COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2: What do we know?

I am curious whether it is actually possible to contract an illness from a package arriving from China. Specifically, I am wondering how long a pathogen can survive outside of a living host once it's been shipped elsewhere.
I receive quite a lot of mail from China since I frequently purchase items on eBay and Wish.
Best regards,

It’s probably just like catching the flu. There’s always a non-zero chance you pick up some virus from a package sitting on your doorstep.
Just like there's a chance of things going sideways in other ways.
If you're actually tripping about it, just hit everything with some disinfectant wipes and you'll be fine.

The incubation period from China lasts for a few weeks, so I am genuinely hoping that this virus isn't capable of surviving outside of a living host for that long. Or can it?

If you're feeling nervous, just wait until the package arrives before you light up—that’s definitely the safest way to go.

I actually have a couple of my own headed my way right now, but honestly? I think I'll take the risk, lol.

You have a thread about COVID-19 over on the Politics board.

It seems like health isn't the main focus there, but over on politics, they’re analyzing every single breath and sneeze. Wind directions, raw statistics... you'll even find links to Chinese websites (though I highly doubt anyone there actually speaks Chinese), or mentions of people traveling via bus along routes of brotherhood and unity 😁... but generally speaking, they are sticking to the topic of the virus and illness like a moth to a flame; they aren't straying from the path.

( Interestingly enough, no one has managed to derail the debate into conspiracy theories yet—you know, claims that Elvis Presley is still alive, or that the US government is hiding little green men, or that the Earth is flat. I suppose everyone is just too preoccupied with this to dive into that rabbit hole, so those attempts were shut down early 🙏)

They managed to stretch that topic out to 930 posts in just four days.

Some thoughts on this virus situation.

COVID-19 AND VITAMIN D: An urgent message from Dr. CICERO COIMBRA regarding the epidemic (ENGLISH SUB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT1z...Zc&app=desktop

Nicholas Davis4 said:You have a thread about COVID-19 over on the Politics board.

It seems like health isn't the main focus there, but over on politics, they’re analyzing every single breath and sneeze. Wind directions, raw statistics... you'll even find links to Chinese websites (though I highly doubt anyone there actually speaks Chinese), or mentions of people traveling via bus along routes of brotherhood and unity 😁... but generally speaking, they are sticking to the topic of the virus and illness like a moth to a flame; they aren't straying from the path.

( Interestingly enough, no one has managed to derail the debate into conspiracy theories yet—you know, claims that Elvis Presley is still alive, or that the US government is hiding little green men, or that the Earth is flat. I suppose everyone is just too preoccupied with this to dive into that rabbit hole, so those attempts were shut down early 🙏)

They managed to stretch that topic out to 930 posts in just four days.

That is exactly it, and I couldn't agree more with what was said; watching it feels a bit like watching The Simpsons, where the sheer scale of human stupidity is simply immeasurable. Isn't it interesting to try and explain why people are so captivated by the fear of some bizarre and utterly impossible way to die, such as:
-terrorist attacks
-shark attacks
-plane crashes
-snake bites
-bear attacks
-anthrax
-ebola
-mad cow disease
-bird flu...
On the flip side, most people actually pass away due to the consequences of overindulging in unhealthy, greasy, sugary, or salty food, smoking, drinking, reckless driving, simple carelessness, or overestimating their own abilities... but it's as if nobody cares about that, perhaps because it just isn't dramatic or intriguing enough.
I am increasingly starting to feel like 90% of the global population behaves like a flock of mindless chickens 😁

The fear surrounding COVID-19 is completely unfounded, and I am one hundred percent certain that not a single person on this forum is going to die from this virus.😵

Maybe it’s because if you aren't overindulging in greasy, sugary, processed junk, smoking, or drinking too much, you might actually survive long enough to see next week.
There isn't much logic to dispute here. The only thing that doesn't make sense is the constant moralizing—people trying to lecture others by making these ridiculous connections between virus potential and lifestyle choices.

We already know quite a bit by now.
If we're going to get that mattress cover ready, we'll have to skip the fish sandwiches and the Corona beer. 😁

brightviper29 said:That is exactly it, and I couldn't agree more with what was said; watching it feels a bit like watching The Simpsons, where the sheer scale of human stupidity is simply immeasurable. Isn't it interesting to try and explain why people are so captivated by the fear of some bizarre and utterly impossible way to die, such as:
-terrorist attacks
-shark attacks
-plane crashes
-snake bites
-bear attacks
-anthrax
-ebola
-mad cow disease
-bird flu...
On the flip side, most people actually pass away due to the consequences of overindulging in unhealthy, greasy, sugary, or salty food, smoking, drinking, reckless driving, simple carelessness, or overestimating their own abilities... but it's as if nobody cares about that, perhaps because it just isn't dramatic or intriguing enough.
I am increasingly starting to feel like 90% of the global population behaves like a flock of mindless chickens 😁

