Coronavirus prep

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  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    For the first time in a few weeks I went to WM this evening. They had a selection of a few different brands of paper towels and TP;and good stock but not all the brands they normally carry. The optional foods like chicken, pork and beef were wiped out after the news media talk of a lock down of meat plants. Corn is being planted and the farmers are sad because demand for corn for cars is down. We may be eating a lot of corn flitters if meat goes off line.

    On a sad note I went by to pay the rent for the guy that I am his guardian that lives in an assisted living home for the past 25 years after his mom pasted. He is 76 and has COPD and one resident tested positive for COVID-19 today. He grew up without hearing so he did not develop speech or go to school. He is bright and watches TV so I expect he kind of knows what is going one. I have a former neighbor that lives there as well who is 96. Like another home near here it will sweep every hall in time I expect. They have been locked down for a month expecting something to happen.

    I am going to try and be nice so maybe my son or daughter will let me have a tiny house in the back yard when I get near my end.

    Now that doctors are seeing patients it seems like twice as many cars were on the road today. I made an 80 mile trip to the optometrist to rule out a detached retina before I do much tractor work and thankful it is just a vitreous detachment that is normal but can pull and tear the retina if the separation is suddenly. The flashing lights of the last week have really slowed down.

    GaleH, I had the vitreous detachment thing going on a year or so ago. It was scary because I've never had issues like that. But after it fully detached(that, in itself, sounds freaky because aren't things supposed to hold together?? Lol), it's been fine. Good luck with yours and hopefully it'll settle down for you.

    Thanks for share because it tends to freak one out.

    In my case I first thought the green flashes were from my Com Pilot hanging around my neck for my blue tooth hearing aids. As the flashing become more visual in brighter light I became concerned about a retina tear may be developing or had happen. I refreshed my mind the condition and was quite sure it was a vitreous detachment in progress but knew a blow or heavy lifting could cause the traction on the retina and could lead to a tear. I never had the curtain blowing in a breeze symptom of a torn retina but for the last two years Joe had been questioning me hard about seeing flashes and knew he would not be happy if I ignored it.

    Actually the vitreous detachment is normal with aging but normally it occurs over many years so there is no flashing, etc so we never know about it. Near sighted people tend to be at higher risk of retina tears we read.

    I think of it as old contact paper we put on a wall, cabinet, etc that starts to curl at the seams. If we remove it slowly instead of with a jerk often it will come off completely and not tear or pull a layer of old paint/paper that may be under it that would be the layer of brain material called the retina.

    The flashes are coming less often and I am going to take it easy until they stop completely.

    WARNING: Semi-graphic medical details coming.

    Major digression from point of thread, but: Another potential complication (besides retinal detachment) is having the vitreous detachment tear & bleed into the vitreous. This happened to each of my eyes, a little over a month apart. At first, it looked like dark droplets swimming around, like some kind of evil snow-globe, then it can get worse (more solid) depending on severity. If you start seeing dark dots or waves, see your retinologist. (I had a laser procedure to stop the bleeding in one eye, a cryo procedure on the other - difference because of tear location. Done while awake, and moderately sub-recreational. Essential, though.)

    How long for the blood to clear also depends on details. My first eye cleared pretty well in a month or so (just in time for the other eye to fail 🙄). The other one was super slow to clear, pretty much 100% blocked for weeks (vitrectomy surgery to clear it was an option; didn't want that). I was legally blind in that eye (mostly from the blood obscuring vision, though slowly clearing) for almost 2 years, over which time I developed a cataract that obscured vision in that eye in a different way (possibly from them messing with that eye so much) - hard to tell when the cataract vs. the blood accounted for the vision impairment. Removal of the cataract on that side got the vision in that eye back in legal range again, but several years later, there's still some floaty stuff.

    Bottom line: If dots, spots, or waves appear, go to retinologist immediately. The less blood swimming around in your eye, the better.

    Apologies for the diversion from coronavirus topics, folks! 😬 Hope you'll forgive. :flowerforyou:

    Well, pink-eye is a COVID symptom, so we can rationalize an on-topic connection. :smile:

    Besides, now that most of us are many weeks into sustained coping strategies, rather than strictly-speaking "prepping" for something that hasn't arrived, it seems like anything addressing how to deal with things that are no longer readily available (like medical services for non-life-threatening conditions) is now on-topic.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    missysippy930 wrote: »
    Our governor went to Worthington MN yesterday. Minnesota is the # 2 pork processor in the US. Covid is running through meat processing plants here. Employees were protesting in their vehicles, the presidential order that the meat processing plants have to stay open. They are scared, and I can’t say that I blame them.
    There was a definite shortage of fresh pork products at the grocery store yesterday.
    There was TP and paper towels yesterday. Still no yeast.

