Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

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TomCat96
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Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?

Edited:
Additional things I am doing.
-Moving up doctors appointments and lab tests. I tend to procrastinate on my checkups anyways.
-Picking up extra HEPA air filters.
Last edited by TomCat96 on Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
runner3081
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by runner3081 »

Nothing different. Continuing to have diligence with washing hands, etc.
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TomCat96
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

Last time a hurricane was set to hit my area, one thing I could not find anywhere was distilled water. I use it for a variety of reasons including for use in my air humidifiers.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by cheese_breath »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm 1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
[OT comment removed by admin LadyGeek]

Seriously though, a virus is different than a hurricane. I just try to avoid places where it's known to be, keep clean, get vaccinated if they develop a vaccine, and trust in the Lord. When it's my time, it's my time.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
H-Town
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by H-Town »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
We already have hurricane prep kit. I guess that's more than enough?

As other poster already said: wash your hand. I would add that the best medicine is being healthy: eat right, exercise, and meditate.
Time is the ultimate currency.
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TomCat96
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

cheese_breath wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 2:48 pm
TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm 1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
[OT comment removed by admin LadyGeek]

Seriously though, a virus is different than a hurricane. I just try to avoid places where it's known to be, keep clean, get vaccinated if they develop a vaccine, and trust in the Lord. When it's my time, it's my time.
Well I think your odds of getting infected are incredibly low. But your odds of being inconvenienced by the secondary effects of the virus are substantially higher. This is really about what you can do to avoid being inconvenienced by those secondary effects.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by jayk238 »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?

Stocking up on masks when there is a mask shortage,
Is, ironically probably going to increase the risk of spreading the virus when people who need it cant get it.

Did you get the flu shot? Because you are more likely to die from it - heuristic bias,

Worrying about quarantines when 13 people have it in a country of 300 million here is a lot.

The death toll from the h1n1 was far more.
The number of people infected compared with deaths is a lot better than h1n1.

I wouldnt worry about it. I wouldnt buy masks. And im a front line professional in healthcare.
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lthenderson
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by lthenderson »

jayk238 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:06 pm Did you get the flu shot? Because you are more likely to die from it - heuristic bias,

I wouldnt worry about it. I wouldnt buy masks. And im a front line professional in healthcare.
+1

1100+ people have died from the coronavirus this year. 100,000 people have died from cancer in the same time frame. Perhaps you should ask what you are doing to prevent yourself from getting cancer.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by jebmke »

Nothing.

Got my flu shot and first round of pneumonia vaccine in the early fall.

Flu is more likely that Corona.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by Caduceus »

I am researching places that might have discounted airfares and hotels from all the coronavirus paranoia so that I can fly there at cheaper prices.
KlangFool
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by KlangFool »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
TomCat96,

I have enough supplies to quarantine myself and my family for up to 1 month if necessary. This is my normal preparation. I just buy more water to complete the supplies.

<<1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.>>

It is available from Amazon. I got it last week.

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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by corysold »

I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.

My kids daycare and the local Catholic school were both closed for a few days this week because so many kids had the flu. I don't know what the percentage was, but I suppose it had to be in the 30's at least to close a school. I'm not even sure the news made the local paper.

So I'm preparing for the coronavirus like I prepare for a flu outbreak. Wash my hands and try not to get too much of my kids snot on me.

Ok, so that's not totally true. I'm also taking a walk into the woods by my house. Hopefully if I get the coronavirus, I can at least have Lyme disease with it to make it more palatable.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by FlyAF »

This thread has inspired me to stock up the beer fridge after work. The thought of being quarantined in my house for 2 weeks and running out of hooch is too much to chance it.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by gac1979 »

corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.

My kids daycare and the local Catholic school were both closed for a few days this week because so many kids had the flu. I don't know what the percentage was, but I suppose it had to be in the 30's at least to close a school. I'm not even sure the news made the local paper.

So I'm preparing for the coronavirus like I prepare for a flu outbreak. Wash my hands and try not to get too much of my kids snot on me.
Death rate of the seasonal flu is about 0.1 percent. Death rate of novel coronavirus is 20 times higher (approximately 2 percent). So IF it becomes widespread, then it is much different than the “regular” flu.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by nisiprius »

At this point I don't think there's anything meaningful I can do individually.

