Author Topic: Coronavirus preparedness  (Read 129197 times)

Metalcat

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #350 on: March 02, 2020, 04:07:05 AM »
Thanks - I was just going to post about their first point. Just got back from the store and trying to think about avoiding infection  there is mind boggling.

There's the wipes for the cart - but all the food packaging - have things stocked from dairy - meat - egg - dry goods - produce - all those people!

Then - did other customers touch and reject any of my purchases?

Then ringer, bagger, etc.

wow - just carried in 'germs' from at least a dozen people.....

Ha, I was thinking the exact same thing.  I'm bringing in a bunch of food/containers that's been touched, coughed on, sneezed on, etc. before I ever got it home, and I'm bringing all those germs into my house.  I've read that these viruses can live on some surfaces for days at room temperature.  And after I touched these items, I touched my keys, credit card, cell phone, car door, steering wheel, gear shift, door knob, refrigerator handle, etc., spreading those germs everywhere.  I'm hoping it's earlier enough that it's not out in my local community, yet.

The good news is that despite reported community spread in my state, nothing seemed unusual at the grocery store or Super Walmart.  They had plenty of hand sanitizer, meds, soup, TP, etc.  They were down to 1 bottle of the 70% alcohol, although they had many 91% bottles left.

Yep, that's why I keep hand sanitizer in my car and at my front entrance.

It's also why I keep my nails very short and never wear gel/acrylic/nail polish on them, nor do I wear rings or watches regularly, and when I do, I sanitize them.

Contrary to how that sounds, I'm not a germophobe at all, these are just basic infection control habits from my work that I take home with me.

I definitely chuckled seeing a patient come in who was not sick herself, but wearing a basic flimsy medical mask that she pulled down to her chin to rub her itchy nose with her hand that was wearing no less than four large rings with tons of gemstones and prongs, and a set of gel nails that were at least a few weeks old, then she used the same hand to pull the mask back up over her nose and fiddled with it a bunch with both hands repeatedly touching the skin beneath her eyes to try and make it fit snugly.

Priceless.



the_fixer

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #351 on: March 02, 2020, 07:21:40 AM »
@malkynn

When I was at Costco last week I had to shake my head and LOL at an older couple wearing expensive masks and gloves of some type walking down the isle stopping to eat at each of the samples being handed out by the Costco workers.

As I was checking out they were standing in line to to buy lunch mask on top of his forehead counting the change that the cashier just handed him.

I am guessing they were just as at risk or more than myself

Seemed like a waste of some nice PPE


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OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #352 on: March 02, 2020, 07:24:57 AM »
@Malkynn

When I was at Costco last week I had to shake my head and LOL at an older couple wearing expensive masks and gloves of some type walking down the isle stopping to eat at each of the samples being handed out by the Costco workers.

As I was checking out they were standing in line to to buy lunch mask on top of his forehead counting the change that the cashier just handed him.

I am guessing they were just as at risk or more than myself

Seemed like a waste of some nice PPE


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Oh lord. And I bet neither of them washed their hands before picking up their hot dogs.

Metalcat

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #353 on: March 02, 2020, 07:33:10 AM »
To my previous post, between then and now I've just been to the hospital, and the receptionist who has to touch every single patient's health card had giant fake jeweled nails and multiple giant rings on every finger.

We have no Covid here, but we are in the depths of one of the worst and most severe flu seasons that we've had since H1N1 in terms of hospitalizing young healthy people.

I took my card back from her and immediately sanitized my hands and my card before putting back in my wallet.

Yeesh.

Oh, and for all of you trying to implement basic infection control, don't forget to sanitize your phones. I wipe mine down in my car and when I get home alone with my hands.

the_fixer

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #354 on: March 02, 2020, 07:33:23 AM »
Nope, still wearing what looked like the same thin clear food prep style gloves they had on throughout their trip around the store grazing on free samples.


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mistymoney

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #355 on: March 02, 2020, 07:43:25 AM »
I am a frequent hand washer on the usual, and always wash my hands when coming home especially.

But thinking about the grocery shopping and looking for possible transmission - I really hardly see a point to be honest! Sanitizing each package, washing all produce before putting in the fridge, putting all bags in the washer - It's too much to take on!

I'll continue to wash my hands but I do think an extended stock up and stay away from the market if their is community transmission here is the best way to go.


Metalcat

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #356 on: March 02, 2020, 07:46:04 AM »
@Malkynn

When I was at Costco last week I had to shake my head and LOL at an older couple wearing expensive masks and gloves of some type walking down the isle stopping to eat at each of the samples being handed out by the Costco workers.

As I was checking out they were standing in line to to buy lunch mask on top of his forehead counting the change that the cashier just handed him.

