Coronavirus Can Survive on Surfaces and Air for Hours, Says New Study

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that coronavirus can survive on surfaces and in the air. A joint effort from scientists at the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, University of California Los Angeles, and Princeton University, these findings have added another level of tension to an already fraught situation. According to the study, COVID-19 was detected on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for two to three days and cardboard for up to 24 hours. The study compared COVID-19 (the technical name for the virus is SARS-CoV-2) with the SARS virus from 2002-2003 and suggested that the coronavirus pandemic has been greater due to asymptomatic people transmitting the virus.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented. Transmission of coronavirus occurs much more commonly through respiratory droplets than through fomites. Current evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings. It is unknown how long the air inside a room occupied by someone with confirmed COVID-19 remains potentially infectious.”

CDC.gov

The study found that SARS-CoV-2 remains infectious in airborne droplets for at least three hours. The majority of safety efforts have concentrated on preventing the spread of the virus through airborne methods like coughing and sneezing. As more information on the pandemic emerges, it seems that people should err on the side of being safe, rather than sorry.

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EPA Suspends Environmental Law Enforcement For Coronavirus

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might want to think about changing their name after telling companies on Thursday that the organization would not be enforcing penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting. The EPA has suspended these obligations in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EPA is committed to protecting human health and the environment, but recognizes challenges resulting from efforts to protect workers and the public from COVID-19 may directly impact the ability of regulated facilities to meet all federal regulatory requirements. This temporary policy is designed to provide enforcement discretion under the current, extraordinary conditions, while ensuring facility operations continue to protect human health and the environment.”

Andrew Wheeler, EPA Adminsitrator

While the EPA’s announcement made it clear that this policy is temporary, this announcement will likely do more harm than good.

Air Pollution Affects Lung Health

The reduction in traffic and industrial activity due to coronavirus has been greatly reduced air pollution. In addition to the obvious benefits of that, the improved air quality can only benefit coronavirus outcomes. Air pollution is a significant respiratory irritant.

When something like fine particulate matter injures or irritates the nerves in the respiratory tree, air passages that move air from outside into the lungs, they become inflamed and the fluid the body sends into the lungs. This fluid prevents the body from getting enough oxygen into the bloodstream, leading to severe pneumonia. This is one of the ways COVID-19 cases go from benign to serious illness.

The decision by the EPA to stop enforcing federal regulatory requirements due to this pandemic is ironic. The agency states that this is a temporary measure during the pandemic, but this move will increase air pollution during a pandemic that affects the lungs. The EPA has agreed to indirectly extend the pandemic.

Cynthia Giles, the former head of EPA office of enforcement during the Obama administration, condemned the news in a statement to The Hill.

This EPA statement is essentially a nationwide waiver of environmental rules for the indefinite future. It tells companies across the country that they will not face enforcement even if they emit unlawful air and water pollution in violation of environmental laws, so long as they claim that those failures are in some way ’caused’ by the virus pandemic. And it allows them an out on monitoring too, so we may never know how bad the violating pollution was…”

The Hill

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The Real Reason Stores Are Out Of Toilet Paper – A Theory of Increased Defecation

I did not stock up on toilet paper. I figured it would be back in stock after the panic subsided. But it’s not yet, and we’re down to our last two rolls. All of my eco-friendly sources are sold out. All of the terrible places, like Walmart and Amazon, are still sold out too.

Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and other hygiene essentials started selling out weeks ago amid mounting concerns over coronavirus. Retailers and suppliers said we had nothing to worry about, that they’re churning out more product and cranking up inventory to meet the new demand. I read in more than one article that soon stores will have pallets of TP in the middle of the isles marked down 50% because there will be a gluttony of stock soon. While this may happen at some point, it’s not happening yet.

The thing suppliers did not account for is the increased demand for toilet paper for homes. Offices are empty, people are working and staying at home, and so, consequently, people are pooping at home.

If you’re desperate for toilet paper I recommend ordering some of that single-ply, super-cheap commercial toilet paper they have at offices that nobody likes. There’s plenty of that! Just search for “commercial bath tissue“. I plan on ordering some for rush delivery after I finish writing this article.

People Are Pooping More!

I have a theory that I don’t think others are considering.

I am the partial owner of Midtown Composting. We pickup 5-gallon buckets of food waste from people’s homes every week. And I’ve noticed a massive change in what we pick up.

You may have noticed the reports of stores being sold out of produce as well as the aforementioned products. And this coincides with what we see in our buckets that we pickup. The buckets are much more fill, and what fills these buckets has shifted from flowers, compostable to-go containers, and pizza crusts to bell pepper stems, orange peels, and lots of failed kitchen experiments.

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

In other words, people are cooking more, eating more produce, and I contend, consequently, that people are having more bowel movements!

I wish we would study the health and the bowel movement ease and frequency of the population before and after quarantine.

This article is a little facetious; I’m sure the increased elimination has less to do with low stock than the aforementioned reasons. But I also want to bring up a serious point: In a lot of ways, this is how we should be living! If we are to save our environment as we know it, this kind of economic shift should be step one. For our health and our environment, we should be working at home, eating at home, and driving at little as possible.

I also see a lot of people in the nicer areas walking their dogs, jogging, and outside playing with their kids. I saw more dads sitting outside on their lawns with their kids than I ever have seen before.

Related: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut

I hope you are doing everything you can to capitalize on this situation and help anyone else in need. This article does not mean to belittle or marginalize the hardships that many are experiencing through this pandemic. People are lonely, broke, and scared. Lots of people need help. Maybe just a phone call, maybe more. We may need to remain physically distant from people but we don’t have to be socially distant. I think this is a great time to check a few tasks off your bucket list (time to write a book?), see how you can help someone in need, and consider how we can live with less of an environmental impact and better health from now on.

