Coronavirus - Health and preparedness aspects - II

[brewer12345]

Do we really need to get into civil unrest? Why don’t we just stick to the health issues.

I assumed it was fair game given the thread title includes "preparedness." You da mod, though...

 

[frayne]

Do we really need to get into civil unrest? Why don’t we just stick to the health issues.

Agreed 100%, people are going a little overboard about this thing.

 

[SeattleRocks]

I assumed it was fair game given the thread title includes "preparedness." You da mod, though...

Yep, I was referring to the preparedness as well but will defer from posting anything else in that subject matter per you guidance.

 

[MichaelB]

I assumed it was fair game given the thread title includes "preparedness." You da mod, though...

The question was asked and answered fairly, just a request to not dwell on the matter. It seems the immediate threats we are facing are viral and we’d all be better off focusing on that and not getting sidetracked.

 

[Another Reader]

The question was asked and answered fairly, just a request to not dwell on the matter. It seems the immediate threats we are facing are viral and we’d all be better off focusing on that and not getting sidetracked.

You mean you can't shoot the virus?

 

[TromboneAl]

... if this thing even starts to look like it is going to get bad, I am hunkering down and taking the next 30 days at home and ride it out.

That brings up something interesting. We've heard recommendations such as "enough food to last for two weeks," but I see the risk of catching the virus as ramping up over the course of several months.

At the point that it's so widespread that you want to stay home and avoid all human contact, how long would it take to "blow over"? I'm thinking much more than 30 days.

 

[NW-Bound]

Let's remember that even in Wuhan which is at the epicenter of this mess and has been under strict lockdown, people still have running water and electricity. Utility workers have been available to keep that part of the infrastructure running.

I do not see how US cities would lose water and electricity. This is not the same as an earthquake or a hurricane.

 

[Explore]

Seattle, if you decide a firearm is something you feel is necessary, I strongly suggest you skip the handgun. They require a fair bit of practice to become proficient and in a time of stress you are unlikely to be able to hit much. A 12 gauge pump action shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot is what you want. Rarely have issues mechanically, very simple to use, stop a threat quickly, and readily available. I know if I saw someone levelling one at me I would be hitting the dirt or running away.

A Mossberg 500, (Mossberg) Maverick 88, or Remington 870 would be ideal.

This is very good advice. I am not comfortable with a handgun so I keep a 20 gauge Remington Wingmaster for protection...hopefully will never have to use.

 

[brewer12345]

That brings up something interesting. We've heard recommendations such as "enough food to last for two weeks," but I see the risk of catching the virus as ramping up over the course of several months.

At the point that it's so widespread that you want to stay home and avoid all human contact, how long would it take to "blow over"? I'm thinking much more than 30 days.

Quite possibly. A large percentage of Americans will be in dire financial jeopardy if it lasts that long.

Personally, I could do a lot longer than 30 days.

 

[stepford]

That brings up something interesting. We've heard recommendations such as "enough food to last for two weeks," but I see the risk of catching the virus as ramping up over the course of several months.

At the point that it's so widespread that you want to stay home and avoid all human contact, how long would it take to "blow over"? I'm thinking much more than 30 days.

While I too think that the effects of the virus will likely be with us for months I suspect that "the panic" if and when it arrives will likely be short lived. The majority of Americans will not get seriously ill and will be able to get back to their jobs fairly quickly. So while I expect spot shortages from "runs on the grocery stores" I don't foresee a totally broken supply chain. Food will still be produced and still get shipped. If we need to quarantine I expect to be able to resupply in a few weeks at most. (If I'm wrong then things are going to be bad for a whole lot of people and a few extra weeks of supplies may not help all that much)

Where I think the longer term problem may lie is in access to medical care. If there are too many critically ill people the system could be overloaded for quite some time.

In other words I'm not particularly worried about starving and think a 2-3 week supply of staples is adequate. If I get sick, though, I do worry that I'll just have to tough it out at home and hope for the best.

 

[razztazz]

At the point that it's so widespread that you want to stay home and avoid all human contact, how long would it take to "blow over"? I'm thinking much more than 30 days. .

This is one of those situations where you should just do what you can and don't waste time trying to do what you can't.

I am in a sort of ramp-up mode stockpiling mostly just the usual food and sundry items I usually eat. I do not beleive it's do-able to stock up for some prolonged or indefinite period of time unless you truly live on a farm or inside Cheyenne Mountain or something.

