I don't know what it's like in your country but over here down under I think people have gone a bit mad.

People are fighting over toilet paper at the supermarkets, grocery deliveries are taking longer than usual and shelves are empty as if the apocalypse is upon us.

Now, I don't watch the news so I don't know what the media is saying to make everyone get to this level of panic but seeing and reading about all this madness had me shookt for the first time since news of corona came out.

I figured, instead of panicking and fearing the unknown it was time I did some research and try to understand what's going on myself.

What is Covid-19?

Covid-19, formerly known as 'novel coronavirus (2019-nCov)', came from the large coronavirus family which can cause the common cold and in more serious cases pneumonia. Other cases of coronavirus are:-

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) which also originated in China in 2002-2003 spreading to 30 different countries but was contained a few months later.

MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) a zoonotic disease that spread from camels to humans first identified in 2012.

The Symptoms

According to health agencies and the media these are the symptoms for Covid-19. Alongside it are the symptoms for SARS and MERS so we can compare the viruses.

COVID-19	MERS	SARS
Fever	Fever	Fever
Coughing	Coughing	Coughing
Sore throat	Vomiting	Sore throat
Shortness of breath	Shortness of breath	Headache
Fatigue	Muscle pain	Muscle pain
Pneumonia	Pneumonia	Pneumonia
-	Diarrhoea	Diarrhoea
-	Nausea	Dizziness
-	-	Chills
-	-	Poor appetite

I don't know about you but the coronavirus looks like a bad case of the flu. Also, considering we are now in Autumn in Australia, it's not exactly unusual to be feeling any of these symptoms especially for those who have weak immune systems or pre-existing conditions.

May I also point out that the toilet paper hoarding seems more fitting if it was SARS or MERS floating around?

Who is at risk?

Generally speaking, anyone who has had contact with an infected animal or human can contact the coronavirus.

The elderly, children and people with certain underlying health conditions and weakened immune systems are usually more at risk.

How does it spread?

Covid-19 spreads from person to person via close contact or/and contact with droplets of infected person's cough or sneeze, whether it be airborne or on surfaces.

How can infection be prevented?

This is where people need to be considerate to others and be vigilant of personal hygiene.

If you are showing symptoms ☝️ and suspect you may be sick it is probably a wise decision to take the day off, not go to work and self quarantine.

..... Masks

Here's the thing about face masks. Unless you get the P2/N95 (the ones with the filter) and unless you put it on correctly (and even then) you can still get the virus because it's airborne. Those surgical masks are pretty much just paper.

However, if you're sick and wear a mask (any mask) it will help keep your germs to yourself.

If you're sick and don't have a mask, make sure you cover your nose/mouth with a tissue when sneezing/coughing. Don't forget to throw that tissue in the bin asap.

If you are not showing symptoms and just want to avoid catching the virus a mask isn't really necessary but if you're around people (or out in public) it's just good personal hygiene to not touch your face if you haven't washed your hands.

But most of all, the most important thing to do to prevent infection is to give your immune system a boost by eating healthy and taking vitamin supplements NOW!

What to buy...

Since the coronavirus attacks the respiratory system and pneumonia seems to be the greatest worry, I feel we need to focus on taking the offensive and act like we're trying to prevent pneumonia so this is what Illbe focusing on.

Vitamins

Blackmores Bio C 1000mg
Blackmores D3 1000IU
Blackmores Probiotic + Immunity Defense
Voost Effervescent Vitamin C 1000mg
Voost Effervescent Zinc

Blackmores is Aussie own and made.
Voost is a German company

Fruit & Vegs

Oranges
Lemons
Kiwi Fruit
Strawberries
Broccoli
Kale
Tomatoes
Avocado
Parsley
Mint

Best fresh but frozen or canned is better than none at all. Even better if you can get a plant and plant it that way you have an endless supply.

Loading up on vitamins is my priority as well as eating healthy and cutting down on processed/junk food.

I'm also swapping my morning coffee to tea especially now that I've been dry coughing.

My conclusion

Look. Let's just start by calling covid-19 a really bad case of the flu, that, in worst case scenario, can turn into pneumonia ~ because that's what it is.

If we all ate well, fortified our immune systems, loaded up on vitamins, especially vit c, I reckon if we did get the flu our bodies can handle it better.

Hoarding toilet paper isn't gonna do much for you in this case since no one has reported diarrhoea as a symptom for this particular coronavirus.

The only possible health benefit I can see with having a stash of tp or any sort of stash is you can avoid the crowds and self quarantine now. This should limit exposure to the virus.

So take care of yourself NOW. Shop for prevention rather than the apocalypse. I reckon if we all focused on prevention we'd all make it out of this alright.

Check out the links I listed under SOURCES for more information regarding the virus, pneumonia and remedies.

Don't fall for the fear mongering be informed instead.

SOURCES

1. https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov#what-is-coronavirus-covid19
2. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/coronavirus
3. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/about-coronaviruses
4. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-need-to-know
5. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-sars
6. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mers
7. https://www.naturalhealth365.com/breaking-news-coronavirus-3308.html
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2099400/
9. https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/pneumonia/
10. https://naturallydaily.com/pneumonia-remedies/?amp
11. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002404.htm
12. https://www.facebook.com/672300982883950/posts/2704345183012843/
13. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320881#prevention
14. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/parsley-benefits
15. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.184.5.621a