The coronavirus seems like nature's response to Donald Trump. The fact that it incubated in China shows how far his reach is. And yes, as others have said, we are on our own in the US.
7
The most powerful thing you can do to make things better and safer in this country is vote out the Russian puppet who lives in the White House. November is coming.
29
Would the author of this article consider sharing their list of specific items to stock up on?
29
Our neighborhood Trader Joes was wiped out of canned goods, peanut butter, dry pasta and other dry goods this weekend. Store employees attributed this to people stocking up for the coronavirus. Prep or panic? I live in Cobble Hill Brooklyn.
3
Annalee, you might add to your list that we’re still living in earthquake country and, as the rainy season is effectively over in Northern California, the Fire season is starting earlier than usual this year in a place where the regional bankrupt utility, PG&E, will implement power outages as its first line of defense. It will be interesting to see how Trump negotiates our food supply with Mexico. Will he allow any of it to enter California without an exchange of electoral college votes. And good thing the Central Valley has converted most of its Ag to water intensive almond production for export to Asia.
Me thinks we may need more than a two week survival kit.
7
Italy....Number 2 in the World on quality of health services. Canada 31 and USA 37 in the world.(Un WHO numbers) Thanks to Marco for his reassurances!
4
Regardless of any situation, people should be prepared. What if an EMP was launched at the US? That would be far more severe than this COVID virus.
6
Time the USA superpower took the world lead and knocked up a factory in 10 days, like China built a hospital in ten days. There must be lots of empty buildings in USA that could be made for manufacturing stuff that can't be imported from China because the supply chain has been interrupted by the virus. Treat this virus like a war enemy and globally we can beat this.
Lets get proactive instead of just sitting back watching the sharemarket slide because of lack of confidence in governments. Get to it USA and bring all the troops home and get them involved in organising and setting up these make shift factories to supply your citizens with supplies.
12
My sister is a school nurse who is getting constant updates about the coronavirus. She called me yesterday and listed a number of necessities I should have in the house in case the outbreak worsens. She was not alarming me but wanted me to be prepared. She included hand sanitizer, wet wipes, paper towels, Kleenex, water, soup, crackers, and anything else that would get me through this illness in case it progresses. There was not a hand sanitizer in site as everyone had the same idea. I was told at my supermarket that 60 cases were on order for Tuesday. This put me at ease.
I was supposed to travel to Dubai next week to visit my niece and family but have decided to delay my trip. My niece told me that all the nursery schools have closed and her daughter will miss a few weeks of school and after school activities. The malls are practically empty and people are staying put in their homes.
My concern was being quarantined in Dubai and as lovely as Dubai is I would feel anxious not knowing when I could get back into the states. It is better to be safe than sorry. I am older so I will stay in New York as Dubai will always be there for me to visit. Hopefully this virus will not last forever and people will be able to resume their everyday activities in a normal fashion soon. We are all in this together and must be prepared for whatever happens.
11
Everyone should have a grab and go bag and shelter in place kit. Anyone who needs medication should have a 90 day supply on hand. I get my meds on line (my insurance company insists). They send them out in 90 day size bottles, so it is not difficult to keep a supply on hand. When I get my new order that goes into my grab and go bag, the meds in there then go on the shelf. This is also handy if there is an interruption in the supply chain (many of our drugs or ingredients come from China).
This is not a panic or fear state of mind, such as running out to buy tp when a snow storm is due. It is a be prepared state of mind. As someone who is old and has been through hurricanes, tornadoes, and a number of bad snowstorms there is nothing like sitting back having a nice cup of tea because you know are ok
7
There will be no way to prevent it's spread and there is no need for most people to avoid contracting it. The elderly and weakened should stay away from sick people, and maybe self isolate with the help of friends and family, but other than that, not much can be done. It will run it's course and after it is done we will know how bad it was.
None of the reported numbers from any government can be viewed as reliable. Not that they necessarily are faking the numbers, although that seems likely for authoritarian states like China, Iran and the US, but they probably just don't know the real numbers and never will.
The most likely reason we have only a few cases in the US so far is because they haven't really tested many people. You look at the map of where the viruses are and you have to ask why there are no reported cases in some countries? It is likely that those countries do not test for it, and they likely never will. The virus will run through those countries and never even be quantified.
I'll bet if testing were more wide spread in the US they would see far more cases.
I find it hard to believe that the virus didn't already spread to most of the world before testing even started. One would have to assume China was aware at an early stage, and I just don't think that is true. They likely did nothing until it was undeniable that they had a problem, and then it was too late.
4
Most Americans have life very easy.
So easy, Americans don’t have to lift a finger.
Their parents would yell: Time to get up, dress, eat breakfast, and go to school.
At the last moment, their parents would drag them out of bed, kicking and screaming.
That is us, our vapid country and epitome of all, our President.
Americans are too lazy, and our President didn’t grow up, or ever work an honest 8 hour day.
3
Statistically, for 80% of those infected, the coronavirus will be milder than a typical flu. For another 10-15%, it was just as serious as the flu. Out of the remaining 5%, half will have a serious illness and the other half will die. Although not diminishing the seriousness of it for the latter 5%, these numbers just DO NOT warrant the mass hysteria in the media. In this country, it is coming fro the liberal media trying to pin this on Trump in hopes it sticks. Shame.
4
@Mikhail23
Your statistics are off. Dr. Anthony Fauci of NIH, highly experienced and knowledgeable, and not prone to panic, has reiterated the stats we've learned from the Chinese so far: for 80-85% of people, symptoms of bad cold or miserable flu; 15-20% of people requiring hospitalization; 2-5% fatal.
I don't know about you, but 15-20% requiring hospitalization in a country with only 930,000 hospital beds and 62,000 mechanical ventilators doesn't inspire much confidence. It also takes skilled medical people to care for patients.
That's why epidemiologists, physicians, nurses, scientists, and public health officials have been raising the alarm. Contrary to what MAGAts believe, not everything is about Trump.
44
China, the largest and most powerful country in the world, has been disabled by coronavirus, ruining Trump's stock gains for the last year. No wonder he's so upset about the real media accurately reporting on the situation in a China. So he's inventing his usual pile of lies to divert from the real situation, and here is one of his supporters parroting the lies. Shame.
18
This article's a little overwrought ... The virus is already here and has likely already spread nationwide ... The odds are pretty good that virtually everybody in most urban and exurban areas has either already been exposed or will be so within the next week ... So a mandatory lockdown or quarantine, especially one that's nationwide, is pretty unlikely and actually pretty unrealistic ...
The real crisis that we're facing is the fact that the virus carries with it a 20% hospitalization rate ... We'll need 3 million hospital beds if only 5% of the US population becomes noticeably infected ... The US doesn't even have one million beds in total ...
An utterly overwhelmed healthcare system is the true challenge we face and what we should be preparing to address ... Whether we should be stocking up on ramen and canned tuna at CostCo is kind of beside the point ...
6
WASH YOUR HANDS
Never touch an elevator button with your fingertip-use your knuckle.
Use sani-wipes to clean off knows you must turn in public places.
Start protecting your immune system with pro-biotics (GOOD ONES in your health-food store)
Avoid crowds when feasible
Establish a delivery service with a supermarket although it can't be guaranteed they would deliver if your community is under quarantine)
Have a complete emergency cabinet of respiratory medicines.
Yes, stock up on at least a few month of non-perishable foodstuffs, paper goods, purified water for nasal treatments (never use tap water).
Better safe than sorry, or worse. How sad this is but it's a logical, proactive move to protect your health.
2
@ArtistMarta
Boil and cool tap water for sinus treatment. Once you open the plastic bottle you cannot be certain it is safe.
Buy pet food.
1
Chaucer made very few allusions to contemporary events in his works; we should not assume that the absence of explicit references to the Black Plague imply his attempt to forget it. His first dream vision poem represents an elegy of sorts for Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, who died from the Black Plague. It thus memorializes, rather than ignores, a victim of the plague. His work also engages with Boccaccio's Decameron, the introduction of which portrays the grisly details of the plague in Florence. Whether or not it affects the argument of this article, my point is that Chaucer did not necessarily repress or even willfully disregard this dimension of his reality.
4
Wow, let's just create panic and paranoia then. The tone of this article is very irresponsible. Yes we need to raise awareness about public health, hand washing and being cautious but the coronavirus appears not to be any more deadly than the flu that comes every year to North America. Marco's comment are very welcome.
And this quote:
"Instead of freaking ourselves out with unimaginably dark scenarios, we need to plan for a difficult future every day. Start washing your hands before eating and after riding public transit." Well, you sound like you are freaking out but also I don't know how you were raised but I wash my hands before dinner and after using public transit everyday.
6
@Michael
Death rate from Covid19 is about 2.3% -- that from flu runs about .05 to .1 percent although it can be .2 percent in some years.
4
@Michael
Death rate from Covid19 is about 2.3% -- that from flu runs about .05 to .1 percent although it can be .2 percent in some years.
Death rate seems to be affected by quality of care but it is high in Italy as well as Iran. And if it spreads widely then our accustomed level of quality care in our hospitals may not be available -- lack of personnel, supplies,etc.
2
@Michael
It may have been around the time of SARS (2003), which hit Canada quite hard (focused on the Toronto area) that I started a habit that my husband adopted: as soon as we enter our home, we remove our shoes and head to the bathroom to wash our hands with hot water and soap. This began as a preventive measure against microbes picked up on public transportation. We are so glad we do this without thinking. When events like these crop up, we don't have to learn something new.
I, too, cannot believe the author has to remind people to wash their hands before eating!
5
“Fomites” are inanimate objects that harbor certain viruses & bacteria. Sanitize your cellphones(!), steering wheels, pillowcases & doorknobs.
6
My family members in Japan were surprised about what’s happening here (discussions of emergency preparation with food, etc.) They told me there is no more hand sanitizers and masks to be found anywhere, and some paper supplies are disappearing, but otherwise, life goes on. Perhaps it’s the difference between knowing that your government WILL take care of you if you get sick, and knowing that you’re totally on your own. Our government really sucks.
12
It would be nice if the author shared some tips on how to prepare, as suggested by the title.
9
Ding ding ding.
We have a winner.
1
It has a 2% death rate. I'll take those odds.
you have little choice but to accept those ofda
1
@Sean
Right: seeing as life has a 100% death rate.
1
@Sean
As with so many other risks in life, COVID-19 might not kill you but it could make your life very, very unpleasant.
I'll go with avoiding illness altogether, no matter the *mortality* rate.
1
I wish I found it funny that "smart prepper" advice is just an excuse for more panicking. What's next, common-sense shares in a global warming catastrophe safe haven?
3
We (my family and I here in the UK) did our food prepping already for the possibility of a no-deal brexit, so for now we are ok in that regard.
I've actually been in an apocalyptic mood for a while now. The coronavirus adds to that, but surprisingly (for me) not a great deal.
2
It bears mentioning that the human population has grown by almost 6 billion people in the last 150 years. This type of unchecked growth has resulted in wondrous advances in medicine, technology and engineering. It is also causing global problems on an unprecedented scale. It is during times like these that we are reminded how our societies are built upon a house of cards. There is no way to protect every person in any country.
More people need to have the capacity to understand the idea that the planet is a complex organism.
As a species, the human race is an unchecked infection.
Pandemics that target invasive organisms are no different than vaccines created for people.
Pandemics are nature’s way of dealing with its own infectious diseases. This is why it’s not a matter of if, but when, the next pandemic will occur.
Knowing that our governments are incapable of properly protecting everyone should be a sobering experience. The best that we can do is help contain the outbreaks.
It is everyone’s civic duty to do whatever they can to prevent infection. Each person must take responsibility for observing good hygiene and anti- transmission protocols. Not doing so may cost you or someone you love their life.
4
Hand transmission of microbes is not given enough attention. In many cases it is more of a risk than aerosols. Wash with antiseptic hand gels, and frequently clean banisters, door handles, and other often-touched surfaces with disinfectants.
7
@Howard Winet
Antiseptic hand gels are not a substitute for hand washing. Please stop spreading this garbage around.
Even Purell was fined by the FDA for claiming in their ads that using their product is the same as hand washing. It is not.
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/gojo-industries-inc-599132-01172020
6
We're reenactors. Fur trade (1780s-1840s). We have stores of modern conveniences: TP, basic meds, canned goods, water filtering system, etc. We also have a wood stove, candles, lamp oil, board games, wool blankets, flintlocks and lots of tools so just in case the entire infrastructure collapses, it means we deal with it. I love netflix, hot showers and an ice maker, but even today, that's not the norm for over half the world.
5
I trained as a pharmacist. I understand that pandemics are poorly understood by the general public and by politicians. That is why we have a CDC. Three weeks ago I ordered a hundred cans of soup, several dozen cans of tuna and the same with chicken. Boxes of high protein pastas and enough dried milk for a month. Rice, canned fruits, TP Etc. Several hundred dollars at most. If the world shuts for a month we are ok. If the world goes back to normal, everything will last a couple years. I can donate everything to a food bank in 6 months and restock. My wife scratched her head as I slowly accumulated over the last three weeks. She is not laughing anymore.
366
@MD
Just make sure you have several workable can openers or a couple of P-38s laying around.
21
@MD My wife doesn't believe nothing will happen, but, I'm supposed to have an answer for everything I've stashed.
That answer is now, "I don't know when, where, why, how long or how much. I only know if we need it after the fact, it will be too late."
32
@Mike First time in a long time that I have agreed with a citizen of the Republic of Texas. lol. Viruses do not know party lines. Be well.
36
Just want to point out that on an otherwise very sensible list of precautions, face masks are not something that experts recommend using. They do not prevent the virus. They can help stop it from spreading if an infected person has one on. There is a shortage of face masks globally and they're needed most for the health care workers who are taking care of sick people and at great risk themselves. Encouraging the average person to stock them will increase the hoarding and driving up of prices for them.
556
@Beth
I get your point. Experts are saying papery masks won't help, but as you said, they are needed for health care workers. Really doesn't make sense. Health care workers need far more protection. However, if someone, like the author or her family member gets sick, it might help in preventing the spread of the virus. As one commenter said what we really need is trust that our leaders are providing us with accurate information and advice. I have become quite the skeptic of late. I have utmost faith in Dr. Anthony Fauci, but I thought I detected some verbal editing on TV this AM. I really hope not.
32
If, as you say, wearing a mask doesn’t prevent an un-infected person from exposure to the virus, and only prevents infected people from spreading it, then why do health care workers need masks, and not just patients?
Sounds as though wearing a mask does in fact prevent exposure. Yes? No?
Careful thinking is actually far more important than emphatic talking.
68
@David P I have had the same question. Doesn't make sense.
26
A CVS manager told me most people refill their prescriptions on the last day or the following week. For some, the cost or the rules are the reason, but for many, you can simply ask your doctor for an extra script explaining your rationale. I did, my doctor wrote the script and now I have an extra 90 day supply. As for food, $20 will buy enough rice and beans to keep you alive for a month. You may not like the menu, but you will survive.
6
@Mark
That works for some people, but for others it won't. My husband and I are lucky enough to have excellent health insurance. But even with that, I can't get a 90-day supply of a medication I've been taking for over a year now. A 90-day supply, by the way, is the norm for this medication. But now I can't get it. Our insurance company is balking. So I have less than a 30-day supply.
As long as supply lines are open and deliveries are uninterrupted, I should get my next supply in two weeks. But with things changing by the day, and with this bozo administration in charge, who knows what will happen.
7
Just read the CDC notice from February 25th. It says if you’re sick at home with COVID-19, you should not be in contact with your pets - i.e. no hugging or petting or any physical interaction. This is because it’s a new virus and they don’t know if the disease can be transmitted to animals.
Information like this should be widely disseminated. I am worried about walking my dogs, actually. If both my husband and I are confined to our apartment, we would certainly not want to expose a dog walker to COVID-19!
But of course, this information is not being told to us because - well - because Trump and Pence. Information like this should be broadcast and there should be a call-in number with actual humans to answer questions. This is just the beginning. I fear it’s going to get a lot worse very quickly. And many of our citizens are mighty clueless.
9
Petting your animal is a good way to also make their fur contaminated and a risk for other family members.
4
I have masks and touch screen gloves ordered. I will pick up a box of blue surgical gloves tomorrow. I would order your masks ASAP. I bought mine and then they went up in price $5.00 per mask within the next hour.
I have been trying to put away six weeks worth of non-perishable food for ourselves and our pets. If you want to do this, start now and work on it every day. You cannot do it in one day as you will forget something, like dish soap.
Milk and eggs are a problem. We don't drink much milk, but we will not be able to buy bread. So we have the materials to make biscuits and pancakes. And we need at least milk for that. Signature brand evaporated milk was on sale for a dollar a can and I bought 15 today. This evening, a retired guy from the mild industry said only ultra-pasteurized milk would last for long periods. It is hard to get this at the store, but I ordered a case off of Amazon.
We only have the freezer in our fridge and meat goes bad in there after only two weeks. So we have little fresh meat. Mostly canned meats and fish.
We are self employed and we live in an isolated area. Our plan is to simply shut down and sit tight if it gets bad.
1
Your best protection is living in an isolated area. Masks do not protect. Stockpiling supplies is unnecessary.
Unless you have a compromised immune system covid-19 is no worse that a regular flu. (I was at the hospital in Washington State when the first U.S. death occurred. Sadly, the patient had complications. No concerns for me.) Keep calm.
8
How about an article from a legit medical professional with emergency planning training and a functional list of prudent things to purchase?
Best fever meds, Mucinex, Gatorade, prescription refill 30 day end runs, thermometers, surface cleaners, etc?
I just realized my temperature thermometer is broken. Gotta fix that.
8
We need to be smart and prepared. The President has lied to us again. This isn't a political post. This is genuine concern for all. Best to have 2 weeks of supplies in your house. I live in NYC-- what happens if a neighbor in our building gets the virus--possible lockdown... Hard to say since we haven't been given the truth. The CDC has shared a much harsher reality than the Pres & Pence- our new medical professional adviser. NYC and our country are not prepared for this--just like we're not prepared for the next big hurricane. Best for us to ban together with our friends & neighbors to look out for each other. We will get through it and hopefully without too many casualties!
5
When panic is replaced by sound preparation,
you increase both your security and mine.
Read responsibly, prepare intelligently,
for the sake of both your own, and the common good.
6
Every day that we don't see an explosion of newly diagnosed patients is a very good thing. It's beginning to look like this may be both less contagious and less lethal than initially thought and that the initial number of 2% fatality rate MAY be the high end. Again, the lack of consistent, accurate, replicatable data makes it hard to know, but certainly we are not yet seeing hot-spots of hundreds sick.That is great news, IF it holds true.
That said, if this were a dry run for a true pandemic of a more deadly nature, this nation would earn a flat-out F for how it has handled this.
I keep invoking this phrase because it's the only one that fits: It's pure dumb luck that this hasn't been more deadly. We have let in thousands (hundreds of thousands) of people who've flown to countries with active and more severe outbreaks without testing them. We haven't quarantined people known to be exposed to the infected. We have allowed hoarding (internet sites should have placed a maximum purchase number on major health supplies from the get-go; one NYT reader bragged weeks ago that he'd purchased 300 masks). We don't have reliable test kits. We don't have reliable numbers of those sick without being diagnosed or hospitalized, how many are infected, how many have become reinfected, etc. Our government is actively disseminating false information and repressing the truth.
We must learn from this and vow to do better. Because the next one may not be so benign, and this one still may not.
5
Despite public image Trump is desperate for approval and is-- in reality--- running fast and furious for his very survival ...he would say or do anything.
He wasn't even on the same page as his advisers, some of
whom were experts from the Obama/Bush Administration.
Count me as poorly reassured. And located at a hovel for airlines at a beach resort. Ouch.
2
I've lived in Florida all my life and have gone through many, many hurricanes. From those experiences, I'd recommend getting a lot of canned food and a manual can opener.
For water to wash with or flush toilets with, fill bathtubs and washing machines with clean water.
Have basic medical supplies, just common sense stuff and fill prescriptions to the maximum you're allowed.
Buy bread and you can ( I did this last hurricane) order water from Amazon and such places as it is one of the first things to be stripped from the shelves in grocery stores.
This assumes a quarantine and be sure to read :
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/sunday-review/coronavirus-quarantine.html----- an intelligent and humorous look at quarantines in history.
1
We have a large Asian population here in Orange County. A local paper reports that more than 600 asymptomatic people who recently traveled to mainland China have been asked to stay at home under a voluntary self-quarantine.
Those at higher risk of contracting the Coronavirus are being quarantined at “repatriation sites” that follow federal standards.
In Orange County, more than 600 asked to stay home due to coronavirus concerns
https://www.ocregister.com/2020/02/28/in-orange-county-coronavirus-risk-confines-more-than-600-to-their-homes/
Let’s buy supplies and for those who can, drop the same in your community food pantry box. We’e only as healthy as the most vulnerable in our communities and as we know... we need to work on that.
12
A relative with DHS told all of us “always have two weeks of food, medicine, and potable water.” Having lived through weeks without power after hurricanes, I live by that advice.
This feels different. Walking out of the pharmacy the other day into a brilliant and chilly late-winter day, I had a real sense that “normal” ends here in about a week.
Good luck to all of you.
4
I live in Utah where having an emergency supply of food and water is quite common due to Mormon doctrine. Although I am not LDS, I always thought that keeping an emergency stockpile was a wise thing to do. I’ve been telling my wife for the last couple of years that we should load up our pantry with canned and dry goods, but I never got around to it. I’ve now been using the coronavirus as an excuse to finally get it done. I’ve it made it a point to buy food that my family would eat anyway. That way, if nothing happens, I wouldn’t have wasted money.
After spending a little over $1,000, my pantry is now loaded with bottled water, giant bags of beans and rice and every kind of canned good you can think of. Now my family will just eat through it at our Leisure and we will replace what we’ve used everything we go grocery shopping. This way we will be prepared for the worse and if that never comes, hey, the house will now always have plenty of food
3
How about ditching kid-speak like "low-key" when discussing virus outbreaks. We want news and facts and easily digested information, not lingo. Thanks in advance.
1
START washing your hands before eating? Would hate to eat at your house if you're just starting now.
5
Go to your local discount store and grab a box of disposable gloves before you go shopping for groceries. It's 8.00 us for 50 pair.
Wipe the stuff down when you go home.
1
President Woodrow Wilson hide the truth from people during the 1918 flu and the reason so many people died.
Fast forward to 2020 and President Trump is doing the exact same thing.
The death toll for under 18 and under 30 is .2 percent—that’s more than the percent death toll for the overall population including vulnerable populations during flu season. Over 50 you’re at almost two percent, over 60 almost 4 percent, over 80 the rate is over 7%. I, for one, don’t want to see my parents going out should our community see widespread virus.
For reference: the flu has a .1percent death rate, that’s 1 in 1000. The Coronavirus 2% means 2 in 100 will die. In a small town of 10, 000 people that’s 200 people. Imagine 200 funerals, in that smallish town. No, this is not the flu. The president is canceling some state visits. He knows it’s not the flu, either. But he wants all the good little consumers to behave normally for the purposes of the stock market. Not reassuring.
So why think about the numbers in this fear inducing way? Because at some point people may need to practice social distancing, cancel big events, cancel sporting events, keep their distance from each other. People should wash hands and clean their phones. People should cover their coughs and behave responsibly when sick. Children shouldn’t turn up at school with a fever because mom or dad has a meeting.
If we lie to people—“it’s like the flu, it’s the media making drama—people will not do what they need to do to limit the exposure of themselves and others. Being responsible means being well informed.
7
What about the cheap hats from China? Will that supply chain be interrupted, too?
Ok, about the face masks and common sense:
last May I was in Dublin having dinner at a lovely restaurant. The way the tables were arranged put me at a 45°angle from a party of 4 well-dressed people in their 50s or 60s.
One of the men had a terrible bizarre habit of standing every time he had to sneeze, and he sneezed a lot, without covering his mouth.
After the third sneeze I stood up and caught the attention of a woman in his group. I asked, Doesn't he understand about germs, covering his mouth? She just gave me an embarrassed shrug.
I flew home to NJ the next morning, and by that night I had the sniffles, headache, feeling miserable.
So, why are we being told that face masks are only necessary to be worn by the person who already has the virus? Are you kidding me? Really?
4
The virus is about 100 to 125 nm (that’s billionth of a meter) long. Most masks will not stop something so incredibly small from passing from the air around you and into your lungs when normally inhaling. That’s why, in your case, it’s recommended that the sneezer wear the mask - the mask will mechanically stop the dispersion of virus filled sneeze droplets.
But agreed! That man does need to learn some basic manners have some consideration for others around him. His poor wife was probably sick along with you.
Take care. Paul
3
People are obsessively comparing coronavirus to the Spanish Flu. But if things get bad, I feel a better comparison is to the polio epidemic of 1952. It killed around 3000 Americans, and much as coronavirus has a 1 in 50 chance of killing you once infected, polio had about a 1 in 75 chance of paralyzing you. My dad was a kid during that epidemic in an affected area and has clear memories of neighbors’ houses being quarantined and the general unease of being in crowded spaces at the time. You don’t have to go back a century for this stuff, folks. There are plenty of people in their 70s today who already lived through something like this.
4
The same people here that want news won't trust what the Trump administration tells them anyway . The same people who want government action will condemn any travel ban or quaratning as being some sort of racist/xenophobic action. The same here that could ask for political unity here still use this to sling arrows.
The country is doomed. I can see a Left versus Right civil breaking out within the next 10 years.
3
Coronavirus Updates: First Death in U.S. Confirmed In Seattle Area:
The death comes as unexplained new cases in Washington State, Oregon and California suggest local, person-to-person spread of the virus in the United States.
Trump says it's a hoax, as he says he says he's ordering "medical."
As if he cannot speak in complete sentences. Last thing he organized was his golfing outfits.
4
On a political note, are the candidates for the 2020 election prepared to cancel all public gatherings?? Above all, will Trump cancel any and all potential virus incubation events?? I voted for him but will NOT do so again if even one person attends his gatherings and come out with the virus!! Let's see if he is willing to respect the needs of the American people in this public health emergency. I don't think he actually cares about anyone but himself.....
2
Nice article. Informative and not one negative comment about anyone. Very rare in this paper.
2
The prep kit for Covid-19 should also include a firearm if supply chains fail and we start killing each other over the last scraps of food. Perhaps also a cyanide capsule in you’re suffering with terminal pneumonia and the healthcare system has collapsed. Finally, I recommend putting some cash in the kit that can be used to buy S&P500 index fund shares when the market bottoms.
2
I am sorry, but mentioning the plague in a text about a disease that has a mortality rate of about 2% is nothing but baseless fear-mongering.
2
Facemasks are actually not very useful in preventing the spread. The non N95 ones prevent your mucus from contaminating someone else, and maybe, at best, they remind you to not touch your face as much.
Best to save the facemasks for medical personnel that actually need them.
4
In the U.S, we still don't have a centralized patient data base which means critically ill patients presenting to a hospital will be at a disadvantage if staff is unable to elicit a proper history.
As a physician, here are some less obvious recommendations:
1) Create/print/save on phone a list of your medical history in table form, along with your symptoms, to include: (give this to medical staff promptly)
-Your name, address, DOB, insurance policy number, emergency contact information.
-Your medical and surgical conditions,
-All medications and herbal supplements
-Vaccine history (dates of flu, shingles, pneumonia vaccines)
2) If you think you have coronavirus (fever, cough and progressive shortness of breath) and are headed to the hospital, additionally, write down the date symptoms started, how high the fever is, presence of cough and shortness of breath and any other symptoms present (they may elimate coronavirus from the differential). Also, document two weeks worth of known contacts, events attended and of course any travel.
If this reaches pandemic proportions, hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed and disorganized. It will be up to individuals to maximize your outcome by presenting with this information either printed out, or on your phone capable of being printed out.
Also, take off your shoes and disinfect the bottom of them periodically. Consider washing your pets feet if you walk them in the city. Keep disinfectant wipes in the car to use while out.
8
Thank you. This is helpful information. It’s a way a person can help themselves.
4
I prepare every year for hurricane season in south Florida so I’m familiar with what we need and how much we need to survive weeks without any government assistance.
This year I added a Glock and several hundred rounds of ammo in case others didn’t prepare and want to take mine.
@alec
Gosh - what an attitude.
And I thought apocalyptic movies tend to exaggerate what happens to people's minds in an emergency.
-
If I could find a supply of face masks I would buy them.
Trump is now re-educating our governmental experts to ignore science and only to obey his edicts
All Hail Trump the Great.
. . .
Agree with almost everything except this: "along with a box of face masks "
Don't buy face masks. You only need them if you're sick and the docs and patients need them way, way more.
4
Americans are a bit prone to overreaction. Remember the Y2K scare? The west Nile Virus? Anthrax? That’s why so many families in this country have guns, to protect themselves from the evils lurking from who knows where. Americans, sorry to say, scare easily with completely imaginary threats (Y2K), so it’s no surprise to see hysteria setting in when confronted with a real and serious crisis (COD19).
But articles like this one and other commentaries from science reporters from The NY Times, of all places, will make this otherwise real crisis far worse.
The latest on the COD19 death rate published in the Guardian — by all accounts a reputable publication — said it was a myth that it was as dangerous as the regular flu. But the WHO official interviewed went on to say it was “far deadlier”, about 10 times as much, putting it at 1%. Pretty bad news for sure, but that’s still half of what the Times has often reported. In the Daily podcast last week the science guy said it was 2.5% “same as the Spanish Flu”. That’s simply not the case and it’s irresponsible to throw that number as fact.
Be prepared, for sure. But I’m far more scared of the panic that will ensue than of me or my family dying from this virus. Children are spared for the most part with only 100 cases reported back when there were 70k cases in China, and not one died (an awesome piece of good news information that barely gets reported).
What we need to fear is fear itself. An American said that, remember?