I plan to follow the recommendations of authorities. If/when a vaccine is developed, I'll follow CDC recommendations, and to the extent that I have a choice I'll lean toward getting it. But if there isn't enough to go around I'm not going to trample anyone under my feet to get it.

The authorities say that hand washing is much more important than wearing a mask, and that thorough washing with soap is much more effective than hand sanitizer. I'll try to wash my hands more.

I admit that if I see regular cheap disposable masks in stock at the local pharmacy so that all I need to do is grab them on my way to the prescription counter, I'll probably pick up a pack so that we'll have them if authorities tell people to wear them, but it's probably too late for that.

Many, many years ago I would refrain from shaking hands with people when I had a cold, but that is so impolite and it sort of half-freaked people out... and it's downright insulting to refuse somebody else's hand if they offer it. I kind of wish the authorities would conduct a serious campaign to convince people to stop doing it, but I'm not ready to fight centuries of human tradition on my own.
Last edited by nisiprius on Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by Ramjet »

FlyAF wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:48 pm This thread has inspired me to stock up the beer fridge after work. The thought of being quarantined in my house for 2 weeks and running out of hooch is too much to chance it.
Similarly, my wife just snagged me a bottle of Elmer T. Lee whiskey, so I'm all set
She got it on a work trip to Dallas, it's damn near impossible to find in Ohio :sharebeer
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

I think the best way to describe what I want to convey with this thread is this:

Let E be some event where people panic sufficiently to render your local supermarkets empty, inconveniencing you at least temporarily. Beer and Alcohol are depleted. Jugs of Fresh water depleted. Produce possibly depleted. Milk and Eggs depleted.

E might be triggered by for example notice of an incoming hurricane.


I don't have to actually get the Coronavirus to experience such depletion. So that's the wrong metric to use. Completely the wrong metric really. It's like preparing for a hurricane iff the hurricane hits you.

I believe if there are 100 people infected with Coronavirus in my state, that would be sufficient to trigger E around me.

For comparison, theres plenty of twitter feed showing Supermarkets in Hong Kong empty and/or with extremely long lines.
That's the last thing I would like to experience. Hong Kong has a population of 7.4 million. Yet only 50 cases are confirmed!

And that's my point. The question is really not about getting Coronavirus vs the Flu. It's about preparing for secondary effects.
Last edited by TomCat96 on Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Coronations (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by cheese_breath »

For those of us who lived through the early days of the U.S. AIDS epidemic, the current national panic over Ebola brings back some very bad memories. The toxic mix of scientific ignorance and paranoia on display in the reaction to the return of health care workers from the front lines of the fight against Ebola in West Africa, the amplification of these reactions by politicians and the media, and the fear-driven suspicion and shunning of whole classes of people are all reminiscent of the response to the emergence of AIDS in the 1980s.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE , December 18, 2014 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1413425

And now it's Coronavirus. I don't remember my refrigerator being empty during the previous panics.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by corysold »

gac1979 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:49 pm
corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.

My kids daycare and the local Catholic school were both closed for a few days this week because so many kids had the flu. I don't know what the percentage was, but I suppose it had to be in the 30's at least to close a school. I'm not even sure the news made the local paper.

So I'm preparing for the coronavirus like I prepare for a flu outbreak. Wash my hands and try not to get too much of my kids snot on me.
Death rate of the seasonal flu is about 0.1 percent. Death rate of novel coronavirus is 20 times higher (approximately 2 percent). So IF it becomes widespread, then it is much different than the “regular” flu.
I'd say not totally true.

Death rate in the province where it started is around 4.1% according to latest numbers.

But it is only .16% in the rest of China.

Of the 520 cases outside of China, there have been two confirmed deaths, .38%.

These numbers could certainly change, but I'd guess that there were a whole lot of people infected that never were counted as this started in the original province.

The numbers could be close to 2-3% in the end as you suggest. But data outside of China is showing those could also be high.
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TomCat96
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.
You should prepare for this differently than a flu outbreak. And you should prepare for this differently for reasons that have nothing to do with the virulence of the virus.

