A Quick Guide To Coronavirus Knowledge, Resources and Protection
Updated: March 13, 2020
To consolidate and filter what's important, I gathered these resources to help provide knowledge, protection, and ideas to help us combat this bug.
It's a mess.
Sold out hand sanitizer, limited surgical masks, and people buying water like it's the apocalypse.
Some of the media is loving it. Maybe not "loving" it, but they love the attention.
Fear is their business model.
Some journalists even exploit this fact. Twisting the truth to give their story the right oomph it needs.
It's not just them. It's how miscommunication flows between us all.
Someone also told me that five kids at a local university tested positive for COVID-19.
That was false.
Misinformation happens, so the closer we can get to the sources, the better.
Everything we're seeing leaves us all scared. Scared of what's real. Scared of the worst-case scenario.
Some of you may even be frightened.
Like what Rebecca Mehra Tweeted:
Now, don't get me wrong; there's accurate information out there. We must be smart, take precautions, and listen to the experts.
By experts, I don't mean Crisis News Network, Fox News, The New York Times, etc.
I mean the real experts, which is why I've created this resource.
I'm clearly not an expert in virology, pandemics, or anything remotely close to these, nor do I pretend to be, and frankly, nor do I want to be.
My only motive is to make sense of the precise facts, listen to the experts, take action on their advice, and systematically minimize the problem for me, my family, my team, our clients, and every one whom each of us comes into contact with…especially our families.
It's part of my responsibility as a leader of a team with international partners and clients to help decipher this situation based on expert advice and share resources to what seems to be the truth.
So far, what I gather from all of this that the single biggest problem is to our healthcare system.
If 30 - 70% of the population gets COVID-19, 10% of those will need hospitalization. Our healthcare system simply cannot sustain 10% COVID-19 cases, among everything else it has to sustain, in such a short period of time.
Our SINGLE biggest goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus.
Here we go…
Must-Follow Coronavirus Experts
I'm not a fan of the style of learning where you take in information from one source (i.e., listening to one type of news station, or following one political party).
This is a recipe for biased based thinking.
Problem-solving is best served on a platter of options and ideas, so is consuming knowledge.
The best policy is gaining broad knowledge from various experts.
Here's a list of experts and health thought leaders I trust to give me the information I need about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Publications
These publications are reporting on COVID-19 in damn near real-time, the first two you've likely heard of while the other may be new to you.
Instead of scrolling through Apple News or other major media sites, I go straight to the sources to avoid journalistic biases and filtering.
Sure, these publications can have their way of filtering and disseminating news, but I believe it's less likely considering they're in the field of science, health, and disease control.
The last thing I need to read in The Wall Street Journal is health advice or Pandemic updates.
I'll go to them for the economic impact, but not for my direct knowledge of COVID-19.
The same applies to any mass general news site.
Follow the publications for your COVID-19 information:
Learn
Read These Articles
Listen To These Podcasts
What You Need To Know About The Chronovirus - James Altucher
5 Things You Have to KNOW About Coronavirus & The Stock Market Today - James Altucher
I prefer these guys over science-based podcasts on this topic for a few reasons:
One, they speak human. It's not science jargon.
Two, they're people like us who are relatively stupid when it comes to infectious disease.
Three, it's a two-way conversation, not a one-way push to convert me to a biased way of thinking.
Experts
For this situation, I have two classes of experts I follow, general health and virology/infectious disease.
Health Experts to Follow
These gentlemen will give you a perspective on a healthy life. Peter Attia is researching the Coronavirus and reporting and holding Q&As on Instagram.
If you can strengthen your body, you can improve your fight against viruses.
A strong immune system is a top priority.
I understand that many are immune-compromised, and with that, the other recommendations to follow.
Infectious Disease & Virology Experts to Follow
Follow The Virus Around The World And Compute Your Risk
This is an incredible website to visually show you how this crazy little bug is spreading around the world:
You can also follow the Coronavirus Dashboard.
Track Your Works Risk Factor
Tomas Pueyo wrote an excellent article that I linked Ito above, but here it is again, "Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now."
He shared an excellent resource and explained it by saying…
" This model should help you and your company make a decision on whether you should open your office or send everybody home. It's based on how many cases are probably in your area, and the likelihood that at least one of your employees catches it.