2
Last night Trump held a rally in SC with thousands of his loyal supporters chanting 4 More Years. Today Dem candidates are probably staging events to continue their campaigning. But in Milan Italy this week a professional soccer match was held in an empty stadium as the event was closed to the public, as is another match today. And doctors and health officials on the news make it clear that we do not have enough testing going on and that a vaccine in the near future is unlikely. So things will change. And depending on the severity of the cases that will start to appear and how many people in crowded cities can simply avoid crowds and possibly being infected is almost impossible to factor into any equation. So here's a possibility: the 2020 elections will need to be cancelled and Trump remains in office until elections can be held. And based on the incompetence of Trump's medical "experts" (i.e. Pence) it's almost as if not funding the pandemic team that Obama had in place is the one scenario that no one could have imagined when Trump acted stupidly and everyone allowed it to happen - meaning the GOP. So Covid-19 is truly a unique convergence with Trump's stupidity that makes Democracy possibly the only patient that will not survive.
1
So the esteemed, apolitical medical experts are required to be screened and approved prior to handing out their advice to the Public.
But, Mulvaney, Don Jr., Rush ( and others ) can blather on about misleading conspiracy-laced concepts that are profoundly ignorant and they do not require to wear a Federal government issued muzzle.
Bizarre and horrendous.
5
Is there a way to make your own face mask that's comparable to at least the flimsy looking ones? There are medicines being trialed here in extremely limited ways but no information about what YOU should do at home/ ask your doctor to prescribe if you think you have this plague and can't or don't want to get into a hospital. Unlike cancer trials where you would have at least a chance to sign up if you qualified, as in last chance to save your life, there is no such plan for a compassionate last ditch administration of anything that might work, or appeared to work in Thailand a month ago, or that a few people are getting in a small trial over a few months as time ticks away. Looking on the web, a doctor in Israel has invented a way to test for the virus in minutes vs. days and it is in use in a hospital there but no one is bringing it here. There might be less panic if we were less aware of living in an authoritarian backwater removed from reality and humane concerns.
https://www.propublica.org/article/cdc-coronavirus-covid-19-test
I don't know if the above is legit but why not? Politicians run the CDC don't they? And the government is not always right.
You see I've been taken as a non-believer when I'm really a non-"Believer". In other words I believe science is believable but like everything else should be taken with a grain of salt. The politics of science and cult like beliefs mires outcomes and solutions. That belief makes me ignorant.
So what's to "Believe"? Personally I hate to go out with diarrhea so I'll be stocking up on over the counter meds for that. Walmart is going to have empty shelves by April so I better hurry.
Should residents of NYC head upstate to purchase long weapons and stock up on ammunition like a good prepper should. Just make sure you register.
Whether or not you're a "believer" there's not much we could do about it. By all accounts it's going to up there with the worst of flu epidemics. Like most things, It's not something we have control over. Hand sanitizers will not save us. A sick sense of humor may in the coming panic.
At least I can put aside my chronic age related illnesses I have for now. I might even order some cigars.
But seriously, I hope Trump is right and there's not much to worry about. Children should live long enough to have happy lives. Problem is he knows it's not going away.
1
yeah, well, you could actually get by without coffee, and for toilet paper you could use water like most of Asia does. If this has you panicked, whatchya gonna do when the power grid is down for weeks and there is no running water, computers, or cell phone service? Alas Babyon is one nuclear button, 5 viruses, and 1 more degree of global warming away. The next big war will be for control of drinking water.
2
Box of medicine? Sorry, but that's not helpful. You need to go to your doctor and explain you need a new prescription so you can put it through your pharmacy as "retail." Meaning, not through your health insurance because your health insurance won't pay for an additional month of prescription meds just so you can be prepared.
You'll have to find out the cost of your meds without insurance and pay for the extra month yourself - retail cost. Then rotate your meds so you always have an extra month of meds.
The communist Chinese regime leader alleges 80,000 Covid-19 cases with approximately 3,400 deaths. In a population of over 1,500,000,000 +/- people the morbidity / mortality rate should give us no cause for alarm. However, alarmists rule the press, the governments and the stock markets. I am more concerned with the sky (and 401k) falling than the virus spreading across our mountains and fields of waving grain.
However, China, to be polite, lies. And, so too, does our leader with his minions.
1
The message sent by appointing VP Pence to be in charge of this is that the official policy of the United States government is “thoughts and prayers.”
Not very reassuring to have an anti-science religious zealot in charge of dealing with a pandemic.
2
I'm not too freaked out about it. I have bought some extra non-perishable food and some extra theraflu just in case. No evidence of panic buying in my area yet. Shelves look to be stocked as normal.
“Seriously people,” the surgeon general said on Twitter, warning that a run on the masks could risk a shortage harmful to public health professionals.
Take that off your list, Ms. Newitz and peppers.
2
It's great that the virus is getting people to prep for blackouts, quakes etc. the way they should have before! #silverlining
2
My fear, particularly given its proximity to San Francisco, is for the homeless. If it hits those men, women and children, it will surely rip through them like wildfire. We need to get them safe, now, before it's too late.
2
Like most have said, masks are a waste. If anything you should be buying nitrile gloves and wearing them. You mainly get sick because of your hands and the fact you touch your face several hundred times a day. And yes, they do help protect against virus, not just bacteria.
2
OK.. if we are going to talk about preparation and sustaining kits for a pandemic move by this virus, I would like to stipulate a key clarification for fellow readers:
Forget the Purell, wet wipes, and other alcohol based hand sanitizers. Go directly to what is used in healthcare settings: benzalkonium chloride hand wipes.
1) they have better efficacy in destroying virus than alcohol based products. https://aornjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S0001-2092%2806%2962517-9
2) They generally are still available at many online sources, such as Amazon, etc... precisely because they are under the radar of the average consumer.. who simply runs straight for alcohol based hand sanitizer without doing any actual research.
Hand sanitation is the number one most effective protocol advice from healthcare to reduce/mitigate the spread of contact virus (which it is clear COVID-19 is). Washing under soap and water is best, when done properly, but we all know that when you are out of the house... access to good clean soap and water facilities are not optimal.. so you need mobile alternatives that are effective.
2
Plan ahead instead of panic later.
King County ( Seattle region) reports not just one patient dead from COVID-19, but also a patient tested positive and is currently in isolation
Also in King and Snohomish counties, two new patients—from a long term care facility— tested positive for the virus , but results not yet been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A resident in her 70s is in serious condition, and a health employee in her 40s is stable. The long-term facility, LifeCare in Kirkland has 108 residents and 180 employees, according to the CDC. Twenty-seven residents and 25 employees have symptoms, according to the CDC.
All are being tested for COVID-19, and officials say “ additional positive cases are expected.”
Florida prep - Hurricane season prep X2, Flu season prep X4. Add supply of masks and gloves. Say a prayer and (if at all possible) stay away from other people.
1
It's worth noting that this column actually completely fails to do what it says on the tin. What's the actual good shopping list for the current situation?
2
What I like about this article is the emphasis on community, none of this prepper “go it alone” nonsense. It is during crises that we need each other more than ever.
70
I don't believe for a second that the administration has any intent to seriously manage this, or any crisis.
Steve Mnuchin, Wilbur Ross, disproportionately many others in tRump's inner circle all profited hugely, via the largesse of the federal government, from the housing crash of 2008. I have zero confidence that they have any motivation to avoid another crash opportunity to vulture on again. Further, would guess they all have hedges in place to profit from any disaster.
They are, as a group, not working for the public at all but are there to front run for their own selfish interests.
1
Just wait for SXSW in Austin, when 400,000 people fly here from all over the world and gather en masse in bars, restaurants, and convention centers.
2
What--I should "download" entertainment? Are you telling me that the Internet might break? Oh the horror!
Yeah, OK. Two weeks. Understood. Just one teeny question, when do the two weeks begin?
2
Good God! Take a deep breath, people! You're working yourselves into a frenzy that will be self fulfilling. You're going to talk yourselves into being sick. Annalee says to stock in some supplies. For what? A week? A month? A year? What? She's right about one thing: Wash your hands often. And chill out! Good lord!
1
Some basic common sense to embrace and address as a real concern.
1) did you touch any part of a door handle, surface, etc when you entered and exited a store or other commercial facility? Then assume your may have picked up a COVID-19 foamite, and sanitize accordingly.
2) Did you visit a food establishment, sit down in a booth, and begin browsing a menu? Then assume your may have picked up a COVID-19 foamite, and sanitize accordingly.
3) Did you just pick up and use that public condiment bottle at a food establishement? Then assume your may have picked up a COVID-19 foamite, and sanitize accordingly.
4) are you actively handling a smart phone all day long, taking it in and out of your purse or pocket and constantly touching it? Did you set it on any public surface at any time? Based on examples 1, 2, 3 above..... assume you have moved COVID-19 foamites from the public and onto your private phone and then onto the rest of you through repeated handling. note: personal cell phones are a known vector for movement of virus and bacteria in a medical setting, and medical facilities are clamping down accordingly.
I could go on and on here.. but my main point is... when you visit and make use of public establishments of any kind... you MUST assume that if a virus is spreading within a community then it is likely an infected person has touched some object or item that you in turn will touch and that may very well result in transmission of COVID-19
5
All good points.
1
The trump administration is doing an enormous disservice to US citizens by advising we not wear face masks. This is crazy.The poor woman who just died in Washington state contracted COVID-19 precisely because she wasn’t wearing a mask. To be sure, you need an N95 respirator mask. But in the event of a possible local outbreak, why would anyone suggest we not protect ourselves?
Excellent. If people learn nothing else from this epidemic, let's hope that everyone learns to 1) be prepared to rely on themselves for disaster [earthquake-hurricane-blizzard-epidemic] and 2) to wash their hands!
2
Somehow this just appears different. Perhaps it’s the overly optimistic and inaccurate information given out by this administration. Perhaps it’s the fact that there is no prevention shot or cure as with the flu. Perhaps it’s because the Coronavirus is now spreading among those not exposed from the original source. Perhaps we are wondering if people around us may be asymptomatic.
As someone in the group most threatened, over 60 and with underlying conditions , I rather resent those that take this “ highest alert “ virus so cavalierly. That think they are immune, will only get cold or flu symptoms, or can subvert a possible quarantine. They believe it’s a “ hoax “ or everyone who presently has it is on the road to recovery. Many believe it’s a ploy to overcome a duly elected president. Whatever the reason, these people are a threat.
There are approximately 68.7 million ( 2016 ) people over 60 in the U.S. If you don’t care about your own health, stop and think about your parents, elder family members and friends, co-workers and the nice guy who runs the dry cleaner on your corner or the nurse in your doctor’s office.
Take the precautions. Take this virus seriously. Other people’s lives depend on it. Your life may depend on it.
3
Since I have enough coffee and wine for 30 days, I might point out Chaucer was not an essayist. When the gin runs out, I shall be gnawing on the neighbors. Christians. Probably tough.
3
You missed Boccaccio’s tales of travelers fleeing the Black Death (Bubonic Plague)in Florence, in the early 14th c, “The Decameron.”
There are many novels about pandemics. https://amp.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/aug/01/plague-fiction-writers-infectious-disease
1
@ck Peter Thiel and others know eventually the poor and 2nd Amendment folks will turn on the rich.
People, get a grip. What is more likely to kill you that this? A car wreck, a gun shot, suicide, heart disease. I have no plans to prep. Check back with me in two months, but I suspect life will be the same.
2
The one group which should be marshaling protection for the population is ducking and jiving while saying this virus is not serious and “we have it handled”. The US government. Trump and his minions are ill suited to handle any health emergency because of their general incompetence. This was predicted. The Nation should be pushing every contingency to hand this potentially very serious outbreak. Who is in charge? The VP who says cigarette smoking doesn’t kill people.
If the lawyers in charge (Pence & Azar) want to save lives mandate health insurance companies pay for early refills during this pandemic so people won’t run out.
3
You failed to mention several other excellent books about the Spanish flu, including one by John Barry, The Great Influenza (2004)
London Breed is a great name that sounds like it belongs in a dog show.
3
Wow. There are so many problems with this article. As a Public Health Nurse in the Bay Area, who is activated to work full-time on the COVID-19 response, I am dismayed to read this.
Face masks will not protect you from anything. They will protect other people from YOU, if you are sick. And if you are sick, rather than going out in a face mask, please just stay home. And wash your hands, a lot. The most basic infection control precautions (soap! Water! Stay home if you are sick!) are your best bet.
It is always a good idea to have an extra months supply of your own prescriptions—if you can. Having a large bottle of Tylenol and Motrin is a good idea too. Ditto having a two weeks supply of non-perishable food and water.
This is NOT because the shelves will be empty when more people become ill with COVID-19. The actual, sensible and evidence-based reason for having some extras on hand is that, if you are sick, you can stay home without having to go out for food and other essentials, therefore potentially contaminating others.
I won’t bother addressing the other, really sad parts of this article. Science writer or not, the author is doing all readers a disservice by writing essays in this tone.
7
"To Take On the Coronavirus, Go Medieval on It
Quarantines and restrictive measures served a purpose in the old days. They can now, too."
Sad. Very Sad. The reason we don't normally use quarantine, Mr. McNeil, is because it almost NEVER works. We learned this when Cuba attempted to stop the spread of HIV in the 1980s by obligatory quarantines. After it failed miserably, they turned to...education.
I'm commenting here because the NY Times has shut discussion of this issue in most other articles, Ms. Newitz.
We wouldn't want people to actually know what's going on, would we? Sad. Very sad. One of the reasons I almost never read the NY Times anymore.
1) Stay 3 feet from a person with symptoms;
2) The person should stay home.
3) Healthy people should wash your hands, especially when you are out of the house (no change here).
4) People with symptoms should wear face masks; others should not (doesn't help).
5) Don't touch anywhere on your face (this applies to everyone; some viruses can enter through the ducts on the surface of the eye).
You're welcome, NY Times. Can you email me my check?
It is hard to plan when the president of the US hasn't.
1
NYT Feb. 29, 2020 “One night, my friends and I talked about “plague news” in such grisly detail that one of us had to declare a moratorium because he was getting too upset. So we watched three episodes of “Brooklyn 99” instead of figuring out whether we had enough medical supplies to survive two weeks of mandatory lockdown.”
Lets see now how would I rewrite this for climate change?
One night, my friends and I talked about “climate change news” in such grisly detail that one of us had to declare a moratorium because he was getting too upset. We were trying figure out whether we had enough land above sea level rise and security in crop production for our children to survive in the comfort we now know. We decided we didn’t and so we watched three episodes of “Brooklyn 99” instead.
Oh, that was easy!
I'm finally understanding the appeal of all those zombie shows and movies.
Um am I missing something. Can you share your list ?
I think President Trump and VP Pence should don face masks as a public health measure and as an example to others.
This would reduce the possibility of them spreading everything they believe in to the general public.
2
“Start washing your hands before eating and after riding public transit. Have a supply of nonperishable food in your cabinets, along with a box of face masks and medicines. Talk to friends and family about how you’ll work together to get through this.”
Soooooo... do all the polite things our parents tried to teach us to do, but that most of us slack off over? Cool.
1
@Dave H - That’s right, Dave! We’re also going to try not to be snarky and sarcastic and obnoxious while all of this is happening. Maybe you should give it a try. That would be cool, don’t you think?
This article is over-the-top with worry. The truth is that if you are under 70 years old, and have no immune-system disorders, you are highly unlikely to be badly sickened, let alone killed, by COVID-19. Keep calm and carry on.
I just read that someone in Washington has died from the virus. For some reason Trump is playing it down and seems to think him and his family are infalliable; just like the Pope who blessed some people with the virus and is now sick himself.
1
almost all of the masks people are buying are useless. thin papery ones or cloth? no help at all. they get wet inside from droplet nuclei which then pass easily through, or back to the mask. N95 masks are the ones to get which are very uncomfortable to wear and breathe through. plus they must be worn correctly.
wash your hands, don't touch your face when out.
This is a ridiculous level of over-reaction, both by the author and some of the commenters. There is no evidence that this virus will have anywhere near the effects of the Spanish flu or things like that. All that really comes through from most of them is, wow, how panicky some people's psyches are. I hope they don't die of fright before they even get exposed to the big bad virus.
1
How about we go about our daily business, and practice good hygiene, which we should be doing anyway, and not scare ourselves to death?
1
"Download TV shows?" Somebody needs to tell her about Netflix.
The good news is, when the Covid thing turns out to be no worse than the flu (which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year, mostly the old or previously sick, just like Covid), we'll have a bunch of supplies left over for when the Big One hits. So go ahead and stock up, folks!
3
United States if Anxiety
Wish I had more money.
Just start stocking up on things you do not want to be without (i.e. your favorite toilet paper, pasta, spaghetti sauce, hand soap, toothpaste, etc.).
Unless you are old or already unwell with a few chronic conditions (like COPD) please stop all the scare mongering. This coronavirus is often quite mild (hence all those walking around with it that don't even know it). Save your paper mask money (they are useless for this purpose) and put it into soap and some hand sanitiser. And then use that frequently. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. That's it; panic averted. Stop listening to ill informed commentators who don't know anything and are just passing along each others' misinformation.
2
More relevant for most of us is the question: "How do you survive Crazy Land without blowing your brains out?" When the leader of your country calls an infectious disease a "hoax" perpetrated by Democrats and the media, what coping strategy should you use to avoid becoming mentally ill yourself? In its attempts to cover this "news" while adjusting to the tyranny of the Mad Hater, the media itself has become increasingly insane. People who live with people with Alzheimer's become more vulnerable to the disease. For Americans who are not already insane, holding onto reason and sanity is the most immediate challenge. Many of us would welcome death by Caronavirus if it allowed us to escape this constant, unremitting insanity. But we have responsibilities to others, some of them already deranged or mentally ill, who require extra care and attention in this insane environment.
3
I wonder how the real preppers amongst the president's base are reacting, as I'm sure there are quite a few of them. On the one hand, here's a real opportunity to practice prepping, but on the other hand the current administration (at least its leadership, not necessarily the health experts therein), as well as the likes of Fox News, are downplaying this as political/media hype by his detractors. Maybe the solution is to add viral attack to the list of things you need to prep against, even though, you know, it probably won't happen, but just in case... I know I say this snarkily (clearly not a prepper here, or a Trump supporter), but I would genuinely and respectfully like to hear from a full time, apocalypse-ready prepper. Is Coronavirus something you're actively preparing for? Or is this small potatoes compared to the "real thing", so no action needed? Or is it really just a political weapon/hype (again, no action needed)?
It's quite simple how to prep, to use the now infamous Marlvaney words. This happens all the time. Get over it.
A preppier list is like a nuclear bunker. One scientist commented, “ They are very efficient. One million degrees outside, 3000 degrees inside.”
This is random, all random chaos, a spin of the wheel. You, me, who knows.
Wash your hands.
2
Keep calm and soldier on, especially if you're not in the military. Take everything you see and hear and believe only part of it. Have faith in others but always have more in yourself, just in case, which is inevitable. Those who, despite the all of the chaos, real and imagined, that tornadoes around them, do your best to look ahead and lead those who may not possess your wisdom and strength. "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ..." Kipling/circa 1895
I actually think a face mask is useful-if for the only reason then to stop you from touching your mouth, and nose-
Otherwise they are pretty useless especially if you have a beard, or mustache, unless you know how to put them on so they are virtually airtight.
Welcome to our world. We all know what to keep one hand in case a hurricane hits. Our pantry's are always stocked and a plan in place.
The big thing we all learned was not in the preparation but in the knowledge that the government will be no where to be seen when it counts. Community is everything. We took care of each other. It is the only way and a lesson to be learned. Maybe we need this epidemic to get back to what is important.
2
Look who Trump put in charge while crying -- get this -- "hoax": Mr. walking, talking, Anti-Science-Thoughts-and-Prayers his own self, Mike Pence. Plays great in Trump Country, Useless S. of A.
1
"Wash your hands" is good advice - but that's it?
Prevention is better than treatment so washing your hands is a good first step, but more is required.
Vaccinations are down the road and don't much work; they're better than nothing.
The 2004/5 flu vaccine was only 10% effective, 2012/13 was 56% effective (only 9% in seniors), 2014/15 was 18% effective, 2015/16 was 63% effective. The CDC analyzed 2005 to 2015 and found an overall flu vaccine effectiveness rate of 50%.
Don't count on a vaccine - you need to forget about being saved by Trump, the CDC, or MDs and take responsibility for your own health.
Bullet-proof yourself (as close as possible) against Covid by washing your hands - and take 400,000 IUs of D3 (yes, 400,000 IUs) to start - then 15,000 IUs of D3 every day, 6 grams of C (liposomal if possible) per day, and triple the standard dose of Quercetin per day.
Do that and you will be the last person standing. All have shown efficacy against flu and coronavirus-type viruses - and work better than a vaccine.
For Quercetin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22350287
Drugs and MDs do not cure, not ever - it's your immune system that cures. At best an MD or drug mitigates symptoms so your immune system can get a leg up on the virus.
Drinking water is also good; the virus likes water, goes toward it and will get partially flushed out. They replicate again but you've cut down their number.
D3 regulates all your cells and immune system - you need that.
@Fourteen14
D3 in excessive does (such as 500 TIMES THE DAILY RECOMMENDED intake) is known to cause cancer and other adverse health effects.
This is extremely irresponsible.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
1
Prepping benefits straight white males and trump supporters. It should be banned. Goods must be seized and redistributed to those who will be most hurt by dying: women, children and minorities.
Where is our Surgeon General and why is he not standing out front with the President? Why is Mike Pence in change instead of Dr. Jerome Adams??
2
Wash your hands before eating AND after using public transport.
ALWAYS
Panic is unhelpful even when it is not destructive. So Keep calm, good sense is always the best medicine. Take your vitamin C, wash your hands, and avoid public restrooms. Stocking up to avoid going to public places is a good idea.
However, we have been through worse, and regardless of what Trump does, we will do just fine.
China did a bang up job of locking the virus down. They were serious and efficient. Do not expect that kind of direction or instruction from this government. Did anyone watch Dr. Fauci yesterday on television at the "press conference" about COVID-19? He was grim faced and did not seem to be happy with the statements being made. Of course, trump does not allow anyone to speak other than himself, so we have no idea what Dr. Fauci thinks...and he is an expert. But all the experts have disappeared from THIS government.
1
It so inexcusable that the Trump administration has placed a gag order on America scientists at NIH and CDC about discussing the virus as they see important.
For example, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of the leading experts on viruses and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has been instructed by the White House had instructed him not to make public statements without clearance.
And then there was Trump’s behavior at a rally—telling the crowd that talk of the virus is a plot by Democrats to weaken his presidency. Really?? He doesn’t understand that open discussions and education are critical to contain the spread??!!
It was like a mythical Marie Antoinette moment [“ let them eat cake”]! when newly appointed “Coronavirus Tzar “ MikePence raced from his appointment to grand fundraising parties in Southern Florida, looking merry and carefree. Really??!! His very first behaviors after appointment to tackle the virus?
Why didn’t he get some manufacturers to alter their production lines to churning out N95 masks, instead?
2
@Jean
95% of n95 masks are made outside the US, primarily in China. And there are a lot of people in China that need those masks.
think of how much effort the democrats made to organize the corona hoax making it start in china and from there spreading the partisan virus over europe to the u s with the only goal to hurt him, the stable genius. the meanest thing the world has ever seen in modern history that has ever happenend to any president worldwide. soooo sad!!! but we have taken the most decisive aggressive action of all administrations of all countries worldwide ever and we are the most professional in the whole world and we are doing extremely well.
1
“If you hunch your shoulders too long against a storm your shoulders will grow bowed.…”
― Ford Madox Ford, Parade's End
I am so sick and tired of Trump, I just wish he would go away.
1
Learn how to wash your hands effectively. Search for World Health Organization Hand washing on YouTube.
“Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams.
If these crazy preppers hoard supplies they don't need we are going to be in trouble!
1
Given the title of this article, I expected some useful tips. A list perhaps? Nothing of this kind.
1
A large study published last fall showed “no significant differences” in level of protection between surgical/medical masks and N95 respirators over four flu seasons.
The new study was performed at multiple medical settings in seven cities around the country, including Houston, Denver, Washington, and New York, by researchers at the University of Texas, the CDC, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, Children's Hospital Colorado, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Florida, and several Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. Researchers collected data during four flu seasons between 2011 and 2015, examining the incidence of flu and acute respiratory illnesses in the almost 2,400 health care workers who completed the study.
“The project was funded by the CDC, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and was founded in the years after Sept. 11, 2001, to help secure the nation against biological and other threats.”
In other words, surgical masks are as good as respirators.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190903134732.htm
3
@Amanda
The N95 Mask blocks only 95% of small Airborne particles - that's not very good. Surgical masks are not any better. What you really need are one of those deep sea diving helmets.
1
Sentences like "Will we lose power and water? Will there be martial law, grounded planes and forced evacuations?" Do not help promote the "instead of freaking ourselves out" bit. And you won't need 2 weeks of supplies, you'll need months of them if this gets going and you really don't want to go out because it won't hit, then vanish. Like all infections with limited lethality, it will happen in waves.
I am struck by two phrases:
"being ready to survive in a world that’s damaged but still going"; and
"turn preparation for survival into the new normal".
This is not just sound advice for COVID-19, but a necessary frame of mind for the dawn of the era of serious, tangible climate change and of post- (dare I say anti-) Enlightenment, rational, liberal societies and governments.
Yes indeed:
"Do a little every day. Each tiny thing you do to prepare is a small act of hope."
Just, dare I say, also share these doings and hopes with all around you every day, at least a little.
Thank you for this hopeful essay.
1
While this opinion writer recommends having H95 masks on hand, the U.S. Surgeon General, according this NYT report, urges the public not to buy masks. Please see this reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/health/coronavirus-n95-face-masks.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur
Can we get our Pandemic Response Team back??
1
For decades, yes decades, China is ground zero for outbreaks of influenza viruses (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/china-ground-zero-future-pandemic-180965213/).
Yes, that's a Simithsonian Magazine reference and there's real science with real scientific references there.
Unless and until China is held accountable for these viral outbreaks these pandemics will continue unabated.
It's time for America to lead a movement to hold China accountable not only for its lawless patent infringements but its reckless environmental behavior and total disregard for world health. China is a major vector of bacterial and viral pathogens that affect the health of everyone on Planet Earth.
3
@Ok Joe
Just curious, what does it look like to “hold China accountable” for Coronaviruses? Do envision some sort of fine? Maybe one of those signs like in the pet shaming memes? Perhaps a “Gee we are sorry we eat wildlife & dont carry Purell everywhere”?
1
@Ok Joe
China single-handedly brought lead paint back into the US with their toys and other products.
China was nice enough to export tainted pet food.
China puts ingredients into blood pressure medicines that are used in making rocket fuel.
Note to Donald Trump:
Mother Nature bats last.
6
As one of the great unwashed actors in Duck Dynasty has said:
“Jesus is my health insurance.”
2
One thing I did was to take several hundred dollars out of the ATM.
I guess it is kind of like hoarding toilet paper.
3
New England Journal of Medicine:
"Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China
February 28, 2020
"BACKGROUND
Since December 2019, when coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread throughout China, data have been needed on the clinical characteristics of the affected patients.
"METHODS
We extracted data regarding 1099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 from 552 hospitals in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China through January 29, 2020. The primary composite end point was admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), the use of mechanical ventilation, or death.
"RESULTS . . . ."
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032
1
Since when is toilet paper a "random item"? Since when is coffee? !!
Some good info here, however, I do not comply with any mandatory lockdowns, this isnt a communist country
I am concerned for the Pope.
No need for masks. Just take a minute to study your own reflection in your mirror. All of us will suffer the consequences of a buffoon who scrapped the CDC budget for laughs. The virus is not a poor, fat, disabled, female, gay, black or brown immigrant or Democrat who can be taunted or criticized or chanted into submission.
1
@Princess & the Pea
Trump did not do anything with the CDC budget, he tried but was blocked by Congress.
“Start washing your hands before eating ...”
Start?
1
Sorry, but Chaucer mentions the plague more than once. Besides the obvious references in the Pardoner’s Tale - the young men were seeking “a privee theef men clepeth Deeth” who has “a thousand slayn this pestilence”, there is his character, the Doctor of Phisik, a well-to-do but frugal man, who “kept that he wan in pestilence.” There may be more references - we don’t review the Canterbury Tales very often. But thank you for your reference to Chaucer.
2
I remember Colin Powell (weapons of mass destruction) I remember Christy Whitman) (OK to breath the air around 911) Now I believe our fearless leader who says its alright, nothing to worry about.
1
there is no special action required, unless you plan to just stay inside and not go out at all. otherwise, just wash your hands frequently: especially after you touch something that has been outdoors.
I threw up in my mouth a little while reading this.
Wow, so this is what "whimsical," hip, clever fragility looks like when it discursively and publicly tussles with "raw psychological reality," eh?
Good luck with that.
The best thing the writer could do at this point, is search out the nearest "militias in rural areas [and/or] unhinged preppers," see if they'll have her, so that when her ilk starts feeding off of each other because the local Starbucks doesn't open, she actually might have a chance at survival.
2
Oh !! The long sought “Mayor Of Dresden” has arrived and spoken “ Start hoarding tomatoes and toilet paper....”
Thanks !!
Check twitter and you'll see panic-buying at Costcos nationwide is now happening. NYT needs to report on this because people are clearly freaking out.
2
This one makes me laugh "Have a supply of nonperishable food in your cabinets, along with a box of medicines." Ever try to get a "supply" of prescriptions filled"?!?!? Insurance company rules, clueless doctors.... it's a ridiculous fight. Treat me like an honest adult and not like some scammer. Coronavirus is only part of the problem. Hubris, greed, and idiotic bureaucracy will kill more of us. So right... off I go to stock up on my medicines fighting idiots at every step.