U.S. Is Now the Coronavirus Epicenter

As of Thursday, the United States has the most recorded cases of COVID-19. The number of total coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose to 85,749, surpassing China’s total of 81,430. It is likely that the number of cases is much higher than reported, as the U.S. healthcare system has been unable to provide easy and effective testing to most of the population.

Image credits Richard Codor (above) World Meters (below/right)

The testing timeline in the U.S. has been rocky. The first case of coronavirus in the U.S. was registered on January 20, but fewer than 4,000 tests had been administered in the U.S. by February 27. The number of tests given by March 12 was less than 4,000. The United States has been unable to provide large-scale testing for the virus until recently. In a March 12 hearing in the Hosue of Representatives, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key figure in the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic addressed the issue.

The system is not really geared to what we need right now, what you are asking for. That is a failing. Let’s admit it. The fact is, the way the system was set up is that the public health component…was a system where you put it out there in the public and a physician asks for it and you get it. The idea of anybody getting it easily, the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that.

NBC

Early testing is crucial in limiting the spread of COVID-19. South Korea saw its first case of the virus on the same day that the United States did, January 20th, and the government was quick to implement a testing program. By March 5, South Korea had administered more than 140,000 tests.

Eric Feigl-Ding is a senior fellow and epidemiologist at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C. He notes that South Korea is now testing 15,000 people a day, with a maximum capacity of 22,000.

In terms of per capita testing, Korea has run 3,600 tests per 1 million population. In contrast, U.S. has just run five tests per 1 million people.

NPR

That approach to this pandemic is paying off. On March 26, South Korea recorded a less than 1% (.98%) increase in cases of COVID-19. In contrast, cases in the U.S. increased by 26.5%. Those numbers are only going to increase as the United States struggles to combat a healthcare crisis with a system unprepared to handle it.

Why does Coronavirus Spreading So Easily?

Outside a host, viruses are dormant. They have none of the traditional trappings of life: metabolism, motion, the ability to reproduce. AD

And they can last this way for quite a long time. Recent laboratory research showed that, although SARS-CoV-2 typically degrades in minutes or a few hours outside a host, some particles can remain viable — potentially infectious — on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic and stainless steel for up to three days. In 2014, a virus frozen in permafrost for 30,000 years that scientists retrieved was able to infect an amoeba after being revived in the lab.

Washington Post

This could have been stopped by implementing testing and surveillance much earlier — for example, when the first imported cases were identified.

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York.

Now at least 160 million Americans have been ordered to stay home in states from California to New York. Schools are closed, often along with bars, restaurants and many other businesses. Hospitals are coping with soaring numbers of patients in New York City, even as supplies of essential protective gear and equipment dwindle.

NY Times

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Loss of Sense of Smell May Be Symptom of CoVID-19

NY Times reports that doctor groups are recommending testing and isolation for people who feel their ability to smell and taste is reduced, even if they have no other symptoms.

They report that an infected mother said she couldn’t smell her baby’s full diaper and cooks say they can’t smell curry or garlic and that the food tastes bland.

Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as peculiar telltale signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and possible markers of infection.

NY Times

Measures Taken to Decriminalize Psychedelics in Washington D.C

Earlier this year advances were taken in the early steps to decriminalize many psychedelics in Washington D.C. The Ballot initiative was given initial approval by the Board of Elections, and will now have to get the approval of their title and summary statement. If the ballot initiative goes through, psychedelics will be of the lowest priority in local law enforcement. The measure does not remove any penalties. Decriminalize Nature D.C is the organization behind this ballot initiative and had many advocates speak in favor of decriminalization at its original hearing.

Decriminalization can only bring safety and knowledge around the therapeutic use of substances that are already widely available, It will allow therapist to speak candidly to clients, researchers and students to pursue areas of study without fear of retribution, and an overall more educated society.”

Measure To Decriminalize Psychedelics Advances In Washington, DC

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Last year Denver, Colorado became the first city to decriminalize psychedelics and several more cities have followed suit. Many people have advocated the legalization of psilocybin mushrooms because of their therapeutic purposes.

Sources

Elon Musk Donates 12,500 Ventilators to Hospitals

Earlier this week Elon Musk purchased 1255 FDA approved ventilators from Chinese manufactures. Tesla is currently in the process of getting them distributed and installed, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Tesla has also supplied 500,000 masks for health care workers. This occurred after Musk tweeted out that Tesla would manufacture ventilators if there was a shortage.

We expect to have over ~1,200 [ventilators] to distribute this week. Getting them delivered, installed & operating is the harder part.

Musk via Twitter

Musk had previously been dismissive over the outbreak of the virus tweeting out “The Coronavirus panic is dumb” later clarifying that he believes the panic to be more dangerous than the virus itself. He later reported that Tesla is working on ventilators although it is not clear how long it will take to manufacture these ventilators, it could be months.

This is such a critical time for America and the world. It is a time for action and cooperation. By coming together across multiple industries, we can make a real difference for people in need and for those on the front lines of this crisis. At Ford, we feel a deep obligation to step up and contribute in times of need, just as we always have through the 117-year history of our company.”

Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman

Despite steps being taken by the companies, the president has not ordered these companies to manufacture medical supplies through the Defense Production Act, which was invoked on Wednesday, and the decision to manufacture medical supplies is up to the discretion of each company.