Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming
COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

By James Robb, MD FCAP

Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when
I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was
one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses
(the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus
contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its
multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from
different animal sources.

The current projections for its expansion in the
US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is
most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.

Here is what I have done and the precautions
that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use
during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow,
elbow bump, etc.

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light
switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline
dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do
not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the
door. Especially important on bathroom and post
office/commercial doors.

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when
they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery
carts.

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds
and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return
home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each
of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting
gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your
hands.

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a
disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing
on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a
week or more!

What I have stocked in preparation for the
pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for
use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside
activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.

Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by
coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the
surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average -
everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and
potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected
unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus
only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your
nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your
nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks
and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our
nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can
infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a
direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you
from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and
latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand
sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These
lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most
other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed
several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like"
symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the
back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze
lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic
will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans
have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense
against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the
molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge
about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been
achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to
protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is
available.

I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful
during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this
email. Good luck to all of us! Jim

James Robb, MD FCAP

A
cautionary note about zinc:

Mayo Clinic: Zinc — especially in lozenge form
— also has side effects, including nausea or a bad taste in the mouth. Many
people who used zinc nasal sprays suffered a permanent loss of smell. For this
reason, Mayo Clinic doctors caution against using such sprays.

In addition, large amounts of zinc are toxic and
can cause copper deficiency, anemia and damage to the nervous system.