    Yeah, I don't quite get the thinking behind ordering the plants to be open. You can keep them open, but you can't force people to go to work (except through firing them when they don't show up).
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    hipari wrote: »
    For the first time during the social isolation, I'm genuinely concerned and devastated. Concerned that the next 48 hours will result in breaking the rules en masse and a spike in infections, and devastated I can't join the party. I live in Finland and May 1st is May Day, or Walpurgis Day, and the night before as well as the day itself are huge outdoor celebrations. Students normally start celebrations at least a couple of weeks before and ramp it up for the big day, and things kick off on Walpurgis Eve, April 30th, at 6PM when a famous statue in downtown Helsinki is given its high school graduation hat in a ceremony that has a crowd of at least 50 000 people gathering around to watch, and put on their own hats at the same time. Wearing high school graduation hats for May Day is a major tradition and marks the beginning of the summer season. The night is a big celebration, and on May Day people gather for outdoor brunches and picnics, especially one specific park that usually gathers at least 50 000 people regardless of weather. The statue has been walled off and covered for several days now to prevent crowds (it will get its hat via some sort of virtual art performance, this year conveniently happens to be the art students' turn to perform the ceremony as the ceremony is performed each year by different student unions of area universities) and I've heard rumors of riot police closing the park. The same holiday is also celebrated in Sweden, and it was just on the news that a major university city there will fertilize park lawns with chicken poop the night before, to make them smelly and gross and prevent mass congregating. So yeah, this is serious.

    This is going to be a really difficult weekend for most people I know because we can't celebrate, meet and go out on the town like we normally do for this holiday. My friends who are still students are devastated because they can't celebrate end of semester, my graduated friends are devastated because Walpurgis Day is a rare opportunity for everyone to be partying together, and even my almost 60-year-old mother is devastated and when social distancing measures were announced, she was serious about going to that park unless police physically stops her. I hope people still stay strong and stay home, so the epidemic doesn't get out of hand - it's been fairly in control here so far and there's talks about controlled reopening of some measures if the situation stays stable.

    I read the chicken poop story out of Sweden this morning since I have made Sweden one of my pandemic leading indicators. The general outlook for China and Europe post full lock down is concerning. In the USA the state of Georgia has my attention since restrictions for the most part have been greatly lifted. Actually in the USA tight lock down actions are being removed by more and more people regardless of what Governors say.

    Our Civil War over state's rights of 165 years ago still has not been fully resolved. At the federal level states are being warned not to impose restrictions that violate USA constitutional rights.

    Our second wave may be a few weeks later than like in China and Europe and it is expected to be broader in scope this time around. I hope 3 weeks after Walpurgis Day goes better than expected.

    Our meat packing houses shutting down due to the pandemic may soon make our TP shortage look like a non event. Many in the USA eat meat 1-3 times daily and it will take a year or two to get the farms back to growing beef, pork and chickens like before because they are having to put down so many animals due to lack of processing plants to buy them.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    missysippy930 wrote: »
    Our governor went to Worthington MN yesterday. Minnesota is the # 2 pork processor in the US. Covid is running through meat processing plants here. Employees were protesting in their vehicles, the presidential order that the meat processing plants have to stay open. They are scared, and I can’t say that I blame them.
    There was a definite shortage of fresh pork products at the grocery store yesterday.
    There was TP and paper towels yesterday. Still no yeast.

    Yeah, I don't quite get the thinking behind ordering the plants to be open. You can keep them open, but you can't force people to go to work (except through firing them when they don't show up).

    I think the industry wanted the Defense Production Act order to give them legal cover against liability claims from workers in the plants if they remain open without sufficient protection. It also gives the government the ability to impose wage controls and settle labor disputes, which would limit the ability of unions (if any) representing the workers to do much other than complain. This also effectively cuts the workers off from unemployment since the plants are mandated to operate and pay them for working. Since many of the workers in the plants have few other opportunities for employment, especially now, they have to decide between working in the plants or going without any income.

