Does Everyone Over 60 Need To Take The Same Coronavirus Precautions?

[Panina]

Does everyone over 60 need to take the same coronavirus precautions?

What about disease-free adults in their 60s and 70s? Do they need to worry about going to a restaurant or a friend’s house for dinner? Are all outside activities ill-advised?

www.jpost.com

 

[Miss Marty]

*

Protect yourself, your friends and family and others from Coronavirus

Everyone no matter their age should take precautions against covid-19
Especially If they are over 60 year old and have an underlying condition

Everyone should avoid crowded areas and unsafe places.
* Use common sense and stay safe and stay healthy *

Advice for the public on COVID-19 – World Health Organization

Simple precautions to reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19.

www.who.int

 

[DrQ]

*

Advice for the public on COVID-19 – World Health Organization

Simple precautions to reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19.

www.who.int

Anything from the World Health Organization is a day late and a dollar short.

 

[Panina]

Anything from the World Health Organization is a day late and a dollar short.

Total Failure

 

[DaveNV]

I think there are multiple scenarios here to consider:

A healthy 60+ year old goes to eat in a restaurant. How bad could it be?

-- 1. The waitstaff could be infected. 60+ year old leaves infected.
-- 2. Restaurant surfaces, dishes, doorknobs could be contaminated by previous guests. 60+ year old leaves infected.
-- 3. 60+ year old is an asymptomatic carrier. Other restaurant staff or guests leave infected. Restaurant surfaces, dishes, doorknobs are now contaminated.

The scenarios play out in multiple ways. None end well. So yes, I think everyone, regardless of age, needs to take safe precautions.

Dave

 

[Conan]

Personally we're strictly isolating, but we know other couples, age 70+ and generally healthy, who while doing what they can to follow the six-foot rule are going food shopping, meeting friends and neighbors out-of-doors, and visiting indoors with family.

Maybe they've concluded that if they catch the virus it almost surely won't kill them. Why wait a year for a vaccine if you can get sick, get better, and go on from there? I call it the poor man's vaccine, but you don't have to be poor to look at it that way.

Edited to add: Here's one reason everyone should consider isolating at least until we get well past the peak. Even assuming it's highly likely if you get the virus it won't kill you, are you comfortable passing it along to someone more vulnerable?

 

[DaveNV]

Personally we're strictly isolating, but we know other couples, age 70+ and generally healthy, who while doing what they can to follow the six-foot rule are going food shopping, meeting friends and neighbors out-of-doors, and visiting indoors with family.

Maybe they've concluded that if they catch the virus it almost surely won't kill them. Why wait a year for a vaccine if you can get sick, get better, and go on from there? I call it the poor man's vaccine, but you don't have to be poor to look at it that way.

In case I've missed it: Does anybody know for sure that if somebody has recovered from Covid-19, they can't get it again? Viruses mutate, and we seem to catch the flu time after time. What's to say it won't be the same with Covid-19? Same goes with testing - just because someone has antibodies to a certain strain of the virus, does that guarantee they won't/can't catch it again, in another strain? I understand there are at least eight strains of Covid-19. Are they all close enough that one infection and recovery is enough to make someone immune to future infections? I think there are still a lot of unknowns at this point.

Dave

 

[DrQ]

In case I've missed it: Does anybody know for sure that if somebody has recovered from Covid-19, they can't get it again? Viruses mutate, and we seem to catch the flu time after time. What's to say it won't be the same with Covid-19? Same goes with testing - just because someone has antibodies to a certain strain of the virus, does that guarantee they won't/can't catch it again, in another strain? I understand there are at least eight strains of Covid-19. Are they all close enough that one infection and recovery is enough to make someone immune to future infections? I think there are still a lot of unknowns at this point.

Dave

There seems to be evidence of that as there are three major strains of the virus.

