In This Life CUSTOM GETAWAYS

By Bob Kocher

February 28, 2020

Hi Everyone,

Today's Blog is centered around an article from the Huffington Post attached below.  I am surprised that we have not had more calls about this.  It may be due to people researching information about the virus and what is true as of now.  

You will see in the article that this virus is both new and not new.  It also talks about issues in real terms.  One interesting fact is that it's possible to contract it and have it run it's course without symptoms.

We all need to understand that the virus, like a common cold virus is here and will be in communities all across the country.  This means that proactive action is on all our parts is necessary if we are to leave our homes.

Here are some recommendations:

• Wash hands thoroughly at every opportunity.
• Carry and use Hand Sanitizer.
• Buy and use protective masks when in heavily congested foot-traffic areas and on planes.   
• If you have any cold-like symptoms, have yourself checked out.
• Buy and use Airborne or EmergenC to help build your immune system.  The best price is from Costco or Sam's Club.
• Continue to keep updated on any information coming out about the virus.
• GET TRIP INSURANCE before traveling.  

For you travel enthusiasts, note that the Diamond Princess had NO fatalities including passengers or crew members, and most importantly, that once incubation periods concluded passengers were allowed to disembark.  There have been no reports of negative incidents involving these people after going home.  These people of all ages were on what could be considered a perfect incubator for the spread of the disease with drastic results.  This did not happen.  

We hope for all of us that our daily lives will not be too severely affected while steps are being taken by professionals to come up with a calming solution.  My sponsor reminds me to make GOD as BIG as I need to when times are stressful.  

So for now, whether to the grocery store, work/school, or traveling for business/fun, follow some guidelines. Travel safe and TravelSober

Will Coronavirus slow down in the warmer months like flu season?

JULIA RIES

Feb 28th 2020 9:42AM

It's well known that the flu ebbs and flows with the weather each year. During the colder months, the virus strikes hard, infecting millions nationwide — but when spring rolls around, the illness begins to lose strength and flu activity subsides until the next cold season.

That's because respiratory viruses like the flu are more powerful in cool, dry air. The colder temps allow them to multiply easier and spread faster. With spring right around the corner, many are wondering if — like the flu — coronavirus cases may dwindle with the warmer weather. 

Around the world, infectious disease experts are hoping this will be the case, though it's still too soon to know exactly how the novel coronavirus (known as COVID-19) will respond to the new season. Remember, we've never seen this virus before, and researchers are scrambling to figure out how this disease survives and spreads. Here's what we know so far:

WEATHER HAS AFFECTED OTHER CORONAVIRUSES 

Before COVID-19, other coronaviruses triggered an international public health emergency: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle-Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012.

These coronaviruses aren't the same, but they do share a handful of similarities. The makeup of COVID-19 is about a 79% match to SARS-CoV and a 50% match to MERS, so we can potentially learn a thing or two from how those outbreaks played out. 

Looking back at SARS, one study identified an 18-fold increase of infections in colder temps compared to warmer days. Another report looked at how the virus behaved in different environments and found that its viability rapidly declined at higher temperatures and humidity levels. The researchers found the SARS virus became increasingly inactivated as temperatures and humidity rose. 

Similarly to SARS, MERS — which was mostly spread from animals to humans — also seemed to be stronger in cold, dry weather. Researchers in one study stated, "coronaviruses have been shown to exhibit strong seasonal variation in natural hosts." They found that that colder, drier conditions increased the risk of MERS transmission from camels to humans. 

Four coronaviruses circulate around the world every year, causing common colds. Studies have shown they're also more prevalent in the fall and winter compared to the summer months.

Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Arizona, told HuffPost he expects COVID-19 to pan out similarly to other coronaviruses, given that it's spreading and "behaving a lot like the common cold coronaviruses."

So, it's possible COVID-19 could calm down come late spring ― but it's not a guarantee.

"Viruses can be unpredictable, so it is very important to be cautiously optimistic about this," said Dr. Ellen Foxman, a Yale Medicine clinical pathologist and researcher in the school's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Virology Laboratory. This is a rapidly evolving situation, Foxman added, and infectious disease experts will need to continually reevaluate their plans as they learn more.