I am guessing they were just as at risk or more than myself

Seemed like a waste of some nice PPE


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Yep, the biggest risk to infection control in my clinic is new-grad staff who haven't fully internalized how to properly use PPE. I have to watch them like a hawk.

Poorly used PPE is often much, much worse than nothing, especially gloves. At least people who don't use gloves think at least a little bit about what they're touching...sometimes...maybe...k probably not.

nereo

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #357 on: March 02, 2020, 07:54:41 AM »
I am a frequent hand washer on the usual, and always wash my hands when coming home especially.

But thinking about the grocery shopping and looking for possible transmission - I really hardly see a point to be honest! Sanitizing each package, washing all produce before putting in the fridge, putting all bags in the washer - It's too much to take on!

I'll continue to wash my hands but I do think an extended stock up and stay away from the market if their is community transmission here is the best way to go.

This is where food-safety guidelines come in handy.  Assume your ingredients are contaminated from the start, and do food prep accordingly.  Regardless of this latest outbreak, you can have one space in your kitchen where ingredients get parceled and prepped.  Then those get either washed and/or cooked.  Never move food backwards (i.e after washing you don't move food back to the prep/parcel space).  Raw meat only touches cutting boards and knives set aside specifically for raw meat. When you are done with all the prep work, wipe down that surface, knives and cutting boards and move on toward cooking and assembling. Stuff that comes out of the fridge needs to be cleaned or cooked.  When I prep something that needs to go back into the fridge it goes into its own separate container (easier that way regardless).

Sounds complicated but it's how you work in commerical kitchens, and once you establish a workflow its easy (and way less messy) to cook this way in your own home.  For instance, I have a center island that I'll gather all my ingredients on and then parcel them into a series of clean prep bowls next to the stove.  I do all the prep work and then the island is clear and I wipe it off.  Then I cook knowing all my ingredients are set out (mise en place). The island (now clean) is then where i plate everything before serving. This is in a very moderately sized 120sqft kitchen.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2020, 09:20:19 AM by nereo »

Omy

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #358 on: March 02, 2020, 08:55:29 AM »
Not sure if this is the correct place to ask these questions, but I didn't want to start another COVID thread...

1) Is the test really going to cost Americans $3-4k? A lot of us have high deductible plans so that alone will keep people from getting tested.

2) Can insurance companies exclude coverage for pandemic related issues?

I have an ACA compliant plan and hope that both of these issues have been exaggerated on social media and aren't really true...



Serendip

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #359 on: March 02, 2020, 01:21:00 PM »
Not sure if this is the correct place to ask these questions, but I didn't want to start another COVID thread...

1) Is the test really going to cost Americans $3-4k? A lot of us have high deductible plans so that alone will keep people from getting tested.

2) Can insurance companies exclude coverage for pandemic related issues?

I have an ACA compliant plan and hope that both of these issues have been exaggerated on social media and aren't really true...

I have read differing reports..that the testing itself is free but other costs associated with testing are not.

Here is an article which touches upon it.
Seems like an ever-evolving situation at this point.

https://qz.com/1810869/covid-19-quarantine-leads-to-surprise-medical-bills-for-us-family/

Helvegen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #360 on: March 02, 2020, 02:31:42 PM »
Weird very local differences in reaction CV. My husband just came home from work and told me some of his co-workers tales from the weekend.

Apparently, south of Everett, it is mass hysteria, lines out the butt, immediate price gouging.

I live north of Everett and you would swear to every god nothing is going on at all. No one is panic buying, there no lines around buildings, no one is even talking about it really. Like it is a real afterthought, if anything.

Bizarre...

Noodle

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #361 on: March 02, 2020, 02:48:15 PM »
To my previous post, between then and now I've just been to the hospital, and the receptionist who has to touch every single patient's health card had giant fake jeweled nails and multiple giant rings on every finger.

We have no Covid here, but we are in the depths of one of the worst and most severe flu seasons that we've had since H1N1 in terms of hospitalizing young healthy people.

I took my card back from her and immediately sanitized my hands and my card before putting back in my wallet.

Yeesh.

Oh, and for all of you trying to implement basic infection control, don't forget to sanitize your phones. I wipe mine down in my car and when I get home alone with my hands.

I have actually been wondering if some net good might end up coming out of this...even though a lot of people clearly do not understand infection control, if millions of people get even a little better at handwashing and staying home when they're sick, perhaps it will help prevent some non-Corona illnesses that otherwise would have gone around.

