Coronavirus prep

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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    ekim2016 wrote: »
    Italy in bad shape. Over 600 dead and over 10k active cases. Hospitals stopped all operations / procedures and overflowing caring for covid patients. Bad scene! We need to be vigilant and people need to stop poo pooing claiming it's just no worse than a regular flu blah blah it is killing people globally.

    The regular flu kills people globally

    We have the regular flu every year in Italy--it's not on this scale.

    https://www.thelocal.it/20200123/flu-outbreak-in-italy-half-a-million-people-struck-down-in-a-week

    This was 2019/2020. Almost 3 Million cases reported by Jan 19 and half a million additional in just one week. At the time of the report deaths were approaching 300. I'm not downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 but the only difference in scale (the flu was worse) is mostly in the response to the outbreak.

    With this kind of logic don't you think it's strange that the country didn't go into quarantine in January? The Northern part of Italy is now begging the government to shut down public transportation and all shops and stores that are non-essential. I've seen doctors and nurses crying on TV and begging people to stay home and follow government guidelines. If you feel better believing that this is just a flu then good for you.

    For people that want to slow the progression of the virus: no non-essential travel (yes, cancel those vacations), stay away from crowded places, if you go out, wash your hands as soon as you enter your home, keep a distance when meeting and greeting people, avoid touching people, be sensible, do what you need to and look around and see if you can help elderly or infirm by shopping for them and keeping in touch by phone so they don't feel abandoned.

    This will pass, but please don't tell people that it's "just the flu" and go about business as usual. I've seen what happens when you do that. Stay safe people.

    It's not "just the flu," however I am concerned the responses are promoting panic over preparedness.

    In the US this so far this flu season:
    • 34 million illnesses
    • 350,000 hospitalizations
    • 20,000 deaths

    Realistically, we should (all) exercise more caution during flu season. And if this is how we get there, I am happy for the increased awareness of how easily viruses can be passed. However, where we should be promoting calm and rationality, as well as respect for our more vulnerable citizens, I instead see panic. Such as the doctors and nurses crying on TV mentioned above. How does health officials panic-sobbing help keep citizens calm and following procedures meant to help keep everyone safe? It seems akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater instead of asking folks to get up and quickly proceed to the nearest exit.

    You don't know the Italians. They are not used to pulling together as a people for various historical reasons that I won't go into here. They are however, extremely generous and loving. If you can persuade them that there is great suffering they will do whatever they can to help. I am seeing them working together now as never before. They are seriously going to stop this. I hope my fellow Americans will do the same. If buying hoards of TP will get them moving in the right direction--so be it.

    Putting others into a position of being unable to secure sanitary items, actually worsens a situation instead of, bettering it.

    Isn't that what I said?
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited March 2020
    Hollis100 wrote: »
    I went into a Walmart yesterday. People had stripped the aisle with paper goods -- toilet paper and paper towels -- so the shelves were empty from the floor to the ceiling. Unbelievable. After I left, I wished I'd taken a photo.

    I also saw a man a few days ago buying 18 containers of Clorox wipes. One man. He's either hoarding it or reselling it on Craigslist or Amazon. Absolutely selfish either way.

    I don't know if this might help or not, but Thrive Market still had toilet paper yesterday. You could also buy direct from Georgia Pacific (they had an add on Facebook with free shipping). If you can find bleach online, and paper towels, use that. Tea Tree Oil is also a great, natural antiseptic, though I'm not sure how well it works with this virus. There is a massage supply company that had gallons of hand sanitizer available last week. Bulkapothecary.com I think. They said they have production lines open 24/7 right now to try to keep up with demand. But don't hoard. Get enough for you and your family for a few weeks. That's it. I had to get more TP and it's no where to be found in town, so desparate times require...
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
    Hollis100 wrote: »
    I went into a Walmart yesterday. People had stripped the aisle with paper goods -- toilet paper and paper towels -- so the shelves were empty from the floor to the ceiling. Unbelievable. After I left, I wished I'd taken a photo.

    I also saw a man a few days ago buying 18 containers of Clorox wipes. One man. He's either hoarding it or reselling it on Craigslist or Amazon. Absolutely selfish either way.

    I don't know if this might help or not, but Thrive Market still had toilet paper yesterday. You could also buy direct from Georgia Pacific (they had an add on Facebook with free shipping). If you can find bleach online, and paper towels, use that. Tea Tree Oil is also a great, natural antiseptic, though I'm not sure how well it works with this virus. There is a massage supply company that had gallons of hand sanitizer available last week. Bulkapothecary.com I think. They said they have production lines open 24/7 right now to try to keep up with demand. But don't hoard. Get enough for you and your family for a few weeks. That's it. I had to get more TP and it's no where to be found in town, so desparate times require...

    Thanks for the info. I live in a tiny tourist town with a Walmart, two grocery stores, and two drugstores.