9
Why is bad advice included in this article??? Per NYT's on headline, "Surgeon General Urges the Public to Stop Buying Face Masks"
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/health/coronavirus-n95-face-masks.html
1
Annalee,
Excellent article and thank you. Just like Louis Pasteur intimated: "Chance favors the prepared mind." Another version: 'Be prepared, not scared.'
Here's what I wrote to the NYT the other day:
"Yep: perfect timing: the seasonal, autumn-to-winter shift to the southern hemisphere brings the coronavirus with it. Should see coronavirus cases now populate the southern hemisphere (South America, Australia, Africa etc.), while northern hemisphere cases (depending on the the adequacy of testing apparatuses) begin to level-off with more sunshine, moisture and higher temperatures. All latitudinal and highly related to climate and transmission rates, so watch the shift."
Here's the poop: Nice that China apparently picked it up "first," except they didn't. Again, these coronaviruses have been all over the world for a long time now (cf. influenza A & B very prevalent for the last year in the U.S., with almost 15,000 deaths to date [even more the previous year: 61,000+ {CDC}]). Same stuff; different symptomatic and asymptomatic reactions and slightly different pathology, but basically the same. It all comes out 'in the wash' so to speak. And 'the wash' will be "survival" as you indicated. We might want to look at human being's destruction of wild habitat, arable lands, and aquifers around the world, and understand just why we're FORCING these microbes / viruses / bacteria to cover more ground, come into contact with, and enter more mammals for their OWN "survival."
2
Useless article unnecessarily entertaining the musings of an author, replete with allusions to Chaucer, Trader Joe's, Brooklyn 99 et al. Blah blah
3
I wonder how many people sneered at liberals during the poliomyelitis virus outbreak in the 1940s and 50's? After all, only 'a few thousand' died, and the survivors only weakened, so what was the big deal, amirite? Blah blah blah, when most people didn't get polio. How quickly you forget the America of the past.
1
"Low-key terrified"? I'd hate to see this writer high-keyed terrified. Did she forget to put bullets on her shopping list?
1
"To cope with these uncertainties, we have to turn preparation for survival into the new normal. Instead of freaking ourselves out with unimaginably dark scenarios, we need to plan for a difficult future every day."
Well, well, well. Welcome to my world Annalee. I have been doing this since 1970. Of course people disrespect me and call me "doomer" and "collapsenik." But let me tell you an interesting anecdote. Back in 2008, when people became really fearful during the Great Recession, I started getting emails from old friends, high school classmates, and even chance acquaintenances from all over the world. "Hey, how you doing? Got any suggestions?"
This seems a little overheated- the parts about stocking up the pantry for example. Corona, like influenza, will be primarily transmitted by touching surfaces that are contaminated by "fomites" (the residual of respiratory secretions coughed up by the infected) and then touching mucous membranes with contaminated hands. The two most important things to do then to avoid infection are stay away from large gatherings of strangers where touching surfaces is almost inevitable and wash hands after touching any surface- before touching food, mouth, nose etc.. The same things one should do in the flu season.
Most people have some immunity to influenza due to past exposure or flu shots- they have no immunity to Corona at this point so surviving infection depends very much on how effectively a person's immune system can respond. Those with any form of immune compromise (including age) should be especially careful.
1
My president has said the virus talk is a hoax.
Such reassurance is comforting.
223
@Ama Nesciri
General Custer said the same thing.
He was probably smarter than Donald, if that makes you feel better.
122
@Ama Nesciri I truly hope this comment is sardonic.
I hope that for you, and I hope that for the rest of us.
68
@NEMama But what if it is sincere? How many MAGA people are NOT concerned and should at least be aware? Most of the readers here are ignoring the WH pronouncements but if others are embracing them what does that mean if the pandemic really does become much worse? Sad to have to consider who the victims will be. And the burden they will become to the rest of us.
56
Thank you for this more than timely column and it helps that you've been through "disaster drills" before and that you are a science writer to boot! You've quelled my fears. Yesterday I bought over-glasses safety glasses to wear with my 99.9% protective masks and gloves; texted my granddaughter to warn her against touching her face, washing her hands every time she returns home; and staying home from school if she has so much as a cold. Little things. Thank you, again!
"But it doesn’t help that the White House is downplaying the risks of a pandemic, leaving most of us feeling like we’ll have to rely on ourselves if things get seriously apocalyptic."
But this comment is coming from a state which went overwhelmingly for Clinton and where, I suppose, "isn't Trump awful" replaces the usual "have a nice day" greeting.
And because of the enormous antagonism towards Trump I simply cannot decide whether he is being naive or if his critics are indulging in their usual hostility. How do I know that YOU are not a source of fake fears? Not knowingly, but giving in to an unconscious bias.
We need reliable sources of information and advice and the focus should not be on hostility towards Trump but on what we individuals and the cities and the states can do. If you want to influence Trump, all power to you, but do it without insults.
That said, I liked your practical advice and will pass it on to my family.
@Ludwig
The CDC recommended that stuff weeks ago. They should be impartial enough.
1
In countries with universal health care, people can be hospitalized without risking financial catastrophe. Here everyone on private health insurance with high deductibles,without private health insurance and without medical assistance, risks huge bills, destruction of their credit, or bankruptcy if they go to emergency and end up held in the hospital. That has to have a huge impact on self-reporting of symptoms.
3
One undertold preparation for the virus is working to boost your own- and others- immunity. Keep your diet (and your thoughts) healthy with earth based foods and lots of water. Visits to the farmers market nourish the body and mind. I’ll add some supplements in here and there too. Vitamin C (like Emergen-C or Airborne) may be a good addition to the above.
3
By definition pandemic is, well, pandemic. We can assume every living human being is going to contract the virus. Your chances of survival are unknown. We have no idea why some patients are asymptomatic and others, even healthy adults, develop life terminating lung illnesses. My preparedness strategy is being prepared to be sick.
That does mean a trip to the grocery store. I'm not planning to hide from the virus. There is no hiding. I just want enough food around that I don't have to go shopping when the entire household is sick. Hopefully no one has to go to the hospital. However, yes, having an extra week or two worth of food around is probably a good idea.
Normally I just rely on my camping gear for emergency survival. I easily have a week's worth of dehydrated food lying around somewhere. Power goes out. No problem. Heat goes out. No Problem. Water goes out. Mildly inconvenient. The main problem is you probably won't be at home when the emergency occurs.
This is the idea behind a "go-kit." An emergency kit which you leave in your car or cubicle. An idea which is statistically proven to not work. The go-kit will not be with the owner 90 percent of the time in an emergency. I guess having more around improves the likelihood you'll be close to one? I'm not sure.
Flu is different though. It's hard enough to eat anything when you have the flu. I'm not surviving on single-pot camping meals. Preparing to be sick requires more nuanced ingredients. Tea and honey come to mind.
2
Prepping for Coronavirus is not as easy as it may seem. I could not find any mask on shelves of 3 of the biggest pharmacies in my area. Yes no masks, leave alone proper masks in Walmart, Walgreens and COSTCO. I am certainly not freaking out because of my knowledge of realistic possibilities and my research on multiple candidate antivirals that could be deployed. I am though freaking out about the panic that those around me are making them behave irrationally. If people start HOARDING supplies like masks, soaps, sanitizers, how are those also responsibly trying to prep for the possible pandemic to protect themselves?
2
My insurance company does not allow me to replace my RXs until I am almost out. Fortunately I can survive without my cholesterol medicine, but what about individuals on insulin?
3
Have your Dr write a 90 Day prescription if that is sensible for storing insulin.
We will not be able to rely on the government for straight, factual, scientific information. Our divisiveness, the coming election, and both parties' spin will not be especially valuable.
24/7 media will likely ramp up, not tamp down, angst and emotion.
Anecdotes will create a mixed bag of reaction, from denial to digging nuclear attack bomb shelters (maybe a little hyperbole there).
Predictions are already creating a national crisis of sorts, since social media as well as overall media beam prophecies that paint a future our brains imagine as apocalyptic.
Nonetheless, we have to carry on for the sake especially for our children, almost as though Covid-19 is "just out there somewhere" -- real but not the Black Death of yore.
Our children, as we know, pick up on far more than we think, see and hear more than we know -- and interpret messages in ways different from how we do. Their access to messages about this disease is impossible to control, at home or at school. Talk to them about it without recreating the semi-controlled hysteria that is controlling us.
When the future is unpredictable, we increasingly tilt toward the worst. Don't let our children suffer our adult hysterics.
1
Advice is focused on "don't go out if you're sick" but also we need to know "don't go out often so you're not exposed to people who don't yet know they're sick."
Prevention.
So, stock up a bit on everything you need daily. Go through a day and write down everything your family and your pets depend on - food, medications, hygiene, cleaning supplies, etc. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are a bear, don't forget coffee. If you wind up working from home & schools close, remember you'll all consume more of some things. Dishes are washed more often. Toilet paper is used up faster.
Get extra now, so you don't have to go out often if the virus spreads.
I do worry about older people in nursing homes & older people who go to doctor's offices often. Those offices could become hot spots as people descend on their doctors for testing and help. The news images of many dozens of people crammed in small spaces to get tested are concerning. Let's not do that?
2
One of the best things I've done was to take the free course to become part of my city's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT in SF, CERT in most places).
Although our training was mostly around how to handle earthquakes, a significant portion was on how to prepare a household for any general, wide-spread disruption of services. Part of that included gathering water, food, medicines, first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, and other emergency supplies. Knowing that my family has resources and a plan (a few plans, actually!) has helped me approach this situation with a calmer, more rational approach, and I don't have to be as stressed around buying daily necessities.
If you're at all unnerved by the current situation, look up your local CERT/NERT program and enroll in the next class they offer.
1
As a child I lived through WW2. So being safe and grounded comes naturally. Use your fear to be pragmatic - yes I could get sick and even die - and use it to be reasonable - yes I’ll store essentials for 3 weeks and wash my hands etc etc.
4
What will happen to those without health care who end up in hospital
How will they pay?
Who will pay?
Will there be law suits over getting infected
Or sue trump for complacency and defunding CDC etc
5
So glad to see a serious article on prepping in the NYT. Sadly, most attention paid to prepping in the MSM has been directed at those who are building bunkers, arming themselves with enough weaponry to arm a small country and who are decidedly on the loony end of things. This is a shame as preparedness is important for everyone to engage in.
We never know when we might have to deal with an extended power outage, serious weather, economic disruption or other events which will require us to have adequate supplies of food, water and other essentials on hand. I know for sure that there are many in places such as NYC who subsist on take-out, Uber-eats and restaurant meals. If we can get those in this category to take some proactive steps to having enough food at home(and a way and knowledge to actually prepare it) this would be a good thing. Given the cost of eating as they do I don't think cost will be a limiting factor here either.
As for everyone else, just stock up on some extra food. At present there is no indication that large quantities of water will be needed nor that an extended power outage is likely. Having some jugs of water though is a good idea. But have enough food around, at least enough for a month, necessities such as diapers, feminine hygiene supplies,birth control, prescription meds etc as your individual situation dictates. Plus have a way to keep everyone engaged and entertained if an extended time at home is required; books, ,Netflix, puzzles etc.
3
The Spanish Flu is actually called the Spanish Flu due to the news blackouts at the time. The nations which participated in WWI didn’t want to publicize the spread of the disease because they thought it would hurt wartime morale. The Spanish didn’t have that problem, not being in the war, so they had a lot of press coverage about the epidemic before anyone else acknowledged its existence. People started to associate the new virus with Spain as a result, hence Spanish flu.
6
Don’t forget water. I believe the recommendation is a gallon per day per person. We bought cases of gallon jugs, and I also fill up pails, plastic bins, and the bathtub if things look bad.
The freezer is jammed, and so are the cupboards. Pasta, rice, canned veges, fruits, and beans, sauce, sugar, flour, boxed milk, cereal, germ killing cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, cash, meds. Most of this came in one large load from Costco, and another smaller load from Fairway.
Today I bought full finger workout gloves for the gym. We had a couple of face masks in the apartment already, along with a few large bottles of Purell and some Purell wipes because we’ve both had colds already this year. We got our flu shots in November as usual.
I figure we could stretch this to between 4-8 weeks. The biggest question is water. If the system functions it won’t be a problem. If a serious problem does happen, we’ll be in trouble in 2 weeks.
Maybe I’ll get more tomorrow... Good luck all!
9
Oh, I forgot the canned chicken, tuna packs, and 3 lbs of coffee beans...
3
@TR - 3 lbs of coffee? That wouldn't last long in these parts.
3
We are looking at this from the wrong perspective. Rather than trying to prevent ourselves from getting the virus, the better approach is to prevent those with the virus from giving it to us. It is a numbers game, there are far fewer of them than us. Yes, hand washing is good hygiene, but concentrate on containing coughs, sniffs and sneezes. The CDC recommends carrying tissues (and throwing them away after a single use) as well as using your sleeve rather than your hand in emergencies. A kindergarden teacher would recommend using your elbow. (I'd say they are the experts.) Masks are probably more effective on the sick than on the healthy.
6
The thing about the masks is, in China, you have to wear them if you go outside. We have still very strict protocols here, I'm not going to post about them again, but you have to wear a mask if you go out. Or put it this why: I'm not risking any confrontation with the authorities.
I think, at this point, the more international co-operation we have would help. Unfortunately, the Trump adminsitration is not really well known for "international co-operation."
19
David, what kind of masks are those? N95 particulate filtering masks? Or just the over-the-ears kind people use when they have a cold?
1
Re "Prepping", the best advice I've heard is to simply stock up on things you normally use: Foods with good shelf life, like rice, pasta, canned goods, baking supplies, and necessities like toiletries, medicines, hand sanitizers, first aid equipment.
Thoughtful preparation will help minimize shopping trips, help bridge the gaps if store shelves are empty, deal with emergencies, assist friends and neighbors in need, and avoid waste.
9
As a student of the media these past 50 years, I can’t help but wonder what we will learn from the coverage which is confusing until you read a lot of it. The reader picks are helpful as are the various perspectives advanced in the articles and columns. The month of March will be particularly interesting, and I find myself in a state -- no pun intended -- of uncertainty as I endeavor to see in the mind’s eye where this is headed. Epidemically, economically and politically, the story is filled with mystery at a time in my very lucky life when the world outside our bubble is getting chaotic.
5
If Trump's deal is his ability to spin alternate reality, why doesn't he come up with something for his acolytes that is more interesting than his never-ending whine that a worldwide virus outbreak is about him.
He is still doing the very same boring stand-up routine at each of his rallies.
12
One more thing. As advised by the experts please let me know which insurance company will cover your extra supply of medicines. Asking for a friend.
19
The headline talks about being smart, yet what we get is a panicky and completely unscientific rant by Mrs Newitz. It's deeply irresponsible, to say the least.
Increasingly what we are learning is this: a) The spread of the virus is inevitable and b) the vast, vast majority of cases for healthy adults are similar to a mild to severe cold. You and I are probably going to contract it at some point in the next 1-2 years.
So here's what to do: Practice common hygiene sense and live your life to the fullest.
31
Did we read the same article? It wasn't at all ranty.
Have you watched the news? Various communities throughout the world have been placed in quarantine. You're right that most of us are in no real danger. You're wrong though about the need to prepare for a very real possibility that you'll be stuck home for weeks.
1
@RM - A teenager here in the area got sick on Monday and was back in school on Friday, Yeah, he tested positive but he wasn't home fighting for his life.
So what can i do that would improve my immune system to better fight off the virus?
4
@Allan
Hi Allan,
As a retired biology teacher (and hospital RN) a few suggestions:
-make sure you are eating well and getting adequate (at least 8 hrs/night) sleep. Inadequate sleep and/or poor nutrition both weaken your immune system.
-wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (variety of soap isn't that important it is the scrubbing that does the job) after using the toilet, before you eat, and after you have been out in public for any length of time. This won't strengthen the immune system but it should substantially reduce exposure. The same is true of trying to keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth...especially when you are out in public.
-if you haven't already gotten your annual flu shot, by all means due so. Regular flu weakens your lung tissue and makes you more susceptible to other respiratory infections. The protective effects of the flu vaccine can begin as soon as two weeks after vaccination. It isn't perfect, but it has few if any side effects and the potential to provide substantial protection of your lungs.
-pay attention to reliable news sources about the virus, but try not to become obsessed. Worry and anxiety actually weaken the immune system. The CDC website is accurate and updated regularly as is the Minnesota Department of Health website. I'd avoid social media (like Facebook) entirely.
-do things in your free time that you find relaxing and calming. Again, anxiety and worry are NOT good for the immune system.
25
Also there seems to be some good research supporting supplementing properly with zinc. Google for the story that was on NPR recently and pay attention to the caveats about stuff that affects absorption too. Google "NPR zinc cold" to see what I'm talking about.
1
Quit smoking!
1
Facemasks are primarily effective in preventing people with the coronavirus from spreading their infection to others.
Facemasks are less effective in protecting the wearers from catching Covid-19 because most of the masks are not sitted proprolyl to filter the air breathed effectively enough to block the virus. The mask wearers are also taking in not filtered air from around the edges of the marks.
Truly effective protective gear for healthcare providers requires a full body suit, air tight, with a clean separate air supply and separate exhaust. This sytem requires mechanical ventilation. Few hopitals can provide this level of protection, which is designed for surgery.
Really, the only way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is for the infected and non-infected residents to be quarantined at home, and for deliveries to be left outside their homes where the residents can pick them up. This is currently happening in Wuhan where the number of daily new cases is steadly dropping.
4
I wish people responded to climate change with the same urgency they are responding to the Coronavirus situation.
56
I'd love to be able to stock up on my needed prescription medications if only my health insurance would let me fill more than one month at a time and only about 5 days in advance. Woe betide me should I be out of country or even out of state when it's time for a refill. The kind of permission process I have to go through with daddy health insurance is ridiculous. I highly doubt they'd let me refill 2 months ahead because of Corvid 19.
A disaster in the making on so many fronts.
21
Many pharmacies would prefer to dispense 90 days at a time. It’s worth asking your doctor to write for 90 days. Unless it’s a controlled substance - then sometimes there is a limit.
10
I have taken a common hypertension medication for many years. Supply and quality control issues in China have made it a hassle to refill it every 30 days for the past few years. I can only imagine the nightmare it’s going to be if there are distribution and manufacturing issues due to the coronavius outbreak. I don’t know how feasible it really is to stock up for extended periods when I have such a hard time getting it filled every 30 days. If I can’t get 30, how am I going to get 90 pills? Maybe, and just maybe, we need to have a national policy to be encourage the manufacture of critical supplies here at home. And to act aggressively to restrict the spread of illness into our country. Does that make me a deplorable? It’s time to rethink a lot of assumptions and policy dogma. Our lives depend on it.
The best thing any of us can do is take steps to build up our immune system.
There is no effective medical treatment for Covid-19. But most of the fatalities seem to have occurred with people whose systems were already weakened.
Anyone with a chronic aliment like heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, etc. should be extra careful because their body is already under considerable stress.
If we do face some form of temporary quarantine those with the best health will be needed to keep a host of basic systems running. those with compromised immune systems should be the first to stay at home.
China just shipped in 50 tons of vitamin C into Wuhan. While some may wonder at this, there are numerous studies showing vitamin C and a number of other alternative medical approaches are effective in strengthening immune systems.
Neither conventional or alternative therapies can prevent the spread of Covid-19. Nor are there any cures. But given the stakes we are facing it's time to embrace any and all treatments that have the potential to reduce the potential toll that this disease may take.
7
Elderberry Syrup or lozenges help.
2
@Drspock There's not enough emphasis put on strengthening the immune system. It's a shame that washing hands is just about the only preventative measure mentioned. Yet, eating fresh vitamin rich foods, getting ample rest, and exercising are not mentioned at all. Also, getting out in the sun WITHOUT sunscreen is important in the coming spring and summer months to boost vitamin D.
I've been advised that vitamin D is an important element in protecting lungs and in the body's natural defense against pneumonia. Any doctors/naturopaths/ functional medicine practioneers out there who can add to this please chime in here. It seems we can do better than just the hand washing, Purell, and maybe/sometimes/ we don't really know face mask advice.
1
All you school kids out there now is your hour to make a home made soap especially for viruses that has coconut oil or other antibacterial ingredients in them, that are natural and eco friendly, and sell the soap locally; or you could patent what you've invented.
People like homemade soaps with natural ingredients in them. Go around markets and Arts and Craft shops to see what they're selling and packaged. Schools could do this as a project.
5
Water. If utility companies don't provide services per normal, do you have enough water to get through two weeks? Or fuel for an outdoor grill? Or enough blankets to keep warm?
Lots to think about beyond dried soup mixes.
5
Shaula, I don't think that kind of disaster is likely. The main problem will be getting over what will feel like a bad cold.
Problems with communicable diseases like this were endemic in the United States before antibiotics and vaccines. People got through them. We will too.
4
@Shaula - If I need water, I just walk outside and look up.
Living in earthquake country, I have had a kit ready for a long time that has a water filter in it. And all of my adult life, my idea of a vacation was to hike up into the woods with just a tarp and a blanket and make shelter every night. I would love to be stuck on Survivor Island. That is my idea of a good time.
"It’s an old fashioned idea — planning for the worst and hoping for the best."
Low-key terrified is good fuel for getting prepared. Stocking up on food and meds is one thing, but taking stock of our emotional response to emergencies requires a little introspection and honesty.
Climate change disruption will mirror what we are seeing in today's empty grocery shelves.
8
Threatened disaster is NOT becoming more frequent.
This year we have an infectious disease threat. Not good, but probably no worse than an unusually severe seasonal flu. A decade ago we had SARS and MERS---much more deadly, but less transmissible, and affected only a small number of people, none in the Americas.
6
Jonathan Katz, there was a SARS outbreak in Canada, and some patients elsewhere in the Americas. MERS not so much.
We live in a hurricane zone and frequently see people rush to get bread and staples right before a coming storm threat, even though they're likely to occur every year.
It's just prudent to have a few weeks (at least) worth of food, basic medicines, and other goods you might need if you can't leave your house for a while because of cases in your community or a sudden quarantine. Or if YOU are sick and can't get to the store or you (obviously) wouldn't want to infect others in that state.
I'm not horribly worried that this will affect every city like it did Wuhan or Hubei province, but to fail to prepare for something foreseeable is folly.
8
Being prepared implies being ready before a crisis begins, not responding to an event already taking place as this author does.
The suggestions she gives are common sense and practical, but should be in place at all times, not just when danger is imminent. I have friends who have built fantastic stashes of emergency supplies on a shoestring budget. Being prepared is not just for the wealthy.
5
This editorial is really quite irresponsible. Conflating coronavirus, even casually, with the Black Death of the 14th century is pretty fervid. So far, China has identified about 86,000 infected people, of whom about 2,800 have died. China’s population is ~1.4 billion people, so about .00006% of the Chinese population is infected, and about 3.5% of those infected have died, ie ~.000002% of the Chinese population has succumbed. Compare that to 50% of the population of London dying of the Black Death in 1340. The NYT is reporting elsewhere in today’s paper that the surgeon general, backed by evidence, is telling people to stop buying masks and that there’s no need for doomsday prepping. Vigilance is critically important, but perspective is sorely needed.
25
@Shiv - We can't use China's numbers because a) They live on top of each other in density we can't fathom. Our largest city is a quaint village to them. b) Their air is so polluted you can barely see a block away due to coal burning factories. c) They smoke a lot on top of that.
So, far greater exposure to each other and lousy lungs to begin with. Not a great combo with any kind of respiratory ailment.
The author didn't conflate COVID-19 with the Black Death. She simply gave it as example of our propensity to forget pandemics once they've passed.
I suspect that many of the objections that are leveled at The Times here and elsewhere derive from quick, uncareful reads.
1
The writer's advice is well meant, but I'd like to know how poor people in Solano and neighboring counties are going to be able to (1) afford a two weeks' supply of necessities, and (2) find the storage space for everything from canned vegetables and cat food to toilet paper.
8
@Karen
It's pretty cheap to be able to buy beans, rice, frozen or canned veggies, pasta etc. "Poor people" can buy healthy food like this and skip the junk food, cigarettes, soda etc. As for storage space, that's easily obtained using under the bed space etc. Unless you're living in your car, there's space in everyone's apartment, no matter how small. I personally get tired of the endless "poor people can't do" posts which may be well-meaning but are really condescending and increase learned helplessness and victim mentality. Of course poor people can do this!
6
I don't think you fully appreciate the living situation in California these days. We have medieval diseases spreading through massive tent cities and places renting for $1000/month that would be considered storage units in the rest of the US. Not everyone lives like that obviously, but being really poor here probably looks very different from being poor in Vermont.
6
Beans and rice bought in bulk are dirt cheap. And they take little space to store.
Being “low key terrified” is not a way to prep for the Coronavirus virus. What we need is science not hysteria. The article posted in the NYT about the differences between the flu and the Coronavirus was excellent because it was based on science.
We need more of this and less of ignorance, baseless fear, and superstition.
Mike
13
Wash hands. Avoid crowds like airports, cruise ships, buses, subways, rallies, et cetera. They are petri dish. Mask does not protect.
8
@Uly
While your advice is great, avoiding airports, cruise ships, buses, subways (in NY?) will totally destroy the world economy. What do we do then?
4
Masks on all grocery store workers, all food service employees—including waiters!—and all pharmacy workers would protect more of them from spreading the virus if they encounter infected people.
I would like to see masks available for free to every patient desiring one at a medical clinic during this outbreak and also flu season!
And why in the world is there not a hand sanitizer at every major grocery store checkout?
So Pence and the Surgeon General say "Stop buying face masks...they don't work!" but then also say "we need them for health care workers!" So, wait, they do work?
Further, why are health care workers competing with the public by buying face masks from CVS and Amazon? Shouldn't hospitals have massive medical supply companies from which to purchase these things?
Their logic is confounding. Hard to know what to believe.
10
MikeG, the N95 particulate filter masks need to be worn correctly and discarded after use. Medical people often use them as part of a full body suits, and they are needed when you are working around infected people for periods of time.
A normal healthy person with no training in the use of the masks and who is not around people known to be sick will not get any real benefit from a mask like that. Better to use a simple face mask if you use anything at all. Just washing hands and being careful not to be close enough to strangers to be sneezed on is the key. Casual contact is not the problem.
The supply nationwide of masks is limited. People use them for a variety of things, so they are on sale at a variety of stores. But best to keep the supply available for those who can best use them instead of wasting them on those who get no benefit from them.
4
They work better for protecting healthcare workers when sick patients sneeze on their faces. For non healthcare citizens, the more likely route of transmission is touching their faces with virus on their hands, so the masks aren’t super helpful. Basically protect the people that are going to have more up close exposure to multitudes of sick people.
I would be curious to see Ms. Newitz's list. Starting to gather supplies, but we don't know what is really necessary vs. Going overboard.
3
@Pat
There are many such lists available online, put together by actual experts.
A good idea would be to maintain an emergency stash that would see you through different types of emergencies, not just a pandemic virus.
But the first place to start is by assembling a portable 72-hour kit for every member of your household. This can mean the difference between life and death in many emergency situations.
For this pandemic, being quarantined at home seems the greatest risk. When you're stocking up, in addition to the standard things that are widely suggested, don't forget the comfort foods, and as much variety as you can find and store.
1
@Pat check the Red Cross web site, the SPCA for pets, or just search for "disaster preparedness."
The point isn't simply that for the vast majority of people who contract it, COVID-19 is a fairly a mild condition (the mantra of "the common cold.") The point is that the virus has raised concerns among the experts not despite its low fatality rate, but because of it. Unlike some of the killer pandemics of the recent past HFN1 (avian flu), COVID-19 isn't readily detected (i.e. it presents like an ordinary respiratory disease, or perhaps in some carriers it's entirely asymptomatic). What that means is that it's easily "seeded" and quickly spread, not only among those who won't suffer terrible consequences but also to those who will, and die. It's one thing to console oneself with the thought that the virus probably won't kill the many thousands of people who get it, another to realize that it masquerades under precisely these conditions (lulling us all into thinking it's not that bad) and will therefore be close to impossible to contain. And, so far, it looks like it can also reinfect. Containment is crucial -- but for that to work, there needs to be a systematic, widespread effort to test large populations before particular individuals become virulent carriers. None of that is happening in the United States.
8
@Rip
The 1.7% death rate is not so bad, until it reinfects the 98.3% who escaped death the first time. And then, without deep immunity (humoral and cell-mediated), it continues reinfecting because there is no deep immunity.
Reinfection is theoretically a 100% death rate.
1
@Fourteen14 Cite your sources. Where are your data? There has been one reported case of reinfection in Japan, and even that diagnosis is questionable.
5
@La Capitalista
It's unclear if reinfection is occurring, if this virus is potentially presenting as a biphasic one or if people who are testing negative and thought cured actually haven't cleared the virus out of their system. Lots of unknowns.
So I'm thinking if the Surgeon General (appointed by Trump) has something to say about the coronavirus and the supply of face masks, perhaps he should speak during the primetime news instead of using Twitter...
The USA is not prepared for this outbreak.
With symptoms similar to those of the common cold, most people will self medicate, and those unfortunate to be infected will go on as usual spreading the virus. It'll be days if not weeks before symptoms appear and by then, it will be too late.
2
The scary thing is Trump getting his dream of shutting the border with Mexico- 1 million Americans live in Mexico, our produce comes from Mexico, it is our largest trading partner, Mexico reports one case in Mexico City. Now that’s a winning strategy for the economy - oops - no economists in the White House.
5
Interesting.
So many people complaining that Trump is muzzling medical professionals and scientists. Why should that matter? According to most elites, they’re all beholden to Big Pharma, Big Business, and various other nefarious influences. They’re intent on making us ill with their dangerous vaccines, ensuring we stay sick as long as possible so they can get rich, and of course we all know they cured cancer long ago and kept it the cure from us.
I can’t imagine why anyone wants to hear from people like that...