The fear surrounding COVID-19 is completely unfounded, and I am one hundred percent certain that not a single person on this forum is going to die from this virus.😵

I'm with you, I think it's way overblown. It really gets under my skin how the media just bombards us with headlines like "3 people in Italy died from the virus" and stuff like that. It’s like there aren't any actual important things left to deal with.
Plus, I have this weird gut feeling that this virus might have been triggered on purpose. I remember reading that this kind of thing has happened in history before—intentionally targeting a specific population with a disease. During some war, nurses from one country would intentionally infect soldiers from another country with certain germs; I can't recall exactly when or who was involved. Anyway, China is a major economic powerhouse and needed to be weakened somehow... I don't know why, but the whole vibe just feels off to me.

briskcanyon13 said:I am curious whether it is actually possible to contract an illness from a package arriving from China. Specifically, I am wondering how long a pathogen can survive outside of a living host once it's been shipped elsewhere.
I receive quite a lot of mail from China since I frequently purchase items on eBay and Wish.
Best regards,

That's not possible. Just check the info on the WHO website.

Hey everyone,

My dad just ended up in the hospital. He’s fighting COVID-19 along with severe bilateral pneumonia, plus he deals with chronic high blood pressure. He’s been on oxygen in the ICU for about four or five days now, pulling 9–10 liters a day, and his oxygen saturation is sitting at 89%. Since the doctors aren't really giving us much of an update, does anyone here know if he's heading toward a ventilator? How critical is this stage, really? Is there a realistic chance of recovery? His blood pressure is being managed with meds, and for the last few days, things have just stayed stagnant—not getting better, but not getting worse either. I'm looking for some insight. Is he close to needing a ventilator or what?

Walter Robinson5 said:Hey everyone,

My dad just ended up in the hospital. He’s fighting COVID-19 along with severe bilateral pneumonia, plus he deals with chronic high blood pressure. He’s been on oxygen in the ICU for about four or five days now, pulling 9–10 liters a day, and his oxygen saturation is sitting at 89%. Since the doctors aren't really giving us much of an update, does anyone here know if he's heading toward a ventilator? How critical is this stage, really? Is there a realistic chance of recovery? His blood pressure is being managed with meds, and for the last few days, things have just stayed stagnant—not getting better, but not getting worse either. I'm looking for some insight. Is he close to needing a ventilator or what?

Is that 89% while on standard oxygen, high-flow nasal cannula, or non-invasive ventilation? And does your dad have some underlying lung disease that would make an 89% saturation look "normal" even when he isn't acutely sick?

Look, whether someone needs invasive ventilation (meaning a ventilator, yes) or not doesn't depend solely on saturation levels—regardless of whether we're talking about your father or anyone else. It depends on pH levels and other metabolic markers (like BE and HCO3-), the partial pressure of oxygen and CO2 in the arterial blood, lactate levels, mental status, agitation, and respiratory rate.

As for how critical your dad actually is... honestly, I could brew a pot of coffee, look at the grounds left in the filter, and probably get a more useful answer than just being told his saturation is 89% on whatever kind of oxygen he's breathing.

Moderators, please move this to a different thread if one already exists.

brightgull95 said:Is that 89% while on standard oxygen, high-flow nasal cannula, or non-invasive ventilation? And does your dad have some underlying lung disease that would make an 89% saturation look "normal" even when he isn't acutely sick?

Look, whether someone needs invasive ventilation (meaning a ventilator, yes) or not doesn't depend solely on saturation levels—regardless of whether we're talking about your father or anyone else. It depends on pH levels and other metabolic markers (like BE and HCO3-), the partial pressure of oxygen and CO2 in the arterial blood, lactate levels, mental status, agitation, and respiratory rate.

As for how critical your dad actually is... honestly, I could brew a pot of coffee, look at the grounds left in the filter, and probably get a more useful answer than just being told his saturation is 89% on whatever kind of oxygen he's breathing.

Moderators, please move this to a different thread if one already exists.

Fine, go ahead and brew your coffee then and let me know. Thanks for the help.

I guess this topic isn't exactly a crowd-pleaser.🙄
Anyway, for me, it all kicked off with some coughing and this weird scratching sensation in my throat—which, naturally, felt just like a standard cold at first.
I didn't think I was hitting a fever stage right away, mostly because I was still functioning reasonably well. So, I just grabbed some lozenges and some Tylenol and sucked on those.
Then came the evening heat wave, specifically centered in my head—sort of like when a character in The Simpsons starts steaming from the ears when they get angry, if I'm being descriptive.
By that point, I figured maybe this wasn't just a mild cold, so I called my doctor, and she immediately sent me in for testing.
The test was scheduled for the next morning, and the results actually came back pretty quickly by early afternoon.
So yeah, certain self-isolation protocols apply, and my household is under quarantine too.
I've been sticking to warm drinks—tea, muesli with milk, chicken soup... things like that—and taking Lupocet, but the temperature just won't settle down.
Generally speaking, it peaks in the evening and around midnight (hitting 102), while during the day it stays hovering around 100.
Despite the fever, I actually feel okay—almost like I don't even have one.
Even that heat in my head—though it's definitely there—feels subjectively less intense.
I'm not sure whether I should be happy about that or more worried.
The cough is still sporadic; sometimes it's intense for a bit, then there's a long stretch of nothing, which makes me think maybe the virus is already leaving.

