I live in the Portland area and I’m doing my very best to not panic. My family has stocked up on a couple weeks worth of food and medicine gradually over the last few weeks and we have an “earthquake kit” that we already had in place. I feel like we’re relatively prepared for a quarantine situation if it comes down to it.
The main reason I’m anxious, however, is that I have asthma and one of my biggest fears is suffocating to death. I remember going to the ER as a kid and blacking out because I basically stopped breathing. I still have nightmares about it.
This is not a great time for someone with anxiety. If you’re like me, please remember to take deep breaths, get enough sleep, and remember that in the vast majority of cases things will be okay.
I read that somewhere (couple weeks before the first reports from Wuhan actually, a toilet in our office building in Germany had it on a poster) but I don't know why this works. Why isn't it sufficient to rub over every part (between fingers, back of your hand, etc.)? Soap isn't anti-viral, what does longer exposure do? Am I supposed to just rub over every part of my hand N times until 20-30s have passed or does it just need to sit there for the time?
The soap also takes time to work. Soap binds to or encapsulates nonpolar molecules in a polar envelope, allowing nonpolar things to be washed away by water. That encapsulation takes a little bit of time.
The main reason I’m anxious, however, is that I have asthma and one of my biggest fears is suffocating to death. I remember going to the ER as a kid and blacking out because I basically stopped breathing. I still have nightmares about it.
This is not a great time for someone with anxiety. If you’re like me, please remember to take deep breaths, get enough sleep, and remember that in the vast majority of cases things will be okay.
But also please, please, please wash your hands.