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Share your tips and comforts for dealing with the stress and fear of a pandemic

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IainB:
The #WuFlu virus is apparently passed on via infected airborne droplets of mucus ("coughs and sneezes spread diseases") and fomites (objects or materials which can and are likely to carry infected mucus).

We can sometimes (apparently) touch our faces with our hands up to about 3,000 times a day. This includes rubbing around our eyes, touching mucus from/in our nose (blowing nose) and from/in our mouth (e.g., wiping our mouth with a finger, or sucking fingers whilst eating with hands).
Therefore keeping our hands and face clean is important, because we can reduce the risk of transfer of infected mucus and of being infected by it, that way:

* (a) we can transfer the disease via our unwashed hands, to fomites and to the hands of other people;
* (b) we can pick up the disease on our hands via fomites and by touching infected people's unwashed hands;We should also therefore avoid kissing, rubbing noses together, hugging with faces together and should keep a safe distance (e.g., 6 feet or so) from other people, and avoid social groups (parties, crowds), enclosed offices, lifts, cafes, etc..

The #WuFlu virus apparently enters the body through the eyes (tear ducts), nose (inhaled) and mouth (inhaled/ingested), travels that way down the back and front of the throat (gets swallowed), travelling down to infect the bronchial tubes, where it can cause a form of pneumonia.

There are some cheap and common disinfecting bactericide/germicide cleaning products that the detergent manufacturers probably don't want people to know about, so I shall mention them here.
These are some antibacterial cleaning alternatives - common stuff that doesn't have proprietary manufacturing rights over it and is therefore relatively cheap and readily available:

* Hydrogen peroxide: a very good disinfectant and cleaner, cheap to make. Difficult to get in bulk quantities (because used for explosive manufacture in terrorist bombs  :down:). AVOID EYES. Relatively harmless (used in toothpaste and for gargling  :Thmbsup:), but potentially toxic/poisonous when ingested in quantity. I usually keep a stock of this.
* Sodium hypochlorite: (common bleach) - good disinfectant, powerful bactericide and fungicide, cheap. Needs ventilation (because it gives off chlorine gas) - not safe to inhale. CORROSIVE. PROTECT EYES AND HANDS (DISSOLVES SKIN). Toxic/poisonous when ingested. Damages/bleaches colours in coloured fabrics. I usually keep a stock of this.
* Isopropyl alcohol: good disinfectant, cheap to make, but can be relatively expensive in this group. Needs ventilation (because volatile). AVOID EYES. Not safe to inhale. De-greases skin and other materials. Toxic/poisonous when ingested. I usually keep a stock of this.
* Ethyl alcohol: good disinfectant/germicide, cheap to make, very common, but can be very expensive due to customs and excise duties (i.e., tax, because no pleasure should go untaxed). Produced by fermentation with common yeasts in sugar solutions, ethyl alcohol is present in all alcoholic beverages made for human consumption and is typically distilled at 37.5% or greater concentrations in most spirits (whisky, vodka, gin, etc.). Could be used as a handwash (in a pinch - is expensive), and the higher concentrations (spirits) are very effective germicides - e.g., (say) used for disinfecting wounds, or (say) gargling to dispel sore throat infections - and are harmless if inadvertently ingested, (say) whilst gargling.  :Thmbsup:  I usually keep a stock of this.
* Ammonium-based cleaners: good disinfectant, common and cheap. AVOID EYES. Relatively harmless, but toxic/poisonous when ingested. I usually keep a stock of this.
* Acetic acid: (vinegar) - good disinfectant, good surfactant for some oils, common and very cheap. AVOID EYES. Harmless - can be used in food preparation, for flavour and as a useful drink (diluted with water) to emulsify fats in the stomach, so as to aid digestion of fatty foods   :Thmbsup:. It should be readily available, as most people don't realise what a useful chemical it is  :Thmbsup:(e.g., as a disinfectant and for removing accumulated grease on surfaces and in washing machines). I usually keep a stock of this - a couple of litres.
* Sodium bicarbonate: only a mild disinfectant at best, a mild fungicide, good cleaner (use in solution, like a soap) and deodoriser; common and very cheap. AVOID EYES. Harmless (is used in some soaps, in toothpaste, food preparation and in solution as a nasal wash). Widely useful  :Thmbsup:. I usually keep a stock of this.

mouser:
Someone suggested to me the Reply All podcast, and in particular their recent call in shows.  Does sound like it might be comforting: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all

Any humor podcast is going to be good for the soul and help you keep things in perspective.  Better to laugh than cry.

On a related note, I think for mental health limiting your watching/reading of news is a good idea.  Especially if anyone is watching news on tv, or reading clickbait freak out news posts.
It's just not helpful to subject yourself to more of that than you need to get your basic information.

mouser:
Here's what my friend recommends on Reply All podcast:

Here's a rundown of the Reply All folks' favorite shows: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/posts/getting-started
It's a pretty good list. Personally, my favorite segments are called Yes Yes No. Their boss brings them a tweet he doesn't understand and they break it down for him -- typically it requires going deep on multiple complex stories to understand the context and why the tweet is funny or clever.

Snapchat theif and crime machine are some of the best pod cast episodes of all time.

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wraith808:
Something that I think might be comforting- words from the epidemiologist who helped defeat smallpox.

https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-interview-larry-brilliant-smallpox-epidemiologist/

He gives hope that we can defeat it, steps that should be taken, and what defeat of the novel coronavirus will look like.

mouser:
And a reminder, under the Help menu at top right is "Live Chat" item which will bring you to the donationcoder text-based irc-based chat room, where there are usually a couple of people hanging out shooting the breeze.
Lots of downtime and minimal talking most of the time, so feel free to just join and idle if you are feeling like you need some company.

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