Coronavirus Information

Wash Hands Frequently Practice Social DIstancing

Shelter In Place 

Wear a Mask
When Out 

 Clean & Disinfect Surfaces Use Tissues for Coughs or Sneezes

 

MVEST is working to keep Park residents up-to-date on news and resources for dealing with the coronavirus. Below are are a variety of guides, news articles, and web links you might find helpful.  Clicking on the green tabs below will bring you information on that topic in this same webpage. The dark green green tab is the “active one”, with information for that category shown underneath; clicking on one of the lighter green tabs will convert it to “active” and then show the information for that category instead.

Prevention

The Risks-Know Them-Avoid Them Is a well quoted article by Erin Bromage from UMass Dartmouth on factors affecting COVID exposure and the risks they represent.

Social Distancing – Note: Links to California DPH and Marin HHS pages focus on specific social distancing actions information and orders given by those agencies. More general California DPH and Marin HHS information on COVID is shown under the “State & Local Information” tab.

  • CDC’s Social Distancing page has general information on this topic.
  • California DPH’s Stay Home page includes the order issued by Governor Newsom, along with information about reopening guidance and requirements.
  • Marin Health and Human Services’ Health Orders page includes the current shelter in place order (and various amendments providing for limited reopening), the April 22 Facial Covering order, as well as orders on temporary lodgings, vehicle based gatherings, and park closures and reopenings.
  • Marin HHS’s COVID guidance on Allowed Additional Activities includes a section on swimming pools, listing, among other things, a limit of 1 swimmer (or set of household members) per lane, and a limit of one swimmer per 300 square feet of shared pool space.

Personal Hygiene/Protection

CDC guidance on  How to Protect Yourself & Others has detailed information on the following COVID recommendations: *Know how it spreads,  *Clean your hands often, *Avoid close contact, *Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others, *Cover coughs and sneezes, *Clean and disinfect surfaces, and *Monitor your health.

In their handwashing guidelines, CDC suggests that you follow these five steps every time when you wash your hands: 1) Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. 2) Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. 3) Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. 4) Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. 5) Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

The WHO has a handwashing video that shows some specific techniques to more effectively rid your hands of the virus. Market Watch discusses the science of how soap and water kills viruses such as the coronavirus. For those using hand sanitizers, the Huffington Post (July 16) describes the proper way to apply those.

 

Masks

  • Marin HHS issued an April 17 Order requiring the use of facemasks in a variety of public settings, and provides a Face Coverings page with Q&A type information.
  • Recent news and science papers provide a wide range of information on face masks. Business Insider (July 15) ranks a variety of mask styles in order of effectiveness. Doctors at UCSF provide their perspective (June 26) on the recent studies and their recommendations. Articles in the Washington Post (April 9), NY TImes (May 5) Healthline (May 6) and The Guardian (June 26) discuss choosing and  using facemasks and making your own. Live Science (June 12) describes a recent review by WHO of studies on mask effectiveness,
  • Masks4All has videos here and here for making non-sewn masks, and Kaiser Permanente shows how to make a sewn mask.
  • AARP has a June 15 article on Face shields that disccusses the additional benefits they may provide.
  • This video from NHK broadcasting in Japan shows how microdroplets, like those associated with the coronavirus, can remain in the air for a long time in an enclosed space. At the end there is dramatic footage showing how fresh air circulation effectively removes the droplets.

Home Sanitizing

  • There are good articles on how to clean and sanitize your home, including product recommendations, from CNET and Consumer Reports. CNN also reports on EPA’s approved list of home sanitizers
  • Good Housekeeping has a common sense list of actions to take to prepare for coronavirus, including personal protection and home sanitizing.
  • Time magazine’s article on clothes washing and drying talks about how you can ensure that you are sanitizing your clothes to remove viruses when you’re washing them. It discusses the importance of using the highest temperature setting in your dryer in order to kill the virus.
  • CDCs cleaning guidance provides brief recommendations for how to clean your home, with much more detailed guidelines for how to clean when someone in your home becomes infected with coronavirus.
  • Although cleaning and disinfecting your house makes sense for a variety of reasons, it’s worth noting that the CDC page How COVID-19 Spreads  states that: ”It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
  • NPR reports on the ability of the virus to survive on surfaces, and provides suggestions for cleaning them.

Other Prevention Resources

  • Live Science provides some insights on why a vaccine for the seasonal flu is still a good idea because of its co-benefits in helping authorities identify and cope with the coronavirus.
  • For those who need to go on a trip via airplane, the NY Times offers guidance for safe air travel.

Preparation

  • NPR offers a home preparedness guide that includes items to stock up on in case you come down with the virus.
  • There are much stricter CDC quarantine guidelines for what to do in case you or a family member come down with the virus.