It's also been an interesting exercise in thinking through all the supplies that it takes to keep my household running. I do actually practice disaster preparedness, but in my area we are mainly thinking about hurricanes...so you have to be ready to be without power, possibly clean water, and grocery store access for a few days, plus perhaps clean-up. Everyone's thinking about toilet paper, but how about hearing aid batteries, feminine hygiene supplies, etc. etc. A few years ago after a hurricane, I had a friend whose home was undamaged, and did not lose power, but all the grocery stores near her were closed for a few days. She was baking with her kids to keep everyone distracted and occupied, but they used up all the eggs in the first 24 hours and then had no eggs for breakfast for almost a week. I always think about that when I am prepping...

Serendip

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #362 on: March 02, 2020, 04:50:14 PM »
Weird very local differences in reaction CV. My husband just came home from work and told me some of his co-workers tales from the weekend.

Apparently, south of Everett, it is mass hysteria, lines out the butt, immediate price gouging.

I live north of Everett and you would swear to every god nothing is going on at all. No one is panic buying, there no lines around buildings, no one is even talking about it really. Like it is a real afterthought, if anything.

Bizarre...

My town does not currently seem concerned with it..I actually felt sheepish buying some bleach and rubbing alcohol.

Missy B

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #363 on: March 02, 2020, 10:29:21 PM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.
FWIW, I've seen lineups like that first thing in the morning on a normal weekend. I was there yesterday and there was still TP, but not a lot, paper towel and kleenex and pasta was completely gone and levels of a lot of things were a lot lower than usual. But still lots of most things.
Pasta is also sold out of my local London Drugs (everything else is fully stocked with lots of sales today). It's like a whole lot of nervous people felt they should Do Something and Bought Pasta, as if it was some kind of magical COVID-repelling charm food.
Everything else that you might want to have if you were truly anticipating supply interruptions was fully stocked. None of these people are bulk buying meat -- and meat, vegetable and dairy shortages concern me a lot more. But it's harder to prep that, you need freezer room, and that would take work. So these folks are addressing their anxiety by buying pasta and ramen. (Costco also sold out).
Logically, these places should be out of tomato sauce too. But they aren't, because there isn't so much logic behind these buying decisions. It's free-floating anxiety rather than proper prepping.
It would be interesting to see if there's been a run on weed too, but since the place nearest me is lined up out the door all the time anyway, it's impossible to tell.

seattlecyclone

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #364 on: March 03, 2020, 02:22:21 AM »
Weird very local differences in reaction CV. My husband just came home from work and told me some of his co-workers tales from the weekend.

Apparently, south of Everett, it is mass hysteria, lines out the butt, immediate price gouging.

I live north of Everett and you would swear to every god nothing is going on at all. No one is panic buying, there no lines around buildings, no one is even talking about it really. Like it is a real afterthought, if anything.

Bizarre...

I'll give a counter-anecdote. I went to the Costco in Shoreline today. We were running low on a few things and wanted to restock. Might have waited until next week in normal circumstances, but decided to go now just in case we don't have a chance later. The crowd didn't seem any bigger than the last time I went on a weekday. Prices were normal. They were out of a few things I noticed (toilet paper, most varieties of sliced bread, creamy peanut butter), but the only thing on our list they didn't have was bread. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and they had plenty. I saw one person with a mask on. Honestly I think a bit more panic would be warranted; I noticed several people old enough to be at risk who were just going about their business like nothing was happening.

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #365 on: March 03, 2020, 06:41:53 AM »
I've seen a few foodie sites start aggregating recipes that use all of those shelf stable foods - pasta, oatmeal, beans, tomatoes, hummus - that people have been buying. I like the logic that if people are in quarantine and not communting, they will have more time to plan and cook meals that use all the ingredients that they've been buying so that it doesn't end up being wasted. I've been experimenting with making almond milk yogurt using a Greek yogurt lactobacillus base.

Where I work, the company has started cancelling events and employee travel. Network testing is going on to see if we can support a fully remote employee base. It's not a large company but a third of employees are already remote, aka cloudies.


Tom Bri

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #366 on: March 03, 2020, 07:30:18 AM »
Doing a shopping run today. Be very interesting to see what things look like.

I work in a hospital. Except for one mass email advising us to conserve PPE, I have heard nothing about prep for an outbreak. Sure hope the bosses have a plan.

GuitarStv

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #367 on: March 03, 2020, 07:57:32 AM »
They were out of a few things I noticed (toilet paper, most varieties of sliced bread, creamy peanut butter), but the only thing on our list they didn't have was bread. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and they had plenty. I saw one person with a mask on. Honestly I think a bit more panic would be warranted; I noticed several people old enough to be at risk who were just going about their business like nothing was happening.

That's so weird.  Bread is not something that I'd stock up on in case of a quarantine.  It doesn't last very long on it's own, is easy to make from scratch, and the store bought stuff tastes like crap anyway.  Just buy a bag of flour.

nereo

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #368 on: March 03, 2020, 08:40:05 AM »
The collective attitude in my corner of New England has been "meh".

