COVID-19 Coronavirus and Lung Health: What can you do?

Hi all, Mayo Clinic Connect is and remains an online community where people can share experiences and ask each other questions about any health issue. At any time, you can choose which discussions and groups you wish to follow and unsubscribe from discussions or groups you no longer wish to receive email notifications about. Learn more about how you can tailor your notification preferences here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/

With the threat of the unknown and authorities telling us to stay home, distance yourself from others, it can be very isolating. I for one am grateful that we have this social network, Mayo Clinic Connect, to stay connected and help alleviate the social isolation.

What are you doing to keep yourself healthy and occupied?

Good morning- The result of COVID-19 in the lungs is from the air we breathe in causing pneumonia and lung damage. Some people are lucky to only get a mild case, some others not so much.
Here is a little about how pneumonia wks.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354204
Here is another great explanation: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/11/science/how-coronavirus-hijacks-your-cells.html

@colleenyoung changed the name of our discussion. It asks the question, "What can you do?" Now that COVID-19 is in my small town I have self-isolated myself. My husband does the shopping and any errands that are necessary. After he comes home we vacuum and spray counters with homemade hand sanitizer or Clorox cloths. Any grocery bags are placed on newspapers and then the newspapers are thrown out. We vacuum because droplets are heavier than air and can be trapped in dirt. Dave sprays his hands as soon as he's back in the car, after stowing the groceries and then washes them when he comes inside. This is the only "socialization" that he does. So, what can you do? What are you doing?

@merpreb I'm doing pretty much the same as your husband. I go out to do the grocery shopping.
It's impossible to find sanitizing cloths anywhere but I saw a suggestion somewhere that said to buy baby wipes and pour alcohol in the package. I think that sounds fairly logical and like it should work but I did not get it from what I would consider a reputable source. I put some lysol spray on paper towels and put them in zip lock bags to bring with me.
JK

Another possibility is CPAP wipes if you can find them.

@johnbishop Do they have alcohol on them? Are they just called CPAP wipes?
JK

I think most do not have alcohol but are just used to clean organic materials from the surface so probably wouldn’t work in this case 🙁

this reply is for the general Mayo public and no one specifically. I apologize upfront for any offense I will cause in stating my passionate.beliefs. I'm 65 with stage 3 COPD. Therefore, I'm one of the enhanced risk of death people (from the coronavirus) virus. Nonetheless, I believe that our fear of contagion and serious health consequences, has resulted in unjustified and substantial damage to the majority of our population, specifically the younger (under 50) healthy population. Our fear however justified, (of contagion) has resulted in the following: shutting down many privately owned businesses throughout the country. It has resulted in the loss of employment for millions of young working people, many have young children to support. It has resulted in the loss of 30% of the wealth of those invested in the stock markets. It will result in hundreds of billions in payouts to various industries to stave off bankruptcies that would probably plunge the country into a depression. And economics aside, It has significantly eroded the quality of life for many younger people by shutting down: night clubs, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, museums, hotels, casinos, health clubs, family gatherings, even ocean front beaches. Is it self-centered to force our younger population to pay that price for our fears? Realize, the chance of dying from the coronavirus is .02% for those 40 and under and .04% for those 40-50.. By comparison, the risk of death for those 20 and under from "regular" influenza is .41%. Therefore, this panic response is not about them but us. And is it a rational response? The, admittedly scant, data concludes casual contact will not result in contagion. Medical experts have consistently stated they either don't believe or have no proof to conclude that just touching surfaces touched by infected people will cause contagion-especially if we practice proper hand cleaning before touching our face. If we are that scared couldn't we choose self-isolation and refuse direct contact with others instead of demanding that all others make substantial quality of life sacrifices? Further, I thought the way a community builds up immunity or resistance to a "novel" virus is through interaction (assuming the virus isn't deadly). Even for the group at enhanced risk, like me, we have the right to live as we did before the virus if we are willing to assume the risks and don't force others to assume those same risks. It is a quality of life issue, and as such as adults we have the obligation to make informed choices. Here, the State has once again made those choices for us. If they are so wise, why didn't they do more to preempt this virus? I appreciate any objective criticisms. I'm biased and therefore, prone to make logical errors in my arguments. And again, I apologize for any appearance of disrespect to anyone on this site.

@joelars, I think I can understand why you feel passionate about this, although I will admit that we probably won't agree on the facts of the situation. I have minimal underlying conditions myself, so I suspect that I would survive a case of covid-19 but having had Influenza in the past, I don't relish the thought. I spent last weekend with my 20-something children and they are remarkably calm about this and okay with sacrificing some social life for the common good. Yes, there will be economic impacts to all of this but we have lived through difficult times before and we can get through this. The goal of shutting down public life is to "flatten the curve" of people going into our hospitals so that we don't have a huge surge of patients and run out of bed space or ventilators. In Italy, people are stacked in hallways and doctors are having to decide who gets treated and who does not. If we can slow down the spread of the virus, hopefully we can avoid that happening here and there will be care for everyone who needs it.

@coloradogirl I agree with you about overcrowding the hospitals, but here's the problem: the forced closures and economic (and social) impacts are life altering even ruinous for many younger people. And consider the impact on their young children? And why? The average enhanced risk person is 65+ and on Medicare or on SSD. They aren't hurt economically, unless it is in the form of co-pays if they do get sick, and most won't.
I just read the latest statistics: 81% of infected people (largely 50 or under) have mild symptoms no worse than a light cold or no symptoms. 13% have more severe symptoms but severe is defined as at home be- ridden with flu like symptoms for maybe 1 week. Only 7% suffer more significant damage-even death-but most of this group is old or immune compromised. I'm questioning whether we are not properly protecting 75% of our population 90+ % of which is under 40. I want them to have the same opportunities I had. I was never quarantined or in a lock-down society even with the swine flu which by all present accounts was worse in terms of symptomology, particularly mortality rates. Why are they treated so differently?