The way a total quarantine is supposed to work is it:
However, it’s almost impossible to have a perfectly tight quarantine as this virus is much more contagious than influenza as well as having a much higher mortality rate.
More details on the HCQ treatment mentioned by Trump the other day. Z-pack is an antibiotic, probly helps with the lung infection complications, but some suggestions of antiviral properties as well. NYC is using this right now.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/these-drugs-are-helping-our-coronavirus-patients-11584899438
researchers in France treated a small number of patients with both hydroxychloroquine and a Z-Pak, and 100% of them were cured by day six of treatment. Compare that with 57.1% of patients treated with hydroxychloroquine alone, and 12.5% of patients who received neither. What’s more, most patients cleared the virus in three to six days rather than the 20 days observed in China. That reduces the time a patient can spread the virus to others.
plausible mechanism too - “Hydroxychloriquine is a zinc ionophore, and studies have shown that intracellular zinc ions interfere with the replication mechanism used by SARS-Cov-2. “
”The trials are underway in US hospitals. First results are out on Tuesday. But already the above article and other research and empirical results are very encouraging. There are also several other treatments that are effective in destroying the virus but need more trials. The good thing about HCQ is that it’s a proven drug for other illnesses, so it’s a matter of repurposing it safely rather than getting it safe simply to use any at all. “
Step 4: We’re back to exponential spread causing inevitable doom, only with 10% of the population now immune.
Unless we add a mechanism to the equation that prevents spread to the uninfected, all it does is delay the current projections. Which can serve it’s own purposes, but lets cease with the implication that a 2 week quarantine will make the threat go away.
This is a good thing and with luck it will work. NY Governor Cuomo and Trump are working hand-in-hand, commencing tomorrow, to get this treatment started in New York. We can only hope for the best.
I did post a fish route to this stuff way up thread. But those prices have gone nuts. A far better option now is to await the outcome in New York. We should know within a week to ten days. If things go well every doctor in America will make this therapy available to coronavirus patients the right way.
During Trump’s news conference yesterday, news was being made in the Senate. Cloture failed on a 47-47 tie vote. 60 votes are needed to cut off debate. Five Republicans did not even vote because they are concerned about having contracted the virus. No remote voting is allowed in the Senate. You must show up and vote in person. It’s the only option.
When cloture failed stock market futures plummeted close to 1000 Dow points. This because Congress at loggerheads and unable to act. However, this morning Dow futures are back up thanks to Fed support and a positive pronouncement by Steve Mnuchin.
We have to hope for the best and await Trump’s news conference today for another update.
I did not say two weeks. More likely two months, or maybe 6 months or more.
Again, please don’t make things up just to create your own arguments. It does a disservice to everyone.
The specific number of days was the least meaningful part of my comment; it’s based on 2 weeks being the approximate infection period you say the quarantine is intended to outlast. So by all means, focus on that rather than the actual point. I dont really care if it’s 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 years, my point stands.
I also have no clue how you can proceed to say it could take 6 months, and claim it was me making stuff up. If it takes 6 months to wait out an infection that lasts ~2 weeks, it’d be pretty clear the quarantine was horribly, horribly ineffective.
I feel right now people are desperate for any kind of hope that even treatment with low probability of success are being mentioned on the front page. HCQ is one of those. Don’t get me wrong, I really hope it can help at least some of the patients.
Plasma from recovered patient is yet another avenue.
However, same caution applies. Desperation and confirmation bias are very strong emotional force. We still need cold scientific data to prove them.
That Coronavirus Task Force press briefing will happen later today, at 5:30 pm ET and, if not carried on TV, can be viewed here:
You can view Coronavirus Task Force press briefing here at 5:30 ET
Hope this might be of assistance to some.
For those seeking to minimize trips to the supermarket, you can marginally increase length of safe food storage.
Most refrigerators are set up to store food at 40 degrees. At that temperature bacterial growth is significantly slowed, but concern regarding freezing is also generally alleviated. Freezing can happen depending on temperature setting, refrigerator design as to air circulation, and nature of loading.
So 40 degrees is a workable compromise.
However, if you’re able to achieve a lower refrigerator temperature, and still avoid freezing, there are benefits. Your storage times will increase a bit. I operate my own refrigerator at 37 degrees currently, and so far so good on avoiding of freezing.