/sarcasm
11
@Flyover chic
Well, sarcastic, maybe get out of the Twitter sphere and talk to people? By “elites” I assume you mean educated people? Or city dwellers? Or Democrats? Well, those people are, by vast majority, NOT anti vaccine. They believe in science, including the science of climate change. They don’t particularly go in for conspiracy theories (think comet ping pong and the ridiculous theory that prominent Democrats go in for sex trafficking). Some of them even ARE scientists and doctors. So maybe stop, for like five minutes, on your hate of the “elites” to think about the good of the WHOLE country. I’m told presidents and even citizens used to do that in times of crisis.
/complete sincerity
1
Vote the Stable Genius out of office November 2020. Our democracy's survival depends on it.
30
@CommonSense'18
Our lives may depend on it.
It would help a lot with everyone’s prepping, especially the psychological kind, if people could avoid overusing the word “panic.” Many people are fearful, nervous, worried, et al. But actual panic is something else.
In a panic situation, people are so overcome by fear that they are running around doing very irrational things which may well endanger themselves and others. We’re not there yet, not nearly.
But while hyperbole has struck again, it’s something we can get under control just by watching our words. Fear and panic are definitely contagious.
12
Good trump strategy to limit test kits, if we can’t identify cases they don’t exist. Just stocking up on things I’d want in the house if there was a lot of flu going around, Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, Diet Coke (don’t judge me) and coffee, peanut butter, canned tuna, paper products. That way I won’t have to run out to the store if I am coming down with something thereby infecting everyone else. I’m pretty sure the Amazon delivery guy will bring anything I can wait two days for. Soap and water, keep your hands off your face, hand sanitizers are a massive racket. As long as internet access doesn’t go down I think I can be happy here, aging in place.
9
This article refers to a Covid-19 case in Hawaii. I live in Hawaii and wondered - what did I miss? Currently, there are no cases of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) in Hawaii and we have reliable testing available. So, would the author please state the source of your information? Inquiring minds.....
9
@Buddy
Hi I am on Kauai..a physician. To date, Saturday Feb 29th, there is NO documented case of Covid-19 virus.
I am sure it will come, with all the visitors we have, but we also have a great health care system
5
This whole situation vaguely reminds me of Stephen King's "The Stand" which I read many years ago.
Let's hope the Corona Virus doesn't get anywhere as bad as the book or even the real life Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 where 100,000,000 died.
27% of the world's population got infected. These are facts.
it's not that long ago but many people are not knowledgeable about this deadly pandemic.
Let's not panic but let's be careful and prepared. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
11
@marian Yes and trump reminds me of the evil force in The Stand. An antichrist of sorts.
Headed to my library tomorrow to check out The Stand. Fear of 'tubeneck' should stoke any rampant paranoia festering in my subconscious.
@marian - Last night I dreamt I was visited by a guy in old jeans and cowboy boots. Can’t quite remember what his face looked like, though. Should I be worried?
1
Before reading this column, I mentally created my response to the coming pandemic, being an old man with nothing to do and all day to do it.
All the items and activities the author mentioned sound good. However, being an anxious type, I fantasize near-total seclusion as the sage response: I'll stay at my daughter's house with her two young preschoolers. If my daughter and son-in-law have to go to work, they'll have to disinfect upon returning from the COVID-19-infected world. They could wear masks and gloves at work, maybe even lab coats.
More ideally, they won't have to go to work, or can't. Who's going to risk contagion? Is the average worker heroic?
How long will this pandemic last? I'm certainly no expert, but the wannabe Biblical prophet in me thinks that once the weather warms up, the worst will pass and just random flareups will occur, some place far away. My fantasy, unlike "On the Beach" (1959), ends with, And they all lived happily everafter.
So my psychological defense mechanisms are up and running: Shields! I wonder how many other neurotics have their survival plans mapped out.
As an old person, I just loathe the flu, always have, but now more than ever.
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous."
~ Alfred North Whitehead
[I'm listening to all my favorite music, Led Zeppelin, maybe for the last time. (I told you I was neurotic!)]
10
@The New FDR It’s so strange to hear someone describe themself as an old person and a Led Zeppelin fan. Time is weird and I’ll never get used to it.
1
@David H.
They're old men now. I'm listening to them right now: "When The Levee Breaks." Also, I can play a lot of Led Zeppelin at deafening levels on my Paul Reed Smith guitar through my Mesa Boogie Mark V. When I play Led Zeppelin, the neighbors listen to Led Zeppelin, too.
If I was a prepper I'd keep it to myself.I wouldn't want people asking for some things or worst of all the police confiscating it for the "public good." I do not trust law enforcement to not take my supplies and keep it for themselves.
10
Avoid crowds. Try not to eat out, especially fast food as their employees are not granted many sick days. Give up things that are not good for your immune system like smoking and drinking. Add things to your diet that are good for your immune system. Trust your instincts.
9
Soap works just as well as hand sanitiser; probably better. I don't like using anything antibacterial and stopped using antibacterial soap when I got a really weird flu about 5 years ago that affect my nails. There are good bacteria on your hands that fight germs and if you use anti bacterial soap or dishwashing liquid your own good bacteria will get lazy and not be able to fight the bad bacteria. like anything chemically made, the antibacterial soap will stop working once you build up a resistance. Bars of soap or pump soap is better to use than antibacterial soap, so we've been told in NZ.
There are recipes online on how to make home made soap. I buy vanilla and coconut eco system pump soap. Coconut contains a natural antibacterial and isn't chemical.
6
@CK
Hand sanitizer is useful when you're out and using shopping carts, ATM's, touching stuff others touch etc. At home, ordinary soap and water works great.
1
Everyone says not to panic. Only the elderly or sick are in danger. As if we don’t have to worry about those damaged people. Well
my husband, the love of my life, has cancer and is recovering from surgery, chemo and radiation. You bet I’m panicked! And absolutely nothing the government is doing or saying makes me more comfortable. When you hear that they forced Anthony Fauci to cancel his appearances on the Sunday talk shows you should all be worried. I will be stock piling food. I’ve reordered my meds and I will do everything possible to keep him safe.
24
@Ann
You are absolutely correct not to trust this government. But you are absolutely wrong to imply that other governments would be trustworthy (especially Democrat ones). That is just partisan nonsense and deception. Want proof?
Look at how China has behaved in past virus outbreaks and in this one as well. Look at how badly the Japan government handled their cruise ship debacle. Look at how badly the Cambodian dictatorship handled their cruise ship debacle. Look at how badly the WHO behaved regarding this virus (it refused to declare an international emergency because, it admitted, it was concerned about economic effects on China if it did declare an emergency). And, finally, look at how Obama refused to impose a travel ban during the Ebola crisis...he, too, admitted publicly that his reason was to avoid economic effects on African nations.
NO government is trustworthy when something as profound as our individual health and lives are in jeopardy.
2
@Errol do not make false equivalencies between our present government and President Obama's. Obama listened to esteemed and experienced scientists and epidemiologists and followed their advice during the Ebola crisis. I just looked it up. There were only 11 cases of Ebola in the U.S. So Obama and his experts did something right. President Trump states he knows more than anyone and that when April rolls around it will all be OK all the while gutting programs that were out in place to help us in these exact situations. Your comfort with that is disturbing.
1
Here is a tip: Wash your winter gloves. They can be little germ havens. Many times we just think about our flesh and blood hands, but not our winter hands.
9
and our phone, keys and stuff we touch often in our wallets
3
Maybe all this extra "virus prep" shopping will help mitigate some of the other economic effects.
How will the current occupant of the White House spin that one?
3
Don't forget the canned beans.
12
Good article. The more you give people something they can do the less panic they will have. Peace of mind comes when you know you have done everything you can do. Wash your hands and take a nice walk outside. You'll be better for it.
7
The author missed the basics....if you have a cold or respiratory infection, don't be coughing without covering. And don't go sit in the public library or wander thru stores and hack all over everything and everyone.
11
This whole obsession over surgical masks and N95 masks is misplaced. If you don't know how to put them on, or more importantly how to take them off, it's literally pointless. I watch people wearing them fail to remove the gear correctly, contaminating their hands and faces in the process. Surgical masks are designed to keep germs in, not keep germs out. They are meant for the sick to be worn, not the healthy. They don't do the job.
Everyone is going to get sick with this at some point unless there's a vaccine. It's not a black death, but it is a major issue because the health care system in this country is so ruined that there's literally no extra capacity for anything extra. Having extra, empty, beds doesn't pay the bills. It's all about money. So we will be facing rationing of care, lack of primary care docs, a proliferation of poorly trained and poorly supervised nurse practitioners that simply cookie cutter handle every visity with some tessalon, prednisone, tamilflu and azithromax.
5
As a physician, I can tell you that your notion of the purpose of surgical masks is totally wrong. They are meant to protect patients undergoing surgery from exposure to microbes carried into the OR by surgeons, nurses and other health care team members. Surgeons and nurses sneeze and cough just like everyone else.
The journalist who wrote this article almost certainly has a useless type of N95 mask in her possession if it was bought to deal with smoke from the California wildfires. It is probably a particulate mask used by factory workers, carpenters, janitors dealing with heavy dust and such. It is NOT the type of N95 mask approved by the CDC for use in a health care setting, where the purpose is to protect the health care provider from being infect by virus or mycobacteria (such as the type that causes tuberculosis). The medical masks must be properly fitted and also require training tobe used properly.
Today's news from the Chinese equivalent of our CDC reported that over 1,100 health care workers have been infected by the novel Coronavirus 19 in the past 10 weeks. All the photos of hospitals in and around Wuhan that show doctors and nurses wearing paper or cloth face masks and NOT medically approved N95 masks is almost certainly the reason so many have been infected.
8
@Nate - I agree with you about masks. But I disagree with your generalization about nurse practitioners. I work in a community health center where the doctors and the NPs do pretty much the same work, and I find many NPs to be smart, skilled, thoughtful and dedicated to the well-being of their patients. As are many doctors.
1
@Robert kay
The person you're replying to had it correct. The masks are to be worn by infected people
Does it strike anyone else odd and ironic to see the very left wing Times and its op-ed contributors seeming ever more like the survivalists the have always mocked and feared (those that also amass guns and ammunition to defend themselves when survival threatening conditions will cause many to take what they do not have.
Where are the op-ed pieces spouting politically correct drivel about people all over the world being the same, wanting the same peaceful cumbayah, sharing, generous, compassionate, caring, and, most of all, unselfish?
Some American companies have recently been especially caring and compassionate. I write of the American makers of N95 masks, like 3M. You know the masks I write about.....they are the ones that all of us regular Americans cannot buy because there are none in any stores. There are none for Americans because these companies have been selling their production to foreign countries and depriving Americans of protection against this disease and the regular flu (the masks do double duty since they work equally well to protect against other airborne viruses like the regular flu).
3
@Errol
Well here in The Peoples Republic of Texas they are not allowing sales surgical supply stores. Manufacturers must sell to hospitals and those involved in public safety.
Harbor Freight however does sell industrial breathing protection.
2
@Errol
95% of the N95 masks are produced outside the US.
Can anyone suggest some simple books for kids of various ages about what happens or what to expect during a quarantine due to a pandemic?
Our kids (and by that I mean our nation’s kids) are overhearing stuff and talking about and generating frightening rumors about covid-19 and quarantines. They could use some facts, and some reassurance.
Overlaying that dynamic is, for many kids and many parents, the specter of government-enforced family separations á la ICE protocols and facilities. With talk of quarantined CA residents being forcibly transferred to a facility in Alabama, those fears are not so outlandish.
1
I am a Professor of Medical Genetics. Reading about the unexplained cases of coronavirus in the US and elsewhere raises the possibility that the Coronavirus was for a long time indigenous to humans where only recently a pathogenic variant or unknown co-factor. result in a flu. If true, asymptomatic carriers were for a long time present in the human population. I suspect that population wide screening will show that in every country a certain % of the population are corona virus carriers. The test kit just enables to quantitate indigenous coronavirus carriers that have been there long ago. Th botomline-Covid-19 is essentially a flu with low mortality rates that may have went molecularly undiagnosed for a long time. Caution and 14 days quarantine of carriers are a good approach until a vaccine is at hand, but all the hype and economical panic may have much more dangerous consequences than the virus itself
3
Covid19 has similar mortality rates and infectiousness like influenza. So where is the yearly all-out panic and breakdown of the economy because of influenza? Why is not every single influenza case reported in the media?
Oh and the media is not really behaving more rationally in Germany. Today a case of two children infected with covid19 has been reproted in the main TV news (they hardy display any symptoms at all ...)
3
Probably because, while not perfect, a flu vaccine is available and sensible people get one.
7
@Hans Rupp - 1. The regular flu is discussed annually in the media, and people are strongly encouraged to get their flu shot. Since when is the flu not a topic of concern? 2. The mortality of coronavirus is estimated at 2-3%. And with 2900 dead out of 85,000 confirmed cases, that is actually closer to 3.4%. If true, that is 34X the mortality rate of the flu. I do suspect, however that there are many more unconfirmed cases out there, which means that mortality percentage is artificially high.
2
@B.
In a 2014 meta-analysis, the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that:
"Injected influenza vaccines probably have a small protective effect against influenza … as 71 people would need to be vaccinated to avoid one influenza case … Vaccination may have little or no appreciable effect on hospitalizations … or number of working days lost."
Comments here are all calm and thoughtful
Now first casualty is reported in Washington State. No longer somebody else's problem.
Pretty fast after the first reporting in the US..
Can Americans stay calm?
Government credibility is more important ever to avoid a panic situation.
7
Very interesting article, had not heard about Hawaii cases.
It would be great if you would list the items that you purchased to support the quarantine period.
1
Use Zicam as a prophylactic, maybe? It’s always effective against viruses if you start right away at first sign of infection- maybe they could prevent infection?
Personally, I'd like to just see the media stop pushing Trader Joe's on the world. They are not health food - just a high-priced, specialty food store with the same junk you can get anywhere else. I was in one once and was not at all impressed. I guess that is what trend-followers do - continue to talk up the latest shiny object. Better stores are in abundance and all around. I said the same about Aldi - high prices for little nutritional return. And yes, I am staying aware of the virus but so far no panic has set in in my area but I am sure it will start soon.
4
Just buy dry beans and canned tomatoes - frozen veggies. Keep it simple.
4
Here in Germany I saw something two days ago I never thought i’d see happening: some food stores completely out of common items. In some stores as much as 15% of the store had empty shelves. That’s rare indeed! I decided to buy extra supplies of some items, of course—who knew—toilet paper was number one on my list! ...and the store I bought it from was running low. Certainly there is no reason to panic but now would be a good time to make sure key items are stocked at home. You don’t necessarily have to go full Mormon and stock a one-year supply, but 30-60 days would be a good idea.
The problem is: supply chains are backed up. Borders ate getting closed to traffic to contain the virus and that means products having nothing to do with China can become short in supply. If President Trump is clamping down on the flow of people into and out of the country, just like other heads of state are doing (example: Italy) that means goods get clamped down on too; everything from diapers to noodles.
It’s crazy. Be careful and slightly more prepared.
9
Prepping? Try stocking up with garlic, thyme, black seed oil, lysine, andrographis, lemons, apples, cabbage for sauerkraut/kimchi, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, vit C....boxes of tomato soup from Trader Joe's might not do the trick lol
2
@john wombacher
My Trumpster neighbor has a month of food and ammo for his guns all ready to go.
Here's what we need to do:
Wash hands frequently and do it correctly (20 seconds)
Sneeze/cough into your elbow
Carry hand sanitizer and use it if you can't wash your hands with soap and water
Consider "social distancing" - avoiding big crowds, not shaking hands as a reflex
Make sure you have 30 days of your regular prescription meds available, in case of supply chain interruptions. Make sure you have enough of your usual non-prescription meds too - acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen, cough syrup.
If you're sick, don't go to work, school, or community meetings/activities.
For up-to-date advice, go to the CDC website, or your state's health department website.
Here's what we don't need to do:
Buy special "emergency food". You'll still be able to cook. Make sure your pantry and freezer are reasonably well stocked. Many of us could eat for a month with just what we have at home.
You'll still have running water. No need to stock up on bottled water or figure out how to purify water (for THIS situation - if you're preparing for an earthquake/tsunami, you do need to stockpile water.)
Masks aren't helpful unless you're directly caring for a patient with the virus.
10
Each of us needs to review our personal essentials for facing life, assuming that we will be on our own for 2 to four weeks.
We are former long-distance sailors. We always provisioned for crossings under the assumption that we might take twice as long as we planned. We actually did have an unanticipated interruption on one trip, in the form of a rogue wave. Months after, I realized that we (or at least, I) endured those four days until we were rescued without a single cup of coffee. No wonder I woke up every morning in a fog!
Now we live in Southern California, where we provision in preparation for the next big earthquake. I need to buy more coffee. And maybe a hand grinder for the beans.
5
Many thanks to the author for expressing my thoughts - I had difficulty admitting to how deeply concerned I have been over the last 10 days.
May I add one more set of products to the shopping list - in view of the fact that utilities might not be easily repairable if they fail and repair people are unable to circulate in the population to fix them. That is a safe method of heating the stored water to enable dried foods to be prepared, utensils and personal clothing to be cleaned and childrens' needs to be met. The safety of the water heating method is paramount when disease as well as weather-caused fire conditions suddenly prevail in concert.
Use this crisis as a way to change how you think about the food you eat. Get back into your kitchen and make your family home cooked meals. Stock your pantry with canned beans, whole grains, pasta, sugar-free pasta sauces, peanut butter, pickled veggies, and other convenient, shelf-stable foods to help you make quick dinners. Allowing others to frequently prepare your food can expose you to improper food handling and to cooks who might not be aware they are carrying a virus or infection. And cooking meals at home gives you control over the ingredients you use and who produces them. Take this time to enjoy feeding yourself and those you love!
18
Dry beans especially if you have a hot pot.
1
Looking at family history recently we found out that our grandfather had a wife and daughter before he married and had our father. The baby died a few days after being born and the mother, his first wife died on Christmas Day, 1919, during the Spanish Flu epidemic. He never mentioned it to us and our father, I don't think, even knew about it. Our Dad was born in June of 1921.
People were so stoic back then and maybe our grandfather just erased it from his mind.
7
Mephistopheles, back then it was very common to lose family members from one cause or another. The Spanish flu epidemic was bad, but it was only one thing among many. Public health has made tremendous strides since then.
6
@Mephistopheles Maybe it wasn't stoicism but buried grief.
1
I was hoping to read a checklist of ways to minimize my exposure and prepare for quarantines beyond what I have read everywhere, from our local newspaper to email from the mayor to bulletins from the UC Chancellor to the NYTimes. This is more of a philosophical chat piece and not very helpful.
Two weeks supply of medications? We have no way of knowing how bad this might get and how long it might last. Two months supply might be more realistic. Help with food and water might come from local government agencies, but they won't be passing out prescription meds.
Disposable gloves could become a necessity if you need to care for someone in your home or clean up after they have gone to a hospital. The same goes for disinfectant and how to use it.
A forum of suggestions could help us get more prepared and make us feel more confident that we can deal with whatever arises.
6
@dutchiris My way of preparing for a potential quarantine was to think through what I will need to live comfortably if I can't leave my home for a month or longer. I made sure I have an additional stock of canned goods, stuff I normally use, but extra. The same goes for dry goods- rice, flour, cereal, cooking oil, pasta and the like. Since even in China things don't seem bad to the point of losing power, keeping a stash of frozen food is also an option. Bottled water, maybe not so important- this isn't like a hurricane or earthquake. Don't forget your pets, and make sure you have a can opener. Disposable gloves are useful IF you know how to use them- especially the proper way to remove them. Leave the masks for the pro's for now- to be of any use they must be fit tested, properly applied and removed. Meds can be an issue since some pharmacies won't dispense more than a 30 day supply. (May also depend on the med and your insurance). Also- some good books, a lot of patience, and a sense of humor.
7
Dutchiris, there's not that much to do. This is nothing like the Spanish flu, or even the corona viruses that cause SARS or MARS. The death rate is under 1%. Those who do die are old and/or sick. Children have no problems. Healthy adults rarely do either.
There are already similar corona viruses that infect humans. This is worse than those, but not much worse than the flu. The problem is that adding the viral load to an already weak immune system can cause organs to be overwhelmed and death to occur.
The key is to live your normal life but not to travel to areas with many infected people. The CDC has advice here that may be what you are looking for: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
No one can predict for sure what will happen, but the idea that the whole country will shut down seems overblown. Stockpiling anything seems an overreaction. If you like to feel safe rather than sorry, go ahead. But I'm going to live my life normally. (Except for washing my hands a lot more!)
3
@dutchiris
The preparedness protocols are essentially the same as for pandemic flu. Hence.. CDC has had plans in place and ready for use at all levels, including civilians at home for years now. https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/pdf/gr-pan-flu-ind-house.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/tools-resources/planning-guidance-checklists.html
Please do not tell readers to go out and buy masks right now. These are in very low supply, will not prevent you from being infected and should be rationed for health care workers who are going to be in constant contact with the disease. Clearly they serve a purpose if/when you get infected so that when you go the hospital you don't spread the virus. However for most of us we won't need to go to the hospital because it will be a mild form of COVID-19 and those limited services will be needed for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems or prior conditions. Please consider including this information so as to help the public health authorities in their ability to disseminate correct information.
9
Huh? If they don’t work at preventing spread of the virus, why would they be needed by healthcare workers in daily contact with people infected with the virus??
More likely, if your claim that masks don’t help protect the wearer from catching the virus is even true, it’s that the masks are needed for infected people, whose coughs and sneezes and dripping noses cause the release of tiny droplets (aerosols) containing the virus. If these tiny droplets land on a surface other than the inside of a mask that is later properly disposed of, they become potential mean of virus transmission. It also could be that the health care workers need the masks to protect them from other, non-covid-19 contagions, such as bacterial infections other patients may have.
But experience says that healthcare providers interacting in person with patients in isolation due to highly-contagious disease are issued and wear specially-designed and custom-fitted masks that are not widely available to the general public (i.e., not ordinary surgical masks or even N95 masks). Are those the kind of masks now in short supply? Is that shortage due to over-purchasing by the general public, or because of disrupted supply chains or because county, state, and national government or other entity failed to plan ?
3
But your mild case of covid-19, if you walk around without a mask, could be caught by an elderly or immune-compromised person who comes in contact with the aerosolized virus your coughs and sneezes release. So why are you advising exposed or infected people to forgo using masks??
5
@Julia
Proper masks(N95) do work IF worn properly AND handled properly. I think we are being told not to bother with them as the authorities want to direct the supply towards medical providers who WILL be wearing them. They don't want people hoarding say 1,000 masks for their household of 2 or re-selling them at insane prices.
We are sublimating our deepest fear (that the government is not prepared to treat the critically ill) with the idea that prepping our cupboards will protect us from an inept government. I suggest buying the case of Progresso Soup from Costco, getting the Pop Tarts, TP -- whatever is going to get you through -- and supplementing it with a strong letter to the WH (you can send a nice note via their webpage) asking how our GOVERNMENT is "prepping." Is the U.S. coordinating a plan from fed level down to local gov't to 1) locate sites to build emergency medical facilities, and coordinate with large contractors so that they are on-call to urgently construct them, if needed, including identifying sources of building materials and availability of construction workers? And if so, how long it will take to build them, how are they going to ensure adequate numbers of trained health care workers to staff them, and at what point in the outbreak will they commence building them; 2) use the department of defense or private manufacturing facilities to produce needed medicine, medical supplies and equipment INCLUDING face masks so that Americans can buy one if it makes them feel safe without being berated that a health care worker will suffer ill consequences; 3) demonstrating to the public how food and supplies will be distributed to quarantined areas. If you get an answer, let me know. This is warfare, of the germ type, and should be treated as such.
5
Nancy, there is no need for the kind of drastic measures you describe. This is nothing like the Ebola virus, or even the more similar MERS or SARS corona viruses.
The death rate is low. We should try to stop its spread, as it does threaten the elderly (over 70) and those who otherwise have weak immune systems. Even then, more than 95% of those infected survive.
Already flu, colds, other corona viruses, and other communicable diseases also pose a threat. We should all have consideration for others and try to avoid spreading illnesses. But there is no need to panic and no need to spend a lot of money on the kind of measures you advocate.
This is not warfare, of the germ type, and it should not be treated as such.
7
@John Smithson
Did you not notice even young doctors(age 29, 34 ) in China dying of this virus? While I'm sure that this will disproportionately impact the elderly and those with co-morbidities, this doesn't at all mean younger healthy people won't be harmed.
We humans are pretty bad about risk assessment. The most dangerous thing most of us do, at least in America, is drive our cars, drink sodas and eat cholesterol-heavy foods. But that's academic--at one point or another every one of us is going to kick the bucket, many of us due to factors just beyond our control. I'm much more worried about the fact that California hasn't had any rain in the last two months than I am about the virus. How do you prep for a drought? Sheesh.
9
Eric, yes, it worries me too that we are having such nice weather in January (most of the month) and February (all month long). What can we do? A rain dance, maybe?
4
Man, however you did it last time
Well the virus reduces the carbon footprint that
Is for sure.
1
There is no reason for panic. Common sense says we avoid crowds, wash our hands very frequently, don't shake hands, have a few extra dry goods and canned goods on hand but don't go crazy stockpiling anything, be prepared for possible inconveniences, and stay calm. And, until there are confirmed cases in your area, continue to support local businesses. The media uses our fear; the fact is that 35,000 people in the US die from seasonal flu every year and most people don't think about it much, even though they should.
12
@CJ
How does one avoid crowds when one has to go to work and one lives in nyc?
2
The last plague was over 100 years ago. No one is alive to tell us what it was like, so we're sort of out on our own here. And there's certainly no leadership on the national level.
My husband and I have taken what we feel to be rational precautions. We stocked up on food yesterday - we bought large bags of rice and beans, canned soup, frozen vegetables and frozen fruit. Luckily we have a 1/2 full chest freezer because we are gardeners, so we re-upped our depleted supplies back up with store-bought veggies. We have two months of prescription medicine on hand and cat food/cat litter to last at least two months. We have cleaning supplies/personal care supplies to last months. We have flu medicine and pain killers and cough medicine. We took these precautions not necessarily because we fear being locked in our home, but we are afraid that if we both get sick, neither of us is going to be going grocery shopping. And, really, so what if we don't need it - we will just grocery shop a bit less in the coming months. This thing is real and the sooner the people of our nation realize it, the better.
12
@Erin Having gone through 9 11 in New York City, we started preparing in similar fashion. This may sound funny but get an instant pot. It can prepare any dry foods for emergency, especially rice and beans very simply and quickly. I would also discuss if their is sickness in the family what to do. We set up some emergency ideas with the family if there was another major terrorist attack - get a plan of action in place without being frenetic about it. Keep Calm and Purell On!,
6
Erin, this is far, far from the Spanish flu. It's not a plague. Your precautions sound sensible, but almost certainly unneeded. Just be careful, and if one of you do get sick, treat it like you would the flu. As long as you are in reasonably good health, you should be fine.
Good luck!
2
@John Smithson
You don't know this and it's irresponsible to keep saying this.
I, too got a laugh out of going to Trader Joes. But it's a good idea- if you're going to stock up on extra supplies, make sure it's the familiar stuff your family will actually use. My own prep consisted of going to the local feed store to make sure my animals will be taken care of, and then to the grocery store to stock up on the important things- chocolate Easter bunnies and Cabernet.
27
@Malinoismom You and I are kindred spirits. We make our own wine and have about 25 gallons sitting in glass carboys in the basement right now. Otherwise, I would most definitely be stocking the wine cellar.
6
Space to store stuff is also an area of inequity. People who rent a room or live in modest apartments, or on the street have very little, if any, storage space.
When you don’t have a garage, a basement, an attic, a shed, an extra bedroom or a large linen closet or even more than a couple of small kitchen cabinets — or even a sturdy roof and walls — it’s difficult to keep 3 days’, let alone 3 weeks’, of supplies on hand, even if they are free.
In this new normal of a world, apartment buildings and landlords need to be required to provide secure emergency supply storage areas for residents/tenants. New construction and major remodels should be required to build such storage areas (and perhaps safe rooms/bunkers as is done in some middle eastern countries) into the new edifices.
When a friend cavalierly suggested that I simply put all my supplies in a giant rolling lidded garbage can outside or in my garage, I had to explain that doing so would result in (a) it getting stolen or tossed; and (b) my getting evicted for breaking the terms of my lease. I also had to remind her that neighboring apartment buildings had neither a garage nor any meaningful outdoor space on which to store even a scooter.
And with the governor himself devoting the bulk of his State of the State address to the immediate need to ameliorate the state’s and the country’s housing affordability crisis and resolve homelessness, we need to consider the needs and the risks posed by our homeless neighbors.
5
@Undecided - While it's certainly nice to have a big pantry area or spare room for supplies, with creativity you can fit in more than you think. Get some banker's boxes and stack them four high wherever you have space against the walls. Shallow plastic bins can be slid under beds, tables, dressers. Pull out the couch from the wall a couple of feet and you've got room many more boxes. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing solution, but it's certainly better than not being prepared.
9
Thank you for the useful suggestions.
Please realize, however, that when a family is already squeezed into a studio or one- or small two-bedroom apartment, those strategies may have already been used to fit clothes, school or work supplies, needed durable medical equipment, the 3 gallons/person/day supply of water for just 1 day, important documents, cleaning supplies, etc.
Also, in some areas (like CA) it’s best to keep certain supplies in easily-transportable containers and on ground level in case immediate evacuation is required, like if breakout of wildfire, flash flood or mudslide, or right after an earthquake. Very difficult to lug many gallons of water down one or more flights of stairs, and impossible to do so if also carrying a baby or other critical supplies like medications, important documents, flashlight, radio, food, diapers....
1
The coming epidemic may become the best marketing tool for universal healthcare this country will ever get.
28
Buy hand sanitizer (if you can find it). Use it frequently. Keep it in your purse. Keep it in your car. Use soap and water when you are able to. This is not overreacting, this is just being prudent.
