Thread by @HamsiniH

Going to make a thread of verified (best as I know) on the coronavirus and how to be safe.
The first is yesterday's coronavirus special by Global News Podcast by @bbcnews. Has crowdsourced questions and is a great conversation! castbox.fm/vb/236069169

There's a world of literature on face masks. And there's the mass hysteria leading to a lot of mask buying. Here's a WHO article on mask wearing, and general advice. It has pictures that you can share on WhatsApp. who.int/emergencies/di…

When I was in China and worried about what masks to buy, I was told to only consider n95 or surgical masks. In India, sellers seem to already be charging 1800 rs for a box of masks and reviews seem to be shit. But this infographic is useful if buying them (received on WeChat)

If you haven't been washing your hands so far in life, begin now. I've seen tweets sayug that you need to wash for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. I'm doing it because it's fun. You can choose another song.

There's always the chance that heat and humidity could affect virus transmission. Of course we really know nothing but it makes me feel better about March in Chennai.
google.com/amp/s/api.nati…

There's a scare in Chennai that a cat on an airplane from China has the virus. But most of what we already know shows that pets can't be infectious. Take a deep breath, read this and leave some water out for the doggies on the street. It's getting hot.

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/03/02…

Here's the US CDC advisory for citizens. Not going to list an Indian government advisory cause I can't bring myself to take a government seriously when they recommend homeopathy for anything.

Anyway, symptoms: fever, cough, breathing difficulty etc.

cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

If you feel sick, STAY HOME. Avoid crowds. If you're going to a hospital, call ahead of time and tell them! Wear a mask if you feel sick and you're leaving your house. Also don't cough, sneeze, spit without covering your mouth.

This is a great opportunity to get Indian to stop spitting/sneezing in public anyway! If you want to direct the panic on WhatsApp groups, direct it this way. Also telling people to stop peeing on the streets while you're at it.

And while we are at it, HOMEOPATHY DOES NOT CURE CORONAVIRUS. Here's an @AltNews article to that effect: altnews.in/no-homeopathic…

Saw lots of Dr Batra's "preventative medicine against coronavirus" offers. DON'T. FALL. FOR. IT.

There might be something to ayurveda helping your immunity but I'd suggest not pinning your hopes on it saving you from any viruses. Sure, if it's keeping you healthy, go for it. But don't fall into the trap that it can replace Western medicine.

Oh back to masks. You can reuse them. Here's an article from The Beijinger on how to do that: mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Bi2FeAmiG-Ol…

Anyway, important thing is to not panic. Verify everything on WhatsApp. If there's something wrong in what I've tweeted, let me know- I'm not a doctor.

Worry about what the COVID-19 will mean for the protests and the people in the NE Delhi who don't have a home to go back to.

Here is a phone number within the GOI's infographic. Don't call with useless questions. If you're sick, you might need a doctor's referral to get tested. Two hospitals in Bangalore have been cleared for testing. Not sure about everywhere else.