By now, anyone who’s been paying attention understands that the official statistics coming out of China are bogus. The Chinese government has many reasons to downplay the severity of the outbreak. But not just the Chinese government. Plenty of other governments have strong incentives to encourage Don’t Panic messaging.
Even if we give them the benefit of the doubt and assign them a 95% chance of being honest with us and a 95% chance that their honest opinions are correct, there’s still almost a 10% chance (0.95x0.95=0.9025) that they’re lying and/or mistaken.
Oops, what then?
So it makes a lot of sense to take some precautions now while you have a chance. Part of that is simply stocking up on some supplies while it’s still relatively easy to do so. And if everything works out just fine, at worst you’ve got some extra stuff in your closet that you’ll probably use at some point in the future.
For some things though, it might be too late. Masks for instance. Sure, against the threat of a viral infection, masks really aren’t all that effective. They’re really better to be used by someone who’s already infected, to help somewhat lessen their chances of spreading the virus to others. Even there though, maybe only marginally effective. But even if you wanted to acquire masks, good luck with that. My local Home Depot has sold out of N95 masks and Amazon seems to be out of stock. Some third-party sellers have a few, at triple the price of a few weeks ago. Even those cheapie disposable masks that aren’t anywhere near as effective as N95 are hard to find. A month ago, a 10-pack of them could be had for a buck in a dollar store. Today I found a 100-pack online for $94.99 so I think it’s safe to say that available masks have become few and far between. And if you do manage to find any, the packaging will probably say Made in China. How long will that supply chain be up and running?
But there are plenty of other preparations you can still do. For now.
IF the Don’t Panic messaging turns out to be misplaced and Covid-19 rips through societies on anything like the scale of the “Spanish” Flu, healthcare systems will be overwhelmed. You might even have to set up a “sick room” (old “official” CDC page /newer unofficial page) in your home.
Some supplies that you might need would be easy to find now but might be very hard to find later. Basics like OTC meds to help keep a fever in check, tussin to help control coughing, disposable gloves, Pedialyte or its generic equivalent, things like that. All easy to acquire now, most manufactured in China.
Other than a bit of fiat, what have you got to lose?
Today’s semi-randomized #steembasicincome sponsorships (1 unit each):
@oldtimer, @phoenixwren
Post Beneficiaries:
5% - @steemchiller
5% - @trincowski
Disclaimer:
I am not a healthcare professional and I do not play one on TV. Anyone foolishly considering anything in this “for information only” post as medical advice is making a big mistake. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.