Prepping for a pandemic 2

[wheresmymojo]

Second thread on prepping for a potential Coronavirus pandemic...following the latest news and information as well as prepping info.

When quoting estimates like mortality rates, replication rates, incubation periods and similar I try to stick to evidence based, scientific studies and will link to sources (unless already linked to them previously).

Generally speaking I use reputable sources of information like well regarded news outlets for other information and will provide links.

Sometimes I may post things outside of this as 'interesting' or such like. I will always caveat these as to be taken with caution.

As much as possible I am attempting not to link to fake news. It's an evolving picture so may not be 100% successful but if something is later shown to be incorrect I will post a correction.

That article is so sad and scary @emmagrundyforpm

I’ve had a feeling it’s a lot worse than we are being told for a while. Lots of things just don’t seem to add up.

I’m in the process of doing my usual online shop and am adding some extras in as we have a second fridge freezer and are fortunate enough to have a lot of storage - I meant to do it anyway as I usually do around this time of year Incase we get flu etc but had DS before Christmas so everything fell by the wayside organisation wise.
Now he’s here I need to think about what I might need for him too!

Thanks for the new thread!

Regarding what people on the last thread were saying about the lack of reporting by the BBC etc, I think part of it is that the BBC prides itself on verifying its own information and not relying on rumours or second hand accounts. There is so much misinformation coming out of China via twitter etc (the seizure videos being a great example) that the BBC don’t want to risk spreading misinformation; so won’t report unless they’ve been able to verify things independently. It’s very difficult to do this, hence why there’s a comparative lack of information.

RedToothBrush so what would you suggest? A lot of us have discussed the knock on impacts of the virus - and having spare food and supplies would help in the case of financial issues for a period, as you can live off the supply and save on grocery bills for a while. I would also certainly not advocate spending more money than you can afford or going into debt buying equipment - For me, being financially prepared is just as important as having stockpiles etc. You almost seem to be saying “If you can’t prepare for the absolute worst case scenario, what’s the point?” Which is a... valid take I suppose, but not one I can relate to.

RumRumRum you’ve got a good list there and I would echo BlackeyedSusan with food and clothing recommendations. Maybe also have a think about your local support options - if you start to feel ill, it’s going to be miserable dealing with flu-like symptoms and a baby at the same time! Or even if you end up being stuck inside in the event of baby being ill, is there someone who can deliver you extra supplies etc? Do you have family or friends locally who could step in to help out? In my opinion, building a community of support is just as important as storing food etc.

I don't think anyone has mentioned self isolating on this thread, have they?

If there's an outbreak on the UK then, I don't want to be getting the flu or a cold ( both have hospitalised me in the past) when the NHS is stretched so I'm upping my game with hand hygiene in this house (again, 3 boys so it's an ongoing battle).

Having food and cleaning supplies in the house seems sensible. It's hard to guage what knock on effect there might be in the supermarkets if there is a panic or what might happen to our just in time supply chain if there is only minor disruption.

I'm not sure where this hysteria is that everyone is talking about?

I've been watching twitter carefully since this began and it looks like some the 'truth' (I appreciate twitter is absolutely full of fake news but also have absolutely no doubt the Chinese government is underreporting the severity of the outbreak) appears to be getting disseminated more widely with more mainstream news outlets getting involved.

I'm doing my 'apocalypse shop' tonight. Going to fill a box with dried food, tins, and jars. Hopefully UK have got a handle on our cases but I'm taking no chances at this point.

I've had a bug out bag since the mass massages on social media in October. My favourite items in it are foil blankets, suncream, and a Lifestraw (allows you to drink from 'dirty' water like puddle and rivers).

Really sad article on the bbc app about a family that are trapped inside the quarantine zone. Several family members have died already trying to get treatment in hospitals but ended up dying in hotel rooms with no heating or drugs. It's entitled 'I'd rather die at home'. Sounds to me like the Chinese authorities are clearly overwhelmed but rather than admit it and ask for help they would rather focus on keeping people quiet.

I agree with pp that the bbc aren't really reporting on this but neither really are any of the press if you look at the front pages. I can't work out if social media is hyping the situation or if the mainstream are quashing it to keep markets calm.

Just saw that the Japanese ship they have in quarantine has 10 cases on. Nightmare!

I prepped for a potential hard brexit and so I still have a lot of food in the house. I have however assumed that it could spread to the UK and if it does to any significant extent (although not sure yet what the cut off point would be re things like school) we would try not to leave the house unless necessary.

So all you need to do is to think "if I was in Wuhan and couldn't leave the house for a few weeks, what would I need?"

The reality is that we need food, water and essential medicines. Everything else you can do without really. Although I'm a general prepper/"just in case" type, I think long lists of items to buy just puts people off and makes them think we're loonies. We need as many people as possible to realise that this is potentially serious and to take sensible precautions re frequent hand washing, touching their faces and limiting the amount they have contact with others.

Car manufacturers now shutting down plants outside of China since they can't get the parts they need. This is clearly way more significant than the official stats show.

@TipseyTorvey. I've linked to that BBC. article in my previous post.

@EmmaGrundyForPM
Also am sure there are many people in rural areas who have the virus, but don’t have easy access to a hospital and people who have mild symptoms and are not going to the hospital., therefore, in reality, numbers are higher.
There are lots of new regulations in place eg no only residents can enter and exit compounds, no deliveries to compounds, you must register with community authorities if you have been in certain areas in the past 14 days, temp checks before you can enter the supermarket..etc my dh’s employer and dd’s school are legally obligated to collect and submit information on our health, location and movements.

Thanks for the new thread, checking in.