Let's say you walk around thinking, the virus is no worse than the flu, I don't have to change a thing about my life because the odds are incredibly low I will get it.

I'm not challenging your low odds of contracting the virus.

But tell just tell your thinking to this poor British gentleman stuck on a cruise because he is in quarantine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO5WxVF8Ddc

This man does not have Coronavirus. So, your analysis still holds (low odds of contraction, low virulence) His odds of getting the virus are low. And he still doesn't have the virus!

But there he is stuck in quarantine. I doubt he can extricate himself from his situation by telling health official its no worse than the flu.

Frankly, if I were stuck in quarantine that long I would probably be fired from my job.

To properly engage threats to your life convenience, the issue comes not from the threat itself, but from the reactions of others. Therefore your proper response should not be based on the merits of the threat itself directly, but by the secondary effects which is in turn based on the responses of others.

You're not reacting to the threat, you're reacting to how others will likely react to the threat and preempting that.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by corysold »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:30 pm
corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.
You should prepare for this differently than a flu outbreak. And you should prepare for this differently for reasons that have nothing to do with the virulence of the virus.

Let's say you walk around thinking, the virus is no worse than the flu, I don't have to change a thing about my life because the odds are incredibly low I will get it.

I'm not challenging your low odds of contracting the virus.

But tell just tell your thinking to this poor British gentleman stuck on a cruise because he is in quarantine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO5WxVF8Ddc

This man does not have Coronavirus. So, your analysis still holds (low odds of contraction, low virulence) His odds of getting the virus are low. And he still doesn't have the virus!

But there he is stuck in quarantine. I doubt he can extricate himself from his situation by telling health official its no worse than the flu.

Frankly, if I were stuck in quarantine that long I would probably be fired from my job.

To properly engage threats to your life convenience, the issue comes not from the threat itself, but from the reactions of others. Therefore your proper response should not be based on the merits of the threat itself directly, but by the secondary effects which is in turn based on the responses of others.

You're not reacting to the threat, you're reacting to how others will likely react to the threat and preempting that.
Fair enough. I guess it just needs to get a whole lot worse before I think the issues of bread off the shelves kicks in. There are two cases of the virus 17 miles from my house and as far as I can tell, nothing has changed in my area.

I guess I would stock up on food in the event those cases started to spread, I just wonder what the number of local cases would have to be before that happens.

Of course some people got unlucky being on the wrong cruise ship at the wrong time and I'd probably cancel a cruise right now if I had one scheduled, just in case.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by quantAndHold »

I eat right, exercise, wash my hands, and continue to pay my health insurance premiums. Pretty much the same thing I would do without the threat of a pandemic hovering over the world. I can't predict whether or not people will panic or I will get quarantined in an elevator with 50 infected bats. So I don't worry about it.

I have several months of foreign travel planned starting later this spring. I accept the fact that the coronavirus, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, might disrupt my plans. I have travel medical and trip evacuation insurance. Beyond that, I have a flexible attitude and a sense of adventure. I don't see any reason to spend a bunch of time on what if scenarios. It isn't productive.
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TomCat96
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:37 pm
TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:30 pm
corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I guess I just don't see how this is different than a flu outbreak, which happens all of the time and no one makes special precautions.
You should prepare for this differently than a flu outbreak. And you should prepare for this differently for reasons that have nothing to do with the virulence of the virus.

Let's say you walk around thinking, the virus is no worse than the flu, I don't have to change a thing about my life because the odds are incredibly low I will get it.

I'm not challenging your low odds of contracting the virus.

But tell just tell your thinking to this poor British gentleman stuck on a cruise because he is in quarantine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO5WxVF8Ddc

This man does not have Coronavirus. So, your analysis still holds (low odds of contraction, low virulence) His odds of getting the virus are low. And he still doesn't have the virus!

But there he is stuck in quarantine. I doubt he can extricate himself from his situation by telling health official its no worse than the flu.

Frankly, if I were stuck in quarantine that long I would probably be fired from my job.