    Super insightful, thanks for sharing.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    I went to CVS today to pick up some prescriptions.

    I think I may've reported being skeezed out by using the drivethrough a while back (people with no masks or gloves pawing all over the card acceptor, that one had to pull out of the drawer to use, and that I can't see without getting kind of close).

    So, I went inside this time. That really was more limited touching of stuff, comparatively, so I guess the difference comes down to how a person feels about the indoor air vs. the card/drawer nonsense.

    While there, walked a couple of aisles to see what they had, until no one was at pharmacy counter: In most categories there were at least some options, maybe not one's favorite brand/scent. Foam hand soap pump bottles were very low but not zero (lots of other types of soaps), masks were out, no disinfectant wipes. But there were baby wipes, some disinfectant sprays and liquids, some TP, some other paper products. Most other areas looked fine, but I didn't check all that closely. Hardly any other customers in the store. Pharmacy cashier wearing mask but no gloves, plastic shields between her and customers, except the pass-through for the bag'o'drugs.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I went to CVS today to pick up some prescriptions.

    I think I may've reported being skeezed out by using the drivethrough a while back (people with no masks or gloves pawing all over the card acceptor, that one had to pull out of the drawer to use, and that I can't see without getting kind of close).

    So, I went inside this time. That really was more limited touching of stuff, comparatively, so I guess the difference comes down to how a person feels about the indoor air vs. the card/drawer nonsense.

    While there, walked a couple of aisles to see what they had, until no one was at pharmacy counter: In most categories there were at least some options, maybe not one's favorite brand/scent. Foam hand soap pump bottles were very low but not zero (lots of other types of soaps), masks were out, no disinfectant wipes. But there were baby wipes, some disinfectant sprays and liquids, some TP, some other paper products. Most other areas looked fine, but I didn't check all that closely. Hardly any other customers in the store. Pharmacy cashier wearing mask but no gloves, plastic shields between her and customers, except the pass-through for the bag'o'drugs.

    I got my current masks at a gas station with a window (serendipitous discovery), although I have made some lame ones (I am not crafty and hate sewing) and now ordered some cloth ones that seem good. I still have leftover hand sanitizer from before the rush, although have not been using it a lot (I just wash my hands for the most part). My local Walgreens was awful before all this, so I may drive to another or a CVS soon (haven't used my car since Easter so that's a reason to drive it also).
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    I would post a photo of the absurd displays of TP at my supermarket, but it feels kind of cruel to do that to you guys :\

    You saw what @rheddmobile said about the Memphis area - that is about 2 hr. drive away. My mom in Omaha says they have plenty in the stores and are limiting it to 1 package per person. She lives with my sister and family, and tells me that my sister and her husband are buying 1 package every time they go to the store because they don't want to run out... to what end, I don't know. I assume there is a point where they will have stockpiled enough that they will stop that. In rural Iowa where I used to live, about 90 min. drive from Omaha, they have it and are limiting quantities as well. I heard the same from people I know in Des Moines. Maybe people in my specific area are just worse with hoarding than elsewhere?! I'm actually starting to get pretty upset about this now that I'm seeing other places have it.

    I'm in rural Central VA and any of the stores I can get to all still have more empty shelves than filled. I haven't seen TP, tissues, pasta, soup, canned or dry beans, cleaning products, rice, or rubbing alcohol since the beginning of March. I don't know if it means people are still hoarding or if it is a delivery issue, but I'm starting to take it personal!

    We don't have any shortages, and certainly not of toilet paper. But supermarkets started limiting how many total items you can purchase, as a way to get customers out faster so other waiting customers could get in. No time for slow casual browsing of the shelves.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I'm pretty concerned about this whole food chain thing - and not just meat. I would say to everyone, stock up on protein powder, pasta or wheat, nuts, beans, whatever protein sources you see at the store. Canned vegetables and fruits, etc.

    I guess the government *could* deploy the National Guard or military to run the factories if it comes to that. Let's pray it doesn't.

    Yes, but of course the military aren't immune to the virus, so you couldn't just put them into a factory right after there was evidence of the presence of the disease in there.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    missysippy930 wrote: »
    Several meat processing plants have closed down in Minnesota in the past week due to covid outbreaks among employees. Farmers have hogs ready for slaughter, but no place to send them. They are predicting shortages of pork products. Euthanizing animals. Crop farmers are just beginning to plow and plant. Farmers markets locally won’t start for a couple of weeks. Every small town has a butcher shop. I told my husband today that we need to check them out.

