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

South Africa braces for lockdown

    South Africa will enter a 21-day lockdown as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country reaches 709.
    From midnight tomorrow, citizens will be instructed to remain in their homes, only leaving to buy food and receive medical care. All shops, with some exceptions including supermarkets and banks, will close and only health workers and those working in the emergency and security services will be permitted to work.
    It is now estimated that around 20% of the world’s population is under lockdown.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 25 March 2020

Moderna’s vaccine may be available for emergency use by autumn

    One of the biotechs funded by the Norwegian Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to create a Covid-19 vaccine, Moderna has announced its hope that vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, could be available for emergency use by autumn this year.
    This announcement was made in a US securities and exchange commission (SEC) filing published on Moderna’s website. It stated that the company’s CEO Stèphane Bancel had informed Goldman Sachs representatives that although the timeline for a commercially available vaccine was still 12 to 18 months, “it is possible that under emergency use, a vaccine could be available to some people, possibly including healthcare professionals, in the fall of 2020.”

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 1:22 pm, 25 March 2020

US White House and Senate reach deal on $2 trillion stimulus package

    In the US, the White House and the Senate have agreed an economic stimulus package worth more than $1.8 trillion to combat the economic fallout of Covid-19.
    Full details of the deal will not be published until later on Wednesday. However, it is expected to cprovide support to workers laid off due the virus and increase unemployment assistance.
    The package also includes money to bail out industries that have been affected by the coronavirus crisis and provide emergency loans to small firms.
    US markets had risen on Tuesday in anticipation of the deal. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed 8% higher on Wednesday and the FTSE 100 index had risen more than 1%.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 11:32 am, 25 March 2020

New Zealand declares national state of emergency over Covid-19

    New Zealand has declared a state of national emergency over the Covid-19 outbreak as cases continue to rise.
    The National Emergency Management Agency announced that anyone “not working in essential services must stay at home and stop all interactions with others outside of your household.”
    Essential services will continue, including food and healthcare shops, however schools will close and all public events are banned. Public transport and domestic flights will be restricted to those working in essential services.

    —Pharmaceutical-Technology.com, 10:59 am, 25 March 2020

Canada

    514 new cases and 4 new deaths in Canada

    —CTV News, 25 March 2020

French Guiana

    5 new cases in French Guiana

    —Santé publique France, 25 March 2020

India

    121 new cases and 2 new deaths in India

    —India COVID-19 Tracker, 25 March 2020

Ireland

    235 new cases and 2 new deaths in Ireland

    —The Hournal.ie, 25 March 2020

Martinique

    9 new cases in Martinique

    —Santé publique France, 25 March 2020

Saint Martin

    3 new cases in Saint Martin

    —Santé publique France, 25 March 2020

San Marino

    21 new cases in San Marino

    —Istituto per la Sicurezza Sociale, 25 March 2020

Sweden

    227 new cases and 22 new deaths in Sweden

    —Expressen, 25 March 2020

Turkey

    561 new cases and 15 new deaths in Turkey

    —TRT Haber, En Son Haber, 25 March 2020

Ukraine

    43 new cases and 2 new deaths in Ukraine

    —Pravda, 25 March 2020

United Kingdom

    1452 new cases and 43 new deaths in the United Kingdom, including a 21-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man with no pre-existing health conditions

    —Public Health Wales, BBC News, Sky News, BBC News, Sky News, 25 March 2020