 

[VacationForever]

In case I've missed it: Does anybody know for sure that if somebody has recovered from Covid-19, they can't get it again? Viruses mutate, and we seem to catch the flu time after time. What's to say it won't be the same with Covid-19? Same goes with testing - just because someone has antibodies to a certain strain of the virus, does that guarantee they won't/can't catch it again, in another strain? I understand there are at least eight strains of Covid-19. Are they all close enough that one infection and recovery is enough to make someone immune to future infections? I think there are still a lot of unknowns at this point.

Dave

One would think that even if one who has recovered from a prior strain and catches a mutated one, the person will not get as sick as the body has developed some immunity, much like taking a flu vaccine and it still offers some protection over a different strain.

 

[Panina]

I think there are multiple scenarios here to consider:

A healthy 60+ year old goes to eat in a restaurant. How bad could it be?

-- 1. The waitstaff could be infected. 60+ year old leaves infected.
-- 2. Restaurant surfaces, dishes, doorknobs could be contaminated by previous guests. 60+ year old leaves infected.
-- 3. 60+ year old is an asymptomatic carrier. Other restaurant staff or guests leave infected. Restaurant surfaces, dishes, doorknobs are now contaminated.

The scenarios play out in multiple ways. None end well. So yes, I think everyone, regardless of age, needs to take safe precautions.

Dave

Fast forward and there is a vaccine. There will still be those who get sick from the virus, even if they take it, just like the flu. I took the flu shot and got a mutated version as the doctor said.

So risk will always be with us, not as much but still with us. Hardly any of us take precautions on not getting the flu, as will probably follow with this virus in time.

 

[VacationForever]

Fast forward and there is a vaccine. There will still be those who get sick from the virus, even if they take it, just like the flu. I took the flu shot and got a mutated version as the doctor said.

So risk will always be with us, not as much but still with us. Hardly any of us take precautions on not getting the flu, as will probably follow with this virus in time.

My husband and I are germaphobes and take precaution all year around, sanitizing timeshare villas, cruise cabins, airplane seats and trays, and we carry pocket-size packs of Clorox wipes and Purell all the time. I know we are the exception but we have not had the flu ever since we started taking flu shots which was a dozen years ago. The only thing that we are doing extra now is that when we get packages, we leave them by the door for at least a day unless they are perishables, in which we sanitize right away so that we can put them away.

 

[Fredflintstone]

My husband and I are germaphobes and take precaution all year around, sanitizing timeshare villas, cruise cabins, airplane seats and trays, and we carry pocket-size packs of Clorox wipes and Purell all the time. I know we are the exception but we have not had the flu ever since we started taking flu shots which was a dozen years ago. The only thing that we are doing extra now is that when we get packages, we leave them by the door for at least a day unless they are perishables, in which we sanitize right away so that we can put them away.

That’s always good practice.

I used to get colds and flus often but now get them very rarely. When I do get them, they seem to clear in a few days. I changed my eating habits to mainly fruits and vegetables, eat little meat and my job keeps me around few people. I think quit smoking helped a lot too When I was teaching high school, 6 colds and flus a year were common.

Maybe as people move more to working at home, that should naturally reduce the risks.


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[b2bailey]

In case I've missed it: Does anybody know for sure that if somebody has recovered from Covid-19, they can't get it again? Viruses mutate, and we seem to catch the flu time after time. What's to say it won't be the same with Covid-19? Same goes with testing - just because someone has antibodies to a certain strain of the virus, does that guarantee they won't/can't catch it again, in another strain? I understand there are at least eight strains of Covid-19. Are they all close enough that one infection and recovery is enough to make someone immune to future infections? I think there are still a lot of unknowns at this point.

Dave

Dave, all of the above you asked -- but in regard to a vacine. Aren't they working on/from a certain strain?

 

[DaveNV]

Dave, all of the above you asked -- but in regard to a vacine. Aren't they working on/from a certain strain?

I'm not sure. But that is what prompts my confusion about this. It seems everyone is tying testing to reopening things, lifting quarantine, whatever. And now I'm hearing testing will be proof someone is safe to return to work and school and such. It just seems like they're hanging a lot on having a test. But is that test really the be-all and end-all of things? It just seems overly optimistic to me, kind of like putting a calendar date on lifting the quarantine restriction.

Dave