Why people feel the need to come on the preppers thread and try to point out what we are all doing wrong or put it down just shows the scale of denial. It’s not a conspiracy theory to believe that there could be a mass pandemic. We are overdue it and most scientists agree on that.

I haven’t bought anything that we won’t use anyway, so it’s not money wasted to me. It’s just forward spent. Last year around this time we were snowed in for 3 days, so I always prepare for that anyway just in case.

We are fortunate to be mortgage free and have enough savings to cover bills for at least 3 months, that’s my husbands version of prepping, ensuring we have a home if either of us gets seriously ill and can’t work anymore.

@TipseyTorvey
I think the Chinese are doing everything they can. They have huge resources and are building another two hospitals. Their approach of anyone with symptoms having to seek medical treatment (we have been told there may be consequences if we do not) means the system is overwhelmed. However, with no vaccine what else can they do except test and quarantine people?

Does anyone know if there have been any updates on how the two cases in the UK are doing in hospital?

HasaDigaEebowai I agree. There’s sometimes a habit in the online prepper community (not here) where people jump in on newbies and say “if you don’t get yourself a 10 year food supply, build a well, buy [insanely long list of survival gear], plus have at least 2 guns in each room, why even bother” which could intimidate and put a lot of people off.

Much as I’d love people to be more prepared in general, I appreciate that people won’t always have the spare funds to go all out, or could get overwhelmed at the scale of things.

People buying just a little bit of food and water to tuck away is a good thing and a great start. And once you do it for this, it’s easy to see the benefit in keeping supplies topped up. For many people it started with Brexit, and they’re seeing the logic of keeping it for the Coronavirus. After this, there will probably be snow or something, so might as well keep it for that; and so on before it just becomes habit to rotate stock from tins and keep a bit extra in the house. And if not all do, well at least the food banks will get a bit of a boost in donations!

It’s why I love the Prepper boards here on Mumsnet; you don’t tend to get that aggressive macho posturing you find elsewhere, it’s just people talking sensibly about risks and how everyone can do their bit.

I do hope this emergency prompts people to look at other potential events like power cuts, job loss, and weather events, though, and see how they can prepare for that as well

Has anyone thought of what they would do about work and school should an outbreak happen in their area? My husband works from home do that's fine but my son is severely immunosuppressed and I'm wondering at what point I would think I want to keep him at home in the worst case scenario. He currently stays at home if there is a noro/rota virus outbreak.

www.rt.com/news/480097-hong-kong-coronavirus-ship/ Cruise ship under quarantine in Hong Kong, tests for coronavirus conducted as 30 crew members have fever

@ofwarren
I imagine if there were an outbreak in your area, school would be closed.
My dd’s school is closed until 17th Feb and we will find out this week if that will be extended into March. She was due to go back to school on 10th Feb after the Chinese New Year holiday.

For me, it depends how serious the cases are should there be a widespread outbreak. I don't have any real data to back up my thoughts, but I've a feeling that the severity is trending downwards, or that they've only ever found the very severe cases. The latest cases in Hong Kong are supporting my feelings on this. Three cases with no known history points to mild cases already present in HK.

I think the biggest issue here looks more to be economic and a shortage of goods. (On a totally selfish and unimportant note I fear for the new PS5!) Many things we can do without, but the impact on medical supplies could be a problem.

Wheresmymojo I just wanted to say thank you for starting these threads and keeping them updated.

It's frustrating when you get posters who are just trying to make us out to be hysterical. Nobody really knows what the next few months will bring but the biggest thing I have learned from this thread is to be prepared for any illness. There have been so many times where I have been ill and have just gone to the shops to buy meds or soups or whatever and not really thought about how I have passed on that illness to whoever I've been in contact with.

I have been incredibly selfish with this, but by having a good supply of paracetamol, ibrufen, basic food and some treats it ensures that no matter what illness I get I can stay at home and not infect anybody else.

I honestly think that if everyone took this approach a lot less people would be Ill

Just popping on to say thank you wheresmymojo for the new thread. I only posted a handful of times on the first one but was reading and keeping up to date daily. As a result I have enough food in for at least two or three weeks as well as Milton wipes, detol, extra nappies, baby wipes and a few other bits. Still need to get toilet paper and a few toiletries.

Haven't read through this second thread yet but will do later.

Thanks for starting the new thread OP. I like the measured calm and sensibility you presented here.

We haven't prepped much yet aside from some masks (n95 and surgical) and food probably can last us about two weeks. I will increase it if I feel like the risk in the UK has gone up further.

We have booked a skiing trip over half term in one of the European countries with a lot of confirmed cases - that's a bit worrying for me. It's not spread there and similar level to the UK. Do you think I need to take any more precautions on the trip? Should I wear a mask on an European flight?

Sorry Emma didn't see your link. On the app so sometimes miss stuff.

Highly contagious, a large proportion get critically ill and some die. This NCV spreads like wildfire seriously striking people down so it's much more concerning than a cold or flu due to the transmission rate. I don't personally think we will have an outbreak in the UK but feel desperately sorry for those who are affected in China.

I overheard someone yesterday trying to buy masks to send over to Hong Kong. She couldn't get them anywhere. It did make me feel really bad that by people buying them here, it was preventing people who live under a harsh regime not to be able to have any. They really really need them there. I have a small box for us and I did consider splitting mine in half, saving half for dd (as was always the plan) and giving the other half to the lady for her family. By the time I'd sorted out my thoughts, she had gone.

I think that probably excludes me from being a real prepper. I was lying in the bath, thinking about those who needed them now.

Apart from anything else, bulk-buying as a form of prep is a money saver. I always buy five or six of my favourite coffee, cereal, shampoo and conditioner when it's half price; otherwise I'd just be paying more across the year.