Symptoms

  • The CDC and Johns Hopkins describe a range of  common symptoms associated with COVID infection. Medical News Today (May 6) provides a more detailed breakdown and describes early actions you should take if you think you’ve come down with the disease.
  • CNN’s Coronavirus Symptoms page (Mar.23) provides further insights into the main symptoms, how to respond when they start, and urges older people with underlying risks to contact their doctors when symptoms first appear.

Testing

  • Medical News Today (June 6) discusses recent research on the accuracy of the current COVID PCR and antibody tests, and how that varies with how soon you are tested after exposure.
  • Marin HHS’ guidance to Coronavirus Health Care Providers includes current testing guidelines and eligibility criteria for county residents, along with testing location information. The following groups are currently listed under the eligibility criteria: symptomatic patients; symptomatic and asymptomatic residents of congregate living facilities; asymptomatic essential workers; and those able to travel in their own vehicle to a centrally located testing site in Marin. Marin HHS also has a testing page with information on, among other things, where to get free COVID testing at locations in San Rafael and the Canal neighborhood. They recommend that you contact your medical provider as a first step in this process. In addition Kaiser Permanents’s COVID Testing page has information about how they are managing testing for their patients. The Marin IJ (July 11) reports on significant testing delays as the demand for testing has increased.
  • California’s covid19.ca.gov site has a Testing and Treatment page that lists statewide priorities for testing individuals.
  • Our World in Data’s COVID-19 Testing page provides graphics that depicts various aspects of COVID testing around the world.
  • In recent news, Stanford Medicine reports (June 12) on the relative reliability of self-swabbing tests for COVID, while Healthline (July 8) reports on the relative accuracy of the COVID PCR and serum antibody tests. Statnews (June 26) discusses how “pool testing” could allow for a dramatic increase in the predictive capabilities of current COVID testing. Tech Crunch (July 2) reports on progress at UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute to develop a saliva test for detecting COVID.

Treatment Note: Neither MVEST nor the Marin Valley Country Club is endorsing any of the treatments described below.

Vaccines

  • The NY Times provides a Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker that includes general information vaccines, a description of the vaccine development process, and a brief overview of different vaccine candidates that are in various stages of development.
  • CNN (June 28) describes recent testimony by Dr. Fauci, in which he states that a COVID vaccine might not be able to achieve herd immunity, given the percentage of Americans who say they will not get vaccinated.
  • Reuters (June 28) reports on CanSino’s COVID vaccine, which has been approved for use by the military in China.

Conventional Treatments

  • Healthline (June 30) describes the modest benefits associated with Remdesivir treatment. The Washington Post (June 29) reports on the current price of Remdesivir treatment – $3,120 for the typical patient with private insurance. The NY TImes (June 17) looks at the effectiveness of dexamethasone in treating patients with advanced cases of the disease. NPR (June 11) gives an overview on the current progress in developing several other treatments, including convalescent plasma, antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, and immune modulators.

In addition, other options include:

Alternative Treatments

  • Healthline lists some common supplements that can help boost your immune system, but notes that the most effect methods are a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep
  • The Federalist (March 27) reports on the mechanisms by which saline nasal irrigation can combat upper respiratory viruses, and documents a 2019 study in Scientific Reports which documents the effectiveness of this method in reducing the effects of viral infections.
  • Additional conventional and alternative therapy recommendations are occasionally posted on the NextDoor MVMCC group page. Pay attention to the source of information.

Note: You should always discuss any plans for alternative therapies with your doctor.

General Information

  • Harvard Medical School’s Coronavirus Resource Center has information on symptoms, treatments, and managing at risk populations. John Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center has a world class section on tracking the virus, along with Testing and Contact Tracing pages, and a range of other medical information.
  • Buck Institute’s Extended Session program has a wide variety of archived video interviews with national experts on a range of COVID topics. You can register for upcoming sessions on that page as well.
  • COVID Explained is another general information resource page developed by researchers at Brown, MIT, Harvard and Mass General  with information on various aspects of the virus, how to safely engage in certain activities, and how to interpret some of the newer medical news stories.
  • Wikipedia has a COVID overview article that  has evolved into an good general reference.
  • The European CDC has a Covid-19 pandemic page, with a variety of information on general facts, prevention methods, and actions being taken by various organizations.