7
Unless you are a healthcare provider you don’t need masks and to advise people to get them who are not health care workers is irresponsible. The earloop ones are useful to put on a sick person so that they don’t cough and sneeze on other people but are not likely to keep a healthy person from getting sick. The N95 ones you need to be fit tested for yearly and you need to know how to put them on and take them off safely. They are not reusable. In Italy 1 in 10 people sick is a health care worker. In China the infection has hit health care workers hard. . I work in primary care. I see sick patients with fever and cough every day. We screen everyone as the CDC has directed us to. We have a shortage of N95 masks and I was told we are only to use them if someone answers the latest screen positively. We aren’t getting anymore N95 masks because priority is going to hospital workers because they are at the highest risk.
If you don’t control your fear and act calmly and responsibly there may be no doctors or nurses to take care of the sick people.
Please follow the CDC guidelines. Science, common sense and seeing the broader picture matters in times like this.
16
All she said was that she already had some because last year’s fires were horrendous. Didn’t buy new ones.
6
What about the people who cannot afford to stockpile 3 days' worth of food and water, let alone a week's or a month's worth? The trump regime is cutting SNAP (food stamp) benefits, along with emergency preparedness, public health, and medical-research programs. Food security for everyone in our country is an essential part of national security, every bit as much as our woeful healthcare system is. We may be about to find exactly how broken the US has become under McConnell and trump.
42
@NJblue - Those folks who can't prepare are exactly the reason those of us who can, need too, even if it requires stretching our budgets or pulling out the credit cards to do so. For every person that is prepared, that will free up supplies and manpower to help another person. As hideously incompetent (and casually cruel) as our government is on the national level right now, I do not believe that on a state and local level, our leaders will simply let people starve in the homes ... IF the need is at a manageable level. My guess is that they will set up a system to distribute food boxes to those who are in the worst situations.
2
@NJblue
Trump has made it clear he cares nothing for poorer Americans.
1
@NJblue
So donate some food(or money) to your local food pantry; I just did that.
1
"So you went to Trader Joe's?" made me chuckle. That's pretty much what it look like in my house, too. None of us can say with any certainty what will happen with Coronavirus, but it's not a bad idea to ensure the freezer and pantry are full. I just doubled my regular grocery list for the past two weeks and took a spin through Target to stock the linen closet with a few extra essentials. I'll do it again this week, and that should outfit me for a month if isolation is warranted. I live in blizzard country, so this is really stuff I should have on hand for weather emergencies anyway. It makes me feel better to be prepared, and it's all stuff we eat and use regularly, so I know none of it will go to waste.
13
Be sure that when you re-stock food supplies, you donate what you’re taking off your shelves to local food banks.
According to numerous reports, best used by” dates on food packages are somewhat arbitrary and are more intended to encourage consumption (and $$ for manufacturer) than to protect public health.
Food waste is one of the greater contributors to adverse climate change, and your less well-off community members can benefit from what you might lazily toss out.
Win-win-win.
1
@Undecided: I regularly donate food to the local food pantry because it's important to ensure those in our community with fewer resources are well fed, but it's a good reminder that maybe another spin through the grocery for that purpose would be a nice thing to do. Thanks.
2
@Undecided Do you know, I've had food refused by food banks because it was a month over the "best by" date?
1
I saw on the news that out of 88,000 confirmed cases, about 2% have died. I think “confirmed” is the keyword here. Most people don’t go to the doctor when they have a mild respiratory illness. So the only ones getting confirmed are those with the more severe symptoms. Much of the fear over this virus is unfounded, in my view.
12
@Bri 2% is a colossal death rate. That means, if you know say 300 people (acquaintances, coworkers, friends, neighbors) and the virus is spread to everyone (could happen) that 6 will die. That seems like an awful lot to me.
3
@Erin
It depends on the health and age of those 300 people.
If it were to spread to say, my kids elementary school, likely no one would die, because no kids under ten and very few healthy adults have died.
If it were to spread to the local elderly assisted living community, that would be another matter.
Elderly people and those with compromised health should be on the alert, and professionals who work with them should take extra caution.
But I'm far more worried about my kids getting the yearly flu or a nasty stomach bug than coronavirus.
Also the official death rate doesn't take into account the likely thousands of cases that have gone unreported because symptoms are so mild.
@A F actually, death rates under 30 and under !8 are .2 percent. That’s 2 in 1000 and twice the death rate of flu for the entire population including elderly. The over seventy death rate is more like six percent. Six in one hundred. Over fifty? 1.7 percent. Almost two per 100 people. Sorry, by my math that’s a lot.
People did not forget the flu of 1918. Families took photos of their children & family groups so they would not forget them.!My dad lost his younger brother when he was just 2 & barely survived himself.
10
@curious My great-grandmother died in that epidemic. I think she was younger than 60.
Assuming a 2% mortality rate, if our entire population becomes infected, we could wind up with six million dead in the United States alone. There could be well over a hundred million dead worldwide.
And we already know that the Trump administration's response is twofold: (1) Deny that anything bad is happening; and (2) Blame the Democrats for "weaponizing" the threat so the markets fall so Trump won't get reelected.
Interesting political exercise - who among the Democrats would you want in the White House right now? For me it would be Bloomberg, Warren, Klobuchar, or Buttigieg, in that order. Missing are Biden and Sanders.
18
@Vesuviano I have those candidates in a different order, but I appreciate the thought.... it is time to have a candidate who knows how to observe a situation, reflect, listen to experts, make plans and manage implementation. Right now Buttigieg, Warren and Klobuchar are my top choices.
11
You don’t think health care for all would be a good idea on the event of a pandemic?
Title of the article is great, looks hopeful and pragmatic. An actual list of items to have an hand and specific things we might be doing now to prepare would have been much more helpful!
Thanks to readers, especially those familiar with the medical and pharmaceutical fields, who have supplemented with their good suggestions!
30
@Concerned citizen in
Buy what your family eats, just more of it. Assume you can't get out to buy fresh veggies, fruit etc or milk so buy some shelf stable UHT milk if you use milk, frozen/canned veggies and fruit. Oranges, clementines, apples, pears, potatoes, onions, winter squash are all fresh produce that will store.
Stock up on TP, toiletries, prescription meds, needed baby, feminine hygiene supplies, pet food/litter as required. Just assume a REALLY big storm was headed your way but the power and water would likely be unaffected and prep accordingly.
And when in becomes widespread here at what point do you go to the ER? With what is probably a common cold or the flu? Good chance of picking up the coronavirus at that point even if you did not have it before.
5
You'd be crazy to go to the ER unless you were absolutely certain you'd be admitted, as the $500 copay is nothing to sneeze at...
1
The public health agencies are designed to collect and analyze epidemiological data more than to manage an emergency response. The data they collect are often incomplete and inconsistent; i.e. uncertain. Therefore, there will be a lot of "possible", "probable" and "unknown" statements - which are accurate reflections of what they can see and measure and predict. Their analysis is extremely valuable in understanding a pandemic threat, but is small comfort if you are expecting to see public actors engaged in large scale screening, isolation and treatment of victims. Because they are not emergency responders in the sense that most people understand, it is unlikely that public health agencies would be effective in mobilizing and managing a pandemic response. Who would play that role in the Trump administration is anyone's guess.
2
StevoJ, not true. The federal Center for Disease Control works with the state public health departments, who work with local public health departments, who work with the first responders in hospitals and doctors offices. There have been glitches in gearing up for this pandemic (there always are), but things are generally under control and people are ready to respond.
Sure, we could throw more money at this problem but there are a lot of other public health problems that deserve funding more. That could change if COVID-19 turns out to be more of a problem, but so far there are less than 100 confirmed cases in the United States. Not so big a threat.
We have lots of experience with infectious diseases. Polio used to be a big threat. Many others as well. It would be better if we didn't have to live with this new threat as well, but we do. No reason not to still enjoy life while we can instead of living in fear.
1
@StevoJ Maybe Kim Kardashian or Kayne West.
Lots of wealthy USA doomsdayers have bought boltholes in NZ for somewhere to escape to in such situations as this. Peter Thiel who owns Pay Pal is one of them and he also has NZ citizenship so he had foresight and will be allowed into NZ as government only letting in people who have citizenship from certain nations.
Even the rich in the USA don't have faith in the USA system and I'm sure they'd rather not have tax cuts and have the money ploughed into the Centre for Disease Control as they might've got a tax cut but they'll loose out in share values because of lack of spending in the science and disease control area.
3
If we hadn't outsourced everything to China years ago we wouldn't have to worry about available supplies.
But, money making beats good sense every time.
28
I’m not so worried about getting sick. My family had accepted we likely will get infected but also will likely have no major issues. I’m worried about supply chains being interrupted once US factories run out of supplies sourced from China, once those factories go into quarantine, once the stores in my town run out of those items and can’t re-stock for a while. That’s why I’m stocking up on things like toothpaste and laundry detergent, as well as dried beans and coffee.
16
@Kat Data shows 1 in 5 who become infected have serious illness requiring medical attention due to shortness of breath and viral pneumonia.
4
True, but it also impacts those who are elderly or have underlying medical conditions the hardest. We tick neither of those boxes, so our odds are fairly good.
Kat, China seems to have a pretty good handle on the disease now and is starting to return to normal. It's hard to tell what will happen, but I'm not stocking up on anything. Can't think of what I would need.
1
I’m not particularly worried about myself - I’m youngish (late 30s) and in excellent health. I haven’t prepared a survival kit, though I did buy extra toilet paper and four one-gallon bottles of water. I’ll probably be fine even if I do get sick. But what about the couple who live next door to me? The wife had her last treatment for breast cancer a couple of months ago. The husband, who suffered injuries on his job and retired early, is frequently ill and sometimes requires an oxygen tank. They also have a teenage daughter to worry about. I’ll help them as best I can but that’s probably not going to be enough. How do they prepare?
11
@Lex
The 1918-19 flu pandemic hit young healthy adults particularly hard, demographically, and with exactly the same kind of respiratory complications.
If I were you, I would not rationalize how because you are X, Y, or Z... that you will be fine even if you become infected.
6
Chuck, this is nothing like the Spanish flu 100 years ago or even SARS or MERS in more recent years. The death rate is much lower. Children can easily fight it off. Healthy adults too. The elderly and/or sick have a tougher time, but even then more than 95% survive.
2
Not meaning to change the subject but the picture from the Target store is sadly the new norm there. It could have been taken at any time before the outbreak. They are frequently out of stock of basic products. I remember when K-mart started being out of stock of the basics and look what happened.
11
“Because the disease has an incubation period of at least two weeks, I could be surrounded by the infected and not know.”
Last I read, incubation period was 2 days to about 2 weeks. Has the time table changed?
2
Yes, Julie, that info has changed.
@Julie
Yes. It may be 3 weeks or longer.
Why do you recommend that everybody keep a supply of canned food on hand? Is this in case you are too sick to run to the store? Or is it premised on the assumption that store shelves will be empty, the stores cold, dark and deserted like in a science fiction film? The last scenario is certainly the first one that comes to mind. But based on what I'm reading it sounds unlikely due to the relatively low lethality of the new bug.
3
My reason for doing this is so that I can self quarantine if desired or required, and not have to go to the store.
10
@Robert M
You can absolutely bet that store shelves will be emptied once panic sets in, and it will persist.
You live in Silicon Valley, as do I... and if you think that a run on stores will not happen.... you need to think again.
Once the first signs of actual shipment interruptions being in the supply chains, and/or local counties being to enforce quarantine actions.... there will be a panic run on stores.
1
The absolute most important thing is to expedite a vaccine. We need it ready ASAP. Yes, have two weeks of food in case of a quarantine but a vaccine is the only way to stop this. The year and a half time length to test the vaccine is too long. If they legally cannot expedite a vaccine then give it to a country that can.
The government also should be prepared. FEMA exists for a reason. We have a national emergency stockpile. There is enough small pox vaccine in that stockpile for every American. But do they not have enough face masks for every American to protect against a viral pneumonia epidemic? Which scenario is more likely?
A smart prepper has an emergency fund, maxes out their 401k, and preps $100 per month for physical insurance against black swan events. You cannot eat an insurance policy. You cannot collect on your insurance policy during most black swan events. An insurance policy will not keep you warm like a 20lb propane tank and a Mr. Heater Buddy. An insurance policy will nickel and dime you after a fire. A 20lb fire extinguisher and smoke alarms can quickly put it out. A fire sprinkler stopper can save your apartment and furniture from flooding. 300 million Americans wearing masks means an aerosolized virus cannot spread and people can continue working. Literally a $1 mask per person to stop an outbreak. It does not have to be a perfect protector but it can still give us R_o < 1. Look at Hong Kong.
2
@PictureBook
Clue: the virus does not just spread airborne. Plenty of evidence that just like flu, it spreads from contact with surfaces also contacted by an infected person.
Further... most face masks you see being worn by the general public DO NOT protect from airborne particles of a viral nature. Unless you have an N95 or better classification mask AND... AND properly wear and adjust it.. you are simply fooling yourself here.
1
No matter how often people are advised to stay home when ill or not to cough into their hands or at other people, people will not listen. Yesterday, I was at the bank. One of the tellers kept blowing her nose into the same used tissue. She insisted she was not ill, but her actions belie her claim. I opted to go to another teller. I did not want her handing me money when she did not use a hand sanitizer after blowing her nose.
At an arts and craft store, the cashier kept licking her fingers to open the plastic bags for my items. I paid for the purchase, but I left without taking the change. I did not want to touch the coins after she licked her fingers. If there was a self-checkout at this store, I would have gone on that line.
This morning, I was waiting in line for the cashier at a local store. The woman in front of me started coughing without covering her mouth.
I wanted to say something on each of these occasions, but I realized it would have been futile. No amount of preparation would have prevented these incidents.
I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times.
26
I just had a colonoscopy last week, and right beforehand, as I looked up at the nurse who was about to give me my sedation, she wiped her nose with her hand! Good grief. If even health professionals have poor hygiene, we’re in for it.
I wanted to say something, but was nervous she’d get mad and take it out on me some other way. :-) I did get her name and am going to write the doctor, though.
@ME wrote: Yesterday, I was at the bank. One of the tellers kept blowing her nose into the same used tissue. She insisted she was not ill, but her actions belie her claim. I opted to go to another teller. I did not want her handing me money when she did not use a hand sanitizer after blowing her nose.
It could very well have just been seasonal allergy you were observing.
As for money.... it's not the teller touching money you should be worried about.. it's the dozen or more unknown persons before the teller that touched the money that should worry you. And I'm sorry, but hand sanitizer won't help you here as you stuff that money into your purse or wallet.. if it carries viral foamites on it... you just infected your entire purse or wallet or pocket you put the money in.
In some ways, people's reactions to the coronavirus remind me of having a little baby that suddenly becomes ill. I always had the simultaneous fears of both over-calling and under-calling my baby's illness. What if I rushed off to the pediatrician's office, and all of the staff thought I was another hysterical mother who jumped at every cough? But what if I DIDN'T see the doctor and my baby got sicker and - worst case-it became too late to help him? I almost always erred on the side of caution and took the baby to the doctor.
Of course it's possible to have two completely opposite reactions to the spread of the coronavirus. Either the coronavirus is the bubonic plague, or it's the common cold.
My sanity has been saved many times by taking the middle road (take a few sensible steps), and also by compartmentalizing my fears. And by compartmentalizing my fears, I mean playing them down and not allowing myself to dwell on them for any longer than it takes to make a plan and take a few steps.
5
@SCZ
It is neither the plague, NOR the common cold. It is not even the flu.
It is worse than the flu or cold, and unlike many forms of the plague (a bacterial source by the way) it has no effective treatment protocols at this time other than treating severe symptoms with medical intervention.
Approximately, based on data, 1 in 5 infected humans will need support for viral pneumonia in the form of a medical ventilator and other support treatments as medical professionals wait to see if the patients own immune system wins or loses.
Note: by the numbers... this suggests that 700,000+ ventilators will be needed in the US if this thing really does go pandemic across the community. There are only about 10% that many ventilators, and even less ICU beds in the nation..... and that means if it goes full on pandemic... healthcare systems will be overwhelmed, and people will be turned away from overloaded medical facilities and forced to be sent home and either recover on their own or die.
6
@Chuck
If this does go full on pandemic in the US, there will not be enough ventilators as you noted. It has already been decided in prior protocols that priority for ventilators will be established based on age(children get priority) and medical conditions etc.
What has this article added to people's understanding of this disease? I don't know any more than I did before I read it, except seeing in the comments section people who have become more frightened by reading it. I think more would be learned by keeping up with the plans of local health authorities. In China, the disease has been controlled by province level (US State) level action, and that is likely to be the same in the United States. Over the next few weeks there will be clusters in the United States, as in Wuhan, a southern city in South Korea, Lombardy in Northern Italy. But we have to have faith that our American society is fundamentally strong enough to handle an epidemic, figure out treatment and vaccines and move on, as always when the unexpected happens.
9
@Bob Fonow the article was about her opinion that we stock supplies not about the virus itself. Having faith that we’ll get it figured out is ok but the problem is in epidemics/pandemics like this supply lines and treatment options get knocked down and/or overwhelmed. Having faith humans will figure it out and preparing to weather the storm are not mutually exclusive.
1
@Bob Fonow
Really?
This article absolutely provides valuable information and insight as to "preparing for a pandemic", before it actually hits. If you try to prepare after it hits.. it's too late.
As for our society being able to persevere in the face of this virus in the US.... sorry, but if it is allowed to do what it has now doing in Italy (and there is little evidence the US can prevent this) then our healthcare systems will be crushed by the load, and many people will not be able to be treated, and will either recover at home or die at home from this virus.
Trump is holding a news conference at this moment to spin the comment he made last night calling covid-19 a hoax. Claimed that his use of the term hoax was misunderstood and he was referring to how the Democrats are "attacking" the medical
personnel behind him. The man lies and his focus is only on how his response to covid-19 makes him look. He is peddling fear and really should stop having news conferences.
Daily updates on the virus should be handled by the scientist and not the Trump and Pence. Covid-19 is a Public Health issue, not a political one.
35
Agreed. Pence kept referring and emphasizing to “as per his direction”. Sounded like propaganda.
Thought that this article would have more in the way of concrete recommendations. Is okay though. No personal panic here in Houston although there's been a run on certain supplies. We just ended a boil water advisory this morning. People were buying so many fluids last night that you'd think a Cat 5 hurricane was on the way.
4
In my small city there is a supermarket that stays open
24 hours. This means I can go shopping at 3am when I am
likely to encounter very few people.. They also have self checkout.
9
Will you wipe down the touchscreen on the self-pay machine before entering your customer ID and payment ? Will you wipe down the grocery cart ?
@Zetelmo
OK.. what about all the possible things people hours before touched and infected in that very store? You touch them.. you may get infected from a shopper who visited the store many hours earlier.
People really need to stop inventing false senses of security that fly in the face of medical data and facts.
You make a good point that self checkout is a better option during an epidemic!
I live in the rural mountainous region of my state. We get snow and ice storms ( snow on the ground right now) and we are a good distance from the nearest store of any kind. So I keep 2 upper cabinets of my kitchen stocked with soups, beans, tuna pouches, rice, oatmeal, pasta and so on just in case. This week I simply took stock and purchased items that were getting low, plus added more toilet paper, detergent, dog food and some cold medicines and ibuprofen...not a huge amount of anything, but enough to get us through if needed. Those items are there to be used in an emergency scenario and for now I will keep shopping once a week as usual and use my items in the pantry and fridge. I also bought a bottle of hand sanitizer for each of our cars. If it turns out the extra items aren't needed, I will move them to the pantry and use them as needed ( or donate to the local food bank). I didn't purchase anything we wouldn't normally use. I also just refilled my prescriptions this week and got a 90 day supply, which is what my insurance will pay for. Now we just monitor the news and live our lives as best we can.
24
Trump and the Republicans are very afraid of the virus as it might expose their failure in healthcare.
40% of Americans don't have $500 in savings for emergencies
27 Million Americans have no health insurance
30% of Americans are on high deductible insurance plans
Now imagine just a small portion of these people are forced to see a doctor and get checked for the corona virus? A guy in Florida felt sick after returning for Florida. He went to the hospital to get tested for the corona virus. The tab, $3,200 and $1,400 co-pay. You get the picture? This is why the market is crashing. We are a consumer market and a lot of people are realizing right now that they are ill prepared for an emergency.
45
@balance
How you somehow landed on Trump from this opinion piece is simply precious to behold...
When I read articles that involve the Centre for Disease Control I notice the world 'UNKNOWN' seems to be repeated a lot. Doesn't give you much faith in the system. In my opinion if they don't know where the person who died from the virus in the USA got the virus from, then in my opinion prepare for a pandemic, as they have missed something. There are other people out there that have the virus and are unaware of it and transmitting the virus. Probably lots of people being diagnosed with flu instead of the coronavirus. And it is the USA so people might be reluctant to go to the doctor because they don't want their insurance premiums to increase next year.
14
Since serious complications and death from this virus seems to hit the over 60 demographic and those with underlying conditions, a little more focus on what we can do to protect the vulnerable would be helpful.
41
@A wood
When cases start popping up in your location; do you best to limit contact with others. Have enough medications and essentials ahead of time; don't wait until the last minute. Check your health departments website for updated information.
Be sure you have your medical/surgical history, medications, vaccine history, insurance information, allergies all written down in legible form to bring with you to hospital.
If you develop symptoms consistent with the virus, write down when they started, contacts that you've had, as well as any events attended.
It will be to your benefit to hand this information to medical staff if you are too sick to give a proper medical history. Remember that the U.S does not have a centralized patient database so the hospital you end up at may not have any medical history on you.
4
@doc007
All good but the problem is that by the time cases start noticeably popping up in your area, there may be many infected people wandering around who have no idea they're infected and are continuing to live their life as they always did(shopping, schools, work, church etc). As this virus is contagious even if the infected person is asymptomatic, by the time you "know" it's in your area it may be too late.
1
Your average town in this country has about a 7 day supply of food (in peoples houses and on the shelves at the supermarket) When we start quarantining towns, maybe your town, and the delivery trucks stop coming, if you want to eat on the 8th day you either need to prepare or learn to hunt.
14
Something that shouldn't be turned into a joke, you've just made light of -- saying it was prep for getting through two weeks your list was flippant, not serious, and not even a bit funny. Thanks for the tips on clean hands too; but that is on every newsperson's list. You won't be on my list of opinion writers to read in the future.
10
I keep hearing that "The flu causes tens of thousands of deaths every year in the USA."
Yet I don't know of a single person among my friends, family, or neighbors who has ever mentioned they know someone who had died of the flu.
On the other hand, Automobile accidents cause tens of thousands of deaths every year in the USA and hardly anyone of age doesn't know someone who hasn't died in an automobile accident.
This is not to belittle the deaths from influenza, just questioning the numbers.
6
@David J...."Yet I don't know of a single person among my friends, family, or neighbors who has ever mentioned they know someone who had died of the flu."...The way deaths from flu are determined is by comparing the death rate in a given community when flu is not present with the death rate in the community when flu is present. The difference is assigned to deaths caused by flu. In most cases flu kills people by reducing their vital capacity to a level below which they can't survive. So if someone already has a heart condition or compromised pulmonary function, they may be declared to die from heart disease or pneumonia on a death certificate, but it was the flu infection that reduced their ability to continue to survive.
10
@David J
Most fatalities occur as the result of a bacterial infection that was secondary to the flu. So the death certificates may say pneumonia but the deceased were first diagnosed and suffered through a bad case of viral flu.
9
Just yesterday a friend posted a picture of his son who died some years ago of the flu. It happens.
2
Great with all the crazy panic let’s keep it normal. Ok I bought a mask as in one mask and I can use it when I paint
5
Despite fears of a democratic socialist independent senator who won’t accept help from billionaires becoming the Democratic presidential nominee for POTUS, we are quote clearly a capitalist nation.
Check out the price of hand sanitizers.
The best deal I found today was 52 cents an ounce ($99.98 for a case of 12 16-ounce bottles). I used to buy an 8-ounce bottle at the dollar store for 12.5 cents an ounce.
Yup. That’s 316% more and I had to buy in bulk. Not everyone has $100 to buy hand sanitizer; that’s a day’s pay for millions of workers.
8
Just use paper towel and alcohol. It’s the same stuff. Also it’s better to wash your hands with soap.
14
@Kyle Yes generally that’s what I do. But these are for my husband’s office drawer. He’s a psychotherapist attached to an outpatient medical clinic and sees many older people. No time to wash hands between appointments so it’s the next best option. Also for our cars. And maybe to trade or sell later—better return that bonds!
1
@Huh
Do you mean to say that there are really price gougers in this great country of ours?
“Talk to friends and family about how you’ll work together to get through this. Do a little every day. Each tiny thing you do to prepare is a small act of hope.”
I have been doing all this and more for 10 years. For my pains, I have been called a mentally-ill alarmist by the people I love. My mother told me yesterday that Trump has done more for this country than any president since Lincoln and that she has faith in him. Praise the Lord. She will be among the first casualties of the virus, and there’s nothing I can do to persuade her to stock up. Good luck finding a community of like-minded, compassionate, and hearty souls willing to accept and brave the paradigm of a fraught world shattered by limited resources. My experience has been that preparing for that future is an achingly solitary job.
32
Well, you *have* found such a community: New York Times readers.
Sorry about your mom. That must be tough.
4
Very good, calm advice. But what would be really helpful for all of us is if you shared your prepper list. Thanks.
11
People freak out over small risks they can't control, while ignoring large risks they can control.
An individual's risk of contracting coronavirus is low. Taking common-sense precautions like avoiding sick people, washing your hands frequently, and getting a good night's sleep reduce the risk further.
If you want to live, quit smoking, look both ways before you cross the street, wear a seatbelt, and stop texting while you drive. When you've done all these things about large risks you can control, you'll have earned the right to worry a little bit about coronavirus and other small risks you can't control.
20
@Bengal Richter
Good advice
Contrary to the article's advice, I believe experts are advising we NOT buy and stockpile masks. Wearing one when you're healthy does little to prevent your catching the virus.
There needs to be an adequate supply available for people who DO have the disease. If we buy them all up, there won't be enough for the folks who do need to wear them.
30
Keep reading/hearing this and it makes no sense. One of the main ways this virus spreads is the air via coughs and sneezes. Wearing the proper mask makes this less likely to occur. I’m not saying everyone needs to run out and get one (good luck, here in my area they’ve been out of stock everywhere for weeks) but the idea that wearing one doesn’t help is off.
3
@Jason Kratz Obviously the masks must offer some degree of protection or healthcare workers wouldn't use them. While I completely agree that healthcare professions must have proper protective equipment, hospitals aren't likely buying their supplies from the local hardware store. Hospitals have supply chains. Don't they stockpile these things? Don't we have the ability to ramp up production in the U.S.? Unfortunately, it appears that many of these masks are made in China which makes evident the reasons for the current shortage. It is doubtful that average Americans picking up a box to keep home is causing the problem. It is easier to shift the blame however from institutions not preparing for such a scenario. Most of us couldn't get a box of masks even if we wanted one.
2
Some people are at high risk for pneumonia. Asthma patients, for example. For them, more precautions warranted.
3
Basic truth: panic and fear make any human dumb. It's the blood flow-- the stress response system triggered by fear moves our blood which carries the oxygen needed for basic cell functions from decision making centers in the brain to our remote limbs for the muscle strength needed for fight or flight. Being smart means being clam. Calm is also healthy. thank you for this article. Thank you for your prep. Here is my basic list:
1. water and food within reasonable limits and depending upon where locally available
2. medications and daily vitamins or supplements, plus life necessities/conveniences again in reasonable supply depending upon local supply chain
3. friends/family communication network, a private version of the old phone trees of schools and some religious organizations
4. supplies for those we are responsible for--pets, other animals same guidelines as above
Yes, that's it. Yes, this reflects trust in the systems around us and I have that for a basic reason: most people are doing the best they can with what they know and most people who work in those systems are well-intentioned. Yes we will get through this. Most people care about other people. Maybe it is time to reach beyond our comfortable communication and social bubbles and get to know those around us who do not look like us or are the same as us, whoever that us may be?
13
Yes, we have a saying here in Washington, home of Ivar’s Acres of Clams, “ keep clam and carry on.”
The coronavirus is a member of the flu family so get the flu vaccine injection even it it doesn't include coronavirus. Nothing to loose.
The virus is airborne and can spread through air ventilation systems that are throughout large high rise blocks. People say it's like the flu but it's worse than the flu as they don't know much about it and don't have a vaccine. Animals can also catch it.
2
@CK
It's NOT a member of the flu family; it's a coronavirus.
@CK If there were merit in your advice, I believe the WHO would already have recommended flu vaccinations by now.
-- COVID-19 is not the flu.
-- Your claim that animals can catch it is utterly unsubstantiated.
Please refer to the WHO website for actual science on this.
@CK .... The corona virus and the influenza virus are different entities and are not of the same family other than they are both viruses. A cat and a dog may both be household pets, but they are not the same.
Thanks Annalee. When I saw your name I knew from reading your work on Arstechnica that this was going to be an article worth reading.
Like you, I live in earthquake country. Preparing for things to go sideways for a while should already be a way of life, but it seems that most people don't make any kind of preparations for a week or two of disruption.
I've talked to family about making some small preparations for coronavirus, but didn't want to scare them by giving the full list of steps I thought they should take.
1
I’ll stay home as much as possible, use alcohol wipes on hands, car door handle and steering wheel. Wash hands after touching recent purchased items while home.
Most of us can avoid public gatherings and travel.
If we all avoid contact with the public and wash frequently, we can limit the impact.
13
@Susan C My spouse is a nurse in an ICU, and I teach elementary school, where 6-10 yr olds explosively cough in my face on a regular basis (even though we've trained them to use their elbows - they miss a lot). On a normal basis, our jobs benefit the community, but in this situation, we could become a vector hub. Preparing now for possible home quarantines, while hoping it won't come to that. But many of us have jobs that are defined by close contact with others, so this could get pretty messy.
