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To the Editor:
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in a pandemic. It was a very contagious virus and resulted in a lot of cases of pneumonia. It was hard to detect in the early stages even though it was doing damage to the lungs. Of course you may have normal flu like symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, chills, sore muscles, etc. But lack of early detection made it especially bad for people who already had lung problems or other debilitating diseases such as sugar diabetes. The key for these susceptible persons is to catch it early.
Fortunately during the early part of the coronavirus outbreak (early February) I was sent a video that revealed the situation in Wuhan, China. The report told about the severity of the virus and what they were using to diagnose people with it. It immediately got my attention. They were using noncontact thermometers and checking the oxygen content of the blood. The video also spoke of the potential economic fallout if the outbreak crippled China’s industry and perhaps the effect on the world financial markets (stock market). I immediately sent a copy to my financial advisor. He had already heard some speculation and continued putting cash aside (pulling it out of the market) to protect his clients. In any event what I saw convinced me to immediately purchase a noncontact thermometer and pulse oximeter (OxyWatch) from Walgreens. I also purchased several masks and gloves. Within 3 to 4 weeks none were to be found. The signs that the Chinese were using to detect the coronavirus was an elevated temperature (100 F or above) and if the blood oxygen content fell below 93%. (The normal range for the oxygen content is 94 to 100%). It appeared any person with a oxygen content well below 90% was already in a rather serious condition. That meant they probably already had pneumonia. I noticed on TV that persons in hospitals all had an oxygen monitor attached to them. It was pointed out that people who did not feel that bad and thought they were OK already had lung damage occurring before they really felt that bad. This virus seems to do something unusual to the linings of the lungs. You can only catch this early by measuring the blood oxygen content. It will warn you before you enter the phase where you feel pressure in your lungs and/or have bluing around your face.
I would recommend that before the next flu (influenza) season that you buy these two items when they are available. You might want to purchase a few masks and gloves also. If you have these items, the following guide should be used based on what I have seen and read. Note: the older you are the more you need to apply these guidelines. The same applies, regardless of your age, if you have other underlying medical problems.
To minimize your chances of getting the flu or other communicable diseases or to minimize the effect of them is to enhance your immune system. We should do this by proper diet and/or the use of supplements such as vitamin C, selenium, Vitamins D and A and perhaps Vitamin E and zinc which have in numerous tests shown to enhance the immune system. It makes more sense to prepare the body to fight diseases rather than wait to battle a disease after you get it.

J. Ronald Winter
Elizabethton