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Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

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Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#251

Post by Recursing »

cycrutchfield wrote: post #218
Recursing wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh, I'm in Italy and there's not much going on: some small panic in some parts of the population, school closed and stuff. Nothing worth preparing for. All the deaths were very sick people Edit: apparently OP by "other countries that are affected" meant "the most badly hit places in Wuhan" and thinks it's going to happen everywhere in the world. I repeat that in Italy there's no apocalyptic scenario going on

Think of it this way. You are currently living in Wuhan circa mid-to-late January. Extrapolate from there.

Mortality in the west is way lower than what's been reported in China, healthcare and hygiene are very different, as is the distribution network. Even in wuhan the situation is stabilizing

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#252

Post by gwd »

beachy wrote: post #81
ravenstine wrote: post #63

I've already been preparing as a hobby for the last 3 years, not specifically for coronavirus, but here's how I'm prepared for it: - I work remotely, so I can hunker down at home and have my income totally unaffected. - I've close to 6 months worth of food, and I've been buying more in the last month as the news continues. I can give some tips on what I think is good inexpensive food to get in case anyone is interest…

> I'm fasting regularly, which will realistically extend my food supply. Isn't fasting the opposite of storing food for an emergency? Surely storing food on your body as fat is one of the safest and easiest ways to store it.

Your body learns how to fast, just like it learns how to run. If you fast regularly, you body switches into "fasting" mode quickly, and you feel much less of an impact cognitively or physically, than if you've never fasted before (or haven't fasted for a long time).

If it comes down to who can just survive the longest with zero calories, someone weighing 300 pounds is probably going to out-last me. But if there's any level of physical or mental activity required to survive and/or actually acquire calories, I'm going to have a big advantage.

EDIT And if, as another commenter mentioned, it comes down to making a low number of calories last a long time -- again I'll have a big advantage.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#253

Post by Havoc »

0x1221 wrote: post #99

I guess it's the selective aspect of a question like this but I'm genuinely surprised that so many people in this thread are taking actual measures.

Well taking measures is a broad range. I'm boosting my dry food buying schedule. aka spend 10 bucks more on beans I'll eat eventually anyway. Apocalypse here I come

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#254

Post by kps »

m3kw9 wrote: post #198
_nkl1 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so infuriatingly false. The mortality rate for the flu this season has been ~0.1% . The coronavirus is over 10x deadlier than the usual flu according to early estimates. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/the-flu-has-already-killed-1...

10x deadlier for 50+ yr olds for younger folks is probably 5-7x lower

“… and nobody in my Bay area startup is over 50, because we hire for culture fit.”

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#255

Post by kaffeemitsahne »

heavyset_go wrote: post #249
atarian wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fat is actually one of the last things the body burns during starvation. Your muscles usually go first.

Yep, and the process is hard on the kidneys.

Which one, muscle or fat burning?

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#256

Post by kaffeemitsahne »

spanxx wrote: post #187
jackjeff wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was under the impression that the Spanish flu was very different from the regular flu and COVID-19, because it was the young/old people that survived it and the healthy 20-50 year old that died the most. Most people died of the Spanish Flu because of their immune response. It looks like COVID-19 is really mild* for lots of people in that age group. Am I missing something? Did the Spanish flu start like COVID-19 and…

I wish people stop calling that Spanish Flu where it's totally unrelated to Spain...

That ship has sailed for just about a century.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#257

Post by helij »

megous wrote: post #7
Someone1234 wrote: post #2

I'm not. There's no meaningful preparations for avoiding what is essentially a really dangerous variant of the common cold at an individual level. Now governments and the medical field should be preparing for it. But most of that is logistical problems (e.g. number of hospital beds, preparing quarantine plans, test kits, etc). You can order a bunch of masks if it makes you feel better, but countries with common mask…

Question is about disruptions caused by people's reaction to the outbreak, not the virus itself. Stuff like this: https://www.ibtimes.sg/wuhan-virus-italy-supermarkets-are-ru... The freaking panic is already starting in my country too. People buying up food in 10x the quantities than the usual shopping visit, etc.. I've gone shopping yesterday, when the virus was found in the country next to mine, to buy enough food…

It's not panic. It's reality. Many of us did the same. I went with 2 weeks worth of food, water and toiletries and we already have the usual stock which including refrigirated stuff should be enough for full month if needed. When you see small towns put into quarantine in Europe allowing people in and out only with 'written permission' you know you should prepare family and yourself asap. Get food, water, medicine and everything that might make life easier for you and your family during weeks of quarantine.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#258

Post by titzer »

dfsegoat wrote: post #97
allovernow wrote: post #18

This is very likely to overwhelm not just medical infrastructure, but shut down supply chains for basic necessities for months. If the pandemic hits, most businesses will shutter, just like in China. It is prudent to stock up now for 1-2 months of cheap, non- perishable foods like rice and beans (complete protein together) at a minimum. There's just no excuse not to now if you make a tech salary - a couple hundred do…

I find this to be pretty alarmist. "If the pandemic hits" ... the virus has already hit. The WHO itself has backed off the Pandemic classification [1]. The virus has an overall 98% survival rate, and most diagnosed cases in the US, are not actually showing any symptoms (which itself is a cause for concern re: spread). The annual Flu, MERS and SARS were far far worse. The flu kills between 26,000 and 52,000 annually i…

Thanks for editing your post, but given the nature of the subject matter, I would urge you to just take it down. It contains misinformation which can be dangerous.

This is serious. You don't have to panic, but this is serious.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#259

Post by disabled »

Buttons840 wrote: post #202
disabled wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, but the tape on your fingers is a bad idea. The adhesive from tape attracts germs, and far more than just having bare skin. Wear gloves instead, to avoid touching your face.

It was just an idea. You're right that it may have adverse effects. Yet I wonder: Viruses live longer on a "clean-looking" doorknob than they do in a towel, for example. This was very counter-intuitive to me. So when it comes to a virus, would they live longer on skin or on a bandage or piece of tape?

Thank you for acknowledging this. I really appreciate it.

The issue is that the adhesive from tape is a form of glue. It attracts and keeps hold of germs. Plus, it is extremely hard to get fully off in terms of disinfection purposes.

I had a central line (dialysis catheter) in my chest for 4 months for a procedure called plasma exchange. You cannot take a shower with an exposed central line. A single drop of water on your line, or even the moisture/condensation from the shower can literally cause sepsis, as water has a lot of bacteria in it. This happens no matter how well the line is cleaned.

Anyways, I tried taking a shower by covering the line with a Ziploc bag and putting tape around it. I also cut the fingers off of gloves and /sealed the fingers of the glove onto the line with tape/. I literally put glue on the central line, which runs straight to my heart.

I never ended up with sepsis, due to the line only being in me shortly (4 months), but I did get chewed out by the sterility nurse.

Trust me, it is not a good idea.

Re: Ask HN: How are you preparing for COVID-19 disruptions?

#260

Post by Recursing »

lancesells wrote: post #222
Recursing wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shortages of what? Supermarkets in northern Italy have been restocking without problems, there is a shortage of N95 face masks on amazon, but they're not even proved to be useful for healthy people

I grew up in a hurricane-prone state in the US. 95% of the time people stock up and panic and nothing happens. I'm talking about gas shortages and empty aisles in the grocery store. But the 5% where something does happen you wish you stocked up because you're not even able to leave the area because there is no gas. Not debating N95 masks effectiveness but I would rather be at least slightly repaired because things go…

Maybe it's more common in the US as it's more sparsely populated? As in there are more potentially isolated cities?

The scenario you're describing doesn't seem plausible to happen in Milan

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