Went to the grocery store and Target yesterday and could find nothing out of stock... or even in limited quantity. Plenty of hand sanitizer, TP, hand soap and rubbing alcohol on the shelves.  I bought peanut butter, canned tomatoes and dried beans... plenty to chose from. The store even had soap and hand sanitizer 'on feature' at the ends of the isles but I didn't notice anyone rushing to buy it either.

Must have seen 100+ people in my outing and not a single person wearing a face mask.
It probably helps that there have been no confirmed cases in my state yet.  Maybe when there are people will panic.  As of right now I can't see a single thing that's different.

MyAlterEgoIsTaller

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #369 on: March 03, 2020, 08:52:29 AM »
I am also in a New England state with no confirmed cases - I think there are only 2 of those left.  I did my usual every 2 week store trip on Sunday and there was indeed no hand sanitizer to be found around here.  I didn't need any anyway, I was just curious.  The pasta and rice areas of both stores I went to did seem lower on stock and variety than usual, but not depleted.  I think people here are used to keeping supplies on hand for regular snow storms. It doesn't happen every year but once in awhile I've been stuck at home because of snow or ice storms, without power, for up to 5 or 6 days, so I always make sure I've got enough food for me and pets for 2 weeks, first aid stuff, medications, etc.

hops

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #370 on: March 03, 2020, 09:05:27 AM »
Hand sanitizer was reportedly sold out everywhere in my area by Friday, with no confirmed cases at that time. Bottled water was sold out at all but the most expensive stores, along with bleach and disinfectant wipes.

Hand soap was being ignored almost completely, as were cough and cold meds and fever reducers.

OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #371 on: March 03, 2020, 09:39:37 AM »
The local Costco wasn’t too bad. Literally everyone had a pack of toilet paper (or several) in their cart. I was one of the only ones without paper towels, bottled water, and various Lysol products. It was crowded, but that was probably at least as much because the rewards certificates went out last weekend. I didn’t spot anyone in a mask.

I did feel a little sad for the middle-aged guy pushing around a dolly full of toilet paper, paper towels, and bleach. He looked a bit panicked.

Helvegen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #372 on: March 03, 2020, 11:06:45 AM »
Weird very local differences in reaction CV. My husband just came home from work and told me some of his co-workers tales from the weekend.

Apparently, south of Everett, it is mass hysteria, lines out the butt, immediate price gouging.

I live north of Everett and you would swear to every god nothing is going on at all. No one is panic buying, there no lines around buildings, no one is even talking about it really. Like it is a real afterthought, if anything.

Bizarre...

I'll give a counter-anecdote. I went to the Costco in Shoreline today. We were running low on a few things and wanted to restock. Might have waited until next week in normal circumstances, but decided to go now just in case we don't have a chance later. The crowd didn't seem any bigger than the last time I went on a weekday. Prices were normal. They were out of a few things I noticed (toilet paper, most varieties of sliced bread, creamy peanut butter), but the only thing on our list they didn't have was bread. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and they had plenty. I saw one person with a mask on. Honestly I think a bit more panic would be warranted; I noticed several people old enough to be at risk who were just going about their business like nothing was happening.

Good to know. These involved I think Costcos in Lynnwood and Kirkland. His co-workers reported things like seeing people buying cases of diapers or whatever, then trying to hawk them in the parking lot at a markup. Same with hand sanitizer. There is video evidence on Twitter, etc, of this nonsense, otherwise, I wouldn't believe it either. But man, it also reminds me of watching hordes of Canadians at the Bellingham/Burlington Costcos when the exchange rate was more favorable. It was like a swarm of locusts on milk, for example, and there was no reason besides it was just cheaper to buy that crap in the US.

Maybe it just means Costco shoppers are 'exceptional' in general, including me. Even if I could have interpreted that at my local Costco, I see that literally nowhere else period in my area. Just nowhere. In fact, yesterday, I was at a group event populated with people from my own geographic area and most of them seemed to think CV was just a complete joke and no one knew what all the freaking out was about. No one knew why it was preemptively worth crashing the economy about. If they got it, they got it. If what the gummbermint says is true about it, so what, as long as they stay away from the very ill and very old. Is the gumbmermint lying? Who knows, but we do know that people are not dying at smallpox in Central America levels about it so eh.

thesis

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #373 on: March 03, 2020, 01:46:24 PM »
I've seen a few people at the super market stocking up on supplies. Not many, though.