    Our chicken farmers and processors have an overstock of product because all of our restaurants are closed. That's one major link in the food chain broken.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Just now seeing a story on the local news of the local NFL team's first-round draft pick (who is a local kid -- well, local young man), who said that after the draft he went to visit one of his new team mates. They had video of him walking out of a house with other young men gesturing in celebratory fashion, far less than six feet away, none of them wearing face coverings. I suppose that could have been his own home, and all those other young men live in the same household, but if that's the case, I think the news station should have made that clear. I don't think either the athlete (going to visit other households) or the news station were doing a good job of exemplifying socially responsible behavior.

    And this is what I expect will happen as things open back up with advisories to continue social distancing. Most people will find excuses to think that social distancing doesn't apply to them in this situation or that situation.

    Stuff like this is the reason COVID-19 will be with us for quite a bit longer than we would wish for.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »

    With the lock down being effectively over in the USA where law enforcement are not authorized to mow down unarmed citizens with machine guns . . .

    Dude, what on earth?

    I noted I was only speaking about USA laws. The news article explains how states are removing more and more restraints on people. This will help prevent social unrest even if medically if it is a step backwards. No one knows what to do in these times.

    Even with the restrictions, nobody was authorized to mow down unarmed citizens with machine guns. This is the kind of rhetoric that is incredibly unhelpful. I don't even know how you got there. It's like some kind of fever dream fantasy.

    Have you been reading about the mental health issues related to COVID-19? I just see an undercurrent that is dangerous for the safety of law officers. Some are losing everything and we know alcohol sales are up and gun sales are up. Did you read Cwolfmann's link over the number of COVID-19 deaths?

    Law officers are starting to stand down over governors orders because they understand the time/risk factor on unproven restrictions is increasing. I think everyone posting here wants to do what is best and understand they are going to get COVID-19 sooner or later but want it to be much later.

    We know with the schools closed it is causing some kids harm because they may not have a safe environment and food like when the schools were open. The schools will not be opening in 4 months from now if we do not get more COVID-19 cases behind us. Sweden may be proven wrong yet time will tell.

    https://aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/sweden-avoids-full-lockdown-pm-insists-restrictions-continue-200420173945004.html


    According to some metrics, like alcohol sales, it is totally possible that people are drinking more. I still don't understand how you get to law enforcement being authorized to "mow down unarmed citizens."

    Maybe I'm wrong, but I read Gale to be sad police were not authorized to use machine guns to mow down unarmed citizens. I hope he corrects me if I am wrong.

    Alcohol sales are up across the board in the US. Gun sales are up in Kentucky, which might be affecting Gale's POV. Crime is up here, so I somewhat get it, although shooting a cop (or anyone) is still not in my imagination, so I don't get that.

    Alcohol sales are prohibited here as part of the curfew regulations - so there's less drinking. The curfew is keeping large numbers of people indoors - so crime is down.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Re: social distancing. Many people I have witnessed are trying but having a hard time with it, particularly older people. I watch my neighbors and my mother start out talking from a safe distance, then instinctively inch closer and closer until they are within normal conversational distance.

    Having markers on the ground is a good idea but it’s not common around here.

    I measure six feet in my mind by reminding myself I am five foot eight, if I don’t have room to fling myself flat on the ground without touching the other person, I’m too close. Not to mention six feet isn’t really a safe distance, it’s just a “safer” distance. In the right circumstances a cough or sneeze or wind can carry virus thirty feet.

    Never realised so many people were in a bank or supermarket until we started having to queue six feet apart to get in. Now it's causing lines all around the buildings and the parking lots too.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    I haven't seen toilet paper in a store in six weeks. Last time I was in a grocery store they had small packages of flushable wipes, limit two per household, so I bought one. Haven't had to use it yet, though. Not sure I trust it to be flushable and not damage my plumbing.

    Do NOT flush those...they will definitely damage your plumbing. I'm not sure how they get away with calling them flushable. My nephew is a plumber, and he says 90% of his calls are people who tried to flush those things. They don't break down like toilet paper does.

    A gross as it may be, you'll need to keep a plastic bag handy and just throw out the used wipes with the trash.