9
One important survival skill that you don't hear much about is: be immediately proactive about getting rest and fluids if you are not feeling well. Don't go to work. Don't work from home. Don't work period.
Americans face a lot of pressure to work all the time no matter what. But this virus has a higher mortality rate and is obviously not something to "power through". Get to bed, people, at the first sign of illness. Don't be a statistic.
55
As many of you know by now, someone died of COVID-19 in the Seattle area. I am not going to freak out, but rather ask myself a few questions. First, what are the age and health status of the deceased? We may not get this information because of patient privacy laws, but it may leak out anyway. Second, what were the health care resources? Evergreen Medical Center, while excellent, is a community hospital in the suburbs. If the patient had made it to Harborview Medical Center in downtown Seattle, they may have stood a better chance. I have heard so-called health experts describe China as having a "competent" health care system and public health care system. No health care system in the world is better than the U.S. in terms of the availability of health care technology, including ICU's and ventilators. Ironically, the U.S. has an acute care system rather than a system geared to public health, but that is in our favor when people become ill. We have more pulmonary specialists, infectious disease specialists than any country in the world. The disease status of the general population may not be in our favor because we have a large older age population, and high rates of obesity with attendant chronic conditions. However, if we can weigh these factors when we hear the latest news, perhaps we can take a more reasonable approach and not live in fear.
5
I found my prepping efforts this week to be comforting since this is the only thing I can control about this situation (aside from hand washing and coughing and sneezing in my elbow). Canned goods one night, paper products another and a lucky pass through a non-medical retailer for a couple of N95 masks. There’s something I’ve learned from this effort, however, there are not enough prepping supplies you can buy to make yourself feel good enough about this situation to relax. At age 62 with no serious medical issues, I can only hope I have a strong enough immune system to weather this storm. My best case would be that we will have a “miracle and the virus will disappear” and then I can donate my canned goods to a food bank. Wishing you all good health.
19
This is just a note about the potential effect of COVID-19 on the minor actions in the world. Cycling News reports that the in-progress road race in UAE was canceled at stage 5 with a winner declared. The participants including many of the world's elite teams who would be expected to compete in races in Belgium in the next month or so (Spring Classics) are currently quarantined in their hotels for at least 14 days, maybe. Two Italian riders tested positive. Decisions to be made and announced whenever.
Cycling spectators line the routes of races to watch and are very near racers so difficult to keep control of unlike keeping football fans from stadiums but still playing the games. TV coverage for cycling is expensive and rare, especially for smaller races.
How many teams will still have sponsors after a season with many quarantines? Cycling with road races may well change dramatically. This is minor compared to potential loss of life or disruption to production of food or medicines.
COVID-19 won't have to kill millions to change the lives of millions of people across the globe. What we keep on hand to prepare for more events like this like we prepare for tornados, cyclones and hurricanes in our building codes and government supplies may need to change. Will any other president dare to eliminate the "pandemic team" again?
I still am angry to read Trump's comment about not letting USA citizens who go to help in the world's illnesses back in the USA.
9
This is one of those times when we can say "told you so!" to our friends who thought we were insane for ditching our lives in NYC/London and moving to a small rural town.
9
@Stuck on a mountain In the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic my 10 y/o relative, living in a tiny Italian village tucked way back in the hills, died as a result of the influenza. Living in a small rural town is no guarantee of safety from this or any other pandemic. And with the state of rural hospitals and rural healthcare your situation is not optimal.
35
@Stuck on a mountain If you needed a pandemic for validation for your move perhaps you didn't make the right decision after all.
1
@Stuck on a mountain , Read “Caesar’s Last Breathe,” by Sam Kean. Those little light microbes are in the no longer clean fresh air. Being that cocky has its downside. Wash your hands.
1
Thank you for this! It's always good to remember that there are practical steps we can take. Taking them is no guarantee, but it puts us in a better position than not.
3
For the last 2 weeks it's been obvious to me that it is here among us, and I considered anyone taking a plane to be irresponsible. I wouldn't go to movies, theater etc., I even walk if I can instead of public transport. Maybe I am a bit paranoid, but I do what I can to protect myself.
What I also know is that there is a conference next week in Washington DC that has not been cancelled. Now you tell me how is it that our elected officials, from our mayors all the way to the President are supposed to tell us to be "cautious and prepared" while they go attend a conference which involves flying, hotel stays and lots of crowds. And if there's ONE person infected, be it a waiter or staff member, each of our cities will possibly get a 'gift' upon their return.
Bottom line, I do not have much confidence in the competence of our elected officials.
March 8 - March 11
"The Congressional City Conference will feature more than 2,000 city leaders who will gather to represent and advocate for the interests of cities in the Nation's Capital."
12
@CacaMera
Competence?
@Annalee
I appreciate hearing from a local. Thank you for your centered opinion and suggestions. Finally, I feel empowered to do something beyond washing my hands and going down the rabbit holes of fear and obsession. "In a world" that seems less predictable by the hour, it's good to exhale. I'm going to follow your advice and calmly assemble resources. I may even pick up a puzzle and a board game. They'll be extra nice to have around if Berkeley High School sends my teenager home for the duration. I am a freelancer, so hey, it'll be Take Your Daughter to Work Day at our house. I mean, week. Month?
4
Here in NYC on an average day supplies at grocery stores can be challenged, and the lines are crazy long. I am slowly stocking up on frozen and canned goods. (Can’t hurt to have some extra things just in case). I was one of those NY’ers who never thought the effects of Hurricane Sandy would have been that bad.
8
I would like to mention that hand sanitizer is great if you just got exposed, but you are always exposed. And thus have to keep applying. Hand washing keeps a layer of good (home) bacteria that protects if a new virus comes in.
5
@Igyana
No: it - and they - don't have any effect on viral penetration.
I live in Solano County and we've had our share of public emergencies including (but not limited to): earthquakes, wild fires, chemical explosions, wind storms, major highway shutdowns, to name a few. All those have a physical component, something we can actually see such as heavy smoke or rubble. The virus has no such physical manifestation so we're really not paying attention, yet.
4
Hopefully, at this point there would be panels of skilled scientists and experts skilled in mapping likely outcomes working on the possible problems and responses. It is not up to individuals to take action to protect themselves. I am not saying Coronavirus will cause a societal level breakdown but neither is it impossible. It there is a pandemic associated with disruption of society on a macro level there will be consequences on a macro-economic level. China is attempting to contain the epidemic by quarantining millions of people. Well, how do you get food and medical care to those populations? Do we have a plan? What if critical support services - trains, trucking, shipping, communication are disrupted? What do you do? What if hospital beds become exhausted? Could we build a hospital in two weeks like the Chinese just did? We should have teams of scientists and skilled public health agents and economic planners developing strategies right now just in case. These outcomes are probably unlikely but they are just what worries people most. If coronavirus is truly a pandemic such things might happen. There are many possible secondary disasters out there.
Unfortunately, Trump has fired all of those individuals we need right now and eliminated their budget line. To him everything is politics. So, I guess we are on our own.
22
Has anybody else noticed that pharmacists, like CVS, Walgreens etc. do not have sanitizer dispensers at their front entrances as do most large grocery stores, perhaps we should encourage our pharmacists to provide dispensers, seems common sense especially where the sick tend to patronize.
26
From what I've read, the surgical masks work only to contain -- not prevent -- infection. The incubation date can be between 1-14 days. So it appears a two week asymptomatic period is the far end. Still, that is the factor that most worries me as an older person (who is currently getting over a bad cold!). Social distancing (as in maybe not eating out, movies, and the theater) seem like good preventative measures. And for goodness sakes, please stay home if you are sick. Even in my days of low wage service work, the boss was grateful when we didn't come to work sick!
10
It is often said this viral infection is like the seasonal flu as a way to calm the public. But the thing is, if we had not have this epidemic many people would not have been sick or died. These people did not have the flu, were not sicken or died by the seasonal flu.
How many people went on a cruise, got infected by flu onboard and died? How many doctors and nurses catch flu from their patients and died? How many of us catch the flu, pass it on to our elderly parents and they died from it?
The most effective method to stop the spread a contagion is isolation. But many countries dragged their feet on stopping, or at least screening, travelers from afflicted areas for economic reasons. Eventually, when an outbreak does happen, as we have seen in South Korea, then Italy, then Iran, and now basically the whole Europe and East Asia, and the US soon probably, everything have to be shut down any way. Is this economic impact bigger or smaller than if we had been more proactive? Or we might at least suffer economic loss without the loss of lives.
Sickness and death cannot be rhetorically reconstructed, cannot be hidden and papered over, and cannot be reversed. Many government officials have blood and death of many souls on their hands by their incompetence and inaction fueled by their ignorance and shortsightedness.
5
I work in a medical office. Things like hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes and alcohol swabs are the first line of defense protecting me from our patients and our patients from me.
This is true of flu season or with a novel disease with no known rack record or pink eye or any other highly contagious infection that goes through the community. I'd like very much not to be the person giving a vulnerable senior a disease that can be fatal.
It is tough to see pictures of people in hazmat gear spraying down streets and know you are armed with some alcohol gel and liquid soap.
We should prepare for tough times; but it would be nice to have even a scintilla of information that could be used to comprehend what exactly "tough times" means right now.
19
A sensible approach to this virus is to use common sense! The human body has an excellent immune response to virus and bacteria. Many of us may get sick - just as we catch the flu. It can lay us low for a couple of weeks but the vast majority of us will stay at home, stay hydrated, take ibuprofen and acetaminophen, rest, convalesce and recover. Those who become seriously ill, who it appears will be in the great minority, will be hospitalized where they will have access to OTC medicines, ventilators and some antivirals. They will recover even faster if they turn off the TV.
7
@R. Anderson Not if hospitals are overwhelmed, as they have been in China and to some extent in Italy.
3
@Frances Grimble Most people with the Covid 19 virus or any virus should not go to the hospital. Stay home. If everybody goes to the hospital, staff will triage you - and send you home any way unless you are in extremis.
1
True, especially here in San Francisco, it’s smart to be prepared for emergencies. But I’m surprised by the comparison of coronavirus to the plague and the lethal Spanish flu. The information I’ve seen seems to indicate the vast majority of people who catch it basically get a cold. Yes, it’s more dangerous for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, and let’s do all we can to protect them and keep them from catching it. And absolutely, let’s wash our hands more, all of us. But let’s ratchet down the fear and dire comparisons — while still getting that extra Kleenex, toilet paper, and soup.
13
A virus is like any other population. It is not a single identical thing but rather a spectrum of similar entities. Just as people are short and tall, fat and thin, slow and fast, there are variations within Covid 19. If the virus becomes wide spread or even pandemic, the most likely form it takes will be the one that is hardest to detect and spreads most easily. This is actually good news, because a person who spreads the virus outside the hospital setting will be someone who more probably doesn't even know they are infected; meaning that the virus they spread will be more likely to be of a milder form. Even though the more rapidly spreading virus is more likely to be a milder it will still provide immunity. This is one reason why pandemics often seem to disappear over time. This doesn't mean that covid 19 won't be a serious problem, but rather suggest that the an aggressive effort to prevent transmission should have a positive effect. Even though we may not be able to prevent mildly infected people from spreading the disease, by isolating people who are sick, and slowing the progression, the result will be beneficial.
4
I looked at the face masks that I bought three years ago, to prepare for the predicted apocalypse because Trump was elected, and did not find an expiry date. Just look at the package you purchased because you were concerned about Trump. There’s no need to look for face masks in stores now.
6
@Rock Winchester
I went down to the local novelty shop and bought a Donald Trump mask. I'm hoping it will frighten away the Coronavirus. I'm told the Pence masks are less efficacious.
13
The writer keeps mentioning that we need a supply of meds,but doesn't say which ones. I have not read anywhere that there is some medicine we should have on hand to fight covid-19.
4
@Tony White
I understood she may have meant meds that we take in our daily lives....to keep a supply of those in the house should you be self quarantined.
The meds being referred to are the ones you take regularly.
Maybe just medicine to make you feel better? Tylenol, whisky, pot?
1
Fear of an impending pandemia ought to be a rational and emotional response; and demanding, to avoid panic, to remain focused on what's going on, to pay attention to the frequent updates and proceed accordingly. Just be wary of an administration that seems intent in censuring the medical experts...should they dare inform the public without Trump/Pence's political screenings, an aberration of sorts, too dangerous to even consider.
13
Good article. Came to pretty much the same conclusion after a conversation with my sister. Since I hate driving in the snow, I tend to stock up at the beginning of each winter, so I don't have to go out (also remember well the blizzards of 1978 and 2013). I'm OK now and may pick up a few more things. If I don't use now, I'll just use up everything over the summer.
5
@sjs I learned to stock up also after a major snowstorm in 2010.
I am very lucky to be retired now so I know that I have don't have to leave the house.
9
Here’s an idea some people might want to consider ahead of time.
Most of us have beneficiaries. Both primary and secondary.
My family is small. And it occurred to me (age 75), what if my beneficiaries should also succumb to the virus? They’re both in California but younger than me, around 50.
I decided if we should all die, that I have a charitable organization I’d want to donate everything to. Simply by writing a letter to Vanguard, I was able to designate this third option. Which gives me peace of mind.
Plan ahead. So your wishes are known and carried out, should you not survive.
10
About this: “ We added everything we thought we’d need if the virus hit California: medicines, canned vegetables, face masks, rice. But we kept realizing there were random things we hadn’t thought about: cat food, toilet paper, coffee...”. The first thing on my emergency list is dog food. Just saying.
19
What I find most difficult is that I cannot rely on my government for accurate information. I realize some things are not knowable right now, but I don't trust this administration to tell me the truth about what is currently known if that news is deemed likely to hurt Trump's re-election chances. If I can anticipate the scenarios, I can plan with a calmer mind.
Absent that, 've had to come up with my own prepper triage: First, the things I need even if not on lockdown but that could be scarce due to supply chain disruptions. Medications top that list.
Second, non-perishable food in case I have to self-isolate for a couple of weeks. Books to read. Movies and TV shows added to my watch lists.
But the third is hard. That's the doomsday scenario: No power or water, shortage of gasoline. I don't expect things to go this far... but that's where the effect of uncertainty kicks in: We just don't know. And prepping for doomsday as a 70-year old disabled widow is very difficult. I will need community for that.
It would be nice if we could feel our country's government was part of that community. But it's not. It's part of the problem.
71
@catstaff
You hit the nail on the head!
@Jackson
there's no one to run the the power /water treatment plants when civilization breaks down.
2
Living in Oklahoma means being prepared for a variety of disasters. It is important to pay attention to warnings, assess your risk, and then respond in an appropriate way. 
We are in a high risk group, so I have stocked up on some essential items. We have made sure we have all our prescriptions filled that we can.
Mostly we have planned to self isolate for the first phase of the disease. Appropriate but not panicked.
11
Went to Walgreen’s yesterday, to pick up a prescription. They have no hand sanitizer for public use at the pharmacy desk, which is inexcusable. They have none in the shelves, either. Next errand was Trader Joe’s. No hand sanitizer on their shelves. I was checking more for curiosity than need. But it got me thinking: I live in a community of pot loving, low-key, liberal people, and they are panic buying hand sanitizer?
I am more terrified about what this doing to the economy and my investment portfolios than I am about contracting the virus itself. However, I am an “older” person with an overactive immune system (when I get a virus I always get very ill), so I do worry.
I don’t believe that we have gotten the full truth about the scope of this, from the PRC government. I always assume that the numbers they release are a mere portion of the true count. And I fear that when this virus takes hold among the dispossessed living on the streets, here in the US, we will see a lot of fatalities.
My hands are chapped from constant washing.
14
@Passion for Peaches
The chapped hands are a really fine way to get bacterial and other diseases.
One needs to have clean hands, but not dry chapped, open skin. Such leads to real problems. Use a moisturizer after washing. Wash your hands only IF necessary!
I am a dermatologist.
9
@Passion for Peaches
Hand cream?
1
If the federal government is serious about coronavirus spread, it should set up the system to test suspected/concerned people for free at least. That is what the reasonable and responsible government should do. The federal government can easily afford to do this. Period!
20
@old lady If you have time to go shopping, you could call your congressman and senator to push the government to act on this. Ideally, the government should do without such a push, but we live in a least ideal time and place now.
Hand-washing after being on public transit won't do it. Shopping carts, door knobs, stair rails, counters, products themselves recently handled may carry virus for some period of time. That means hand-washing a lot. Worth it, though.
9
@jb
It is still cold enough here to wear gloves without looking weird. I make a practice of wearing a scarf of some sort in all seasons so I can use it to prevent touching door handles, stair railings, etc.
2
@loiejane , gloves are often porous, and retain matter, moisture, and germs as well. Disposable latex might help, if worn and removed properly. They would look weird, though I suppose they might become more the fashion in time....
1
I suppose with the Trump Administration muzzling scientists we have little choice but to pay attention to alternatives for medical advice, but I wish it were not so.
9
Keep in mind that States have very few testing kits. When they finally do arrive and we start learning of coronavirus cases, it will appear to be expanding exponentially. Bottom line: don't panic even if you suddenly hear a huge increase in the number of cases. It's just that this administration doesn't care to take action and give us the truth.
22
Part of the plan for a difficult future will likely be a shift from extreme avoidance strategies to acceptance and adjustment. There is a distinct possibility that Covid will be with us for some time, possibly as a series of outbreaks that are chased down but also quite possibly becoming endemic. In either case it becomes the new normal.
In the new normal we resume our lives albeit with much more hand washing and the like, but otherwise the "prepping" is less about avoiding Covid-19 and more about how to deal with it when you catch it, for instance, being prepared to quarantine yourself. Eventually the medical folks will figure out treatments and vaccines that will reduce its impact, and yes, mortality, but meanwhile we cannot stop living our lives.
8
I've often wondered why, through the decades, the Spanish flu was spoken about so seldom. My own grandparents never mentioned it to their children, despite surviving it and no doubt knowing scores who didn't. Perhaps their reaction was similar to that of many Holocaust survivors -- just going into silence. It's hard to know what you're supposed to feel when you survive something so calamitous.
4
@raven55 Two of my great grandparents--my grandmother's father and mother--died of the SF when they were in their early thirties. I just went to look it up to understand how it disappeared. I guess it just went away. Weird.
@Kim ....The virus that circulates in a population does so because it spreads easily. It follows that if a virus kills its victim quickly, it will have less chance to spread than a similar virus that doesn't kill its victim, but allows them to walk around sneezing on people. Or in other words, a quick and deadly virus infection is apt to mutate to a mild lingering disease over time.
2
I understand the guidance provided by CDC and others regarding face masks. Meaning I understand the words.
My question. If I'm in an elevator and someone coughs or sneezes in my face isn't it better go have a barrier, a face mask, between my nose and mouth and the droplets?
18
@DEBORAH not really. Regular surgical masks aren't effective at catching incoming droplets. Practice social distancing, which means keep about four feet between you and others. It might mean taking the steps to avoid being in a crowded elevator, or waiting for the less crowded elevator to arrive.
13
@DEBORAH I also think one advantage of a face mask is that it reminds us not to touch our faces.
Another thought: these are supposed to be one-time disposable masks as the surface could be accumulating the virus sent through the air, and so it's not good to keep on your face, or have to touch it to take it off.
But I agree with the experts who say it's not worth getting a mask...and if we hoard them up, those who really need them won't have them: health care workers, and people who are actually sick.
1
One thing most people don’t know is that your nose, mouth, and EYES are entry points for viral infections. This is partly why masks that cover the only the nose and mouth are not effective. Wash your hands and learn to stop touching your face.
1
I'm American, living in Italy.
Being prepared means doing very little, and mainly,
- keeping your hands clean;
- not touching your nose, mouth or eyes with your hands;
- staying within a distance of 1.82 meters (6 feet) of other people.
These are commonsense, simple measures that many people can adopt in a lot of different areas.
For those people who can, it also seems prudent to avoid mass transit (subways and buses).
14
Please do not encourage people to buy face masks. They are already in short supply and they will be needed by medical personnel. The CDC does not recommend that healthy people engaged in normal activities wear masks to prevent COVID-19. If you have stockpiled a box of masks, please consider donating most of them to your local hospital.
43
@E
The CDC has unfairly and irrationally restricted the manufacture of face masks!
The CDC granted approval of a mask sponsored by the state of California which is most quickly manufactured at a factory in South Korea. Under the CDC, California had only 200 masks for the entires state of 40 million persons!!!!!!!!!! Under Governor Newsome and the special California Task Force to fight the COVIF-19, California has a new mask design and a manufacturer in South Korea who can crank out 100,000 masks an hour. That's a big improvement.
Ask not what your federal government can/will do for you. Ask what your local or state government can do for you if they organize a better team to deal with the problem.
Hopefully eventually the California design can be made in America - but right now we have to go with the with the South Koreans!
1
I stopped at my local lumber yard this morning and checked out the racks where they have face masks. They were all gone even though there was a sign that said "these do not protect from virus".
9
Well, that says it all.
Suddenly low taxes and smaller government doesn’t sound so good. Unless you are a science denier or think this is a hoax by the Democrats.
If that’s the case you’ll be reassured that two lawyers Mike Pence and Alex Azar have been put in charge to dispel the hoax and the science. Hey it’s worked for climate change- why not give it a chance here? What do those dumb Doctors and Scientists know anyhow? We need top lawyers and real estate moguls navigating us though this hoax.
251
Make that “failed real estate moguls”.
5
Can we please have a reputable doctor with expertise in infectious diseases speak out? The administration's muzzling of such prominent national experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health and Dr. Nancy Messonnier at the Centers of Disease Control is only adding to the misinformation like the need for face masks and a reliable list of actions to take. State and local authorities must step forward to counteract the information blackout by the Trump administration that's keeping us in the dark while spinning delusional conspiracy theories to blame others for their neglect. We need facts. We need experts. And, we desperately need the media to give them a voice. Uncertainty only creates panic.
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@Paul Wortman
Watch the PBS News, especially the hour long program from Mon-Fri. They have had Epidemiologists on almost every evening, professors at medical schools or experts from organizations.
If you missed the program, their website has video as well as transcripts.
Very informative. Not intended to panic anyone.
37
@Paul Wortman Go to the WHO website:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
@Paul Wortman
I think we should all offer Dr Fauci abundant gratitude for his many decades of superior service to us, his patients. To say I am horrified by Trump’s demeaning muzzling of him and his colleagues. It is belittling in so many ways. No other President ever got between Dr Fauci and his patients. It must be breaking his heart. My apologies, Tony, you deserve the best!
The shelves in the picture are still full of hand soap, which is better than sanitizer.
Prepare, sure--but don't panic. We aren't medically fragile or compromised, so we are staying stocked up hand soap, tp, laundry detergent, the kinds of things we'd need to have a normal life if we can't leave the house for a couple weeks... just buying a little extra of everything when we run our regular errands.
19
We also have to think of others in the sense that if we have had exposure or feel the least bit sick, we should not be out in public. It's our duty to. prevent the spread of this as much as it is to protect ourselves.
36
I guess you're right.
I should buy three months of toilet paper, four months of cat litter, many bottles of diluted chlorine (aka bleach), antidisenfectant containing phenol, food - rice, broth, soup in cans, veggies in cans, fish food in cans, water, etc to last several months because what you are saying is that the supply could stop?
Is that the message?
6
Yep! A,so, living on the West Coast we face a major earthquake any day, not if... but when. Best to prepare, doesn’t hurt.
As a last resort, eat your neighbors, but not if they’ve recently been seen sneezing.
1
I always wear a bicycle helmet when I ride a bike and I always wear a seat belt when I drive a car. I have over 100,000 miles on my bikes and well over 500,000 miles in automobiles. Never had a serious accident of either type. But I'm ready because statistics shows that simple measures can avoid catastrophic results.
Many Americans don't think that way and in fact rebel against simple protections because it represents a lack of optimism.
Creating a good outcome by believing that it will be so is a tenet of Trumpism and Trump's puppets. Say it is true and it becomes true, particularly if you fire anyone who disagrees with you and control the sources of information to the "approved" story.
Freedom of speech is what encourages articles like this one. People need to pay attention.
32
@DGP "Many Americans don't think that way and in fact rebel against simple protections because it represents a lack of optimism."
Yes, it is really interesting how so many people seem to be actually angry in their belief that this is getting too much hype. I mean, how does hype negatively affect you? And, why not take precautions just in case?
7
It’s going to spread like wildfire (or maybe like uh, the flu?) through the US. We don’t have the political/security/healthcare infrastructure of a China or even an Italy to do a “lockdown” on any scale.
The good news is the lethality is likely massively overstated due to underreporting and it’ll all blow over by late April. The US death toll will be a tiny fraction of that from good old influenza, but the media will lap it up like a bear on honey. Nothing like panic to sell ads!
153
@Skinny J
"The US death toll will be a tiny fraction of that from good old influenza"
No one can know that at this point. One percent fatality would still be 10 times as deadly as flu, and we really don't have enough information at this point to make absolute statements about the danger. There are unexplained oddities being reported that remind us of that.
188
@Skinny J I guess as long as that tiny fraction doesn't include you or your friends and family, it's no biggie! Just a new form of disease that can potentially ruin your happy life! While I don't approve the sensationalism going on in many of the news programs and papers, I would definitely appreciate an actual medical expert giving out a clear government message. Pence "filtering" scientists' research is bound to make many people panic. And I'm appalled that it took so long for states to be able to administer tests. So many things could have already been in place by this time.
209
@Skinny J
Read this study, from Chinadata.
"Comorbitities and risk for poor outcomes"
Patients who had any of the following, Diabetes, COPD, High Blood Pressure, Cancer.
Have a higher death rate
"The death rate among COVID-19 patients with one or more comorbidities was 5.6%"
link here,
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/some-covid-19-patients-test-positive-days-after-recovery
a friend who works in an ER here said, they still don't have the RT-PRC test kits yet. All nasal swabs have to be sent to CDC; a 2 or 3 day delay.
74
Think about what we have learned and know since 1918! Facial tissues weren't invented until 1924! People were still using cloth handkerchieves!
Hand sanitizer, all the modern ways we protect ourselves just wasn't available. This is a very different world now, and communities will pull together.
I've been to the CDC website and there is a list of how to prepare.
Americans aren't on our own here, although what comes from the WH seems tepid and confusing at times, no cuts were made to the CDC budget.
This is where our local government agencies will be the most help, not from some political huffing and puffing from elected officials.
Do what the CDC list says and wash those hands. Remember your phone and keyboards are carriers for what ever was on your hands that you washed off, so wipe them down as well, following manufacturer's instructions.
Living in Maine, people are just used to having a storm pantry, and many other regions are aware of those precautions as well.
Americans are more prepared than we know.
10
Disagree, most Americans are not prepared. Look it up.
Plant a garden - it's almost spring.
Even if you get inconvenienced you will have something interesting to do and cook and eat. We will all have to walk and chew gum at the same time. Without leadership, we will have to maximize individual sanity.
16
I read somewhere that the first food item that gets sold out at Florida Walmarts when hurricanes are imminent is PopTarts.
It's now a running joke in my Virginia home that whenever some kind of bad weather is predicted we stock up on PopTarts (strawberry, no frosting). And without fail, every time we stock up, no emergency materializes.
So take heart: Yesterday I bought two boxes of PopTarts. (But just in case, I also bought ingredients to make bread.)
32
@chris that's interesting. I only bought 2 things that I normally would not have.... yeast and a new water filter. If we can't leave the house for a few weeks, at least I can make fresh bread : )
1
@chris I also purchased a box of Pop Tarts. I know they are not the healthiest things to eat, but they do last forever.
2
Thanks for the giggle! Buy some extra water, too, to wash down your Pop Tarts!
I live in Lumbardy, that is in the centre of italian epidemic. More than 500 ill, more than 200 hospitalized, 85 in intensive care 17 dead since february 20. And I go on with my life as usual, without thinking too much to the flu. Because coronavirus till now is not the plague:it's a new kind of flu very contagious. It can be really dangerous for people that have other problems. The deads were all but one over 75 years already with bad health. The younger one was 68 and died of cancer with coronavirus, not of coronavirus.
The worst is the way that all this is communicated by the media: if you see only images of empty streets with running ambulances you will be frightened and run to buy everything you don't really need.
Continue with your life and reduce the spread of the virus (wash hands, keep distance and so on). This coronavirus, and it's mutated sons and grandsons and grand grandsons will be around this year, next year and so on. We have to be used to it (with a new vaccine each year, like the flu).
Of course in Lumbardy we are lucky having a real good health system, for free...
Ciao!
1135
@Marco, COVID-19 is NOT influenza. Influenza has a kill rate of 0.01%. COVID-19 has a kill rate between 2.0% and 3.0%, akin to what experts think the so-called "Spanish Flu" outbreak of 1918-1919 had. That virus spread around the world, seeming to disappear in the spring only to reappear with a vengence in the autumn and go on a killing rampage. That virus infected up to one-third of the entire global population of 1.9 billion at that time. MILLIONS of people died - do the math. This is NOT a joke. We now have more than 7 billion people on this planet. If one-third get infected, and of the infected 2% to 3% die, that is going to be a massive apocalyptic event.
162
@Jan N
One thing I keep wondering about when comparing COVID-19 to the Spanish Flu is the differences in our society between now and then. Whereas we have much more advanced medical treatments now compared to then, we also have have more mobility and denser population centers. I am curious how to compare the percentages between the two pandemics.
87
@Marco You understand that so far only 500 are ill, because of the quarantines, right? You describe 40% hospitalized, 17% seriously ill and a 3.4% death rate. That is not good and cheery. What of the people in the quarantined towns? Can you predict when they will quarantine another city? Will it be yours? The point of the article is to be prepared to live through a possible quarantine. Not panicking is correct, not preparing is ill advised.
131
What about illegal immigration, uncontrolled immigration, and coronavirus contagion?
