
Coronavirus: the second-weirdest solution? - ingve
https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=4664
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martythemaniak
There's actually a Scrubs episode which did precisely what the author
suggests: [https://youtu.be/PdrrgVVi-9U](https://youtu.be/PdrrgVVi-9U)

The spread of a disease throughout the hospital is visualized as a green slime
passed on between people.

~~~
mercer
I think that's one of my 'favorite' saddest episodes/storylines in Scrubs.
That and the ones with Brandon Fraser.

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stareatgoats
The only practical takeaway from these suggestions IMO is that "you might
still derive great personal benefit from _imagining_ them so covered".

In the real world, there are a few things that could help prevent these
outbreaks from bringing the whole of society to a grinding standstill, namely
the invention of something that kills targeted viruses directly (thought I
read something along those lines a while back). And/or the insight that the
way we have constructed modern society is simply conducive to pandemic
outbreaks.

The tendency for people to work from home, be schooled from home and getting
goods delivered home should not be viewed as a desperate measure, instead it
is the way we probably will organize our lives moving forwards, and get a lot
of life standard improvements while at it. Not to mention the time and energy
we would save by bringing commutes down to a bare minimum.

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raxxorrax
Some people suggested using copper handles in hospitals, since it has
antimicrobial properties. I think the practical problem was that you need to
clear the oxidized parts or it doesn't work. There were some other suggested
materials too.

On a lighter note, people seem to adapt their behavior just fine:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYL4rZC0v8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYL4rZC0v8)

~~~
ZhuanXia
I feel like brass may be better, as it contains zinc and copper and does not
oxidize as easily. How about an alloy of zinc, silver and copper?

~~~
sdfsfds
Apparently brass does work
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_copper-
alloy_tou...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_copper-
alloy_touch_surfaces)

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tyingq
I'm confused. If you don't want people to touch a railing, why have a railing?

~~~
hditorkeif
For safety reasons. For disabled people.

Last year I twisted my ankle and for a few days the only way I could use
flight of stairs was to held onto the rails.

~~~
tyingq
Well, yes, but the context is that a railing covered with a layer of sticky
crap isn't much better than no railing.

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jiehong
This substance already exists: biter nail polish.

Apply it on your fingers, and you'll want to avoid touching your mouth at any
cost.

On a side note, so many buildings still put doors at the entrance of toilets
forcing you to touch the door right after cleaning your hands (or to use a
napkin to touch the handle).

~~~
eloff
I learned from my dad to always use the paper towel to open the door, if the
garbage is close enough, otherwise the bottom of your shirt.

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eloff
I got sick 12 times my first year living in a city again. I got pretty
paranoid after that and now I mentally have a "my hands are infected" notion
as soon as I touch something outside the house. The very first thing I do upon
entering my apartment or a restaurant is to wash them. Unfortunately I still
touch my face sometimes while my hands are potentially dirty, I need to be
more careful about that.

I've got sick a lot less often since implementing that, maybe once a year now
on average.

~~~
Fr0styMatt88
It could also be because your immune system got used to the change in
environment.

I honestly don’t understand the particular level of fear around COVID-19 when
compared to other flu outbreaks. Can anyone point me to a concise explanation?
I mean, I get that it’s a new virus we’ve never seen before, but what
distinctly sets it apart? Everything I’ve read says that it affects older
people and those with a compromised immune system the worst, which is just
like any flu. Is it mostly that we’re worried about what we don’t know that we
don’t know? Not trying to be dismissive, I just feel like I’m missing
something. I don’t remember the panic around swine flu or bird flu being like
this.

Also does anyone know why people are panic-buying toilet paper in my country?

~~~
pfg
Case fatality rate for swine flu was around 0.02%[1]. There's still a lot of
uncertainty around 2019-nCoV, but most estimates appear to be closer to 1-2%.

You're not wrong in that old and sick people are the affected the most, but
it's significantly worse compared to e.g. Influenza[2].

[1]: [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-
death-...](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-
rate/#comparison)

[2]:
[https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jbloom/CoV_vs_flu_CFR/mast...](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jbloom/CoV_vs_flu_CFR/master/CFR-
stats.jpg)

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hnhg
So now we're supposed to have a fear of touching things as well as all the
other neuroses programmed into us in modern life? I need to invest in some
mental health startups.

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kekeblom
What boggles me is why modern buildings still have so many manual doors with
handles. At least in the building I work in, you could easily eliminate a ton
of doors and not reduce access control flexibility. The rest could be made
automatic with some keycard authentication.

~~~
dillonmckay
Not sure of your specific building, but they may be designed as fire doors, in
the event of a fire, to isolate areas of the building.

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hditorkeif
The info from China shows that it spreads primarily through inhaling droplets,
not through touching surfaces.

Which is why I expect the epidemic to be way way worse outside of Asia, since
in the West people don't wear masks and are actively discouraged by the health
authorities.

~~~
dillonmckay
From what I have observed, it seems both South Korea’s and China’s outbreaks
are largest among cities near rivers.

I have also read of the virus being detected in feces.

Is it possible the virus is being spread via the water supply?

The waste treatment plants dump into the river, as well as septic runoff, and
humans just deciding to defecate in or near the rivers.

Additionally, if it is possible for dogs to carry the virus, I assume it could
be excreted via canine feces, as well.

If the water treatment plants are also using the river as the source of water,
what prevents the virus from spreading this way?

~~~
wavepruner
I'm an environmental engineer with some experience in drinking water
treatment.

I doubt it's in the drinking water. One of the oldest drinking water treatment
methods would remove the virus: slow-sand filtration. Most places in China
would at least use this, and South Korea is likely using more advanced
technology.

~~~
dillonmckay
Is the reason sand filtration effective, because the virus is too big to fit
between the sand particles as the water flows around it?

I have no clue on how it works, so any insight is appreciated.

~~~
wavepruner
The virus particles would be filtered out at the top layer of the sand filter,
where a layer of microbes grow. This layer is referred to as the schmutzdecke.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmutzdecke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmutzdecke)

Most of the filtering action happens in that layer. Viruses have no problem
getting past sand particles.

~~~
dillonmckay
Thank you for that info.

I also found this report, which may be of interest, from the University of
Arizona in 2008 for Coronavirus survival in water and wastewater:

[https://west.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/data/Gundy2008_...](https://west.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/data/Gundy2008_Article_SurvivalOfCoronavirusesInWater.pdf)

10 days or more in water, and 2 to 4 days in wastewater.

My local municipality only uses chlorine, so I am a bit concerned.

We had our own sand filtration system, but ‘decided’ to instead use the town
next-door’s system, instead.

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robjan
Rather than covering everything with dirt, you just have to make everyone
believe it. In HK, this has been quite successful. Pretty much everyone
refuses to touch the buttons on an elevator, handrails on escalators or the
MTR etc.

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dmurray
How do people get from floor to floor in the elevator?

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robjan
Use a tissue or, increasingly, gloves.

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frumiousirc
The crud would rub off and have to be constantly replaced.

The effort to do that could instead be put toward continually disinfecting the
surface which would provide actual benefit.

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ken
Snot tape. Stays put, feels icky, peels off clean.

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m3kw9
Yeah put disgusting grease on railings let’s see what happens to your lawyers
phone in a day

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qrbLPHiKpiux
Here's another solution to something else...

How To Encourage Safer Driving

Instead of an airbag on the steering wheel, put a large 10 inch spike on it.
Pointed right at your head.