    Ugh!! This is horrible. And all because a few people have truckloads of toilet paper at home and now others can't get. So silly when there was no need for the hoarding.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    lokihen wrote: »
    Looking for positives: a movie theater owner is renovating the old drive-in that closed 7 years ago. I hope the town supports him and uses it a lot this summer.

    Good idea. Now you can have physically distanced movie watching from your own vehicles in the parking lot.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    hipari wrote: »
    For the first time during the social isolation, I'm genuinely concerned and devastated. Concerned that the next 48 hours will result in breaking the rules en masse and a spike in infections, and devastated I can't join the party. I live in Finland and May 1st is May Day, or Walpurgis Day, and the night before as well as the day itself are huge outdoor celebrations. Students normally start celebrations at least a couple of weeks before and ramp it up for the big day, and things kick off on Walpurgis Eve, April 30th, at 6PM when a famous statue in downtown Helsinki is given its high school graduation hat in a ceremony that has a crowd of at least 50 000 people gathering around to watch, and put on their own hats at the same time. Wearing high school graduation hats for May Day is a major tradition and marks the beginning of the summer season. The night is a big celebration, and on May Day people gather for outdoor brunches and picnics, especially one specific park that usually gathers at least 50 000 people regardless of weather. The statue has been walled off and covered for several days now to prevent crowds (it will get its hat via some sort of virtual art performance, this year conveniently happens to be the art students' turn to perform the ceremony as the ceremony is performed each year by different student unions of area universities) and I've heard rumors of riot police closing the park. The same holiday is also celebrated in Sweden, and it was just on the news that a major university city there will fertilize park lawns with chicken poop the night before, to make them smelly and gross and prevent mass congregating. So yeah, this is serious.

    This is going to be a really difficult weekend for most people I know because we can't celebrate, meet and go out on the town like we normally do for this holiday. My friends who are still students are devastated because they can't celebrate end of semester, my graduated friends are devastated because Walpurgis Day is a rare opportunity for everyone to be partying together, and even my almost 60-year-old mother is devastated and when social distancing measures were announced, she was serious about going to that park unless police physically stops her. I hope people still stay strong and stay home, so the epidemic doesn't get out of hand - it's been fairly in control here so far and there's talks about controlled reopening of some measures if the situation stays stable.

    I read the chicken poop story out of Sweden this morning since I have made Sweden one of my pandemic leading indicators. The general outlook for China and Europe post full lock down is concerning. In the USA the state of Georgia has my attention since restrictions for the most part have been greatly lifted. Actually in the USA tight lock down actions are being removed by more and more people regardless of what Governors say.

    Our Civil War over state's rights of 165 years ago still has not been fully resolved. At the federal level states are being warned not to impose restrictions that violate USA constitutional rights.

    Our second wave may be a few weeks later than like in China and Europe and it is expected to be broader in scope this time around. I hope 3 weeks after Walpurgis Day goes better than expected.

    Our meat packing houses shutting down due to the pandemic may soon make our TP shortage look like a non event. Many in the USA eat meat 1-3 times daily and it will take a year or two to get the farms back to growing beef, pork and chickens like before because they are having to put down so many animals due to lack of processing plants to buy them.

    The greater implication of all this is that some of those plants are massive exporters, therefore meat shortages will impact other countries too.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    As someone who doesn't eat meat, eggs or dairy, I worry that if there's a meat shortage, all the hungry meat eaters will start hardcore dipping into the bean and grain supplies. I've had abundant food choices so far during the lockdown, including lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Plenty of healthy, homecooked meals so far. No hoarding necessary. It's gonna suck if I have to start competing with the masses for food...

    You can expect the masses will have already horded your dream list of foods IF the meat, eggs and dairy are hard to come by so you may consider hording sooner than later. Keep in mind if the farms keep destroying their animals due to the slaughter houses going off line for very long it will take 1-3 years get back to fully producing today's level of meat, eggs and dairy. 50 pound bags of beans and rice are in demand already. I can see any day now McDonald's removing their fresh ground 1/4 pound beef patties off of their menu.

    Keep in mind much of our beans and grain supplies will have to be shipped so millions less starve in Africa. The USA is still the food basket for much of the world and is one way to make friends.

    Farmer markets may save the day in your case.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    There are butcher shops/meat markets here, in smaller towns. Some process animals. Their back up is two months out for butchering. They are asking customers (people just shopping their stores), to call before coming as meat products are selling out daily, very quickly.

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