Much of the information protecting us from Coronavirus COVID-19 is about preventing the spread of the disease. The CDC has posted resources on their website to educate us all on how to do our best to keep the virus contained.

Prevention is the first line of defense. But what if the virus cannot be contained? What happens if it spreads uncontrollably and we are all subjected to it?

If all the attempts to contain the virus fail, it will be up to our body’s natural defenses to fight it off.

One of the most difficult challenges with containing the virus is the wide variety of effects in has on different people. Many carriers exhibit no symptoms. Others that have the virus have symptoms no worse than a cold.

For the average healthy person who gets the virus they might suffer a dry cough, fatigue and fever and be sidelined for a week or two. “A little worse than the average flu”.

But COVID-19 has a 1-2% mortality rate. This is much higher than the flu. This mortality rate is not constant over all populations. See the article from Scientific American. Fatality rates among the elderly are as high as 14.8% and go down with age.

Another concerning fact is that those with chronic disease or other underlying health issue are at a much higher risk:

“After taking into account the patients’ ages and smoking status, the researchers found that the 399 patients with at least one additional disease (including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hepatitis B, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney diseases, and cancer) had a 79% greater chance of requiring intensive care or a respirator or both, or of dying,” 

Combine this with the “About 60% of U.S. adults have at least one underlying health condition,” and things get a little scary.

There’s no question that the healthier you are, the lower the risk of ending up in the hospital with COVID-19. You want your immune system optimized.

So along with your action plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19, include an action plan to reduce the harm should you become infected:

Ron’s Action Plan for Reducing Impact of Being Infected with COVID-19

• If you smoke, STOP. This disease affects the lungs. See this VOX interview.
• Exercise. Start with cardio. Lung function is a big factor in combating the virus. 30 minutes, 5 days per week.
• Eat right to improve your immune response. Cut down on the sugar (Maximum of 25 g for women, 38 g for men). Sugar causes inflammation which reduces immune response. Eat your veggies!
• Get good sleep. Eating right and exercising will help and so will…
• Don’t stress out. Stress and anxiety reduce your immune response. If you don’t know how to reduce your stress, read some books on the subject. Get educated. Do some yoga and meditate .

If you do these things, along with following the CDCs guidelines for preventing the spreading of the disease, and you’ll have all your bases covered.

Ron