I haven't bought much, mostly just household essentials. I'd rather not be going to the store for this and that if/when CoV hits this area. Granted, I've paid much more attention to things like toilet paper, body soap, disinfectant wipes, dish soap, etc. I did also buy a few large containers of water, just in case (they're super cheap). And for most of these items, it's not like they aren't going to get used, it just means, for example, I have a year's supply of toilet paper :D. But I also bought some off-the-shelf meds I use when I get sick. I just got the flu a few months ago but made it through that with relatively clear nasal passages thanks to those meds. The chills and weakness was the worst part. Also stocked up on flour, which will also definitely get used. And zip-lock bags for storing the bread I'll be making with that flour.

The best time to stock up is before everyone else is rushing out to do the same. It was worth the $200 I put in, I feel. But that's really all it takes.

Cranky

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #374 on: March 03, 2020, 01:49:05 PM »
I went to the IGA yesterday and CVS today - both seemed absolutely normal. I bought a bottle of hand sanitizer yesterday and dh took it to work, so I bought another bottle today. CVS had more varieties.

Helvegen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #375 on: March 03, 2020, 01:56:51 PM »
Grocery Outlet has really cheap OTC meds for those with one.

Mine had really cheap powdered milk recently. But if you are in my area, I'd suggest going to Winco and just bulk shopping a few things. Beans, legumes, rice, herbs/spices, sugar, grains, salt, flour. WalMart seems to have the cheapest canned vegetables where I am, particularly canned tomatoes. I noticed that Thai Kitchen just started selling coconut milk in tetrapacks. Thank whatever. It is homogenized. That alone is worth the money.

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #376 on: March 03, 2020, 02:59:19 PM »
My company has eliminated non-critical travel, restricted visitors, offered work-from-home to those who are able to work that way, and is likely to cancel planned large gatherings like big trainings and meetings.  We are preparing/updating business continuity plans to sustain core operations if many people are out sick or on home quarantine.  On an industry level, our trade association is sharing information with its various members, and encouraging similar planning to occur at other companies.  Our local hospital is preparing with updates to its infectious disease protocols and patient isolation options.  Our local public health agency is working with state and other resources on education about preventive measures.

If this results in limited local cases, all this planning will help the medical system cope with the cases that do arise, and business should proceed relatively un-affected.  If the number of cases balloon like they did in Wuhan, then the medical system will be quickly overwhelmed causing the virus to spread further, and there will be significant business difficulties while the infection and associated home quarantines run their course.

I am hoping that the precautions being taken will hold this to a medium to long term smoldering burn rather than a short term raging inferno.

On the personal front, I shifted a chunk to cash before the market dropped (I wish I'd shifted more), and we've stocked up on some essentials.  Based on age and health, we are low-risk at home, so no significant worries, though I worry about our parents, some other at-risk family members, and the broader economic impacts on our society.  As for the economic impacts on us, thanks to MMM-principals we are likely to make it through this with few problems.

Helvegen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #377 on: March 03, 2020, 03:00:28 PM »
Weird very local differences in reaction CV. My husband just came home from work and told me some of his co-workers tales from the weekend.

Apparently, south of Everett, it is mass hysteria, lines out the butt, immediate price gouging.

I live north of Everett and you would swear to every god nothing is going on at all. No one is panic buying, there no lines around buildings, no one is even talking about it really. Like it is a real afterthought, if anything.

Bizarre...

I'll give a counter-anecdote. I went to the Costco in Shoreline today. We were running low on a few things and wanted to restock. Might have waited until next week in normal circumstances, but decided to go now just in case we don't have a chance later. The crowd didn't seem any bigger than the last time I went on a weekday. Prices were normal. They were out of a few things I noticed (toilet paper, most varieties of sliced bread, creamy peanut butter), but the only thing on our list they didn't have was bread. I stopped at Safeway on my way home and they had plenty. I saw one person with a mask on. Honestly I think a bit more panic would be warranted; I noticed several people old enough to be at risk who were just going about their business like nothing was happening.

Sorry for multiposting, but I just saw this on KOMO about the Costco in Shoreline... :p Also about general taking advantage of the situation.

https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/as-coronavirus-crisis-in-washington-state-grows-so-does-price-gouging-concerns
« Last Edit: March 03, 2020, 03:02:42 PM by Helvegen »

American GenX

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #378 on: March 03, 2020, 03:45:40 PM »
Fatality rate really isn't that meaningful.  The bigger problem is the need for hospitalization in 10-20 percent of the infected population and the need for intensive care for many of those people (including needing intubation and ventilators)

Indeed, dying isn't the only concern.  Things sure went to hell quickly, there.  I don't see how we can expect much better here in the U.S.  It's a frightening thought.

As Bill Gates said, the coronavirus may be the 'once-in-a-century pathogen we've been worried about.'

