COVID-19

General Information

Vaccine Appointment Site:

  • https://www.vaccinespotter.org/

  • https://www.vaccinespotter.org/NC/

Statistics

Symptoms of Coronavirus

COVID-19 Online Teaching Tips:

https://sites.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/ninglu/courses

GridWrx Lab Schedule Changes:

All those precautions from the university and us professors are to make sure that the odds for our students to catch the virus is minimized. This virus does have unknown and very likely long lasting impact on a person's health, and there is no cure at this time. So please do take it seriously.

    1. All our group meetings have been moved to zoom. In case an individual meeting is needed, please schedule a Zoom meeting with me. My calendar is up-to-date.

    2. All university classes are most likely moved online for the next few weeks.

    3. For RAs, you don't have to go to the lab. I highly recommend you work from home.

    4. Read CDC news and articles regarding how to keep yourself and your family safe. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Best Practices

(A summary by me from reading different articles... Use your best judgement for the tips :-)):

  • Don't panic. If you take precautions to protect yourself and your love ones, everything is under control.

  • Wash hands and don't touch your face. The Japanese seems to add one more thing there: rinse your mouth.

  • Stay at home and minimizing interactions with the others.

  • Store enough food to minimize your shopping.

  • Exercise in an open area where you can maintain social distance at least 2 meters (running outside, walking, lifting weights at homes, etc.) and do not to Gyms.

    • Work from home and take courses online as much as you can.

    • If you need to stop by the FREEDM center, make it a quick visit in hours with less people around. drive your own car or walk to the center, do not take buses.

    • Do not host parties or go to parties.

    • Reschedule your doctor appointment if it is not urgent. Take precautions when you have to go see a doctor. Note that a hospital or a doctor's office are places you are more likely to encounter a patient.

    • Avoid taking buses, elevators, or staying in a closed public environment (e.g., conference rooms, public restrooms, labs) for too long, even if it was not occupied by many people at that time. Studies have shown that virus can stay alive for a few days on glass or stainless steel surface, and a day on cupboards, and several hours on drop lets carried by aerosol particles.

  • Go shopping

    • Make a shopping list to minimize your time spent in the store

    • Go as early as possible (please observe the senior hours, Harris Titter has senior hours on Monday and Thursday (7:00-8:00 am)

      • Wear a hooded sweater so at least your hairs will not trap some virus :-)

    • Leave your cellphone and purse in the car and go in with your wallet as anything you carry with you can potentially trap some virus.

    • Bring a hand sanitizer with your so every time you want to touch your face, use the hand sanitizer to clean your hands first - You can use only one hand to fetch items. I don't like gloves they are a bit awkward to pick things up but I saw people wearing them.

    • Maintain about 2-meter distance with others and spend as little time as possible in each aisle.

    • Waiting in a long check out line can be dangerous. Use self-check out if you don't have a lot of items. Or maintain at least 2 meter social distance when in line.

    • I pack food myself. This will speed up the check out time and you want to minimize the unnecessary touch of your food by other people's hands.

    • Once you go back into your car, use hand sanitizer to wash your hand and wallet.

    • Once you get home, change to another set of clothes immediately. Wash or hang the clothes in garage.

    • Food packages may be touched by others, so peel the wrappers off and wash you hands often when preparing food.

      • shopping list

        • frozen vegetables: (beans, corns, broccoli, etc.);

        • pasta/pasta sauce/; instant noodle, flour, rice,

        • fresh fruit: (apple, orange, banana, )

        • Vegetable:celery, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, pepper, onion, potato, sweet potato, squash, mushroom,

        • breakfast: oatmeal, milk, egg, bread, yogurt

        • meat, fish, shrimp, sausage, beacon, chicken

        • snacks: ice cream and chocolate, nuts(walnuts, almond, etc), sea weeds,

        • sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, soybean sauce, tomato sauce,

  • Maintain a clean living environment:

      • When you go back home from shopping, keep your coats and shoes in a separate place (better at the door), change to another sets of clothes that you will only wear indoor, and wash your hands or take a shower. (I don't think we have alcohol now in store but the cheapest way is to let the sun do its job, under the sun, the virus will be killed soon)

      • I use a small alcohol pad clean my car key and cell phone

      • I ventilate air by opening windows for about 15-30 minutes a day - but make sure you don't do so in the pollen season. It is as terrible to let a layer of pollen dusts sitting on your floor. I would do it after a rain shower is over.

