Prepping for pandemic...

[wheresmymojo]

I was quite blasé about the novel corona virus outbreak but things I've read today have changed my mind.

I'm not usually a prepper but best things to stock up on for a pandemic?

Surgical face masks?
Latex gloves?
Anti bac wipes and hand wash?

I'm not sure what was said about the original mask suggestion of a water proof mask but this mask will do nothing.

As a PPE supplier I know these masks are useless I'm not even sure why nhs staff use them as they only block out very large particles. a P3 mask would help but the cheapest good option would be a half face mask with a gas filter.

The problem currently is China manufacture most PPE such as full protective suits and masks. An they have stopped all shipping off these products meaning over the last few days there has started to be a shortage. A lot of wholesales have no supply.

This isn't just an issue with the virus but an issue for lots of industry's that use theses as their standard PPE.

On a lighter note...these are the coaches with the British citizens in going from Brize Norton to Newcastle.

@wheresmymojo

They’re not going to Newcastle, they’re going to the Wirral

How many people have you seen collapse and die on the street in London? I go there every day and haven't seen anyone die in the street.

I’m a HCP in a major city. People are hospitalised with collapse, STEMI and all manner of things every day which to a by passer could very well look like they have died in the street.

Dying in the street also isn’t that unusual, usually someone staggering out of their home/vehicle/workplace to get help.

I’m not saying the videos you’re seeing aren’t accurately represented but I’m also saying 7 people dying in the the streets of a city with 11 million, a province with goodness knows how many millions and a country with a billion isn’t, to me a huge cause for concern.

However this novel virus is a cause for concern for me. I’m a prepper and working in frontline healthcare, I’m scared.

God that video is upsetting. The poor dogs.

Was those poor animals being burned alive? That's sickening.

I’m going to cry. I brought up with DP today in a mainly “jokey” way (because he takes the piss out of my prepping) that we had some disposable N95 masks squirrelled away from a previous risk (work trip to an area with a recent natural disaster where they recommended the masks for dust etc).

He admitted that he’d actually brought me a full on fitted mask with lots of spare filters for us both (he already had one for DIY). It came last week - he works in a related area and he’d seen some stuff due to work that had got him thinking. He’d squirrelled it away because he didn’t want to worry me.

He really does love me

I was laughed at earlier by colleagues when I confessed to having bought a few extra tins. Didn't mention the masks / extra disinfectant / basic medicines

@MynameisJune I dont think the bus is empty. There are people at the back. The bus is leaving Brize Norton. Other pictures are clearer about the bus having people on it.
It does seem that quite a few of the staff around the plane did not have any PPE at all. Photos are in the press. There was even a guy who shook hands with one of the passengers as he walked passed ground staff. Id have thought some lind of PPE would be appropriate?

@newdadtogirl yes I've seen a different angle and you can see they've put them all to the back of the bus away from the driver and all of the passengers are wearing masks. No it's not great or ideal no, but people are panic buying masks and PPE. China produce most of the worlds PPE and have stopped distribution now. So we are entering an issue where those that need it vitally won't be able to get it without an issue. So this may be a case that they couldn't provide PPE and this was the next best thing. You're obviously very anxious about this, maybe for your own mental health you should stay away from these types of threads.

@wheresmymojo I was made unemployed a few years ago, and it was horrid, but I did eventually get another job, that I preferred to the last job. It all worked out okay in the end.

I'm impressed with the organisation from some of you. Well done.

Found an interesting figure (repeated in a few press sources inc the DM!) it is 101,000. Any ideas fellow preppers?

101,000 is the number of suspected but untested/unconfirmed victims in China. These are people under medical supervision due to showing symptoms.
Is it possible that the 10,000 confirmed cases would be nearer to 100,000 in China alone?
Crematorium workers in Hunan claim to have burned many hundreds of unidentified unrecorded bodies (apparently corpses without any official paperwork at all).
I am not a conspiracy type at all, but it does seem that Chinese figures are full of shit?

Newdadtogirl 100,000 wouldn’t surprise me. Not because I’m fear mongering; it’s more a case of just the vast scale of China. 1 billion people live in China. 100,000 people affected would only need a 0.0001% infection rate, which is very small percentage wise when you think about it.

@MynameisJune appreciate your concern about my mental health. You're right I am really anxious.
Honestly I do hope that my concern is actually anxiety... But I can read... And fail to see why anxiety is not an appropriate response at this point.
By the way, there was plenty of PPE available in December and early January! It was cheap and available then, when this all actually started.
And this is a prepper thread... Anxiety, a bit of paranoia, distrust in general are all appropriate! Aswell as having bought our equipment in December and Early January!

@Dyrne I don't think its scaremongering, when you consider that the virus appears to have infection rates between R3 and R5, (between 3-5 infected by a victim), reported figures don't add up. A few here have pointed this out... I thought they were scaremongering! But it seems as we discuss this the press agree... 1000 dead? And at least 100,000 infected! In the DM and other press...

@Newdadtogirl I wasn’t aiming the PPE comment at you, it was a general comment on why those people might not have got PPE. They wouldn’t need it normally In their job role and most places are now out of stock. It’s great you were so well prepared and bought weeks ago before this was a widely known issue.

Anxiety isn’t an appropriate response to this in my opinion, concern and anxiety aren’t the same. I’ve got/had post natal anxiety. I’ve had CBT and counselling I can see when I’m spiralling into catastrophic thinking. I also don’t think all preppers have anxiety. Being overly defensive can also be a symptom of anxiety because that little voice in your head is telling you I’m attacking you, when I’m not. I was just trying to help. I’ve had to stop reading things because they trigger me.

I’m just a voice on the internet. Feel free to ignore me.

For the driver’s PPE; I think there definitely would have been expert guidance sought on appropriate PPE to wear - perhaps the other person was in full PPE because they had close contact with the returnees; whereas the driver was kept separate until all had boarded; and the risk of having an accident while trying to drive wearing gloves, mask goggles etc was considered to be higher than the (smaller) risk of getting contaminated from people who hadn’t even necessarily been exposed to the virus.

Even if it’s not that, I definitely don’t think it would have been related to a shortage - PHE would have oodles of spare PPE at this early stage; and also I know manufacturers are already prioritising allocation of stock according to need - and medical/quarantine will be right up there at the top of the list.

Unlike my workplace that just blanket requires everyone to wear hard hats on site even when there’s no sodding overhead hazards; it would be nice to see an employer actually doing PPE risk based

@Newdadtogirl I read that the drivers will be having ten days paid leave to isolate themselves and the coaches will be disinfected and then kept out of service for 10 days.

Still doesn't explain why that driver didn't fancy a haz mat suit though like everyone else

I'm at 'slightly concerned' level. If local epidemics start outside of China I will move to 'quite concerned'.

Should a local epidemic start in the UK I will ramp up to 'really quite concerned'.

I'm not sure what the level is after that on my British concern chart - maybe 'frightfully concerned'? I'm not sure as I've never gone that far

Isn't the top of the scale running around waving arms in the air and screaming? Or is that too daily express and you are more Times?

UK, Spain, and Sweden have made it onto the list of countries in Europe with cases, joining Germany, France, Italy and Finland. I think German and French cases have increased.

The link is an updating one (currently once or twice a day) and so the link at the very start of the thread will always work for anyone looking for it.

I'm watching that tracker but want more information about the increase in cases outside of China. Currently we have no idea whether they are more people who have traveled from China being diagnosed or whether it's local spread.

The last war figures are showing a slow down on cases if I’m not mistaken?
Fingers crossed 🤞🏻