Oh, just wanted to give an update to my earlier fatality rate figures.   It looks like they ended up being off a little.  A new breaking news update from the WHO states:

World health officials say the case fatality rate for COVID-19 is 3.4%

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/03/who-says-coronavirus-death-rate-is-3point4percent-globally-higher-than-previously-thought.html

“Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. In comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected, he said

SunnyDays

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #379 on: March 03, 2020, 04:04:23 PM »
Just back from Costco on the Canadian prairies - nothing unusual happening here.  Not many people, although weekends are always crowded - and no one seemed to be panic buying.  I did note that lots of people had toilet paper in their carts though, but only one package.  And bottled water too, which always bugs me no end.  The shelves were fully stocked.  I bought more than I generally do, mainly to stock up the freezer for my elderly father so he won’t have to go out if it hits the fan.  Between the two of us, we’re pretty well set.

geekette

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #380 on: March 03, 2020, 04:16:20 PM »
We just got the first positive test in our state.

I don't have a Costco membership, but BJ's. I went to get some bulk stuff for a girl's weekend (veggie tray, fruit, hummus, chips).  I tossed in some TP for home because we were running low, and chocolate chips, just because.   The place was practically deserted (which is normal).

It'll be interesting to see if our local Costco goes nuts tonight/tomorrow. 

Villanelle

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #381 on: March 03, 2020, 04:41:56 PM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.
FWIW, I've seen lineups like that first thing in the morning on a normal weekend. I was there yesterday and there was still TP, but not a lot, paper towel and kleenex and pasta was completely gone and levels of a lot of things were a lot lower than usual. But still lots of most things.
Pasta is also sold out of my local London Drugs (everything else is fully stocked with lots of sales today). It's like a whole lot of nervous people felt they should Do Something and Bought Pasta, as if it was some kind of magical COVID-repelling charm food.
Everything else that you might want to have if you were truly anticipating supply interruptions was fully stocked. None of these people are bulk buying meat -- and meat, vegetable and dairy shortages concern me a lot more. But it's harder to prep that, you need freezer room, and that would take work. So these folks are addressing their anxiety by buying pasta and ramen. (Costco also sold out).
Logically, these places should be out of tomato sauce too. But they aren't, because there isn't so much logic behind these buying decisions. It's free-floating anxiety rather than proper prepping.
It would be interesting to see if there's been a run on weed too, but since the place nearest me is lined up out the door all the time anyway, it's impossible to tell.

I can kind of see the logic.  If it's just a couple weeks of self-isolation, one's diet need not be especially varied, or even especially balanced.  Plain pasta and ramen  for threem meals a day after one runs out of butter, sauce, and a bit of meat on day 4, wouldn't be fun or especially healthy, but it wouldn't have long term-consequences.  I'm assuming most people aren't prepping for societal collapse, but I could be wrong.

My pasta will have frozen meatballs, ground beef, and if I must, canned chicken added to the canned sauce (which I buy and use anyway, despite the non-mustachianness of it).  I also have canned (or boxed) soup which was part of my winter storm prep. Those would be the essentials after  the perishables are gone in a few days.  (things like tortillas, cheese, etc. could be spaced out).  And I keep small single serving boxes of shelf-stable milk for my tea.  (Less waste, even though it's way more expensive than buying milk.  I generally only use milk in my tea so I can ope a juicebox sized serving and it's good for a week or so after being opened.)  So I've got carbs, protein, and fats.

Most of that is stuff I already had on hand.  And all if it is stuff I will use eventually.  I added some more pasta, canned sauce, and canned chicken to the supplies I already had (which I eat on an almost weekly basis). 

I can see why people don't, or can't feasibly stock up on meat.  But you would think they might grab a giant bag of nuts or something. 

MyAlterEgoIsTaller

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #382 on: March 03, 2020, 08:59:18 PM »
I was picking up a prescription tonight and there was a guy in the drug store hoarding up a cart full of wet wipes. I was wondering if he's really anticipating needing to wipe down 30 containers worth of surfaces, or if he's planning to resell them.

HPstache

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #383 on: March 03, 2020, 09:47:26 PM »
I was picking up a prescription tonight and there was a guy in the drug store hoarding up a cart full of wet wipes. I was wondering if he's really anticipating needing to wipe down 30 containers worth of surfaces, or if he's planning to resell them.

Sounds like a gouge job.  They'll be in eBay soon.  Sad...

Missy B

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #384 on: March 03, 2020, 10:21:24 PM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.


Most of that is stuff I already had on hand.  And all if it is stuff I will use eventually.  I added some more pasta, canned sauce, and canned chicken to the supplies I already had (which I eat on an almost weekly basis). 

