Ask HN: SARS-CoV-2: current daily life scenario

2 points by tadruj 6 years ago | 3 comments

Your goal is to get to the store, buy sour cream and come back to your computer, SARS-CoV-2 free.

Move 1: You open the door, it's contaminated, SARS-CoV-2 is on your right hand now.

Move 2: You take the sour cream, it just spread to the sour cream jar.

Move 3: You reach the pocket for wallet, now it's on your wallet too.

Move 4: You take the credit card, boom, your card.

Move 5: You come home, take out the keys, unlock and enter.

Move 6: Your move!

Bonus points: - add bananas to your purchase - add fresh bread to your purchase

Bonus question: What today's tech could help prevent the spread? (ex. automatic doors would stop this in Move 1, assuming nothing else in the store is contaminated)

tlb 6 years ago |

It's impossible to reduce your risk to zero. Everyone will eventually be exposed to the virus, and when it happens to you, there's some probability that your immune system won't catch it right away and you'll get sick.

The point of hygiene precautions is just to slow the spread. That will avoid everyone geting sick at the same time and overwhelming the health care system. A vaccine or better supportive treatments may arrive in the meantime.

You should also stay generally healthy. On that fateful day when you have your first exposure to the virus, the speed at which your immune system springs into action will make a big difference. Your chances are better if you've been eating and sleeping well and exercising.

Far more details at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

tadruj 6 years ago | |

Thank you for the article.

I agree on shifting the peak. I was mostly aiming to get other nerds creative about tiny habits that can help lowering R0. The slower it spreads, the lower the graph, the lesser the queue for breathing machines.

Behavior changes the R0 and the most powerful behavior alteration is through environment. So if we could set up an environment where you would less likely contract something even if you're being clumsy, that'd be the best.

Like an UV light room where you leave your stuff for half an hour to disinfect.

Or a bleach spray box :)

Or an Apple Watch app which would detect when you want to touch your face and vibrate. I guess I'd have to wear 2 Apple Watches then :)

rolph 6 years ago |

this sounds similar to kingsquest.

perhaps a SARS quest game to find the vaccine without getting infected