I am just trying to stay far enough ahead of things so that IF it gets serious enough and IF it doesn't simply blow over in 2-4 weeks time, and IF I need to acquire things, I can at least limit my exposure to the very minimum it would take to keep from running out of food. Short trips at off-hours to top-off supplies. I usually just go out once per week anyway. I can stretch that to 2-3 weeks with added supplies easily.

 

[Another Reader]

Let's remember that even in Wuhan which is at the epicenter of this mess and has been under strict lockdown, people still have running water and electricity. Utility workers have been available to keep that part of the infrastructure running.

I do not see how US cities would lose water and electricity. This is not the same as an earthquake or a hurricane.

Well, you may not be able to get that Whole Foods grocery delivery if everyone stays home except for essential services. Not sure our government would go beyond closing schools and canceling large public events, but figuring out who goes to work and who stays home might be an issue. In Al's case, up in the boonies, it might be impossible to restock without visiting a grocery store.

 

[TromboneAl]

Personally, too much hassle. I use this for hiking: https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP128-Filtration-System/dp/B00FA2RLX2/ref=asc_df_B00FA2RLX2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167131408724&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=178093350296815446&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004604&hvtargid=pla-308859112483&psc=1

Super light, works great.

You could have these for backup (e.g. some kind of issue with the filter): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009I3T3S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I keep both of these in my back pack.

Good idea. I ordered both although the tablets are out of stock for a while.

 

[TromboneAl]

My imagination is picturing all fishing regulations suspended.

 

[garyt]

That brings up something interesting. We've heard recommendations such as "enough food to last for two weeks," but I see the risk of catching the virus as ramping up over the course of several months.

At the point that it's so widespread that you want to stay home and avoid all human contact, how long would it take to "blow over"? I'm thinking much more than 30 days.

I'm reading it will be mid August. We're very early in this thing, right now.

 

[MRG]

I saw this article and found it interesting. How Gunnison dodged the Spanish flu. Hint: They used extreme measures that would not work today. Perhaps history gives logically related answers to how to stay at home?

I think the author touches on an issue. Perhaps it's easy today? Hopefully we don't see.

The experience of a small town in the Rockies at the end of the first world war does not provide a failsafe blueprint for a different disease in a far more populous, and far more interconnected era. It does however offer tantalising nuggets about about eluding a cataclysm that infected about a third of the global population and killed between 50 million and 100 million people.
Instead of face masks and anti-bacterial hand gels, Gunnsion relied on the guidance and authority of local newspapers, doctors and police – a trust in institutions that may now seem quaint – and on people’s capacity for patience. And on luck

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...own-that-dodged-the-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic

But a mystery endures: how did residents endure the cabin fever? Those currently under quarantine in Spain, Italy, China and elsewhere could benefit from tips but Gunnison does not appear to remember. Little documentation exists, leaving an information void. “The issue still remains of how to keep up morale and cooperation at a time of heightened stress,” said the study. In 2015 the Guardian appealed to readers of the Gunnison Country Times – a descendant of the News-Champion – for any letters, journals or folk memories about the lockdown. No one replied.

 

[NW-Bound]

My imagination is picturing all fishing regulations suspended.

I don't fish, although some reservoirs around here are stocked by the AZ Game and Fish Department. It takes a long drive to get to these reservoirs anyway, and if things get so dire, gasoline would also be scarce, and not something to waste.

Nah! I don't worry that much about this food stuff, tell y'all the truth. I worry more about hospitals and healthcare providers getting swamped, and that caused a lot more deaths than normal.

I shared in a post somewhere that the initial Wuhan death rate was 17%, but is now 0.7% for new cases in China outside of Wuhan. That's understandable when considering that if a patient needs an oxygen supply and you run out, what's the chance of that patient? People die for stupidest and simplest things.

So, let's do our part and try not to spread the disease. I will try to be very careful when I go out in public. And we have to be, not having any mask.

 

[simple girl]

In our area, we received a print out that supposedly is on hospital letterhead which said the CDC told them they have a patient in their facility that "presumptively tested positive for COVID-19".

This may be a hoax, but it might be real. It spurred my friend and I to get to Costco today, instead of our plan for tomorrow, just in case it's true.

No lines at all at Costco, but they were out of bleach wipes. I noticed when I put my Walmart order in for today that they had to substitute a smaller bottle of antibacterial soap instead of giving me the 3 larger bottles I had ordered.

I do think it is prudent to stock up on a few essentials for a few weeks, just so you don't have to deal with bare shelves and long lines (and crowds) when something really is officially announced in your area.

It will be nice to hunker down if a major outbreak occurs locally. Hubby and I are low risk for severe complications, but I don't see the point in exposing yourself to the crowds unnecessarily, if it can be avoided.