It helps a lot to have available a good, reliable, accurate thermometer. Failing that you can inch the temperature dial down a tiny bit at a time, give it a day or two, and check for freezing. Remember, depending on the effectiveness of your circulation fan, the temperature at the bottom of your refrigerator can be a degree or two lower than your top shelf. And you generally need to avoid freezing throughout.
Just a thought. Good luck to all.
ETA
Needless to say, and now especially, no way in hell do you want your refrigerator temperature to be above 40 degrees. That would be worth checking even if you’re not trying to minimize trips to the supermarket.
Do I hear 8 months? 8 months? Final call, looking for 8 months. Going, going, GONE to the bookwriter in the third row at 6 months … maybe. 
A good tip. I had no idea most fridges were set at 40℉. I set ours to be as cold as possible without any freezing, and that was 37℉.
And for the extra cautious among us (particularly me), when grocery shopping during the summer, bring along a cooler and ice packs.
Mines 33F. Never freezes anything. You need to sustain below 32F to freeze things (is there anything w/ foods to raise the freezing point? Im only aware of items with the freezing point being lowered) . The label says max of 37F is recommended. 40F seems to be crazy to me (severely limits shelf life of Everything in the fridge, higher bacterial growth the higher the temperature is). If the fridge can’t maintain a constant temperature throughout, one dies have to raise the temp just enough to avoid freezing. 30yr old fridges and/or super economy probably run into this problem more.
Mines a GE probably 15 years old (came with the house I bought, from prior owner)
Some bad news which ties into an old bug-a-boo of mine: medical politics.
And this is on the subject of an antimalarial drug-based solution. From my reading:
Apparently several of the major drug companies are opposing, through surrogates, use of a drug or drugs which cuts them out of the profits. They want to sell much newer, far more expensive, drugs to kill the coronavirus. If the solution Trump and Governor Cuomo are pushing actually works, these big drug companies lose billions. The antimalarial drug solution uses an old, inexpensive, safe drug which has been in use since 1944. It offers very little profit for the pharmaceutical industry.
I don’t think either Trump or Governor Cuomo give a damn about profits for the pharmaceutical industry. But I cannot make that statement for everyone serving on Trump’s task force.
Do these newer, more expensive drugs even exist yet? Isnt the focus on antimalarial drugs because those are the only ones that are showing potential?
I think a couple do. You don’t hear much about them because they are so comparatively new and certainly less proven at this time than the old antimalaria drug.
I think Trump and Cuomo are pushing trying the antimalarial solution on a “what do we have to lose”, “do no harm” basis. The newer drugs, at this time, do not offer those features. And there might be newer drugs still even less publicized . . . and even more expensive . . . which the big pharmaceutical boys want to push.
Freezing temperature depends on atmospheric pressure, which depends on altitude and weather. But I’m not sure how much difference that actually makes.
The air coming out of the vent is not 33F. The thermostat merely shuts off the air flow when the fridge reaches 33F. The door continuously opening, the amount of stuff in the fridge, where it is placed in the fridge, and where the thermostat is located are all potential factors in the blower blowing enough to freeze items before shutting off.
OK, time for another tip . . . based as before on my own experience.
The mail
As I survey things here there is not a lot of virus around. Mostly right now it’s just open land and snow. But the daily USPS incoming mail is an exception. Where has that stuff been? Did an infected person infect it? They say the virus can survive for 24 hours on cardboard. Why would paper be that different?
Anyway, bottom line, even though I don’t wash my hands often as advised, I surely DO wash my hands after bringing in the mail, sorting it, and setting it aside. And I’m careful, too, not to touch my face when messing with the mail. I let most of the mail rest several days before giving it real attention. Hope this mitigates in favor of a lot of those nasty little viruses being dead.
It’s looking bad in the Senate. The Democrats are trying to lard up a “must pass” bill with things not even coronavirus related.
I do not fully trust the Republicans either. Trump already has sided with Schumer against the rich Republican elites and their stock buybacks, etc… So do I. And of course conservative media will not report on that.
So at the bottom line it’s a mess and average people are hurting and dying while the two sides go on endlessly arguing.