Coronavirus Update

In striving to keep up with coronavirus developments, I believe it's fair to assume that this virus will continue to spread rapidly in densely populated countries that lie above the equator.  The heat of summer appears to be warding off contagion in the southern hemisphere.

With that said, for a variety of reasons, I also believe that reported numbers of those being infected are far lower than reality.  

My contacts in Wuhan tell me that there are countless people who have symptoms but have quarantined themselves and have no plans to get tested.  

South Korea has been amazingly efficient in providing mass-level testing for its citizens, particularly in Daegu, the center of South Korea's ballooning coronavirus outbreak.  But all other countries appear to be lagging in their testing efforts.  And those who are infected can be asymptomatic, so community transmission is almost certainly occuring on an ongoing basis.

If the total number of infections is higher than what is known and being reported, this means that the death rate is lower than the widely reported 2%.  

Even when calculating death rates based on the currently reported number of infections worldwide, they look something like the following across different age groups:

0-9 years of age:  No reported fatalities
10-19 years of age:  0.2%
20-29 years of age:  0.2%
30-39 years of age:  0.2%
40-49 years of age:  0.4%
50-59 years of age:  1.3%
60-69 years of age:  3.6%
70-79 years of age:  8.0%
80+ years of age:  14.8%  

Again, actual death rates are almost certainly lower given that many infections have not been diagnosed.

For those of us who are relatively heatlhy and free of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, I continue to feel that being infected with the coronavirus is not a life-threatening event.  

But it's prudent for all of us to prepare for the possibility that at some point, we may have to stay at home for an extended period of time - many companies in North America are already modifying work arrangements for employees, having more people work from home where possible.  

With this in mind, here is a suggested list of supplies to have on hand in the event that a quarantine period comes to fruition:  

https://drbenkim.com/preparedness-stockpile-list.htm

Rice, beans, canned fish, canned vegetables, nuts, and fruit cups or dried fruit are solid staples to stockpile.  Food powders and protein powders are also good to have on hand - with this in mind, for those who use our organic plant protein blend, we've reduced the price by 33% for as long as our inventory allows or until it appears that the coronavirus is contained and dying out:

https://drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=143

For those looking for a food and vitamin supplement to have on hand, I can suggest the following organic whole food multi which provides a wide spectrum of micronutrients, including ample amounts of natrually occuring vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and standardized levels of vitamins D-3, B-12, and B-6, all essential for nervous system and immune system function:

https://drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=150

Our organic greens, organic cherry powder, and coconut milk powder are also good choices.  We wish that we could provide discounts on all of these items at our catalogue; regrettably, we are also facing supply issues with some of our raw materials, and have to be mindful of this in rationing our inventory for the time being.  Thankfully, we had just made a new lot of our organic plant protein blend, which is why we're able to offer it at close to our carrying cost for the time being.

If you experience a cold or flu or even an infection with the novel coronavirus and would like some reassurance and a reminder of how viruses work and can actually be beneficial to our health in the long run, please review my primer on this topic here:

https://drbenkim.com/cold-flu-difference-health.html

Wishing you and your loved ones safe and healthy days,

Ben