To properly engage threats to your life convenience, the issue comes not from the threat itself, but from the reactions of others. Therefore your proper response should not be based on the merits of the threat itself directly, but by the secondary effects which is in turn based on the responses of others.

You're not reacting to the threat, you're reacting to how others will likely react to the threat and preempting that.
Fair enough. I guess it just needs to get a whole lot worse before I think the issues of bread off the shelves kicks in. There are two cases of the virus 17 miles from my house and as far as I can tell, nothing has changed in my area.

I guess I would stock up on food in the event those cases started to spread, I just wonder what the number of local cases would have to be before that happens.

Of course some people got unlucky being on the wrong cruise ship at the wrong time and I'd probably cancel a cruise right now if I had one scheduled, just in case.
Just another data point.
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/what-h ... rona-chaos

Long story short. Company of 200 people reopened in China today. One person was found to have the virus. Now all 200 of them can't go home.

Not saying that we're anywhere close to that outside of China, unless you're touring on a cruise ship at the moment.

But I see this as yet another instance of how one can be inconvenienced, and greatly so, without actually contracting the virus.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by likegarden »

We are doing nothing different. I read that 35,000 people die every year in the US by the flu. We get flu shots. My wife and I are over 70 and had many flues, which recently are also coronavirus. So, as long as not many people have contracted this new virus in the US, we can continue to live as before.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by LoveTheBogle »

nisiprius wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:50 pm Many, many years ago I would refrain from shaking hands with people when I had a cold, but that is so impolite and it sort of half-freaked people out... and it's downright insulting to refuse somebody else's hand if they offer it. I kind of wish the authorities would conduct a serious campaign to convince people to stop doing it, but I'm not ready to fight centuries of human tradition on my own.
I frequently just fist bump people during flu season. Some people find it weird but I don’t care. I would rather someone think I am a little strange than potentially spend an evening vomiting.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by madpunster »

FlyAF wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:48 pm This thread has inspired me to stock up the beer fridge after work. The thought of being quarantined in my house for 2 weeks and running out of hooch is too much to chance it.
let me guess, Coronas?
:beer
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by jayk238 »

KlangFool wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:42 pm
TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
TomCat96,

I have enough supplies to quarantine myself and my family for up to 1 month if necessary. This is my normal preparation. I just buy more water to complete the supplies.

<<1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.>>

It is available from Amazon. I got it last week.

KlangFool
There is no need to stock up on n95. If you had them already thats one thing.

There is a shortage of masks. Leave it to those who need it.

By the time you need it you wont know, wont use it, and it would be too late.

Supply chains are taxed already.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by bob60014 »

I don't understand the panic peddling that is occurring. Common sense is more important than stocking up, which makes no sense whatsoever, especially regarding the masks. Wash your hands frequently, do not shake hands with others and cover your mouth when coughing. All basic stuff.
oxothuk
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by oxothuk »

quantAndHold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:41 pm I have several months of foreign travel planned starting later this spring. I accept the fact that the coronavirus, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, might disrupt my plans. I have travel medical and trip evacuation insurance.
I too have medical evacuation insurance (MedJet), but they have already suspended coverage in China. If the pandemic spreads widely, this could extend to other areas as well.
Dregob
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by Dregob »

Get a flu shot. No not for Corona virus, for Influenza A!
People are notoriously bad about risk assessment.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by quantAndHold »

oxothuk wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:02 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:41 pm I have several months of foreign travel planned starting later this spring. I accept the fact that the coronavirus, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, might disrupt my plans. I have travel medical and trip evacuation insurance.
I too have medical evacuation insurance (MedJet), but they have already suspended coverage in China. If the pandemic spreads widely, this could extend to other areas as well.
I'm going to mostly be in Europe. If something happened, I would be okay with being treated locally if necessary.
surfstar
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by surfstar »

Doing nothing.

We're not preppers. I guess preppers gotta prep?

