Off Topic, But Important

This post is off topic for this blog, but it is about some things which everyone should realize if they are serious about staying healthy during this COVID - 19 (actually SARS-2 (COV)) pandemic.

Most people in the United States are now wearing face masks. What I have noticed is that many are covering their mouths with the masks but leaving their noses uncovered. I suppose that they find the masks to be hot and confining, but if the nose is not covered the mask is totally worthless. The mucous membranes in the nostrils are prime virus territory.

I have also noticed that people who are wearing latex gloves will whip out their cell phones and text as soon as they have a free moment. There is a reason that they are wearing the gloves; to keep viral contamination off their skin. If the cell phone is touched with the possibly dirty gloves, then whatever was on the gloves is also on the cell phone.

The viral precautions appropriate for the COVID - 19 virus may also reduce the chance of you catching the flu, infectious mononucleosis, strep throat, stomach viruses, and many other nasty things.

Coronavirus COVID-19: Edited 22 March 2020

This post may seem to be off subject but it is not. If Jesus is Lord of everything then He is the Lord of public health and our personal health. The current world-wide spread of the COViD-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) virus in its original form and in a possible second mutated form are surely cause for vigilance and concern but not for panic and misinformation. Updates are in BOLD type.

The CoVid-19 virus is essentially an influenza virus so the following comments make good sense regardless of whether the disease to be avoided is SARS, MERS, CoViD-19, "the flu", or the common cold.

1.  The "corona" in the name is Latin meaning "crown" or "halo" and is descriptive. Under two dimesional electron microscopy, the viral particles appear to be covered with club-shaped spikes.

2.  The current virus is not "Coronavirus." It is one of a group of viruses known as coronaviruses. Corona in Latin means "crown." The group includes the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus (MERS-CoV) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus (SARS-Cov). The viruses in this group are RNA (ribonucleic acid) viruses with a viral envelope as their outer layer. Many of these viruses produce flu-like symptoms and in severe cases do have the capacity to be fatal.

3.  The presence of a second mutated form of the virus is to be expected. Viruses commonly mutate into new varieties.

4.  The United States Centers for Disease Control says that there is no need for healthy individuals to wear face masks.

5.  Cover your face, mouth, and nose if you sneeze. The primary infection route is on respiratory moisture droplets from sneezes or coughs. The second most likely infection route is fingers: touching a contaminated surface and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes.

6.   If possible, stay about six to 10 feet away from people with obvious flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath). It is silly and racist to avoid any particular ethnic group. Viruses do not care about your ethnic background.

6.  Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and use any hand sanitizers which are provided by stores, churches, physicians, etc. Grocery stores often provide sanitizing wipes for use on grocery cart handles; always use them because the grocery cart handles are touched by hundreds of people a day. All of the items listed here are touched by many random people each day: door knobs and handles, elevator buttons, public telephones, shared computer keyboards, coins and paper money, and any number of other public things. You probably use your cell phone all day long; anything you have touched with with your bare hands will be on your phone. Don't forget about your automobile;s steering wheel, radio buttons, light switches, and door handles. Wash, wash, wash; wipe, wipe, wipe. The main route of transmission of viruses such as CoVid-19 is your hands. Keep your fingers away from your mouth, your nose, and your eyes. Do not chew on rubber pencil erasers!

7.   Most healthy individuals are at slightly less risk. Those with the greatest risk are probably the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and those with other serious preexisting conditions. The main causes of death from the virus are secondary pneumonia and multiple organ failure.

8.    A vaccine for the virus will eventually be available but the process for developing the vaccine is not magic. It will take time.

9.   Follow the instructions of your local health authorities. Cooperate with what they instruct you to do. It is their job to protect you as much as possible. Do not assume that you are immune to any disease. It is not disloyal to the Lord to temporarily avoid large gatherings of people like church services.  We are instructed in scripture to be good citizens and to cooperate with our rulers in any matters which do not interfere with with our Christian faith, always putting our obedience to the Lord first.

10. Think of the "social distancing" which is being implemented as you would about the crews who fight forest fires. To fight the enormous fires, the firefighters take bulldozers and cut wide trenches into the dirt, clearing away trees, brush, and debris, When the fire reaches the trench there is nothing there for it to burn. The idea for us is we cannot infect one another if we are separated.

The Flu Epidemic

15.This may seem to be off topic, but actually it is not.  Church services are gatherings of people, so anything which would affect the gatherings is a legitimate topic of discussion.  Currently in the United States and numerous other countries there are spreading influenza (“flu”) and norovirus  epidemics.

The H3N2 Influenza A virus is the predominant virus rapidly diffusing across the United States (as of today it has spread to 41 states).  As of 31 December 2012, 2200 persons have been hospitalized and over 18 children have died.  Annually, various forms of the flu kill an average of 36,000 persons in the United States alone.  The route of transmission of the H3N2 virus this time appears  to be East and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand, then to North America, Europe, and finally South America.  Basically, everyone.

The norovirus is not flu but is a gastrointestinal virus which causes vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, and stomach cramping.  It appears to be spreading in the following path: Australia to the United States, France, New Zealand, Japan, and Great Britain.  It lasts about three days and is not likely to kill anyone who is not already immunocompromised or debilitated.

There are numerous things which people can do to lessen their chances of contracting these viruses.

1.     Wash your hands often, especially after touching anything public such as doorknobs, hand rails, toilet handles, etc.

2.     If sanitary wipes or sanitary hand foam are provided, use them.

3.     Wipe your phone after someone else uses it.

4.     Wipe the handles of carts or baskets at shopping malls.

5.     Use your knuckle or the end of a pen to push the buttons on an elevator.

6.     Keep your hands away from your face, and out of your mouth, nose, or eyes.

7.     If advised to do so by public health officials, do not hesitate to wear a mask in public.

8.     Wash clothing thoroughly and machine dry.  Wash your hands after handling the clothing.

9.     Do not eat raw foods; thoroughly cook fish, meats, poultry, and seafood.  Wash fruits and vegetables under running water before processing them.  Wash your hands after handling uncooked food.

10. Avoid drinking from public fountains if at all possible.

11. Do not share cups, glasses, or eating utensils with other people, especially anyone noticeably sick.

12. If someone is repeatedly coughing or sneezing you might want to move away from them.

13. Sneeze into a napkin, handkerchief, or your shirt sleeve.

14. Before sitting on a public toilet, put down a paper seat cover.  If one is not available, lay down toilet paper on which to sit.

At least during the epidemics, it might be wise not to use a communal communion cup.  If everyone puts his or her mouth on the cup, medically it is the same as if everyone used the same toothbrush.