Practice Great Hygiene & Social Distancing
As a reminder, the CDC recommends preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:
If you're in a high-risk area or your area is becoming high risk, stay the fuck home.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing. Discard tissue immediately into a closed bin.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Advice From Stay The Fuck Home
Don't panic, but be alert.
Wash your hands often and practice good cough and sneeze etiquette.
Try to touch your face as little as possible, including your mouth, nose, and eyes.
Practice social distancing, no hugs and kisses, no handshakes, no high fives. If you must, use safer alternatives.
Do not attend concerts, stage plays, sporting events, or any other mass entertainment events.
Refrain from visiting museums, exhibitions, movie theaters, night clubs, and other entertainment venues.
Stay away from social gatherings and events, like club meetings, religious services, and private parties.
Reduce your amount of travel to a minimum. Don't travel long distances if not absolutely necessary.
Do not use public transportation if not absolutely necessary.
If you can work from home, work from home. Urge your employer to allow remote work if needed.
Replace as many social interactions as possible with remote alternatives like phone calls or video chat.
Do not leave your home if not absolutely necessary.
When you read this list, you want to panic, but let me remind you, you're likely not going to die.
I know, I know, we still have to take this seriously, but our MAIN goal is to slow the spread of this thing.
Right now, this fucker is invading us, it's taking our home, ripping through our economy, and panic is robust.
Again, our SINGLE biggest goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus.
Building Your Immune System Is Critically Important
It's undeniable that following a healthy lifestyle is one of the best ways to protect yourself from a virus invasion.
Following a lectin-free diet that Dr. Gundry talks about, avoiding sugar, exercising, getting outdoors, playing, and living a life with purpose are all incredibly important.
Experts are concerned about our obesity rate as with obesity comes many different diseases and issues.
Getting adequate sleep is non-negotiable. You' r body needs time to recover and recharge.
If you're stressed, especially with the deluge of bad news and scary information, meditate. Decompress. Get outdoors.
In addition to these, taking these supplements will help you boost your immune system. At the minimum, it won't hurt you.
Vitamin D
Take 10,000 - 15,000 iu a day, with food
From Dr. Mercola's article, Essential Nutrition to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus, he says…
As detailed in "Vitamin D Prevents Infections," research shows high-dose vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of respiratory illnesses and lung infections in the elderly by 40%. As noted by an author of that study, "Vitamin D can improve the immune system's ability to fight infections because it bolsters the first line of defense of the immune system."
Vitamin C
Take 1,000 mg of time-released vitamin C two times per day.
Mushrooms
Take a serving of supplemental mushroom powder once a day.
Mushrooms are getting a lot of buzz lately, and rightfully so. One study, "Immune Modulation From Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology," suggests…
"As the treatment of various cancers continues to evolve, mushrooms should be considered as an adjunct therapy."
The same reasoning can apply to boost your immune system.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
"Encourages glutathione production, thins mucus, lowers your chances of influenza infection and reduces your risk of developing severe bronchitis."
Spirulina
"Reduces the severity of influenza infection and lowers influenza mortality in animal studies. In a human trial, spirulina significantly lowered the viral load in patients with HIV infection."
Zinc
Zinc supports "effective function and proliferation of various immune cells," lowering mortality in the elderly by 27%.
Selenium
Take 50 to 100 micrograms (mcg) a day.
Selenium deficiency also increases the rate at which viruses can mutate, promoting the evolution of strains that are more pathogenic and capable of evading immune surveillance.
Some Food For Thought
Can’t We Wear Masks?
Many people are saying that we can’t wear masks to avoid catching the virus, but Naval Ravikant has an excellent point that we should all be wearing masks.
If those who are infected are wearing a mask to prevent them from blowing all their buggers everywhere, then we should all take the approach of a herd mentality.
It's likely a lot of us won't know were infected, so if we all wear masks out in public, then we'll reduce the likely hood of the spread.
The issue is, there are not enough masks out there.
So, how can we make our own? It's just paper. Can communities get together to mass-produce these? It doesn't need to look pretty.
Make your own mask! It’s really easy.
Learn To Work Remote
Read the book Remote: Remote: Office Not Required and begin working from home.
It's been my primary focus in 2020 to upgrade our technology stack, so we're an agile company, besides my warehouse teams. It's a great exercise and nows the perfect time.