    Toilet paper frenzy: people are asking the Walmart when their supply trucks will arrive so they can be there when the pallets are taken off the truck and the supplies go on the shelves.

    You can also order their stuff online and pick it up in the store the next day, unless the website says they're out (meaning their warehouse is out) -- I haven't tried online ordering. I'm okay with supplies myself, but wonder about the future since people are panicking and stripping the shelves.

    Hand sanitizer: None in town. The type of alcohol you can find in pharmacies is also gone from the shelves. People are making their own hand sanitizer from alcohol and aloe vera. I believe washing your hands with hot soapy water is just as good -- but not for cleaning surfaces.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    Is it true that the virus stays up in the air for a while before it falls? If so, should we be spraying stuff in the air to kill it? Fabreeze that kills germs?

    Because I have a man at my house fixing my stove and he keeps coughing, should I be doing anything?

    Yes it is. Up to 3 hours. I don't know what could be done. Do you have a range hood?
    https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    Is it true that the virus stays up in the air for a while before it falls? If so, should we be spraying stuff in the air to kill it? Fabreeze that kills germs?

    Because I have a man at my house fixing my stove and he keeps coughing, should I be doing anything?

    Yes it is. Up to 3 hours. I don't know what could be done. Do you have a range hood?
    https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1

    Yes I do
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Hollis100 wrote: »
    I went into a Walmart yesterday. People had stripped the aisle with paper goods -- toilet paper and paper towels -- so the shelves were empty from the floor to the ceiling. Unbelievable. After I left, I wished I'd taken a photo.

    I also saw a man a few days ago buying 18 containers of Clorox wipes. One man. He's either hoarding it or reselling it on Craigslist or Amazon. Absolutely selfish either way.

    The Krogers near me have had signs posted since last week that they were limiting purchases of paper goods, anti-bacterial wipes, etc to 5 per customer. That wouldn't prevent someone from making multiple trips to get as much as they could, however.

    Make them get it like cold medicine. Just a thought. They should do that soon. Where they can track how much you're getting to prevent hoarding and reselling for huge profits.
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
    I'm not downplaying the coronavirus at all. It's serious and deadly for some people. The thing that gets me, though, is comparing the reaction of people to Covid-19 -- stripping the shelves in stores and closing gatherings and schools -- comparing this reaction to the way people react to the flu.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-numberthe-flu-has-hit-at-least-22-million-people-in-the-us-so-far/2020/02/14/3a83c0cc-4e7f-11ea-b721-9f4cdc90bc1c_story.html

    I live in the United States. According to this article, written in mid-February, the flu infected between 22 million to 31 million in the USA this past flu season, and killed at least 12,000 as of Feb. 7. I don't have figures to mid-March. We're advised to get a flu shot. Elderly people are advised to avoid big gatherings where they could get sick. Basically, though, I hear almost nothing about the flu. Why the extreme panic now when we don't panic over flu?
  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
    Hollis100 wrote: »
    I'm not downplaying the coronavirus at all. It's serious and deadly for some people. The thing that gets me, though, is comparing the reaction of people to Covid-19 -- stripping the shelves in stores and closing gatherings and schools -- comparing this reaction to the way people react to the flu.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-numberthe-flu-has-hit-at-least-22-million-people-in-the-us-so-far/2020/02/14/3a83c0cc-4e7f-11ea-b721-9f4cdc90bc1c_story.html

    I live in the United States. According to this article, written in mid-February, the flu infected between 22 million to 31 million in the USA this past flu season, and killed at least 12,000 as of Feb. 7. I don't have figures to mid-March. We're advised to get a flu shot. Elderly people are advised to avoid big gatherings where they could get sick. Basically, though, I hear almost nothing about the flu. Why the extreme panic now when we don't panic over flu?

    Because we have herd immunity for the flu. We have flu immunizations. We are geared for the flu (the medical system) - but just barely.

    We don't want 100,000 new cases of the "flu" AKA Covid all at one time. That would overwhelm the system. We have to slowly build herd immunity - not 2 million cases in a month.

    Have you been reading this thread at all?? Go back to yesterday's posts.

    Thanks for your insight -- that makes sense. No need to snipe at me. I have not read the thread until today -- I checked in for the first time because of my experience in a store. Some of us have limited time. I shouldn't be on the internet now.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited March 2020
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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    School is still in session today but spring break is next week and I think they're thinking of just having virtual school after that, although it hasn't been announced yet in my district. Stores are being wiped completely clean of all paper products, clorox wipes, bleach etc. It's pretty *kitten*. Let's just share guys... I was legitimately running out of toilet paper at my house lol. I have to work still, I'm in a small office but so many people have been sick over the last couple weeks including me (not corona that I'm aware of?? No one is getting tested for that here!) I don't like sending my kids to daycare but what is there for me to do

    Here in Italy, when all schools and universities were closed, the government set up a voucher system to pay for babysitters for people that have no other option. Hopefully your government will do the same.