As we say "stay the course".
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Blueskies123
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by Blueskies123 »

If you want information by a qualified medical expert, be sure to check this guy's Youtube update each morning. No hype, only science-based information from reputable sources.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v16llL6YspY
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging
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ResearchMed
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by ResearchMed »

LoveTheBogle wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:31 pm
nisiprius wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:50 pm Many, many years ago I would refrain from shaking hands with people when I had a cold, but that is so impolite and it sort of half-freaked people out... and it's downright insulting to refuse somebody else's hand if they offer it. I kind of wish the authorities would conduct a serious campaign to convince people to stop doing it, but I'm not ready to fight centuries of human tradition on my own.
I frequently just fist bump people during flu season. Some people find it weird but I don’t care. I would rather someone think I am a little strange than potentially spend an evening vomiting.
We just just try to avoid shakinng hands recently, and definitely these days.

We smile, mumble some sort of greeting, smile, and add, "... and we don't shake hands these days..."
Everyone - EVERYone - has nodded in a positive way, albeit some were clearly taken a bit by surprise than others.
Some respond with a version of " Oh, good!"

(We are both in fields related to public health, so some/much of this type of thing is not new for us or our colleagues - or our friends.)

RM
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rjbraun
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by rjbraun »

oxothuk wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:02 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:41 pm I have several months of foreign travel planned starting later this spring. I accept the fact that the coronavirus, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, might disrupt my plans. I have travel medical and trip evacuation insurance.
I too have medical evacuation insurance (MedJet), but they have already suspended coverage in China. If the pandemic spreads widely, this could extend to other areas as well.
How does that work? I am asking out of general interest -- not because of immediate concerns about coronavirus or any particular travel plans.

Do you mean that MetJet isn't writing new policies at this time for coverage in China? But if one bought a policy, before news of the coronavirus outbreak, for travel to China in, say, October 2020 would MetJet still honor the policy (assuming flights resume, etc. and one could get themselves to China for said trip)?
mnsportsgeek
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by mnsportsgeek »

I washed my hands today I think.
camden
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by camden »

FlyAF wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:48 pm This thread has inspired me to stock up the beer fridge after work. The thought of being quarantined in my house for 2 weeks and running out of hooch is too much to chance it.
FlyAF, you and I would get along just fine........
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celia
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by celia »

We aren't doing anything different than usual. We're already prepared for earthquakes and rain storms.

But, we are retired and don't go very many places other than our usual. And when we do, there aren't as many people, because we go in "off" hours.
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Watty
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by Watty »

About the only thing that can realistically be prepared for would be to be able to hunker down in a quarantine.

Several years ago I bought a 30 day emergency food supply from Costco that is in a five gallon plastic bucket. At the same time I also bought two water filters as part of my normal emergency kit.

I have also made sure my pantry is fully stocked with my normal supplies and I have bought maybe $100 of extra food that will keep for a long time that I can eventually use or I can donate it to a food pantry when this blows over.

In addition to normal food I also bought a Costco pack of their version of powdered Pedialyte and Ensure to help get through us get through any fever, especially my grandkids.

I also bought a new thermometer.

I already had a good supply of aspirin and Tylenol to help with a fever. We also already had a good supply of TP that we had bought on sale earlier this year.

I have a propane BBQ with a side burner that I can use in an emergency. I also have a full spare propane tank but this is something I normally have just so that I do not run out of propane while I have something on the grill.

corysold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:45 pm I just buy more water to complete the supplies.
Just FYI, You likely have a 50 gallon supply of emergency water in your home.

Your water heater.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by ResearchMed »

rjbraun wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:37 pm
oxothuk wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:02 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:41 pm I have several months of foreign travel planned starting later this spring. I accept the fact that the coronavirus, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet, might disrupt my plans. I have travel medical and trip evacuation insurance.
I too have medical evacuation insurance (MedJet), but they have already suspended coverage in China. If the pandemic spreads widely, this could extend to other areas as well.
How does that work? I am asking out of general interest -- not because of immediate concerns about coronavirus or any particular travel plans.

Do you mean that MetJet isn't writing new policies at this time for coverage in China? But if one bought a policy, before news of the coronavirus outbreak, for travel to China in, say, October 2020 would MetJet still honor the policy (assuming flights resume, etc. and one could get themselves to China for said trip)?
Email from MedJetAssist:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDJET SERVICES ALERT
As of 2/5/2020
Dear Medjet Member,

Please be aware that due to restrictions resulting from the Coronavirus, we regret that MedjetAssist and MedjetHorizon services must be suspended in the following countries:
China
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Macau
New information and increasing flight restrictions continue to be disseminated from the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. State Department. Due to this, Medjet services to additional countries may become restricted in the future.

