Basics

what is COVID-19?

    Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). [WHO: Coronavirus]

    Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans. [WHO: Coronavirus]

    Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. [WHO: Coronavirus]

    Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. [WHO: Coronavirus]

    Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. [WHO: Coronavirus]

How do I care for myself and family?

    Everyone should take care of their health and maintain hand and respiratory hygiene to protect themselves and others, including their own families.

    Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Maintain at least 1.5 metres or 6 feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

    Persons with persistent cough or sneezing should stay home or keep a social distance, but not mix in crowd. Make sure you and people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene, meaning cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue or into your sleeve or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

    Stay home if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. Go to the emergency room if your symptoms turn serious. Do not engage in self-medication.

COVID-19 prepartions

    Masks and other protective gear [What preppers are stocking up on for COVID-19]

    Water and storage [What preppers are stocking up on for COVID-19]

    Medical equipment [What preppers are stocking up on for COVID-19]

    Food [What preppers are stocking up on for COVID-19]

    Other [What preppers are stocking up on for COVID-19]

    Coordinate help for charities.

    If you have contact info and items needed by other charities, please let us know through the website contact form.

Contact

Feeding the working poor, elderly, and homeless

    The Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, Costa Mesa, CA, has an extreme shortage of paper plates, paper napkins, paper towels, plastic forks and spoons, and toilet paper needed to feed hundreds of working poor, elderly, and homeless every day.

    If you are in the Orange County area you can contribute. See their website. Please provide contact info for other charities around the world.

    720 West 19th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 USA

    [949] 548.8861 Office

    shannon@someonecareskitchen.org Executive Director

Great Britain on lockdown

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the country will go into a complete lockdown.
    Britons will be allowed to leave home only if essential.
    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered stringent restrictions on people’s movement to slow the spread of the coronavirus, saying people should stay at home unless they are buying food, travelling to work, needing medical care, or exercising.
    In a televised address to the nation, Johnson told people they should not be meeting friends or family members who do not live in their homes.
    “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home,” Johnson said. “If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them.”

    —Reuters, 1:36 pm, 23 March 2020

WHO and FIFA team up on campaign to kick out coronavirus

    WHO and FIFA launched the “Pass the message to kick out coronavirus” campaign, led by world-renowned footballers. The campaign promotes five key steps for people to follow to protect their health in line with WHO guidance, focused on hand washing, coughing etiquette, not touching your face, physical distance, and staying home if feeling unwell.
    “We need teamwork to combat the coronavirus,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “FIFA has teamed up with WHO because health comes first. I call upon the football community worldwide to join us in supporting this campaign to pass the message even further. Some of the greatest players to have played the beautiful game have put their names to the campaign and are united in their desire to pass the message to kick out COVID-19.”
    Twenty-eight players are involved in the video campaign, which is being published in 13 languages.

    —World Health Orangization, 23 March 2020

Covid-19: FDA grants emergency access to Bellerophon’s INOpulse

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided emergency expanded access to Bellerophon Therapeutics’ INOpulse for Covid-19 treatment.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 23 March 2020

Novartis, Amneal, Apotex offer hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19

    Novartis is set to donate up to 130 million doses of generic hydroxychloroquine to help fight the Covid-19 coronavirus infection that led to a global pandemic.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 23 March 2020

Covid-19: Junshi Biosciences, OliX Pharmaceuticals explore drugs

    Junshi Biosciences has partnered with the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) to co-develop neutralising antibodies for Covid-19 treatment.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 23 March 2020

University of Queensland (UQ) receives more funding for Covid-19 vaccine

    The regional government of Queensland and the federal Australian Government have pledged a total of $13 million to University of Queensland (UQ) to support the development of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 23 March 2020

Gilead halts emergency access to remdesivir in Covid-19 indication

    Gilead Sciences has announced temporarily halt to emergency access to its investigational Covid-19 drug remdesivir due to rising demand.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 23 March 2020