I can see why people don't, or can't feasibly stock up on meat.  But you would think they might grab a giant bag of nuts or something.
Yeah, we bought nuts ourselves. You can actually live on those and function like an adult, instead of having blood sugar crashes every 2 hours from eating all carbs.
Costco was fully stocked, basically untouched for every kind of nut they carry.

Honestly, I fear people's cluelessness and lack of ability to think and prepare properly for emergencies -- and subsequent panic and bad behaviour -- more than I fear the disaster.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #385 on: March 04, 2020, 02:40:50 AM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.


Most of that is stuff I already had on hand.  And all if it is stuff I will use eventually.  I added some more pasta, canned sauce, and canned chicken to the supplies I already had (which I eat on an almost weekly basis). 

I can see why people don't, or can't feasibly stock up on meat.  But you would think they might grab a giant bag of nuts or something.
Yeah, we bought nuts ourselves. You can actually live on those and function like an adult, instead of having blood sugar crashes every 2 hours from eating all carbs.
Costco was fully stocked, basically untouched for every kind of nut they carry.

Honestly, I fear people's cluelessness and lack of ability to think and prepare properly for emergencies -- and subsequent panic and bad behaviour -- more than I fear the disaster.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You get the odd arsehole, but most people come together and help each other. I've lived through a city destroyed by quake and the aftermath, so I know this for fact. Example, even after the main stuff was sorted we were still having very large aftershocks. We had one while I was driving and the car in front of me started swerving and pulled off the road. I stopped to check and the woman driving was very upset by the aftershock. I was only one of FIVE CARS that stopped, including one that did a u turn.

LightTripper

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #386 on: March 04, 2020, 06:13:20 AM »
We're in London so we've been "prepping" for possible Brexit disruption on and off for a while - so we know anything extra we buy will get used in due course.

I don't see the harm in having some staples at home to minimise the need to go out if you get sick.  As a family of 4, there is a good chance that we would get it in series, so in principle we could have up to a month where we should be isolating ourselves.  I guess we could still get deliveries but ... well... seems like no harm in trying to cover ourselves to minimise the need to go out if we were in that situation.

We don't have any masks or hand sanitiser, but I have good access to sinks everywhere that I might sanitise anyway (slightly bizarrely, work has installed hand sanitisers right by the entry gates - despite the fact there are bathrooms with sinks a few steps away - but perhaps they think people won't bother, or they're worrying about people spreading germs via the bathroom door handles...).   

Despite upping my hand hygiene considerably I've still managed to pick up a cold since, probably because I have two young children, which may mean this is all fairly pointless!  But maybe we'll at least be able to slow the spread through our family if one of us gets hit, because the idea of having two sick adults trying to look after two sick children is really really not fun.  I've had flu once before and that was enough (I got hallucinations, the whole lot - took me a couple of weeks to get back to approaching normal even as a fit and healthy 20-something).  The thought of being responsible for other humans in that state is hard to imagine.  If we manage to get it in series rather than in parallel that will already be a big win...


slappy

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #387 on: March 04, 2020, 06:55:47 AM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.


Most of that is stuff I already had on hand.  And all if it is stuff I will use eventually.  I added some more pasta, canned sauce, and canned chicken to the supplies I already had (which I eat on an almost weekly basis). 

I can see why people don't, or can't feasibly stock up on meat.  But you would think they might grab a giant bag of nuts or something.
Yeah, we bought nuts ourselves. You can actually live on those and function like an adult, instead of having blood sugar crashes every 2 hours from eating all carbs.
Costco was fully stocked, basically untouched for every kind of nut they carry.

Honestly, I fear people's cluelessness and lack of ability to think and prepare properly for emergencies -- and subsequent panic and bad behaviour -- more than I fear the disaster.

We bought nuts too. Mainly because there was a coupon at BJs.

OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #388 on: March 04, 2020, 07:07:14 AM »
On the news tonight, there were pictures of line ups out the door at a Vancouver Canada Costco because the virus was in a nursing home in a Seattle suburb 3 hours away.  Toilet paper was a popular item.  I plan to do my own run this week.
I looked that news item up and can tell from the picture, that's my Costco in downtown Vancouver.


Most of that is stuff I already had on hand.  And all if it is stuff I will use eventually.  I added some more pasta, canned sauce, and canned chicken to the supplies I already had (which I eat on an almost weekly basis). 

I can see why people don't, or can't feasibly stock up on meat.  But you would think they might grab a giant bag of nuts or something.
Yeah, we bought nuts ourselves. You can actually live on those and function like an adult, instead of having blood sugar crashes every 2 hours from eating all carbs.
Costco was fully stocked, basically untouched for every kind of nut they carry.

Honestly, I fear people's cluelessness and lack of ability to think and prepare properly for emergencies -- and subsequent panic and bad behaviour -- more than I fear the disaster.

