I'm sure this is universal, but I've been having a hard time focusing on much outside of COVID-19 over the past few days. I worry that this problem is going to be more damaging to the health of our world and economy than most realize.

We've been lucky thus far in that nothing relatively that important has been put on Trump's desk during his first term. Nothing to this severity. I think we are going to find out the hard way why electing competent leaders as president really matters.

So I thought I'd share a few resources and bullet points that I've found helpful in understanding the corona virus.

Hope that you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe.

Resources

• twitter list of smart people talking about this: https://twitter.com/i/lists/1237859817982554113
• podcasts:

• https://samharris.org/podcasts/190-respond-coronavirus/
• https://samharris.org/podcasts/191-early-thoughts-pandemic/

• written overview: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
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What to know

• Mild cold symptoms can be COVID-19
• Respiratory. Coughs and sneezes most dangerous. Droplets on surfaces should be avoided
• 6ft of space between people 
• Dosage size matters
• ~12-18 months for vaccine
• Universal corona virus vaccine is plausible (only need to get it once)
• Antiviral in ~3 months
• Likely peaks in winter, lower in summer
• Emerging infectious diseases all start with animals
  

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What to do

• Stay home as much as possible
• No touching people
• Don't get coughed on
• Wash hands often (especially after touching public surfaces)
• Don't touch your face
• Don't got too the hospital unless you're really sick (it will take resources away from those that need it)
• If you're invested in the stock market, don't panic sell

• The market may well continue to drop, but it will likely recover in the long-term (10+ years)

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How bad is this?

• Probably 5-30x more deadly than flu

• 0.1-4% death rate (denominator problem and varying degrees of response causing wide range)

• possibly ~20-60% infected in US in 1-1.5 years
• more deadly in elderly, pregnant, and sick, but still worth avoiding social contact (even if young and healthy) to help prevent spread