 

[NW-Bound]

I saw this article and found it interesting. How Gunnison dodged the Spanish flu. Hint: They used extreme measures that would not work today. Perhaps history gives logically related answers to how to stay at home?

I think the author touches on an issue. Perhaps it's easy today? Hopefully we don't see.

The experience of a small town in the Rockies at the end of the first world war does not provide a failsafe blueprint for a different disease in a far more populous, and far more interconnected era. It does however offer tantalising nuggets about about eluding a cataclysm that infected about a third of the global population and killed between 50 million and 100 million people.
Instead of face masks and anti-bacterial hand gels, Gunnsion relied on the guidance and authority of local newspapers, doctors and police – a trust in institutions that may now seem quaint – and on people’s capacity for patience. And on luck

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...own-that-dodged-the-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic

But a mystery endures: how did residents endure the cabin fever? Those currently under quarantine in Spain, Italy, China and elsewhere could benefit from tips but Gunnison does not appear to remember. Little documentation exists, leaving an information void. “The issue still remains of how to keep up morale and cooperation at a time of heightened stress,” said the study. In 2015 the Guardian appealed to readers of the Gunnison Country Times – a descendant of the News-Champion – for any letters, journals or folk memories about the lockdown. No one replied.

Thanks for sharing.

Cabin fever in today's world? Come on! In contrast with 1918, we now have the Internet, Netflix, Youtube, all kinds of entertainment.

 

[cathy63]

Good idea. I ordered both although the tablets are out of stock for a while.

If you find yourself near an REI store, they usually have those same tablets. I bought a package to take on a business trip to China a few years ago. Never used them, so now they're just sitting in the camping/disaster supplies box.

I doubt if we'll need water filters or purification tablets during a virus outbreak though. If the water coming out of the tap is unsafe, I assume the first step would be to boil it. (We also have propane and a stove in the aforementioned camping/disaster box should we need to do that without electricity.)

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I doubt if we'll need water filters or purification tablets during a virus outbreak though. If the water coming out of the tap is unsafe, I assume the first step would be to boil it. (We also have propane and a stove in the aforementioned camping/disaster box should we need to do that without electricity.)

Right. I've been trying to post things (like the Sawyer Mini) that are dual purpose. They are things I already have for hiking/camping (as well as a small stove, mountain house freeze dried foods, etc.) The idea being that if this passes over TrumboneAl will be ready for some hiking adventure!

I do believe in having food supplies (although I am not Morman I think their ideas on preparedness are worthwhile.) While I've gotten some things over the last couple/few weeks, I already had enough food to last "quite a while" if stores aren't open or supplies are disrupted. The biggest exposure is fresh fruit and vegetables - while I have canned (both) it isn't the same.

 

[brewer12345]

The biggest exposure is fresh fruit and vegetables - while I have canned (both) it isn't the same.

Ditto. That and milk, which is an issue because the kids go through it like crazy. I have powdered milk, but I will hear a lot of complaining.

Veggies I have a solution for in the near term. In a couple weeks or so, I will be time to plant spinach, arugala, lettuce and peas. Would take a little while after that, but pretty soon I could start a limited harvest. In a similar timeframe I could forage lambsquarter, dandelion greens, and violet leaves.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Thanks for sharing.

Cabin fever in today's world? Come on! In contrast with 1918, we now have the Internet, Netflix, Youtube, all kinds of entertainment.

Oh no, I just started worrying about a run on Internet bandwidth! Everyone trying to stream at once because they are stuck at home.

What should I download now to have saved to watch or read? On the reading front, perhaps One Second After? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LATV16/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

(Actually, I already read it long ago.)

 

[Gumby]

Ditto. That and milk, which is an issue because the kids go through it like crazy. I have powdered milk, but I will hear a lot of complaining.

Veggies I have a solution for in the near term. In a couple weeks or so, I will be time to plant spinach, arugala, lettuce and peas. Would take a little while after that, but pretty soon I could start a limited harvest. In a similar timeframe I could forage lambsquarter, dandelion greens, and violet leaves.

Try "shelf stable" milk. Whole milk with no refrigeration needed.

 

[NW-Bound]

Oh no, I just started worrying about a run on Internet bandwidth! Everyone trying to stream at once because they are stuck at home.

What should I download now to have saved to watch or read? On the reading front, perhaps One Second After? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LATV16/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

(Actually, I already read it long ago.)

It's a good idea to download "stuff" now. It's not any different than stocking up on food and supplies.

I have quite a few books that will last me a while. I do not have any of the subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon, and the like.