I have to say, this is probably the most concise summary of information on the Corona virus I've seen and extremely helpful in filtering out the opinion, fake information and background noise and simply getting to the meat of the matter. A special thanks to Entropy from the board who prepared this and is an actual expert in the medical field and experienced enough to have done this:

Since this Coronavirus has emerged at the end of last year, the biggest issue has been the lightening speed at which very bad info has spread. the WHO calls this an “infodemic” while a lame name, it is true. nearly every “knowledgable source” telling people what to do has had at least some errors in their info. not only that, people have created false reports about local infections in the Collingwood hospital (CTV news ran the correct info that the report was fake). most of the bad info is just people’s ignorance and jumping to conclusions.

the best sources of info are:

WHO situation report

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-report s"> https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-report s"> https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

gives accurate info ever 24hrs. the problem is, new reports of confirmed cases/deaths etc are not shared until the next days.

WHO general info

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

WATCH THIS VIDEO

https://youtu.be/mOV1aBVYKGA

CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html

Case Tracker (very up to date)

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Prevention strategies:

this virus is transmitted by inhaling droplet particles (coughed, sneezed, spit) from people who are infected. these will travel only a few feet and do not hang in the air that long.

they can be picked up from hard surfaces (tables, handles, door knobs etc) or clothing. it may live for only 1-2 hours on hard surfaces and likely less then 20-30 mins on soft surfaces like clothing. it will likely live longer in mucus filled tissues.

it can be passed thru fecal matter. (possible blood if very sick, but NOT urine)

infected people can shed (spread) the virus for 2-10 days (maybe up to 14 days in some cases) before they have symptoms. some people are symptoms free (11 of the initial cases tested outside of china were symptoms free when confirmed to be infected).

viral load symptoms free people have a smaller viral load then those that are very sick. but it doesn’t take much to infect someone so wash your hands/don’t touch your face.

WASH YOU HANDS: alcohol based hand rub is the gold standard. 70% ethyl alcohol or higher is best. but at least 65%. put enough in your hands so that it takes about 20 seconds to rub dry. RUB DRY. friction is what kills the bugs.

wash your hands after being in contact with:

a sick person

any public area

before touching stuff in your kitchen

after using the washroom

before eating.

SOAP and WATER if your hands are visibly soiled.

isolate any one sick the best you can. keep their environment clean (this prevents a viral load in their area. the ability to keep air moving in that room helps prevent spread. a cracked window, and a HEPA filter is best.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR MOUTH/NOSE/EYES unless you have clean hands. (then wash your hands again if you are sick)

Things we know (as of today)

this virus affects all ages, it’s hits harder on those with lung, heart or kidney problems.

it has spread person to person

it spreads fast in highly populated areas, and initially the death rate was about 2% now slightly lower. the critical cases were 20% but has dropped to around 13%.

it may spread to unborn fetus (one case of a new born with it, one case with a new born without it, both had mothers with the virus)

Charts

As you can see by the charts below, it spreads very fast in the mega cities of china. most of the critical cases have been inside China. i have no info on what they consider a critical case. it could be someone needing hospital/supportive care or it could mean ICU and advance supports.

Treatment

treatment is symptom management.

keep hydrated

Vitamin C, Zinc, help the immune system. zinc has antiviral properties.

eat well, get fresh air and get good sleep.