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Hey...I am an older person. Trust me, if it was between me and a younger person in need of a respirator at an over-burdened hospital, then the respirator goes to the younger person. But that is not even the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario is that it is between my wife and a younger person in need of a respirator at an over-burdened hospital and the respirator goes to the younger person. Trust me....I can imagine many hells that can play out during this crises so I don't need you to tell what I have and have not considered. But living in a state of panic and fear is not the solution and helps no one. Hoarding food is not the solution and helps no one (again no meat, dry goods or frozen food in the supermarket). Constantly listening to the endless repetition of our media that has over-pivoted to panic is not the solution and helps no one. Worrying about things for which you have no control is not the solution and helps no one. Worrying about what the rate of infection will be in 3 weeks is not the solution and helps no one. ...and worry will not create a hospital respirator when your suffering wife absolutely needs it. The solution is to be disciplined. To be careful. To be helpful to your neighbor (eg. volunteer to go to the supermarket for those who can not). To pull together as a community while hunkering down. The solution is to be informed about what you can do right now - and then do it! Along those lines, I have also compiled a list of facts from various sources on how to deal with this virus. Not all have been 100% cross-checked to completely insure validity, but they do make sense to me and I have distributed this list to others. In the spirit of being helpful, of setting aside unproductive and self-indulgent worry with productive action, I have include that list below. Dave The new Coronavirus may not show sign of infection for many days. How can one know if he/she is infected? By the time they have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital, the lung is usually 50% Fibrosis and it's too late. Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning. Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no Fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicates no infection. In critical time, please self-check every morning in an environment with clean air. Excellent advice by Japanese doctors treating COVID-19 cases: Everyone should ensure your mouth & throat are moist, never dry. Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Why? Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus. If you don't drink enough water more regularly, the virus can enter your windpipe and into the lungs. That's very dangerous. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the Sun. If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours - so if you come into contact with any metal surface - wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours. normal laundry detergent will kill it. Increase the frequency of your laundry. Smaller loads every two days is a good recommendation (especially bath and hand towels). Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but - a lot can happen during that time - you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on. When washing your hands, don’t forget the finger tips and the thumbs. 20 seconds of washing in warm water should be sufficient. Also, keep your fingernails short. Open a window every now and then -- let the fresh air in if you can especially if you are in cold climate. Better to let in the cold outside air than breath the same recycled air over and over again where you live. Replace your toothbrush on a more regular basis. You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice. Can't emphasis enough - drink plenty of water! KNOW THE SYMPTOMS: In short, if you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose. It will first infect the throat, so you'll have a sore throat lasting 3/4 days The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes about 5/6 days further. With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you're drowning. It's imperative you then seek immediate attention.