Does it not make sense for any country, even the US, to control its borders?
6
@RP I think that the risk from illegal immigrants is far, far less than the risk from your own countrymen. The world is not in isolation, and airlines, trains, buses, public transit are not going to shut down (yet) because that will cripple the economy. People will be in far more contact with their own citizens who have been out of the country for business and pleasure, than illegal immigrants.
The virus is here. Maintain proper sanitary precautions, live your life - hope for the best and plan for the worst. That's all anyone can do.
3
@RP
RP, none of the people infected in the US are illegal immigrants
1
@Laurie
We can also control our immigration.
1
Trump’s Press Conference on CornonaVirus- LIES vs TRUTH (Wednesday, Feb.26)
1. Trump says: "Rapidly developing vaccine”/Dr. Fauci of CDC says it takes 1-1.5 years of testing and development to release vaccine.
2. Trump says: “CoronaVirus going very substantially down”/went up, with four “community” cases causing transmission concern
3. Trump says: “Flu has higher fatality rate than coronavirus”/Surgeon Dr.Gupta corrects him saying coronavirus has 20x higher fatality rate
4. Trump says: “Only 15 cases, soon will be zero”/Truth: days later potential "community" cases triple.
This is sadly why American's cannot trust our Liar in Chief.
307
We are up to 66, cases. Who knows how many more, since the testing has just begun.
13
Ya know what? I'm going to the Met Opera telecast this afternoon of Agrippina to get way from cable news. I'll be sitting in one of the new lounge seats with the headrest that a hundred people have rested theirs on but will wear a hoodie. I'll wash my hands and dry them using a hand drier that will blow pee and fecal material all over the men's room. I'll pack snacks to survive the 3 + hours making believe that I am actually back in New York, my home town holding on to the subway railings and breathing 100 year old tunnel air contaminated by uncounted rat droppings. G F Handel had no idea of the treachery of modern day living. Oh, and Super Tuesday is coming and I have to decide between a cast of characters that make a Handel opera more of a comedy. Life is so exciting...I just can't stand it.
19
@Guitarman
Sincerely, Guitarman.... your comment reads like poetry. I'm almost in tears, and I don't know why. The images overwhelm me: the smell of the subway, the roar of the trains with Baroque horns and reeds weaving their thread.... "Ogni Vento" dancing to the lilt of toilet flushes.
Macabre images dancing in my head, and so perfect a commentary on our times.
Truly, I thank you for the gift.
Very beautiful, thank you.
1
Don’t Handel contaminated surfaces!
1
@Larry D
Bravo!
OK, can we just stay here punning until this is all over?
Soon we will all be like Beethoven making cuts to the score of Leonore: decomposing.
1
Would tech service still be available if we see an epidemic in the US?
Will we be able to use tv's.laptops,cell phones?
Would employees of cable.electricity,tech and gas companies go to work?
Would amazon warehouses be staffed?
The list goes on-food production employees,mail,plumbers,retail staff???
4
Other than hand and finger cleanliness one might also remember your general health and wellbeing is founded upon a robust immunology that responds best to good sleep and nutritional habits. A thoughtful diet and routine exercise in sunlight will also help maintain your best immunology. Smokers beware, as this is a pathogenic lung infection and everyone needs to stop these insidious habits come hell or high water. Stop shaking hands and cheek kissing entirely. All Parisian's will doubtlessly enter cultural shock due to this virus and will suffer loneliness and despair. However, the Yellow Vests will finally go home and organized protesting will disappear from Europe entirely. Buy Amazon shares because the shopping plaza idea of retail trade disappeared from the face of the earth yesterday. Also, invest in everything medical because of the epidemiological consequence of comorbidity or illness and malady exponentially explodes and Healthcare GDP % will leap to 25% of all goods and services. Military spending will go into a steep decline correspondingly.
6
CDC website is updated ONLY every three days, it is still lasting the number of cases in the U.S. at FIFTEEN when the ACTUAL number is SIXTY SIX. Trump administration has ordered the CDC to not update their number! We’ve had to go to the John Hopkins University web site to get an actual number, their sources are WHO, CDC, etc. Keeping TRUTH from Americans is not helpful, it just emphasizes the inept and chaotic Trump administration and the dysfunctional way they are handling Covid-19!
I agree with the author of the article is correct, “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” We have adult children with their own children, living in a large West Coast metropolitan area, where we know that earthquakes are not if but when. Still, we’ve had to send them emails with a plea to prepare. Lastly, I find it tragic that we cannot trust the Trump administration!
21
I’m sorry, but this is the exact kind of sensationalism we need to avoid right now. Articles like this based on zero scientific evidence and running contrary to advice given by every public health agency in the county only serve to drive up prices for seasonal cold and flu fighting supplies online and take masks away from doctors and immunosuppressed patients who need them. Most people will probably be exposed to this in the next couple years and most will show mild symptoms and then carry on with their lives. Don’t know what this author’s background is, but my basic undergraduate public health degree tells me that if 80 percent of people are getting mild illness and the the case fatality rate is around 2 percent (meaning 98 percent of patients are recovering) then this is not anywhere near as dangerous as Ebola or anything that could actually lead to martial law. Fatality rate for Ebola was something along 60 percent I think. Then we panic. Not now. Use common sense, wash hands and don’t sit right next to the person coughing all over the bus. Please NYT, don’t add to the mass panic. Writers need to be honest and accurate and please use some math and keep in mind that in 1918 we didn’t have a concept of antivirals, vast vaccine producing capacity, a research infrastructure, modern respirators or any real concept of adequate community containment strategies.
34
@MVJ - The fact is that this disease has already massively disrupted life in Asia, and will probably do so elsewhere. China is the world‘s biggest supplier of almost everything, yet the cargo ships are idle.
Although most healthy people probably don‘t need to fear for their lives, the author‘s point is that we will have to deal with disruptions. And that means waking up to the consequences of a pandemic, beyond the mere disease itself.
3
Here’s a novel idea: Trump should ask and appoint Obama the Coronavirus Czar. Win win for Trump and we get a competent person with real skills. This challenge is global and who better to organize the response. Trump wins in any outcome, if it is resolved he looks like a genius.
Hi folks,
Greetings from Germany.
The government tells us not to panic.
We live in the city, where you usually don’t need to stock up.
But....as my grandma used to say: better save than sorry.
5
Media is fomenting a panic-demic for ratings and scaring the wits out of everyone. Good time to be an agoraphobe.
2
Perhaps the best advice is to make sure you have the meds you need. Many of these are made in China.
2
Most not many? Almost all meds made here use ingredients imported from China.
The headline promises the article will help us be smart preppers, while the text delivers nothing. What makes for smart preparations? The article only offers vague ramblings. What a waste.
9
Don’t forget toilet paper!
4
@Nycdweller and trash bags, you know, just in case there is trash pickup.
“Start washing your hands before eating and after riding public transit.”
So the author only practices this basic hygiene when she fears a pandemic is looming?
14
You can make your own hand sanitizer.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=make+your+own+hand+sanitizer
I lived in SoCal for 30 years under the threat of earthquakes. We always had a two-week emergency kit ready to go. We also had the feeling that if we survived the jolt, we'd be pretty much OK because the state was prepared. They ran drills. Prepped based on scenarios. Democrat or Republican Governor, it didn't matter. They were at least sane. It offered some comfort.
With this I'm not feeling so great. I watch Trump talking about this virus and I've gone from being disgusted by him to being truly scared. I think about all he and his crew have done to undermine our safety. They have great health insurance and had no problem paying to stockpile their meds, I'm sure. What about the people who already are rationing their Insulin?
993
@Sheldon Ironically, of course, those in sparsely populated states where T. is most popular may experience less of the Coronavirus because their contact with others is probably less frequent. Mother Nature and political economics are major practical jokers.
76
@B. Rothman @Sheldon On the other hand, the "red" states typically have lower income, even less healthcare available to them, are mal- and/or under-nourished, and unable to take a day off from their minimum wage job (sick days is a "benefit" in the U.S. and many people don't receive them). They already suffer from a wide range of health issues already - diabetes and obesity are two that come to mind. They have less money to prepare a home with extra food and OTC medications to ride out a quarantine or self-isolation. Which means they will, naturally enough, break that quarantine. I would say that of all the vulnerable populations in the U.S. the red states have the greatest risk of all. It will take just one infection, given its high transmissibility, to start a wildfire of contagion in those communities.
38
@B. Rothman Ironically? Or just logically, perhaps.
Factual error: The opinion states that because "the disease has an incubation period of at least two weeks, I could be surrounded by the infected and not know."
Actually, most current estimates suggest that symptoms appear within five days or fewer for most infected people, but the range is likely to be 1-14 days, meaning the incubation period is up to two weeks, not at least two weeks.
428
There have been reports of up to 28 days and also people being clear post infection only to get sick again.
55
@Sarah The chances of you being hit by a car is much greater than you dying due to one of the extreme fringe cases. Take reasonable precautions, and reasonable risks, not unreasonable ones.
17
@Will Havers, that is NOT true. Incubation can be as long as 28 days as a couple cases in China have shown, and many many people are infected but are totally asymptomatic and NEVER show symptoms at all. They are not being tested in China or anywhere else, but they are out there spreading the virus. A 14 day quarantine period is not long enough. The people of the Middle Ages were smarter than we are, for pete's sake. They quarantined ships for 40 days, hoping to prevent the Plague from coming on to shore! We're waving our arms inviting it in!
38
Being an older person and living in the Midwest, I've accustomed myself to being prepared for not being able to get out and about for days at a time during the winter. Prepping for a 2-4 weeks house-quarantine requires a bit more thought but it's totally doable. In the meantime, flu-avoidance habits will have to suffice.
11
The largest problem we face is political. The Trump Regime is rightfully known for flat-out Lies. So, when do we know when ANY Information from them is factual, or not ?
Here’s the real tell: Placing Pence in Charge. He’s laughably incompetent in any Healthcare related subject, based on his actions as Indiana Governor. The perfect fall guy. If the Trump Flu fizzles out, Trump takes ALL the Credit. However, if the worst happens and Hundreds Of Thousands Die, Pence will be blamed.
Completely. Trump IS stupid. But, he has a remarkable sense of self preservation, and survival. With a large assist from his Collaborators.
Good Luck.
63
@Phyliss Dalmatian the democrats
in congress are also known liars
@Phyliss Dalmatian Pence will see each death and survival as 'God's will' so he'll probably do absolutely nothing.
Just want to say I love seeing Annalee's byline in The Times!
4
@Michael Kaplan How nice of you!
perfect level of advise without instilling / exploiting on fear. Brava! And thank you
3
Just a slight correction: the incubation period is not 14 days. It's on average between 1 and 5 days. The 14 day figure is at the extreme end. Here is the quote from Harvard health:
"An incubation period is the time between catching an illness and showing symptoms of the illness. Current estimates suggest that symptoms of COVID-19 usually appear within around five days or less in most cases, but the range could be between one and 14 days."
2
@Nick The natural history of Covid-19 exposure, infection, illness, and either recovery or death is still being worked out. I think we should for now assume the broadest possible interval between contact with the virus and getting sick, as well as between a possible exposure to no longer being contagious. And everyone needs to pay attention on a daily basis to new information coming out. But definitive statements about infectivity and latency periods between exposure and both the time of onset of symptoms and the time when one is no longer shedding the virus.
4
@PMJ (It would be nice to finish the sentences I start.) I intended to say that definitive statements right now have as much potential to mislead as to inform. And so they should be avoided in favor of broader advisory statements that acknowledge the absence of precise information at the present time.
2
Sounds like a good case of forensic investigation; the person might've come in contact with a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend blah blah blah yeah yeah yeah yeah yada yada
But the most important thing is is to stay away from people in general and I'm just fine with that being a certified registered curmudgeon of the 5th° — I'm hoping I'll be ok.
5
Nature keeps trying to reduce the stress upon the planet created by the human monkey. This is another test shot. More to come.
9
Would like her prep list, will she share?
3
If you have an extra N95 mask or two, how about sharing one with a chronically lung impaired mother of 2 young girls. I didn’t buy them because people were told not to hoard them, and now I feel completely dumb.
8
Oh good lord. Everyone is going nuts, making their fear a reality.
6
It is most annoying to read an article that purports to advise on how to prepare for coronavirus, only to discover little actual advice and a factual error in the first paragraph that a science writer should have been able to avoid (misinformation on length of incubation period). She created a "prepper list", but doesn't reveal much of what's on it, except for last minute additions. Perhaps she feels her family and friends should be the only ones to benefit from her efforts. A touchy-feely article about how people feel about this situation isn't the help the rest of us need. Me, I'd like the list!
13
Since we're not getting any real leadership from the Trump Administration with a possible Coronavirus pandemic, maybe the New York Times could take the lead and gather a group of medical experts for a weekly/daily column that can help the public be informed?
43
I live close to Solano County. In a pandemic one of the most dangerous places to go will be a grocery store. Yes, stock up! In addition to items already mentioned I'm going to add potatoes, yams, apples that can be stored maybe for weeks. I say be part of the solution and get enough to share.
7
Articles like this are a total overreaction. According to the CDC, in the US 14,000 people died from the flu in 2019 and as many as 250,000 people were hospitalized. In the 2017 flu season, an estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications — the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades. Yet, no one panicked. No one called for hoarding food. The president didn't appoint a "flue czar." The stock market didn't fall. No one did anything. It was just another year and some people got the flu. It happens every year.
As of early Saturday, there were only 67 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US -- the majority of which were repatriated passengers from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship. Worldwide, the virus has killed at least 2,922 -- including 2,835 people in China -- and there have been 85,055 confirmed cases. That's nothing compared to the numbers that get the flu every year in the US alone.
We need to stop the fear mongering and unreasonable reactions.
5
“Have a supply of ... medicines.”
What over the counter “medicines” should be in a household medicine cabinet to deal with the COVID 19?
Decongestants? Cough syrup?
119
@Carl Wigren Yes, those would probably be a good idea. But the important thing, and I think what the writer was referring to, is to have an adequate supply of any prescription meds you may be on.
66
@Perry I just stocked up on my prescription meds. Since I was buying 'early,' insurance wouldn't pay for them. Mine are mostly generic and moderately priced, but still, I shelled out a few hundred dollars. That's difficult for many people, and impossible for those dependent on astronomically priced meds.
178
@Carl Wigren, prescription medications. If the U.S. goes to enforced quarantines, how will people be able to fill their prescriptions? Do you think Joey from the corner drug store is going to pedal his bike down to your house to drop an order off for you? Even if we don't go there, how do we know that pharmaceutical companies won't be severely hampered in keeping production going (many of the actual plants that produce the pills we take are overseas) and that supply chains won't be interrupted for some reason or another? People can deal with threats that they can reasonably anticipate, but we are dealing ONLY with unknowns here right now, and the Trump regime has made sure that the people who can best advise us and update us on what's going on around the country are MUZZLED.
87
My company doesn't even have paid sick days. Nor do they allow people to work from home, even employees like myself who can easily accomplish all their responsibilities online at home.
Is the government going to pay for lost paychecks or order firms to pay employees who become quarantine? I think they will have to do something if it becomes widespread.
8
Spot on, and dovetails precisely with this advice from that rag known as Scientific American, the lede of which is also spot on: Getting ready for the possibility of major disruptions is not only smart; it’s also our civic duty. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/preparing-for-coronavirus-to-strike-the-u-s/
If we had a barely ethical, barely sane government (or media system), this would be the mantra, and it would have started six weeks ago.
In fact, it wouldn't have been necessary at all, since we all would have integrated such sane preparation into our daily lives, given the ever-present possibility of pandemics (growing with our population and development), terror attacks, natural disasters (growing with our carbon burning), and so on. It would have been part of the fabric of existence, and insofar as people were unable to turn away from such realities, the necessity to prepare itself would have long ago pushed us to curb our out-of-control development, carbon-burning, nuke-deploying, and all the rest.
Perhaps that, even more than the accurate psychological attitude described by Newitz, is what has prevented such things from entering the mainstream. Do the powers that be want us to be front-of-mind aware of all the many threats we could actually massively mitigate...when that affects profit?
Hmmmmmm...
6
It’s wise to lay in some shelf-stable supplies. No one should ever be down to their last can of cat food or roll of toilet paper. It’s a good idea to wash your hands and avoid contact with people who are obviously sick.
But honestly, you are much more likely to need those supplies if you catch any of the regular strains of flu or even a bad cold, all common this time of year.
CDC says that more than 2,000 have already died this year from the common varieties of flu, most of them elderly, very young, or with compromised health conditions - the same profiles of those who have died from coronavirus in other countries. There are scant media articles about that nor is there panic.
Maybe you are more likely to make yourself sick from worry.
5
Am I the only one who hopes Trump the germophobe-in-chief gets a wee bit sick, if for no other reason than the comedy of watching him try to explain his own panic?
I do then wish him a full and speedy recovery. But not before confronting the fear his own voters feel. It might be a first. Who knows what might follow.
13
@SDH ...Want to see him wearing a face mask and a MAGA hat and tossing out packages of face masks...
6
Prepping for the supply chain and income disruptions will serve you better that prepping for the virus.
8
I'm really not a specialist, so don't take what I say too seriously. Perhaps one day, given how forests are destroyed, we'll have a virus in the kind of Ebola, or Ebola itself, in New York and Paris (I live in Paris). And this day perhaps we'll remember the Coronavirus the way we remember paradise...
As a science writer, shouldn't one be looking at the what the actual virus does?
Even a 1to 2 percent loss of human life, among those infected, would be horribly tragic. It would not end civilization as we know it... Unless your fear does it for us.
In Chaucer's time they tried to pray the plague away, and when that didn't work built churches to pray that it wouldn't come again.
The early forms of quarantine, which is not modern isolation protocols, probably sent more people to their deaths because there was no real separation of infected and possibly infected, and no real science to come to any understanding if the difference.
We can do better. If we use reason and science. Panic is no better than putting Trump putting an anti-science person like Pence in charge of the response. Both deny science one preferring ignorance for political gain, the other preferring a dystopian fiction panic.
I am disturbed that while the Administration pushes the first, the NYT is busy with the second.
Pay attention to the experts on disease and pandemics. This fiction based approach will get us nowhere, or worse...
4
This is a terrible and solipsistic mindset. The easy response of prepping one's larder for disaster is natural and inevitable, I don't think we need that reinforced in the NYT.
What we need to search for and enact is a political response. One that is a focused and sustained because the health commons in our country (and in SF Bay area) is in a terrible state. Costs, access, prevention, policy, coordination, and pretty much everything related, are in very weakened condition.
We have rampant anti-vaccination fantasies, private health "monster profit" business models, street people with virtually no sanitation facilities, no federal guidance to speak of, and this writer is solving that with a couple visits to Trader Joes?
As a NY Times journalist this piece is a fail. Do some deep thinking and come back with ideas to strengthen the commons of this country. We don't need isolationist thinking.
This disaster should be a wake up call that our health care and social networks are frail and nearly useless in the face of these sorts of global social problems.
If we think coronovirus is serious, wait until global warming really kicks in. This pandemic is a warning shot across the bow of our ship of state.
27
Moderate preparedness is community-minded. The more we can be self-sufficient when resources are strained, the more we can help those who cannot be self-sufficient.
2
Moderate preparedness is community-minded.
The uninformed are busy with the hysterical comments--so some facts:
CDC estimates that influenza was associated with more than 35.5 million illnesses, more than 16.5 million medical visits, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths during the 2018–2019 influenza season.
The press has no data that this flu will have a higher mortality rate.
1
Community? What’s that?
In this libertarian Republican administration it’s every person out for themselves. Strict economic Darwinism and now social Darwinism. Don’t know what that is? Look it up. Google it. . . . Or wait for the ineffective response of the Administration to show its ineffectiveness in your own “community.” Nothing like first hand education to teach lessons in an indelible way.
3
Prepare for the pandemic already under way - more food, less travel, wash those hands.
Prepare for a sweet stable healthy democracy becoming more and more sick - don’t believe the fools & bullies in charge & vote wisely.
2
I used to teach safety and survival courses and would start each new session by asking participants if they had different types of insurance; health, life, car, property, etc., and nearly all answered yes. I also asked them whether they hoped to need to use them soon, and nearly all answered with an emphatic “No!”. Then I would point out that here they sat, paying out hundreds or thousands of dollars each year for coverage on which they really didn’t want to have to use. That was my lead into getting them to invest a few bucks, say $50 to $100, for a decent first-aid or other emergency kit that they would likely use more often than many of the insurance policies they had. A one-time outlay that would be more cost-effective than anything else they could do to ensure they had supplies in times of an emergency, small or large. And take a little time to learn how to use supplies they’re not familiar with. Check your kits to see if they’re coronavirus-ready.
9
Recently witnessed a considerable number of of people wearing masks in several foreign cities and international airports of the Western hemisphere. No way of telling if these were worn as a preventative measure or a fashion accessory but it does seem a signal of our new age of preventative preoccupation.
Perhaps, over time, the obscured face will become standard practice. There is sure to be another plague waiting behind this one. Humanity has been engaged in a race with microbes and viruses for a very long time. Our stamina is waning and compromised by our own mistakes and bad habits.
3
A good start, but the Times needs to inform more:
- Is it a good idea to buy concert or sports tickets for events a few months away? They're starting to cancel mass events in Europe. If that happens, is it a simple money back situation? Or can companies hide behind "force majeure" type of clauses?
- What about travel? It's time to plan our summer holidays. How could the virus impact airports, flights, ... ? Same legal question as above.
8
I already bought extra food on my last trip to Trader Joe’s. Do everyone a favor and buy a few extra items on every trip so there’s not a run on supplies. You can count on a greedy few taking more than they need.
I have to bulk up my earthquake kit anyway.
15
In normal times, leaders lead and our biggest danger is fear and ignorance
But these are not normal times, and very one seems to want a stake in fear
Politician, media, etc.
First of all, let's not raise the specter of 50% mortality as in the Black Death (which is a bacterial infection). This virus isn't nearly that bad (Ebola, yes; HIV untreated, yes, and some others).
If we can transmit this virus as a sub-clinical, asymptomatic infection, then what are we to do? Locking down whole towns, cities, schools won't work. Self-quarantine would be most sensible, and I think people can see the reason behind this (I do it when I have a cold); masking for those with respiratory infections makes sense.
Aside from these, we need to equip hospitals to handle the load. But our administration doesn't seem alert to this problem, and we're going to get political, not scientific information. So we're in a jam and will need to make the best of it.
5
The fact that Trump has ordered the CDC not to speak publicly unless they get permission from Pence, is a huge concern. Also, the CDC web site hasn’t updated the known U.S. cases! We had to go to John Hopkins University’s web site for the actual number: 66.
8
Not sure why bandanas are not suggested to be used by people to lightly cover the face to contain coughing out and minimize breathing in (I realize not 100% effective). They are washable and a good reminder to not touch one's face.
15
Humans are so amusing. Rush to buy Purell - don't ever think about how animal agriculture factory farming is what is going to eventually yield the total pandemic virus that will kill most of us
10
“we have to turn preparation for survival into the new normal”
If we really get to the point of disaster as you suggest is possible, no boxed soup or talking to neighbors will help. When true disaster strikes, community is the first thing that breaks down. People will be breaking into your home and raiding that nice stocked up cabinet of yours. That would be the new normal.
Please add Contagion to your survival watch list.
5
@ma, that’s why it’s important to have a good relationship with your neighbors, safety in numbers. On the West Coast, a huge earthquake is always a matter of when ...not if! Stocking up is crucial.
from what I have heard is that this year it will spread across the nation but be somewhat mild unless your vulnerable.However come november or maybe october its will strike again with a vengeance.similar to 1918.It hit in the spring and the next fall was a monster
6
Beautiful, prepping for a difficult future every day, Ms. Newitz. Time to invest in soap! Time to wash our hands like raccoons to avoid the covid-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus isn't a Democratic Hoax, even though our orange leader proclaimed it so last night in South Carolina. We can't hide from epidemics. We have no control over anything, maybe a minute at a time. Nonperishable food is a good idea, though in the end everything is perishable. All new people! Life will wash over us like a growing tsunami whether or not we like it. Unexpected catastrophes occur in our lives and human history. "Get over it, as the President's toady, Mick Mulvaney advised us.
It's my understanding that face masks are not actually helping anyone who is not already infected - they help people who are already sick from spreading it and they help medical professionals. To act like it would do anything but make the supply run short for those who need it by continuously mentioning it in multiple articles is a little absurd. They mostly prevent sick people from spreading it further (coughing, sneezing, etc.). While in the end it's a good idea to help with not touching your nose and mouth, it just makes supply lower for medical professionals who are coming into contact with the virus every day. Just a little sad to see it advertised as this essential need. For the same purpose, you can make a mask out of materials at your home that would provide similar benefits. And just to be clear, no, your poor pet does not need a mask.
7
don't forget rule #1 - whatever trump says. you should probably believe or do the opposite
using the word HOAX to describe a pandemic, regardless of how severe the virus may be is just plain irresponsible
"i alone can fix it" - it that what he said? 100% untrue - that's the real hoax
6
Toronto has its 8th case, yet threat to public safety is still fairly low. Seemed like a good time to hit Costco and pick up those items that would get us through if the city locked down. It was exhausting, a bit expensive and I still don't know why trail mix was a must. The dog even got liver treats. We call this "getting ready for the zombies" to keep both our fears and dread as low as possible. We're ready...or we hope we are. Cheers!
7
Common sense measures will go a long way towards limiting spread of Corona. a s well asthe "regular" flu (which has already killed 20,000 in the US this flu season) - if you are sick, do not go to work or school. If your kids are sick, do not send them to school. This is what our public health officials should be shouting from the rooftops.
4
With this piece, the author instead of calming our fears and making the case for preparation is doing exactly the opposite.
Oregon recorded it's first case yesterday. Am I I starting to freak?...well yeah (a little).
5
I've read the Times every day for 15 years and this is the first time I've felt the urge to comment. This article is so wildly alarmist that I thought at first it must be satire. Yes, common sense preparation makes sense. But "normalizing survival" as a call to action in this moment feels counterproductive and absurd.
104
@Jeremy Yes I agree. And we don't need to hear on the front page of a national newspaper the details of your TV watching, etc.
Very little objective factual
information here. Waste of space.
1
@Jeremy I hope you’re right but I’ve seen epidemiologists choke up when questioned about the death toll.
@Jeremy
Perhaps. Preparation never happens in hindsight.
Always looks alarmist until it's later than you think.
2
Our human emotional and mental state doesn't matter to coronavirus.
Nor does our human gender, color aka race, ethnicity, national origin, faith, politics nor socioeconomics.
Donald Trump smartly put ' I am a Christian, a conservative and Republican in that order' Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus crisis.
Let Pence go to California, Oregon and Washington State to expose himself to investigating the community spread of coronavirus.
Coronavirus is driven by evolutionary fit biological natural selection to leave the most best adapted 'offspring' over space and time.
3
Would the author share her list, please. That’s what I thought I was going to read.
3
@Eric Freund crawl back up the thread of comments to find the link to Scientific American. their article has a link to a list.
We already know what the worst case scenario for this disease is: an American city turns out like Wuhan. People still have food in Wuhan. Civilization hasn't collapsed there. And we have way more advance warning than the people in Wuhan had so we'll be better prepared. There's no need to stock up on food (thus potentially creating shortages or driving up prices for no reason), and especially not on face masks (which should be going to medical workers and people in China and South Korea where there are a lot more cases).
202
@HO
"People still have food in Wuhan."
The entire country of China was mobilized to accomplish that - convoys of trucks up to 50 miles long, created by the central government to feed those unlucky enough to be in a suddenly-confined area with no chance of escape, after the roads leading out of it were destroyed and the army moved in to man the barricades.
None of that could or would happen here. No one has control over our massive, independently-owned food distribution system.
Furthermore, we don't have a single point of disease origin like China did. Department of Homeland Security staff may well have spread this West Coast outbreak themselves, and people returning from Italy still aren't being tested. At least one "person of interest" who was there is waiting for days now in a New York hospital for CDC results to come back. There's no "one place" to wall off.
You could be right, of course. Personally, I think optimism is overrated in times like these.
80
This is just one possible reality that one should be prepared for. The others are storms, earthquakes, floods ... you know, reality in the modern world? I once got caught out when our water system failed catastrophically - never again! Every family should have a small emergency kit - FEMA has a good list of provisions at Ready.gov.
11
@lieberma Or possibly just from flight passengers that were infected by crew on a plane, or other passengers and passed the disease along without even knowing it. Many of the infected have little to no symptoms.
1
Please - Stop hoarding masks!
You’re keeping them from the people who need them the most, in healthcare.
I work in a healthcare laundry that serves multiple hospitals in one of the places with identified covid 19 cases. We’re facing a shortage of masks for our workers who must handle soiled laundry, literally. Most people never consider this, that it’s not a fully automated process. It is not.
Wash your hands, eat healthfully, get some exercise, keep your immune system up. That will do you good. But hoarding masks won’t help you and is a big disservice to others and to public health in general.
141
@L
YES. I'm a physician who lives in NYC and it kills me seeing people on the subway wearing masks because:
(1) Most of the masks in use are not going to protect against anything if you are not accomplishing much This is because most masks are not engineered to keep small particles out. On top of that, we are human and have a habit of touching our faces hundreds of times a day.
(2) Masks should be worn by the sick. The people wearing masks in public don't seem to be coughing or showing signs of distress.
(3) They are potentially diverting supplies that would be better off in the possession of healthcare institutions.
6
Did we panic like this for H1N1 or SARS? I don't remember doing so. It seems like a similar situation yet the hysteria seems more extreme. My son was 4 during H1N1 and I remember going to a local stadium to get the second vaccine - that's about the only unusual thing about that time I remember.
4
@J in NY Umm, it is quite different. Those viruses, while dangerous in their own ways, were not nearly as transmissible as COVID-19. Do your research, follow CDC recommendations, and plan accordingly.