    • Do NOT take those medicine Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Aspirin as they can potentially increase ACE2 and make you even sicker if caught COVID-19. Theraflu or Tylenol based medicine is a good alternative. reference: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection; https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8.pdf)

    • Postings in Chinese

        • 张文宏对话留学生华人:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5kpSKQiTMzL3iadkVXq5Aw: https://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2020/04/03/9313320.html

        • 感染后，以下方法可以加快康复 (don't know if it works but in general those are good anyway)：

          • 1. 体温不超过39.5 度，不要退热。退热尽量不要用药物，可以用温水擦额头，手脚。对此，张文宏认为，新冠病毒和一些熟悉的病毒比较相似，大多数会出现发烧，发烧是机体抵抗病毒的发烧，可以用一些退烧药。38.5 摄氏度以下，喝些姜汤、热水来散热，物理降温更好。很多人发烧以后胃口不好。

          • 2.调高室内温度。

          • 3.加强口腔卫生。

          • 4. 半流质饮食，如白米稀饭，不要吃纤维多的食物。有两件事情特别重要，第一件事一定要吃足够的东西，让身体有一点免疫力。在家里不断喝牛奶、鸡蛋、喝鸡汤，要有营养。喝牛奶是一种说法，摄入足够的蛋白质。现在感冒了，一定要有营养，少吃熟泡面。在上海的确诊病例中发现一些病人旅途劳累，没有吃东西。第二个，就是不要心理恐惧。你就熬一下，熬过七天就好了。

          • 空旷环境下可以散散步跑跑步都没关系，空旷地方可以不戴口罩，非常安全

        • 柳叶刀上有一篇文章: (https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8.pdf) 布洛芬会增加ACE2的表达（ACE2就是那个受新冠病毒攻击细胞的表面受体）。另外，https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection 也说布洛芬可能会加重COVID19，但是通过抑制免疫系统。所以最近发烧不要吃布洛芬。如果是新冠引起的发烧，布洛芬会加重症状。该类药物包括：Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Aspirin)。Tylenol 不是，Theraflu 中的退烧药是Tylenol 中的acetaminophen, 可以使用。

Public Links

  • NSF Links

      • NSF has established a landing page for information about the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) at: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/coronavirus/. This page is updated frequently, as we are coordinating with other agencies and responding to a changing situation and new questions. Today NSF added new community guidance and an encouraging message from NSF Director France Córdova. The page links to changes on certain program deadlines and to guidance on facilities, budget and logistics for existing awards. This page is a good starting place for help in answering questions about disruptions to your NSF-funded work, which is a concern for many of you. The operation of each university follows local guidance, and NSF will make efforts to facilitate the continuation of research and education activities as much as possible during this challenging time. The page also links to two Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs) that NSF issued earlier this month (1) inviting research proposals via NSF’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) mechanism on topics of specific relevance to COVID-19, and (2) announcing the availability of advanced computing resources such as Frontera for COVID-19-related research.

  • NC State links

From the Center Director:

FREEDM is under limited operations with a skeleton crew available on site. Limited services for receiving, purchasing, lab monitoring etc will be available on site. Follow the University and Center guidelines for the safety of all - students, staff, faculty and their families. Additionally, note the following:

    1. We will use the 'room-sign' webtool from Wolf-tech for signing in and out of FREEDM from now. This is to track who were in the facility just in case if anyone gets affected by the virus. The QR code is in the two entrance doors from the lobby. Sign-in and sign-out as you enter and leave the facility. Even if someone else is letting you in to pick a package or something else, you should sign-in and sign-out. Following are the guidelines which is pretty straight forward.

    2. We will keep the Center open until otherwise instructed by the University or we have violations of guidelines

    3. If you have traveled recently, returning from spring break, and/or been in large gatherings, do not come to the Center/Lab for several days (should be at least 14 days to be effective) until you are absolutely sure that you have not contacted COVID-19. I request those who are working in the Center to be watchful and reminding your colleagues and friends about the guidelines and safe practices.

    4. No visitors in the Center are allowed during these restricted times.

    5. Observe the Center entry restrictions 24 hours - weekdays and weekends.