together for non-professional purposes, and I hope you find some of it useful.
Common symptoms:
The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough, exhaustion, and body aches.
A smaller number of people have sore throat, stuffy nose, nausea/diarrhea.
*Runny nose does not seem to be a common symptom of covid19
Disease Course:
Seems the majority of people will have mild disease that resolves within two weeks (80% of people). In comparison, influenza presents with sudden onset of symptoms (fever, chills, etc)
For those that are going to take a turn for the worst (20%), things start turning worst during the second week of illness (around days 8 and 9), with worsening shortness of breath (pneumonia, pneumonitis, ARDS). This ultimately requires supplemental oxygen--initially with some type of mask, followed by mechanical ventilation (5%) at worst. People who have more severe disease tend to take 4-6 weeks to recover.
Symptoms onset:
Usually happens 2-9 days post-exposure (with median of 5 days). Meaning once you are exposed, if you are going to get sick, it takes somewhere between 2-9 days (median of 5 days) for symptoms to start developing.
Transmission:
Majority of transmission is through droplet (coughing, sneezing, surfaces), and not through fine aerosols. Transmission by fine aerosols in the air over long distances is not one of the main causes of spread.
This means, surgical masks are sufficient for droplet precautions. N95s are meant to be used for airborne precautions. Please don’t hoard the N95s, these are needed badly by frontline healthcare people (doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians) who are giving treatments that aerosolize the virus (like nebulizer treatments, bipap/cpap, intubation).
Apparently the virus lives on surfaces for days (I’ve read a range, from 12 hours to 9 days) Disinfect surfaces (alcohol, bleach) often.
Things to do (or not do):
1. Wash. Your. Hands. Wash them so much. Otherwise, use the gels / hand sanitizer. Maybe stop shaking hands…some kind of elbow bump would be cool.
2. Don’t pick your nose. Or put your fingers in your mouth, on your lips, or in your eyes. (Or anyone elses)
3. Surgical masks seem to be enough to limit the spread AND protect you from disease. Please leave the N95s for the frontline healthcare workers who need them.
4. Sanitize the objects that lots of other people touch, (door knobs, light switches, pens, phones, toilet flushes, sink taps). Bleach...alcohol...soap...
5. Social distancing. Do it. This means keeping people apart from one another (preferably 6 feet apart, and sanitize shared objects).
6. If you are sick, stay home. Just stay at home.
7. If school or other events are cancelled and/or you are asked to limit non-essential movement...Just do it.
8. If you’re not feeling super sick or short of breath, DO NOT come to the emergency department. Coming there “to get tested” clogs the system up and delays our ability to care for those who really need it. If you want to get tested, call your primary doctor or better yet call the department of public health. Please don’t come to the ER unless you absolutely need to.
Don’t panic, but at the same time do not blow this off either
Feel free to copy, past, and share widely.