Thank you for your understanding.

More information on the Coronavirus and official updates on areas affected can be found below:
http://go.pardot.com/e/130221/navirus-2 ... fJ-1DpvLLo

If you are currently in a restricted or partially restricted area, the State Department contact for emergency assistance is linked below:
coronavirusemergencyUSC@state.gov

Continued updates on Medjet services and any additional restrictions are available on our website. Click the link on our homepage....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RM
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by supersharpie »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
Nothing. We aren’t preppers. We do have enough booze and snack food to stave off starvation for a month+ if shit hits the fan though, but that is a coincidence :-)
manuvns
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by manuvns »

i am planning to buy cheap flight tickets due to scare .
Thanks!
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by JediMisty »

TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?
The masks are pretty much useless. The virus can be breathed and sneezed right through it. There is a non-zero risk of being short on supplies as a consequence of a quarantine. To your supplies, perhaps add canned soups, and load up on bottled water and Gatorade. Also paper plates and plastic forks, spoons and knives. These items are to aid you in looking after a household member who has the virus. In a pandemic, there will be almost no medical care available. Also, make sure you have disposable gloves and a thermometer that has those little plastic covers. Minimizing contact while offering fluids and food to an infected person is a good strategy. While not as deadly as Ebola, I would treat the waste from persons infected as medical waste. Double bag and avoid touching. Keep elderly and kids from the infected person. Meanwhile, over 12k people have died from the common flu this season. So wash your hands a lot and don't share towels.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by yangtui »

I am not doing anything. Why would I? Actually, I should probably setup some sort of website that sells things to people that are overreacting to it at a steep markup. Maybe buy some targeted Facebook ads or something to boost traffic. :moneybag :moneybag :moneybag

On a more serious note, if you are in China it is a big deal. Since I do not live in China it is not a big deal. I do feel bad for my friends there though.
Last edited by yangtui on Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by crazygrow »

This is a really hard thing to try to plan for as seen by the back and forth in this thread. Really, there hasn't been a major pandemic in the last many years due to the advent of modern medicine and modern understanding of germs, etc. So really no one knows what will go down (although I love watching post-apocalyptic shows just to see the different ways they portray people reacting to a full-on world-ending event). :)

A friend of mine who worked at the CDC during med school basically said, if anything, you'll end up in quarantine at home if things get bad. He also said that the belief in infectious disease circles is that there are hundreds of thousands of cases in China, just most people are either not sick enough to seek treatment or not able to get tested (remember most of China is fairly second/third world). So that may be good news, in that it isn't as deadly as it is seeming or it could be a bad thing if we are also unaware of a lot of deaths happening that aren't being reported.

For my family of 8, we are going by the deep pantry/deep freezer concept - just making sure we are well stocked with the basics in the pantry and the freezer. We also have some long-term emergency preparedness storage if it really got bad.
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by dekecarver »

jayk238 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:06 pm
TomCat96 wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:56 pm We have a number of threads on Coronavirus, but I want this one to specifically focus on consumer issues and how you are preparing.

The way I see it, risk of infection is not the same as risk of quarantine; or to put things even more broadly, risk of weathering the effects of quarantine. I do not need to be exposed to be quarantined, I don't even need to be around people who are exposed. All that need happen is that I be around people who are suspected of being exposed.

In the same vein, one does not need to be hit by a hurricane to weather shortages in supplies.

My prep so far:

1. Stocking up on disposable N95 masks. Easier said than done.
2. Stocking up on all non-perishable consumables. (Lotion, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, etc)
3. Stocking up on long lasting consumables. Rice, Oatmeal, water, cereal, peanut butter, wine, dried meats, oil & spices, beans.


What if anything are you doing to prepare?

Stocking up on masks when there is a mask shortage,
Is, ironically probably going to increase the risk of spreading the virus when people who need it cant get it.

