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CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

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Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#161
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us.

> Eggs can last 3 months outside a fridge, and yes, that includes eggs in the us. Commercially bought eggs in the US need to be refrigerated because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores.

> because they remove the outer antibiotic coating before sending them to stores.

The coating is oil from the chicken, and they wash it and replace it with mineral oil, which works just as well.

I speak from experience: I have not refrigerated US bought eggs for around 10 years. Not a single problem.

If you keep them un-refrigerated for more than 2 months (which I did because there was a really good deal, so I bought a lot), the eggs are not fresh, the yolk falls apart easily. (So not great in certain recipes.)

However they are not spoiled or anything like that, and the taste is unchanged.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#162
post #91

Here are some actual documents on preparing for an influenza pandemic that the CDC is repurposing to prepare people for the coronavirus because of the similarity to the spread of the flu. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/pandemic-prepa... States will have their own influenza preparedness plans that they will probably be following for the coronavirus as well. One helpful thing that they advise governors t…

> store up ... enough (but not more than enough) medications I'm not clear how this would work in practice. In the US, between insurance and the DEA, patients get very little choice about how many meds are dispensed at which intervals. There are all kinds of constraints.

I tell my doctor that I lost my meds at a hotel and have them prescribe me another set.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#163
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything you need on a daily/weekly basis. We stock up on very low glycemic index protein bars and water. Lots of bottled water.

Are problems with water supplies foreseen? This isn't some natural disaster where infrastructure is ruined, just people can't go out much.

Water plants need people to run them. And power, which means power plants need people (or fuel trucks to refuel their generators if the power goes out).

If those people are sick, the water may stop flowing.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- Wash your hands. - If you're in a cold climate, be aware of how to drain your heating (if you use water) or water supplies within the house in the event of an extended power outage. - Have a normal kit. - Keep the cars gassed up. - Avoid travel to crowded places and aircraft.

What is a "normal kit"?

Typo! Should have been “normal emergency kit”

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the chances that residential electricity, gas or water get shut off as a result of an outbreak in North America? I live in a mid-sized town and we have enough dry beans and cereals to last a few months, but without hot water it would be a week at most.

Extremely low IMO. From what I have read it's like a stronger version of the flu.

I cannot believe people are still saying this. It's literally 1-2 orders of magnitude more deadly than the flu, and 5% of the survivors walk away with permanent lung damage.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#166
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A good overview food storage guide. http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec446.pdf

These storage guidelines are incredibly paranoid. Milk does not go bad a week after opening. Eggs don't spoil after two to four weeks in the fridge. A bag of bacon in the freezer isn't going to end you because it sat there for three months. Fruit juice doesn't go bad in 3 days. Butter doesn't go bad after two weeks at room temperate, let alone in a fridge.

That really does depend upon your definition of room tempreature. I'm pretty sure anything above about 30 degrees C will put pay to many food stuffs in fairly short order. Everybodies storage conditions differ, tempreature, humidity and light exposure all have an impact on how long foods will safely store.

The other element is how the item is handled. Traditional bacon stored in brine can last for months in most conditions however I would not attempt to store opened bacon for more than a week or so. Likewise if you have raw meat, it is all about what it has been exposed to that can make it dangerous. Cooked meat, if uncontaminated and cooked through can last for quiet a while and still be safe. Once contaminated it can become dangerous quiet quickly.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without getting to far into it, not really. Theoretically they can... But practically there are so many routes to failure, the average person cannot use it. If you were the guy with impeccable lab technique... Maybe.

This isn't true. Someone with general intelligence can figure out how to use one of these things correctly, and I think that people who care to figure it out will do exactly that.

This proves not to be the case. Even intelligent people who are not used to wearing a mask will find that they regularly compromise the masks efficacy.

If worn by infected people it can reduce the spread, but if this is the case the infected person should not be around others anyway.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#168
post #77

Basically every household should already have, regardless of the origin of the disaster: 1 month of clean drinking water or reliable (tested) filtration devices and a impure water source (local streams likely to have various bacteria that will make you sick). 1 month of food that requires minimum water and fuel to cook (quick oats > slow cook oats). Enough fuel to cook that food (most of your food should not require…

I'm pretty sure storing 30 days of water would violate my lease. That's its own disaster waiting to happen.

Actually, it's not as bad as you think.

tl;dr - All you need is a bathtub, a WaterBob, and 10 teaspoons of bleach.

The average bathtub holds about 80 Gallons of water, that's enough for two and a half people for 30 days. The rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day. See: https://www.beprepared.com/blog/18680/much-water-store/

I always have a few of these things called "The Water Bob" stored in a closet, a few cause QC isn't that great. Its like a giant plastic bag that sits in your tub and holds water.

You can add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of household bleach per gallon to get potable water. See: https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/emergency/09_202278-b_m...

I only know this cause I lived over seas during the first gulf war, and we had to have prep stuff for scud attacks. We didn't have the WaterBob, but there were plenty of 50gal plastic storage containers. When the sirens went off, we set the jugs to fill in the showers, and hid in our inner most room. Fun times all around really. Free gas masks though! So that was nice.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but killing 2% of the world population instead of closing down a couple stores also seems bad.

The 2% figure is misleading, mortality is overwhelmingly restricted to the elderly and particularly those with existing health problems: PRE-EXISTING CONDITION DEATH RATE* Cardiovascular disease 10.5% Diabetes 7.3% Chronic respiratory disease 6.3% Hypertension 6.0% Cancer 5.6% no pre-existing conditions 0.9% AGE DEATH RATE* 80+ years old 14.8% 70-79 years old 8.0% 60-69 years old 3.6% 50-59 years old 1.3% 40-49 years…

Honest question, do those percentages add up?

Ex: You're 35, but you have asthma and high blood pressure.

Does that mean your mortality rate is 12.7%?

Also, your list says: > no pre-existing conditions 0.9% and > 10-19 years old 0.2% Does that mean a teenager with no pre-existing conditions has 1.1% mortality rate, or is it just 0.9%, or just 0.2%?

I'm honestly asking cause I know nothing about disease or mortality rates.

Re: CDC outlines what closing schools, businesses would look like in US pandemic

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but killing 2% of the world population instead of closing down a couple stores also seems bad.

The 2% figure is misleading, mortality is overwhelmingly restricted to the elderly and particularly those with existing health problems: PRE-EXISTING CONDITION DEATH RATE* Cardiovascular disease 10.5% Diabetes 7.3% Chronic respiratory disease 6.3% Hypertension 6.0% Cancer 5.6% no pre-existing conditions 0.9% AGE DEATH RATE* 80+ years old 14.8% 70-79 years old 8.0% 60-69 years old 3.6% 50-59 years old 1.3% 40-49 years…

It's a very virulent form of SARS not influenza. It's not related to the flu at all. [0]

>I realise that its grim to talk about, but there may actually be economic benefits from the very sickest dying from the virus and thus relieving the burden of large pension and healthcare expenses.

What an optimistic perspective... I would think that this is more likely to over burden our already fragile health care systems in the short to medium term though.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus

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