COVID-19 in the news
COVID-19 is all over the news, although no case has yet been diagnosed in Quebec. Media are following Quebecers who have been infected abroad and telling about schools that are cancelling planned trips.
It can be difficult to distinguish fact from paranoia, but whatever else is said, COVID-19 is evidently very contagious, and it seems only a matter of time before it lands here. I’ve never remotely been a prepper, but it’s crossing my mind to make sure I have two weeks’ worth of supplies laid in, on the supposition that if an epidemic were to sweep through North America we could be ordered to stay home for a period of time. What do my readers think?
Ephraim 10:02 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
Last I read, the death rate is 5X that of the normal flu. I’m sort of fatalistic about it. Not like there is really much that I can do about it…. other than prepare my finances for this rollercoaster. I don’t understand how anyone couldn’t manage 14 days of food. Sure, nothing fancy, but most people should have a few cans of beans, some rice, frozen protein, oil, etc in the house. Sure, not a salad, but onions, carrots and some frozen veggies should make it manageable.
Kate 10:11 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
My place has a rather old-fashioned kitchen with minimal storage, and a fridge with a typical small freezer. I figured out to rough numbers last night that I’d be OK for a week but pretty scanty for a second, and I have to think about the cat as well. And then there are a few things, like toilet paper, that you also don’t want to run out of. All these things take up storage room if you buy more than you need for the moment (which is why I usually don’t).
Mr.Chinaski 11:31 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
Death rate for the flu is 0.1%, this one is around 2-3%. So it could be 30x bigger. The problem might not be just about that, it would be if everybody gets it *at the same time*. If everybody needs hospitalisation, there just won’t be enough staff/place/help for a lot of people. Then the weaker ones will die at a greater rate.
ex: A hospital only has 20 ventilators. If a hundred people needs them, a lot more people will die because of that. So it’s not just the virus, it’s the complication that will happen if a lot of people get the flu *at the same time*. Which is why precautions must be taken.
John B 11:42 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
We’ve started stocking up a bit on staples, not making a specific emergency store, but trying to have more on hand than we normally do that we’ll cycle through. We’re in a similar kitchen situation, but canned & dry goods like flour & beans can go a long way.
It’s not even a worry that we might all be ordered to stay home, but if you’re exposed, then you’re supposed to self-quarantine, and that could happen to anyone rather unexpectedly, (although depending on their job people will be more or less likely to have it happen).
Rebecca 11:53 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
The biggest thing for us was a run to get refills a bit earlier than necessary. The recommendation is to have 1 week of meds remaining when you refill. We’re making sure we have a buffer of at least 2 weeks now.
Kate 12:44 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
Wish I liked beans. Of course I’d eat them if there was nothing else…
Blork 12:49 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
As long as the water and electricity stays on we could probably last for three months at my place. Food would be boring and repetitive, but at least it would be there. (If there were a full-on zombie apocalypse that could probably be stretched to six months.)
This is mostly thanks to a small freezer I have in the basement, plus an abundance of storage space so I take advantage of sales and Costco runs.
walkerp 13:01 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
From what I have been reading, it sounds like it’s not going to be containable and that quarantines are ultimately ineffective. We will end up with another disease like the flus we all get in the winter, just a new strain. Annoying for the healthy, perhaps deadly for those in certain immune-deficient categories.
Try to resist the media’s tone of fear and apocalypse. This is as usual a complex situation of risk management, not a zombie breakout.
Certain containment measures will be appropriate, but widely banning travel, closing down cities, and hoarding resources are not realistic solutions for an outbreak that lasts years. All of these measures come with risks of their own. Ultimately some pandemic responses will require opening borders, not closing them. At some point the expectation that any area will escape effects of COVID-19 must be abandoned: The disease must be seen as everyone’s problem.
Tee Owe 15:23 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
Agree with Walkerp about not letting ourselves get caught up in media hype here –
As I see it, one issue is how we count. Number of deaths – certainty, you can’t get that wrong.
Number infected – total unreliability, related to different testing methods, lack of testing , etc.
Any underestimation of the number infected results in overestimation of the mortality rate.
Added to which is paranoia about the unknown versus complacency about what we know. I just read some numbers from Ireland – this flu season so far, a few under 3600 infected, and 98 dead. Do the math – that’s about 2.8%. So – are we quarantining visitors from Ireland – no! Because, it’s just the flu.
Kate 15:54 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
True, but everyone has already been exposed to flu, and some of us have had flu shots. COVID-19 is a new thing, so maybe one reason it’s so contagious is because nobody has any acquired immunity. Which is kind of scary.
dmdiem 19:15 on 2020-02-27 Permalink
There’s a good reddit post that breaks down the details.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus/comments/f8k2nj/why_sarscov2_is_not_just_the_flu_with_sources/
walkerp 08:37 on 2020-02-28 Permalink
There’s no immunity to flu either.
I found this video from Business Insider quite helpful as well, debunking a bunch of myths but also giving some good overall perspective on how we as a society should approach an outbreak like this.
Kate 11:07 on 2020-02-28 Permalink
No immunity at all, walkerp, even after a lifetime spent on public transit resisting every damn flu strain in circulation?
Well that sucks.
Ian 21:20 on 2020-02-28 Permalink
You can live off of just rice and lentils pretty much indefinitely. It’s not that nutritious but you won’t die from malnutrition.
Kate 14:03 on 2020-02-29 Permalink
Yup. I’m going to stash some rice, along with maybe lentils and at least some onions and hot sauce and a few other odds and ends. Plus a little extra cat food. These are all things I’ll use eventually anyway – not going to buy Starfleet ration packs.
Speaking of which, I looked on MEC a few days ago for camping food, from curiosity. At that point they had this product in omnivore format. Now they’re down to vegetarian and gluten-free versions. I bet they’re moving like hotcakes.