Virus Facts

  • Transmission. The Wall Street Journal (June 16) reports on the growing consensus about how airborne transmission is the chief cause of COVID spread. CNN reports (July3) on a recent mutation of the virus, now the most common strain currently circulating,  that may be making it more contagious, but not more lethal. The SF Chronicle (July8) provides an overview of recent research on how long COVID remains on various surfaces, and provides common sense suggestions for how to prevent transmission. The NY TImes (July 18) reports on a South Korea study that documents how children over 10 can transmit the virus as easily as adults.
  • Severity/Mortality. CDC’s Risk to Older Adults and Underlying Conditions pages describes the higher risks for older adults , as well as what kind of medical conditions make you more susceptible to COVID and its health impacts. Our World in Data’s COVID Mortality Risk page shows how the severity of the disease varies by country, by age group and other demographics, as well as the impact of certain medical conditions on mortality. It includes explanations of the main types of statistics used to interpret the severity of the disease, their most recent case fatality rate graph shows a rate of about 4% for the US. Nature (June 16)  describes how a variety of studies are arriving at an overall infection mortality rate (which includes asymptomatic case estimates) of 0.5-1% for the general population, and a much higher rate of about 5% for those over 65. The Brookings Institute (June 16 ) depicts crude mortality rate figures to show the significantly higher death rates for black and hispanic populations across all age groups. 
  • Immunity/Susceptibility. The University of Maryland’s Coronavirus Immunity page provides basic information on immunity, antibody testing, and vaccines. STATnews (June12) provides a more detailed analysis of current efforts to understand COVID immunity.  Reuters (June22) and The Guardian (July 12) discuss the results of separate studies that show how COVID antibody levels peak a few weeks after infection and then drop off significantly. Wired Magazine (July10) discusses how, in addition to antibodies, other aspects of your immune response work to fight off COVID infections, and what that means for vaccine development. CDC has a page on extra needs for immunocompromised individuals.
  • Effects in the Body. STATnews (Jun 26) describes the variety of ways the COVID virus impacts different parts of the body. The Washington Post (July1) describes how the results of autopsies are being used to document the effects of COVID in various organs. Berkeley News (July 8) interviews Dr. Schwartzberg about the long term complications that some COVID patients experience. The Conversation (June 18) discusses COVID’s lung impacts and their potential long term effects. The British Heart Foundation’s Heart Matters (July 1) and  ABC Health and Well Being (July 1) discuss how COVID impacts your blood vessels, and how that might help identify effective treatments.

Tracking the Spread

  • The NY TIme page How the Coronavirus Won uses a variety of information going back to the start of the year, including travel patterns, hidden infections and genetic data to show how the epidemic spun out of control.
  • Several sites have COVID dashboards that track infection rates and related statistics, both internationally, nationally and at the state level. See: ncov2019.live, created by 17-year-lod Avi Schiffman from the Seattle area, John’s Hopkins COVID Dashboard, Worldometer’s United States page, and NPR’s Coronavirus Dashboard.
  • The San Francisco Chronicle’s Coronavirus Tracker displays COVID cases in the Bay area, while Marin HHS’ COVID-19 Surveillance Update page shows stats for Marin.

Shelter-In-Place Resources

  • Local store senior shopping hours include:  NUGGET — Tuesday and Thursday, 7:00–8:00 a.m. for age 65+; SAFEWAY — Tuesday and Thursday, 6:00–9:00 a.m. is for seniors. For home delivery (ask about cost) call 877-505-4040; TARGET — Wednesday, 8:00–9:00 a.m. for seniors; WHOLE FOODS (Novato) — 8:00–9:00 a.m. (one hour before store opens) for age 60+.

State/Local Agency Sites

  • The state of California coronavirus response page includes the orders issued by Governor Newsom, and describes how it’s being implemented for California residents.
  • Governor Newsom’s Office maintains a twitter feed that is posting daily tweets on actions being taken to control the pandemic.
  • Marin Health and Human services has significantly updated and revised it its coronavirus page. The page now includes the initial shelter in place order and some FAQs related to it, as well as the announcement on the establishment of a drive-thru testing facility in Marin. The page also includes recent actions and recommendations the agency has taken, provides some FAQs, and ends with a variety of guidance resources for several different organizations and groups. These are typically linked to guidance pages from either CDC or the California Department of Health. Marin HHS also has a Twitter page with news and updates.
  • The California League of Cities has a coronavirus resource page with a variety of links for city and local leaders as well as general facts about the status of the virus and actions to take.
  • Marin County’s Office of Education provides coronavirus guidance as well as resources for schools and family.
  • California volunteers has a resource page for people interested in helping others during the COVID crisis. At the bottom of the page is a long list of non-profits that can use help.
  • California DPH has a COVID overview site that includes information pages in Spanish, as well as news releases and updated school guidance.
  • Since March 20, Marin Transit has been offering Fare Free rides on their Marin Transit Connect service; they will continue until shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted.

Other State/Local Resources

  • The City of Novato has a COVID Resource Page providing information and other resources for local businesses during the pandemic.

This tab being developed.

If there are other web resources that you have found particularly useful, we would like to know about that. Please send any recommendations to marinvalley.net@gmail.com, and site editors will work with MVEST to integrate them with the other information being developed for this website.