And yeah, I'm one of those people who works on-site, so I'm guessing I picked up the bug at the office—most likely someone brought it in from outside.

What's your experience been like? Any comments or suggestions?🙂

I’m still running a fever—it’s been hovering somewhere between 99.5 and basically 102.
Actually, today was the first time it actually dipped down to 99.5, so I thought maybe I was finally turning a corner—but no, now I'm back up at 100.4.
I've been doing the whole compress thing, inhaled some chamomile steam a couple of times, managed to sweat a little bit here and there... mostly just lying in bed, I guess.

Jose Edwards16 said:I’m still running a fever—it’s been hovering somewhere between 99.5 and basically 102.
Actually, today was the first time it actually dipped down to 99.5, so I thought maybe I was finally turning a corner—but no, now I'm back up at 100.4.
I've been doing the whole compress thing, inhaled some chamomile steam a couple of times, managed to sweat a little bit here and there... mostly just lying in bed, I guess.

So, do you actually think it's COVID-19, or have you actually taken a test to be sure?

Your blood oxygen levels are huge right now.

Seriously, go grab an oximeter; they're like $50 at CVS or Walgreens. Because with COVID-19, things can get really sketchy when your oxygen starts dropping.
If it dips below 95%, then yeah, you should probably start panicking.
But you can keep an eye on that yourself at home if you have an oximeter.

Jose Edwards16 said:I’m still running a fever—it’s been hovering somewhere between 99.5 and basically 102.
Actually, today was the first time it actually dipped down to 99.5, so I thought maybe I was finally turning a corner—but no, now I'm back up at 100.4.
I've been doing the whole compress thing, inhaled some chamomile steam a couple of times, managed to sweat a little bit here and there... mostly just lying in bed, I guess.

Try boiling some whiskey with sugar. Just take about a shot glass worth and melt a spoonful of sugar into it. Drink it while it's steaming hot and breathe in those vapors.
Also, rub down your whole body and the top of your head with alcohol. Vodka works great for rubbing on. It knocks a fever down within 24 hours.

It works every single time. One day it dropped me from 99.5 straight down to 96, and the fever was gone. I stayed stuck at 99.5 for two days before that. Just coat yourself in alcohol and let it do its thing.

.

Hey there—I wasn't quite sure if there was a specific thread for these kinds of questions, so I figured I’d just toss this out here and see what happens...

So, here’s the deal: I started feeling the effects of COVID-19 back on December 3rd, and then I officially tested positive on the 5th. My official isolation period wrapped up on the 13th, but honestly? I’m still feeling pretty rough. I’ve completely lost my sense of taste and smell, the coughing won't quit, and I just feel totally wiped out—just zero energy, you know? Plus, breathing feels a little heavy at times, and I keep getting these minor low-grade fevers around 99°F.
I went ahead and got a chest X-ray and some blood work done, and everything came back looking fine... though they did mention something about acute laryngitis or whatever...

What I'm really wondering is, how long can someone actually stay out on sick leave? I’ve already been off for 20 days now, but let's be real—I am definitely not in any shape to be heading back to the office yet. Do you think my doctor will extend my leave, or is she just going to tell me to get back to work?

brightcrane5 said:Hey there—I wasn't quite sure if there was a specific thread for these kinds of questions, so I figured I’d just toss this out here and see what happens...

So, here’s the deal: I started feeling the effects of COVID-19 back on December 3rd, and then I officially tested positive on the 5th. My official isolation period wrapped up on the 13th, but honestly? I’m still feeling pretty rough. I’ve completely lost my sense of taste and smell, the coughing won't quit, and I just feel totally wiped out—just zero energy, you know? Plus, breathing feels a little heavy at times, and I keep getting these minor low-grade fevers around 99°F.
I went ahead and got a chest X-ray and some blood work done, and everything came back looking fine... though they did mention something about acute laryngitis or whatever...

What I'm really wondering is, how long can someone actually stay out on sick leave? I’ve already been off for 20 days now, but let's be real—I am definitely not in any shape to be heading back to the office yet. Do you think my doctor will extend my leave, or is she just going to tell me to get back to work?

Look, if you’re feeling that bad and still running a fever, I don't see why she wouldn't extend your leave.

I know people who have been out for two whole months because they're just exhausted and feel like complete wrecks.