3
This is a very thoughtful piece.
My concern remains that our government officials are focused more on putting a positive spin on this virus than mobilizing to help us help ourselves. I found a recent clip from a committee hearing to be of grave interest.
Representative Gomez from California told acting Secretary Alex Azar that there had been reports of things being "chaotic on the ground" at Travis AFB and asked if "protocols were being followed at all times." Mr. Azar's nimble response was "I don't accept your premise that things were chaotic at all times."
This is not how a government serves its people; it is how an administration flack saves Fox News a few steps in the editing process.
8
Why encourage people to buy face masks? Every reputable source says they are useless for the public and should be reserved for health care workers who know how and when to use them. If you get sick, stay home and don’t cough on your caregivers.
644
@Owen If I get sick, I will be wearing a mask to protect the non sick.
73
@Owen Here in Southern California, I keep a HEPA filter in the house and N95 masks in the house in case the smoke from fires gets close enough, which is infrequent and unpredictable. They're about $20 for a box of 10 when there's no fire, and $60+ (if you can get them) if there is one (and I haven't seen any need to break them out for this event). And then I also have them around for doing work around the house that creates dust. Similar with other emergency supplies - it's basically my camping box.
23
@Mark I am really looking for information here. If we were to wear face masks if we are currently well, then wouldn't that protect is if we were unknowingly near someone who was ill (and might not yet know it)?
22
How to be a smart coronavirus prepper? In this country, we must first understand that we are all on our own. Each family, each individual. Under this "president" our federal government will do nothing but worsen the problem, as it has already shown.
Expect our "president" to lie to us about this illness. Expect our "president" to continue saying it is all a hoax, even though several community acquired cases have already been documented in this country.
And expect that all of the "president's" supporters to also believe it is a hoax. This means that some 45% of our citizens will not be taking even the most basic of sensible precautions. Trump has, with his reckless talk, essentially primed tens of millions of his adoring fans as nothing more than disease vectors.
So expect that the truth will not be reported. Expect that medical resources will not be available when they are needed. Expect hospitals to be overrun by the many tens of thousands of folks (or more) without health care coverage, or who cannot afford their deductibles. In short, expect to see this virus play out as it would any Third World country.
88
@JS Surprised Trump is calling itself a hoax, thought he’d be churning out MAGA face masks as his new money making scam.
7
It may be spread thru the atmosphere in general. In other words virus particles can be transmitted long distances and plop down wherever. If this is the case which is certainly a possibility the only way to deal with the disease is with our own immune system. The world population may have to be exposed, and hence the vast majority will develop immunity and the virus will be seriously capped. Yes possibly 1 out of 2 or 3 hundred may die. Death will be determined mostly by comorbid conditions and the availability of quality medical care. The current efforts to contain the virus can not be complete.
Additionally we need to examine weather mass flu immunization sets the stage for the emergence of the coronavirus. The immunizations against flu are not natural and the macro effect in the virus world is unknown. By suppressing the influenza virus by mass immunization may create a void that is now filled with the corona virus.
1
@rich williams :
NO, the flu vaccine has nothing to do with COVID-19. They are different viruses.
Nature doesn't "fill a void" which it doesn't know exists.
2
Funny you should write from San Francisco. My freaked-out sister, who also lives there, got angry and hung up on me after I joked about the shopping mandates, refusing to take her advice to fill my apartment with a month's supply of food and toilet paper (as if most American homes aren't already pretty stocked; I don't think I've bought TP in a month anyhow).
I think the hoarding mentality is distinctly American. Worried about a deadly pandemic? Shop your way out of it! Here's your shopping checklist!
The truth is that negative consequences of a global pandemic could manifest in myriad ways. A monthlong home quarantine, which seems to be the preppers' focus, is just one. Economic fallout is another: Failing supply chains lead to job losses, people losing homes, etc. Or illness leads to missing work and losing jobs. Or the public health system could be overwhelmed. Cancer and stroke patients could find shortages of beds, medication and workers at the hospital. A month's worth of canned beans will not help these people.
Wash your hands, be prudent, and help your neighbors. There's not a lot more we can do to confront unknown scenarios.
30
@Jaclyn
Do those things and....buy some food. Why not? Learn from other countries, many people wish they had more stocked food.
5
@Moosh
It also helps to have basic cooking skills. I'm amazed at how many people don't know how to make a simple pot of nutritious soup, or make hot cakes or other simple flour-based items (as bread runs out).
All the dried beans and so on won't help you much if you don't know how to cook and prepare meals with them.
@Jaclyn Thanks for some common sense!
Don’t forget the global supply chain has been disrupted. Many items will be missing from the shelves and those are still being produced in the US will have higher prices than usual.
13
Tax cut for over 1.5 trillion.Loss of revenue, Cut all services, Dismissed all departments involved in epidemic control. Increased military budget, cut public health.
Dismissed experts and installed politicians to run epidemic.
Do we have a problem on reality?
26
Yes, we should always be prepared for disasters, but we need to keep things in perspective. I am an amateur genealogist. Of interest is that one set of my great great great grandparents lived in NY during the Spanish flu. Both were over 80 and neither died (they died in the early 1920's). I am not sure if they ever had the flu. In fact, nobody in my family died during the Spanish flu...not here or in Europe where my family came from.
4
My grandparents both died of the Spanish flu. They were in their twenties and left three orphans.
11
@Hexagon :
what is your point? People died all over the world, literally in every continent....your grandparents didn't die and neither did mine.
Maybe those who died left no descendants???
3
@Hexagon
The Spanish flu was very unusual in that most of the people who died were young and, until the flu, healthy. Perhaps the fact that it started in the armies full of young men had something to do with that, perhaps the disease got more and more robust until it broke out into the general population.
3
The large majority of us will be fine....However, there are real things that need to be planned for if 5-10% of cases need hospitalization or ICU care (extremely likely)... Will there be enough ICU beds, or ventilators, or health personnel? (extremely UNlikely) How will hospitals pay for care when so many are uninsured? Yes most of us will be surviving without issue but there are going to be extreme disruptions for those who need complex care... it isn't going to be there for them.
14
Yes much of the prep should be at the macro level. People are overthinking the micro- if you could get through 2 weeks where everyone in your family had the flu then you are as prepared as you need to be.
6
In China, after the lockdown, people still got groceries by ordering online and having them delivered to their doorsteps - no interaction with the delivery person. This is available in most cities in the US, thankfully, if a lockdown is needed.
17
@dk But, what if the delivery service has too many workers out with the flu?
@kathryn thomas the cashiers who are standing around waiting for customers that are not coming because they are instead ordering online turn into online order pickers and delivery drivers.
For those at highest risk, and middle aged parents with children still at home, I would add making sure you have a will and a plan for your children’s care should both parents be hospitalized.
6
@Galfrido :
EVERYONE should have a will and a living will and plans made for kids and pets. Even 25 year old people tie in car accidents.
I have heard from numerous medical, public health, and science writers to NOT stockpile masks. The only ones that work to filter small viruses only last for 4 hours and our health care workers desperately need them as they are in short supply. Besides, even the few types that work promote face touching, which is a key vector for this disease. Remember when the CDC was NOT worried about Ebola and everyone else was? Well, the CDC is decidedly worried so we need to prepare and be ready in case of a national pandemic.
15
Fear mongering, and scientific and medical ignorance, at its best.
Assuming one is not a newborn, very old, immunosuppressed for some reason, or has a debilitating chronic disease (especially pulmonary, cardiac, or diabetes) most infected people will get a mild to modest flu like condition, and clear in about two weeks.
Most people will be infected, but develop no symptoms at all.
Washing hands with soap and water, and being careful with contacts, is all that is necessary.
All the other panic buying is worthless, yet expensive.
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@Bob
If 10% of our population gets this, that will be 30 million cases. That will be 3 million that need hospital or ICU care. That will mean 60,000 deaths. All of these statistic are assuming the LOW end of risk for each statistic.
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@Bob It seems those with debilitating chronic disease, newborns, and the very old do not matter much to you. Easy to write off. But we're still here, too. Sorry.
14
@Bob how do you know this?
If the no-known-contact cases continue, which they will, it is entirely possible if not likely that Trump will begin quarantining cities. He admires dictators. He will emulate Xi Jinping if cases escalate.
In that case, you cannot drive away from the problem. Take it from someone who lived on an island in the middle of the ocean and went through two Cat 5's where the hospital was critically damaged, the police and fire department were MIA, the stores and pharmacies were either closed or out of stock, and there was no municipal power for three months.
Prepare for at least two weeks without having to go to the grocery store, preferably with food that does not need heating. ("Eating healthy" should not be a priority. In an emergency, you are useless if you are weak and starving from picky eating, no matter your "principles.") Water (unless you have a well and a generator that is in good order), medications, pet food, first aid supplies (dressings, bandages, antibiotic ointment. Don't die from sepsis after dodging coronavirus). Solid soap (makes handwashing last longer, which is what you want.) Paper maps that show you the back roads that could dodge you a roadblock. More batteries than you even want to think about -- all types but especially AA's. A stock of cash, as much as you can manage that sits in an envelope hidden somewhere so you don't use it.
None of these preparations will damage you in the long run.
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@Hypatia
I had $600 stashed in an envelope once long ago and years after I hid it, I almost discarded it by accident when I moved from that house. I had forgotten about the cash, and I didn't clearly recall the act of stashing it.
3
A couple decades in Florida will teach you all you need to know about doomsday prepping and the mass hysteria that accompanies frantic newscasts that only seek to maximize the dread.
First: analyze the threat; a catagory four hurricane means 140 mph winds only to 20 miles from the center, so your house will be just fine 200 miles away.
Second: prepare enough to put everyone in the household at ease. It’s no good settling for bringing in the lawn-chairs if the spouse wants the windows boarded up.
Third: prepare for boredom. It’s coming, and it will eat at everyone. Don't just stock rice and beans; prepare for some culinary adventure.
Last: don’t scare the kids. Tell them it’s all going to be just fine, and treat it like a great adventure.
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@Dan in Orlando Or, you don't hurricane prep because the Cat 5 storm isnt supposed to hit you, then it makes a abrupt right turn and plows your city into the sand like Hurricane Charlie did and you end up living in the wreckage of your home with no water or batteries or gasoline for month. You only have to learn that lesson once.
It seems to me that the template for World Wide Disaster has been overlaid on this virus with very little evidence.
I agree that we COULD eventually face a zoonoses that has the communicability of measles and the lethality of ebola. But this does not seem to be it.
On the evidence, this seems to be a novel flu. The same kind of flu that many don't even seem bother to inoculate for even when there IS a vaccine.
Yes, many may well get sick and unfortunately, the vulnerable among us may have it worse. In a year, there will be a vaccine specific to this particular germ and it will become just another bother.
Predicting apocalypse, prepping, hand-wringing and more while feeling palliative in some way over the potentialities seems well, overwrought.
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@Lkf As many as two percent of those infected may never have to worry. Apparently this virus is highly transmissible. How many people I that, roughly?
3
@Lkf The coronavirus is not a flu. It shares some symptoms, but is not flu. More like SARS.
2
@Lkf
Wait and see.....this is NOT just the flu..... it has a mortality rate 20-50 times higher, is three times as contagious and even tho mortality is 2%, 10% require hospitalization or ICU. We don't have that many beds in the US so then it gets really interesting and dire.
5
One more item for the survival list: Vote Trump out of office in November. He and his proxies have cut resources for key agencies charged with fighting against this looming epidemic; his public statements are misleading and misinformed, irresponsibly so; his economic advisor recommends buying the dip in the stock market. Voting Democratic in November has become a vital step for our survival.
782
The message Trump shared with the country was being shared by DiBlasio and Newsom with the public at the same time. Same exact message. We have done an extraordinary job so far and continuing to do. There were never any cuts to CDC. Congress pulls the purse strings. People, please do your research!
As a physician, I advise to follow protocols. And be proud that we still live in the country with the best medical and research capabilities in the world.
9
What happened a hundred years ago, I quizzed an international Public Health Expert earlier this morning. A pause, as there was a breakout with her two large rescue dogs in the background. 'WWI', was her answer when she retrieved her phone. 'Remember The Bolshevik Revolution where Czar Nicholas and his family was assassinated', I added, 'and the 1918 Spanish Flu'. 'You've been reading The New York Times', was her way of scrambling for more time. 'Actually your sibling and I are having a weather exchange via email', I replied.
Read about the Spanish Flu, I ventured, and how it killed off a lot of people in Europe and America too. Occasionally a novel will make mention of the above, where orphans are left behind on the death of their parents.
Now. Keep washing your hands; restrict travel plans for awhile; drink tap water with the use of a filter; leave face masks primarily for the health experts; and we are both planning a moderate stockpiling of tinned and dried food. Trader Joe's is a favorite of hers for groceries, but not all of us may be able to afford to purchase.
Having survived Malaria and Dengue Fever on many humanitarian assignments, she believes Covid-19 is serious, and if we allow 'Panic' to come in to America, there is no telling how we will come out of this.
Inevitable, but our children are aware that all is not well in the sun. The New York Times could offer some guidelines to its readership on how to reassure them, without sugar-coating this virus.
7
@Miss Ley "Inevitable, but our children are aware that all is not well in the sun. The New York Times could offer some guidelines to its readership on how to reassure them, ..."
Just like the NYT does with global warming?
1
@Mike,
Let us keep in mind that schools may have to close for awhile, and that children at the best of times, have long ears when there is an attempt to keep them out of the loop.
'Hush, Frank, not in front of the children' on a coronavirus topic, guarantees that you will have their full attention at the dinner table.
From A to Z, responsible adults to be better prepared to answer any fear, or unease they may be picking up in the air, and a child psychologist might pitch in.
Each and every one of us, able and caring about our young, can monitor any ill news circulating in their own earthly garden and as felt from their perspective.
The NYT is up and running, and it might consider the benefits of keeping our children up-to-date without spooking them in the process.
Just happened to hop from reading Octavia Butler's Parable of the Talents to reading this. When Butler published her two Parable novels in the '90s, they seemed perhaps like a warning, a vague possibility on the horizon, but after all, just fiction, really. Today they read as a vivid message from our immediate future present. This essay could well be inserted in one of them, as a piece of archival material a Butler protagonist discovers in the half burnt-out remains of a house or apartment block.
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@Tess Pug
The first time I tried to read Parable of the Sower, I had to stop partway through, it was giving me too much anxiety. Last year I tried again and actually finished it.
That's one way it could go. It doesn't have to be that way. We need to start caring about and for each other.
6
When I was in high school I won a local literary award. Katherine Anne Porter, dripping in jewels, spoke at the event. It was the first I had ever heard of the Spanish Flu, although this was the early 1970s, so plenty of people I knew had lived through it. I never forgot her harrowing account of nearly dying. Thanks for the reference to Pale Horse, Pale Rider.
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@kate My grandmother's younger sister died at 16 years old from the Spanish flu in Sicily. The grief from her death was past on to the next 2 generations. I have been left with the only photo that was ever taken of her in her lifetime.
I take viral epidemics very seriously.
9
I live in Atlanta where people stand a real chance getting seriously hurt or killed on our out-of-control roadways. Yet people have no fear of those. But let the breathless TV weather wizards predict a rare dusting of snow and Atlantans run en masse to the grocery stores and promptly empty the milk and bread shelves. Fear is often irrational and disproportionate to the real threat. I hope we keep our heads during the current virus frenzy. I will take precautions, but I will also take my family on a flight for Spring Break. And I will not be sprinting to the bread aisle at my local grocery.
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@John Jabo - stay open to changing your mind about the flight. A conference I was going to next week has been cancelled. Re-circulated air on planes causes all kinds of transmission of colds and flu. And, no matter how they clean the planes between flights, they do it quickly and miss plenty of spots. Why put you family at risk. A staycation could be fabulous this year!
2
I'm from Buffalo NY. These preparations sound very much like preparations for a normal (or used to be normal) winter. Stocking up is a habit. I'm ready for several weeks if need be. No masks, though. I'm not a health care worker. I don't need them.
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@PamGee
Masks help you to avoid contaminating others if you catch the virus yourself. That's the point. The responsibility falls on the people with COVID-19.
Be a good citizen.
Be a good, thoughtful family member and neighbor, get a big supply of face masks. You need to change them frequently to be effecitve.
This isn't the Black Death. This isn't ebola. We shouldn't be talking about it as if it were. The available information is that 80% or more of the people with the coronavirus experience only mild symptoms. It's probably not as bad as the post-World War I pandemic, though it may well spread as widely because there's so little immunity to it (the pandemic produced many more deaths than it otherwise would have done because of extensive war-related malnutrition). Tens of thousands of people die every year from flu just in the U.S., but we don't shut society down. I'm in a high risk group, so I'm taking this seriously, but we need to avoid panicking. Especially, we need to avoid letting the Stable Genius keep us from taking reasonable measures to prepare for large numbers of sick people, and later on, from irrational overrreaction when he finally accepts that it's real.
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This spreads as easily as the flu but is 20x more deadly.
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@Jay Lincoln The fatality rate is under 2%.
15
@MD Isn't it 2% of people who have verified cases? Given that most people aren't ill enough to seek medical help, the actual mortality rate is somewhere south of that, but it's unclear where.
14
Because of instances of infection in so many countries, it is no longer a factor of having been to China's affected areas, or in contact with someone who has, now that concern and connection extends to Italy, South Korea, this or that cruise ship, and wherever the significant clusters have developed, and the significant transit points and major airports where travelers from those places may move through.
7
Remember your pets, too, especially if they need medications.
And you can buy their meds for several months' supply, since you're not restricted by insurance rules.
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@EB Pets can get Coronavirus? Or do you mean that if you are sick you won’t be able to get the medicine/vitamins for them?
1
@EB
And find a network of people - a neighbor or two in addition to friends - to agree to check in on the pets left alone should you go to hospital or be forced into quarantine and be unable to buy food or care for them.
In China, there are untold numbers of pets abandoned by sick owners. I'm sure many animals will sicken and die of hunger or lack of meds (many cats are diabetic, for example).
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@B. Rothman
If there is widespread infection, a quarantine affecting your area could prevent access to all kinds of things, pet supplies included, whether you are personally sick or not.
“Most of us prepare for disaster only sporadically”
I don’t find that to be true at all in the Bay Area. Rather I think our attitude is that disasters happen so often that many of us have our disaster kits ready to go and then we just forget about them until they are needed. That way we can go back to the relaxed joy that is being a Californian.
We have lived through fires, earthquakes, and floods. It’s not if around here, it’s when.
17
True, but your risk is not having your home destroyed or having to evacuate. Your risk is disruption of supply chains or home confinement. You may need a stay bag more than a go bag.
2
I hope all the people that continue to misguidedly hoard face masks due to articles like this realize that they are taking them away from health care workers who actually need them.
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@CMB Most of what I've read says that most face masks - the disposable kind - only prevent a person who is already sick from spreading disease. The thin disposable ones don't protect a well person as they don't create a seal and when the user breathes, contaminated air potentially can get in.
Again, according to the experts I've read, the only face masks that protect people are the kind that create a complete seal, made of rubber or latex or something similar, with a N95 filter (or one rated even higher).
We need to be very careful to avoid spreading misinformation that only complicates matters.
26
That was the one pint that bothered me. A face mask is not good to wear for prevention. It’s if you’re sick and want to protect others. No one needs a whole box!
4
@CMB I think someone trying to profiteer off of masks would be disgusting, of course, but it is quite reasonable for a household to always have some masks in their preparation materials, be it for poor air quality, pandemic, etc. If you lived in a big city like I do (NYC), you would definitely want to have some in your possession at this moment. I unfortunately don't due to all of the bad advice I have been absorbing about not hoarding masks the past 2 months. Bigger issue is why hasn't the federal government gotten involved and assisted a massive ramp up in production these last 2 months! Complete negligence by the Trump administration!
4
My grandfather died from the 1918 pandemic and what my grandmother described horrifies me to this day. Protocol was simple: at the first sign of influenza, at least in Chicago, the family contacted a gathering agent who came by wagon or truck to pick up the patient who was then placed between or on top of other sick people, all taken to several hospitals caring only for the stricken. Three days later my grandmother was informed that her husband had died and his body was shrouded and placed in a coffin that she should pick up for burial. She and her three daughters survived because of the draconian measures that seemed barbaric. Will we see anything akin to that, and if we do how will it change our consciousness?
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@Naked In A Barrel IT is scary... but H1N1 which was the virus in question back then, is now a virus that circulates regularly among us as part of the seasonal flu viruses we face, included in the vaccine in use now. This virus will make its mark but let's hope we will have a vaccine in one year that begins to help head off this high risk and comparatively high mortality rate. Let's hope globally there will be sustained and coordinated efforts to limit the impact by reducing exposure to large public events and unscreened travel.
12
@GY The problem is that we have no reliable numbers in terms of who gets sick and what the lethality is. This is what frightens people: the unknown.
4
@Naked In A Barrel your grandmother and her children had been exposed to the virus if her husband was sick with it. But they had enough immunity to fight it off and not get sick. It wasn't necessarily because they took her husband away to die that saved her.
1
Well said Ms. Newitz. I, too live in Northern California and am slated to travel in a few weeks, not knowing whether I will be going or not as this scenario shifts and changes daily. Having witnessed an entire town burn down in 2018, and having a stack of N-95 masks in my garage because of the wildfires, the possibility of disaster is always present. Against this backdrop, none of us can realistically rely on the current administration for any serious guidance or truth. But as you point out, what we can do is build strong community bonds and pool our resources as we are all in this together.
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I figure canned food, tomato sauce and pasta lasts for at least two years, so there’s no downside in stocking up a couple months supply in case the city shuts down like Hong Kong or Milan.
82
In the U.S., we are far from needing to stock up on food and supplies.
Medicine/prescriptions? Sure.
Washing hands before eating and after being on public transit, outside in general.. of course (we all should be doing that anyway.)
But aside from maybe canceling international travel plans, I think washing hands and making sure elderly get some extra help are all we need to be doing right now.
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@Thomas I think canceling international travel is just a quirky recommendation in the face of the fact that there are community transmitted cases right here.
7
@Thomas The only effective method of stopping the spread of a virus, that is transmitted through contact, is to quarantine. There will be quarantines. It is unavoidable at this point. That is why the market fell. This is serious, seasonal flu is not. If you look at places that have been quarantined, food runs out in a day. The shelves go empty. You won't be able to call Uber eats.
23
Yes.
Our relation with the micro-biom is akin to Ginsberg's theorem in thermodynamics:
We are in a game.
We can't win.
We can't even break even.
We can't get out of the game.
8
Brilliant! Wasn't Ginsberg a poet?
@wlieu Not helpful.
It's all reminiscent of the time in the early 60s when families dug fallout shelters and carefully stocked up on canned foods, which they then stored in said fallout shelter. It is, sort off, the Cold War era all over again. Now it is time to run off to the grocery and stock up on cans of pork n'beans
10
This is not new to some of us. I was a post WWII baby (yes, Boomer) and grew up in the era of fully stocked fallout shelters. Many of us who grew up in rural areas kept our storm cellars stocked, just in case. Our parents grew up in the Depression era of shortages and no money, and followed the same practices. I’ve become complacent in my old age about being prepared, even though know that running to the store whenever you’re out of stuff is not a sustainable system.
48
I'd love to stock up on my prescriptions but my refill date of is a few weeks away and until then I cannot just go buy my prescription medicine. Unless I have more than a few hundred extra bucks to drop on the problem.
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@Federalist My advice is to check with your pharmacist about how much you have to pay to overcome your insurance company's hold. You may find that an extra prescription is more affordable than you think.
15
@Federalist - go to goodRX website. They have coupons that actually work for meds. You can buy them without going through your insurance. I do that now, as I have a high deductible plan.
9
@JoeBftsplk I checked on that and the cost is prohibitive.
10
The pandemic of 1918 was covered up so as not to alarm the population. Note that the Trump administration is trying to control information release. This is alarming. It is also the sign of a dictatorship.
The President is now calling Corona virus a hoax.
We should all be very afraid; not of the virus---but of our nation, our democracy, and our freedom.
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@Art Seaman
"We should all be very afraid; not of the virus---but of our nation, our democracy, and our freedom."
We should also be afraid of a president who says the virus is a Democratic and media hoax designed to undermine his reelection.
144
@Art Seaman, Absolutely right. It is astonishing and alarming that at a time of national health crisis, our president is more focused on saving his political skin than on saving human lives from a virus that is internationally recognized as a grave health problem, not a hoax. The Administration’s response thus far is truly sickening.
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@Art Seaman
The outcome of this outbreak is an open question. No one knows. Not the virologists, infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, epidemiologists, and, certainly, not me! I’m not so much frightened as apprehensive, like before any surgery or other procedure with the potential for a bad outcome. I’ve pretty much secured the supplies for my husband and me with secret stashes of gloves and milk for my kids or neighbors. I’m considering a blood pressure device so we can accurately and completely tell remote practitioners what our vitals are as well as a hospital or doctor’s office. I’m at pretty high risk due to age and stupidity in my youth so my best defense if to self distance by staying home and on our property. I’ve spent maybe $300 total but about 90% of that total is for long shelf life food and sundries that will be used over time regardless of quarantine or illness. And I’d purposely whittled down our usual supply this winter to keep the stored items refreshed. Some was for books and other entertainment for a prolonged hibernation. This virus is only unprecedented in our lifetimes. Don’t panic, don’t honey coat the reality. It’s going to become local for all of us sooner rather than later. Take care of yourself and those around you with appropriate caution and protection. This is a naturally occurring virus only new to humans 🦠 not an army with a plan. COVID-19 is real. Prep.
11
The Introduction to the 14th century "Decameron", by Boccaccio - which predates Chaucer - has the most chilling first hand account of Florence during the black plague.
106
We take so much for granted in this country. Turn on the faucet and you get clean water; turn on the switch and you have electricity; go to the store and you have rows and rows of shopping options.
We also assume that the federal government will maintain a certain level of competence in -- and support for -- maintaining the health and well being of the nation's citizens and our environment.
But we've now found the fatal flaw in our assumptions. We have a president, an administration, and a leading political party that deliberately cut funding for the very offices and protections the nation needs to be safe. They are also actively trying to cut back health care coverage to anyone who cannot afford it. And they don't believe in guaranteeing family leave and sick pay to those who may need it.
Yes, we can encourage everyone to be prepared for a pending emergency. That's just good common sense.
But we also need to encourage everyone to vote as many of these people out of office as we can. Their philosophy of "I've got mine, and the rest of you are on your own" is not enough to keep our citizens safe, and our country healthy and productive.
1169
Two troubling questions. Will polling locations be open? It can be argued that polling lines might endanger the populace. Under the guise of protecting people Trump may declare martial law and suspend the elections, indefinitely. If alternative voting schemes are developed, tampering and underrepresentation is more than likely. Putin may get a lot more votes than you and me. The second question is what if any liberties and rights would be preserved if Trump declares martial law?
There is a very troubling possibility that the likely Pandemic will deprive Americans of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
44
@avrds You nailed it!
49
@avrds If the complacency means an ill-informed electorate relying on health care instead of careful personal hygiene practices, your country will be in such a mess come Nov it will be hard to watch and toxic for the rest of North America. Wash your hands AND keep them away from your face, nose, eyes. All day, every day. Everybody in the household, wash your hands every time you come into the house, no exceptions. After every bathroom use. After every trip to the supermarket AFTER shopping, not that silly wipe for cart handles that only cleans the handle and gives a false sense of complacency as you pick up grubby food items a dozen others have handled and then wipe your nose or rub your eyes. Do your research bec yr president won't be doing it for you, now or after Nov. Canada beseeches you, our border is long and porous and if you get sick so will we.
15
Will you share your list of preparedness? It is the only thing that I have been trying to find and I cant. I might have an idea, cause here in Miami we often need to prep for hurricanes, but as you say, it is not the same. It will be very helpful to know what’s on your list.
36
If you’re going to prep, the most important thing to stock up on is any medication that you need to take on a regular basis. After that, consider what you would need to endure a quarantine lasting anywhere from 14 days to one month or longer. For most people that means having a stock of non-perishable food items (nuts, nut butters, rice, pasta, legumes, canned items, cooking oils, etc) and everyday household products. There is no single list that is right for everyone, and with some creativity and grit you can DIY. For exampleClorox wipes are a convenient item, but you can make your own with a dilute solution of bleach, water, and paper towels and store them in a Ziplock bag that you carry in purse to wipe down surfaces or clean your hands. Toilet paper is a modern convenience that we think we can’t live without, but it’s a product that doesn’t exist widely in some cultures. In an emergency you could use (and launder) washcloths. How do you pay your bills? Online? No problem. Via mail? Maybe get some extra stamps. Think about the places you frequent that you might not be able to reach, or would rather avoid, and work them into your personal plan. Lastly, water. Many lists mention stocking up on bottled water. You can collect, store, and purify (if needed) water from your current public source vs buying bottled water. Water can be purified with commercial drops (Aquamira) or by boiling and adding 8 drops of pure bleach (chlorine) for every gallon of water. Good luck!
46
@Started From The Bottom in addition to your fantastic list, think about staples for your cupboard. Flour, sugar, honey, leavening agents, powdered milk. Staples will allow you to make bread, soups etc...
11
@Mariana
I'm prepping as I would for any other natural or human caused disaster. In Oregon we prep for earthquakes and fire, or the more low level algae outbreaks in city water systems, and I think most of those things, like extra food and water, are the same items you'll want to collect here. I'm not buying face masks. The only thing I'm not sure of are over the counter medications. Do you have something to reduce fever, like Advil? (Read a few online articles for safety details, because there are some that children cannot have.) You probably already do! Ready.gov is the government portal for emergency prep and they have lists. Most state emergency management websites also have lists for individual emergency prep. I've heard also that you may want to think about work and school schedules if everyone has to stay home. Have you talked with your supervisor about working remotely? Do you have backup childcare, or a plan for getting distant older relatives care?
15