Did you get the flu shot? Because you are more likely to die from it - heuristic bias,

Worrying about quarantines when 13 people have it in a country of 300 million here is a lot.

The death toll from the h1n1 was far more.
The number of people infected compared with deaths is a lot better than h1n1.

I wouldnt worry about it. I wouldnt buy masks. And im a front line professional in healthcare.
Thank you for your post. I am front line also.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by ResearchMed »

yangtui wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:33 pm I am not doing anything. Why would I? Actually, I should probably setup some sort of website that sells things to people that are overreacting to it at a steep markup. Maybe buy some targeted Facebook ads or something to boost traffic. :moneybag :moneybag :moneybag

On a more serious note, if you are in China it is a big deal. Since I do not live in China it is not a big deal. I do feel bad for my friends there though.
At the local Home Depot, there is some guy who shows up very early most days, and if any masks show up (of any type), he buys them *all*, and he told the clerk that he's re-selling them on eBay. We suspect he isn't alone.

RM
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TomCat96
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by TomCat96 »

crazygrow wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:34 pm This is a really hard thing to try to plan for as seen by the back and forth in this thread. Really, there hasn't been a major pandemic in the last many years due to the advent of modern medicine and modern understanding of germs, etc. So really no one knows what will go down (although I love watching post-apocalyptic shows just to see the different ways they portray people reacting to a full-on world-ending event). :)

A friend of mine who worked at the CDC during med school basically said, if anything, you'll end up in quarantine at home if things get bad. He also said that the belief in infectious disease circles is that there are hundreds of thousands of cases in China, just most people are either not sick enough to seek treatment or not able to get tested (remember most of China is fairly second/third world). So that may be good news, in that it isn't as deadly as it is seeming or it could be a bad thing if we are also unaware of a lot of deaths happening that aren't being reported.

For my family of 8, we are going by the deep pantry/deep freezer concept - just making sure we are well stocked with the basics in the pantry and the freezer. We also have some long-term emergency preparedness storage if it really got bad.
Twitter feeds with video recorded from china, hongkong, singapore show empty supermarkets.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ing-spikes

The actual virulence of Coronavirus as far as I'm concerned may as well be a red herring.

There are those who seem to feel that there is nothing to worry about, and that the result should be no additional preparation.
But I strongly disagree. One can stock up on additional supplies they would otherwise use without any detriment to themselves. What does it cost you?

The worst time to prepare is when the threat has actually manifested itself--when the case to do so has been made. At that point you are not one step ahead of the crowd, you are with the crowd figuratively and literally. Literally in the sense that you may find yourself waiting in long lines at the supermarket.

The best time to prepare is when people think you're being unreasonable. At least then you're not fighting the crowds to pick up supplies. The risk if of course you have stocked up unduly. Which is why I say I'm only picking up supplies I know I will actually consume.

As you wrote, as watty wrote, the most likely scenario is you end up hunkered down at home for bit, with a restricted ability to procure additional supplies.
stoptothink
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by stoptothink »

ResearchMed wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:42 pm
yangtui wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:33 pm I am not doing anything. Why would I? Actually, I should probably setup some sort of website that sells things to people that are overreacting to it at a steep markup. Maybe buy some targeted Facebook ads or something to boost traffic. :moneybag :moneybag :moneybag

On a more serious note, if you are in China it is a big deal. Since I do not live in China it is not a big deal. I do feel bad for my friends there though.
At the local Home Depot, there is some guy who shows up very early most days, and if any masks show up (of any type), he buys them *all*, and he told the clerk that he's re-selling them on eBay. We suspect he isn't alone.

RM
My employer makes hand sanitizer, it is one of our worst selling products. We've sold out in almost every single market in the last month due to people buying it buy the case and selling it on Amazon/Ebay at a huge markup.
CalcHP12c
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Re: Coronavirus (Consumer Issues) How you are preparing?

Post by CalcHP12c »

Never been a preppier before, bud admittedly refilling medications and toilet paper. Will probably buy some pantry staples too. I usually keep our cupboards fairly bare, and I’m less comfortable with that now.
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