[jacksonbrown]

Date: February 26, 2020 at 2:35:50 PM EST
Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources.

The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.

Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.
2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.
3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.
4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.
5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.
6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands.
7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.

Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average - everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like" symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.

I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us!

Jim

James Robb, MD FCAP

[anothersteve]

And don't forget the milk, bread and eggs!
Steve

[tophcfa]

I have been drinking a couple of coranas every day to build up my immunity. And for good measure I have been putting a lime wedge in each beer to build up my resistance to Lyme disease.

[JimJohnson]

Seems a lot of trouble for what both our President and Vice President says is very low risk.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

I have been drinking a couple of coranas every day to build up my immunity. And for good measure I have been putting a lime wedge in each beer to build up my resistance to Lyme disease.

I don't care who you are...THAT'S funny! ......

[Villageswimmer]

Thank you, OP, for your informative post.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by JimJohnson

Seems a lot of trouble for what both our President and Vice President says is very low risk.

The experts.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

The experts.

Science and facts...are apparently overrated for some.

[blueash]

The OP did not write his posting. He is not Dr Robb, if that isn't obvious. Dr. Robb wrote an email to his own family not intended for public dissemination. But that's not how social media works and someone posted it. Snopes.com has a discussion of the controversial part of the email regarding zinc. Dr Robb in his reply to snopes clarified that section.

In my experience as a virologist and pathologist, zinc will inhibit the replication of many viruses, including coronaviruses. I expect COVID-19 [the disease caused by the novel coronavirus] will be inhibited similarly, but I have no direct experimental support for this claim. I must add, however, that using zinc lozenges as directed by the manufacturer is no guarantee against being infected by the virus, even if it inhibits the viral replication in the nasopharynx.

You will find that there are conflicting data on clinical efficacy of zinc lozenges in respiratory viruses. Keep in mind that the overwhelming number of colds are not caused by coronavirus but rather by rhinovirus. I couldn't find any data looking at coronavirus respiratory illness and zinc lozenges. Note that Dr Robb wrote "IF it inhibits" rather than "even though it inhibits" which to my reading means he has no idea if coronavirus is at all sensitive to zinc lozenges in sick patients.

[manaboutown]

Anyone booking a $99 airfare to Hawaii? Airlines are getting desperate. I just tried put in a link to the deal but it came up "access denied".

[rustyp]

I switched to Coors

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I switched to Coors.

I have a buddy who swears by...and only drinks Coors.

One time on a fishing trip...I peed in his almost full beer bottle.

He didn't even notice a difference.









j/k of course.




He noticed...after he finished the bottle.

[RedChariot]

Originally Posted by JimJohnson

Seems a lot of trouble for what both our President and Vice President says is very low risk.

And you believe them????

[Bogie Shooter]

Note to self. Never go fishing with ColdNoMore…………………………………� ��.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by RedChariot

And you believe them????

Find another source........just today

....stories about how the US is now the #1 energy producer but didn't used to be (it took the top spot in 2012), how Hillary said the deal with South Korea would produce 250K jobs (she never said that), how there used to be "$500B a year deficits" with China (never).

How CAN you believe ?

Find a source who cares