Yep. I’m not surprised; I couldn’t easily find anything on the CDC website about stocking up for potential isolation, and a recent NPR article only tells people to stock up on their “sick” foods, like crackers and canned broth. No further guidance appears to be provided for people who may not be sick but depend on fast food, convenience stores, or restaurant meals and have no idea how to design a balanced diet.

neophyte

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #389 on: March 04, 2020, 12:44:17 PM »
Quote
No further guidance appears to be provided for people who may not be sick but depend on fast food, convenience stores, or restaurant meals and have no idea how to design a balanced diet.

Shoot. You just made me realize one of my roommates might be in trouble. I only know she's around by the take out bags in the trash can.



GuitarStv

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #390 on: March 04, 2020, 01:30:46 PM »
Yeah, bottled water seems kinda goofy. 

OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #391 on: March 04, 2020, 01:38:37 PM »
And why is everyone stocking up on bottled water? I mean do they expect the whole grid to go down like in a natural disaster or do they just drink a lot of bottled water? I'm a big fan of stocking up on water myself for any emergency but just wondered why it seems to be so important now. Although I get toilet paper. Toilet paper is vital when there's none to be found any where.But what about stocking up on coffee? Nothing worst then the addicted infected clawing at the windows of all the closed down Starbucks demanding their lattes.

Haha, that was my rationale for buying a bag of coffee beans yesterday, even though we wouldn't otherwise need them for a few weeks. Husband and I have lived together happily for almost 18 years, but we might kill each other if stuck in a 2-week lockdown without coffee.

OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #392 on: March 04, 2020, 01:40:33 PM »
I think the bottled water is because that's what people are conditioned to do. Turn on the news after a major weather disaster, and relief groups are giving out bottled water.

Serendip

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #393 on: March 04, 2020, 02:13:50 PM »
Feeling like my town lives in a bit of a bubble--not many here seems to even have the slightest concern even though we are near the WA border.
I was at the hardware store and they still have a shelf of N95 masks (I didn't buy any b/c I don't feel like I personally need one and would rather that it went to someone who truly does)

Today I replaced the battery in my digital thermometer.  I don't tend to use the disinfecting wipes (would rather make disinfecting spray with rubbing alcohol) but shelves are full at my store so I bought one for backup.

While I don't necessarily see water being disrupted I suppose it helps put peoples' minds at rest to have bottled water. I didn't buy any as there is ample fresh water available here...however I did obtain some extra coffee :)

Also ordered contact lenses. For some reason that was something that I became concerned about getting in case of any longer-term disruptions...say the optometry office had to close for a month or two.

Noodle

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #394 on: March 04, 2020, 03:22:22 PM »
I think the bottled water is because that's what people are conditioned to do. Turn on the news after a major weather disaster, and relief groups are giving out bottled water.

I was wondering the same thing! My city had a boil-water order recently and a lot of people are now replenishing their hurricane stashes but I couldn’t figure it out for everyone else.

SunnyDays

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #395 on: March 04, 2020, 03:31:57 PM »
You might want to think twice about wearing contacts if the virus comes to your town.  Do you really want to be sticking your finger in your eyes?

OtherJen

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #396 on: March 04, 2020, 03:44:47 PM »
You might want to think twice about wearing contacts if the virus comes to your town.  Do you really want to be sticking your finger in your eyes?

Presumably one would wash one's hands thoroughly, like we're already instructed to do if we wear contacts.

Perhaps we should also stop brushing our teeth, since the oral cavity is a much bigger mucosal surface with a direct path to the lungs.

Eilonwy

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #397 on: March 04, 2020, 03:50:33 PM »
Kind of fascinating to see where this topic has traveled from page 1 to page 8...

American GenX

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #398 on: March 04, 2020, 03:56:18 PM »

Some people cannot drink their tap water due to various reasons related to health or simply because it tastes bad.  Some people may simply prefer bottled water.  So, in those cases, they are just part of their regular groceries, regardless of what happens at the tap.  And others might just want some extra water on hand in case of a potential plumbing issue at a time that they might not be able to have anyone come to their house to fix it.  Personally, I'm not concerned about it and haven't bought any water.

American GenX

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Re: Coronavirus preparedness
« Reply #399 on: March 04, 2020, 03:57:34 PM »
You might want to think twice about wearing contacts if the virus comes to your town.  Do you really want to be sticking your finger in your eyes?

Presumably one would wash one's hands thoroughly, like we're already instructed to do if we wear contacts.

Perhaps we should also stop brushing our teeth, since the oral cavity is a much bigger mucosal surface with a direct path to the lungs.

Exactly, I have zero concern about my contacts.  I don't change them out every day anyway, and I certainly wash my hands thoroughly before doing so!