Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–340 of 566 posts

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

#331

Post by pmoriarty »

drcode wrote: post #107
veemjeem wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is it possible to reuse a mask if you put the mask through an autoclave?

You might be able to use UV-C light sterilization. Strangely, these types of lights are all suddenly sold out on amazon, wonder why... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W1PHS9P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

Remember that light can only sterilize the surfaces it contacts. It can not sterilize beneath the surface.

So if droplets containing viruses penetrate beneath the surface of the mask, sterilization with light will not be able to reach them.

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

#332

Post by ravenstine »

cat199 wrote: post #264
ravenstine wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have much of a specific method, but usually I try to go at least 48 hours and limit myself to a 1 hour eating window. The key is getting your electrolytes. It's amazing how big a difference they make. Otherwise, I just take fasting day by day. I try to be conscientious and recognize whether I'm genuinely hungry or just desiring food because I'm bored. If it's the former, I'll break my fast. I eat pretty healt…

since you sound well versed - what would be a good food-free way to get electrolytes?

The best way is to make an electrolyte drink yourself. Here's my recipe:

- 2 Liters of water

- 1/2 teaspoon of pink salt

- 1 teaspoon of potassium chloride

- 1/4 teaspoon of food grade epsom salt

- Lemon and stevia used sparingly to taste

It's not the best tasting thing ever, but you get used to it. Using filtered water will make it much more palatable. I think salts make poor tap water quality more obvious.

You can always drink Powerade Zero or something like that. I don't think there's really anything wrong with that, and I drink those sometimes. It's just more expensive and the artificial sweetener might spike insulin.(I doubt that's a big deal) The recipe I described is pretty dirt cheap.

I used to have a hard time fasting for more than a day or doing a ketogenic diet because I simply wasn't getting my electrolytes. This was accelerated by the fact that I was drinking way too much water and urinating them out. Replacing electrolytes throughout the day keeps me from feeling miserable.

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

#333

Post by psychlops »

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.

I get what you are thinking, but consider that at the first sign of infection in a school and the schools will close. Once that happens, parents will stay home and businesses and other supply chains will be short staffed and so on.

Preparing for covid-19 may not make sense, but the hysteria is real and will cause a real slowdown.

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

#334

Post by darkteflon »

Someone1234 wrote: post #21
darkteflon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mind boggles at how people can characterise preparation of a month’s worth of food, water and other essentials as “bomb shelter”-style hunkering down. The CDC, amongst other US and foreign government agencies, recommend it. When the CDC speaks, I listen.

Where did the CDC recommend a months worth of food and water for COVID-19 specifically?

Great guys, you stay here and argue about whether two weeks of food and water or four constitutes a crazy bunker mentality. All the more time for the rest of us to stock up for our kids.

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

#335

Post by pmoriarty »

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #75
fctorial wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The spread seems to be plateu as well. Total numbers will probably be less than 100,000.

It plateaued in China following an incredibly massive quarantine effort. The infection is hitting countries with not nearly the social control measures that China has.

China's numbers are absolutely not reliable, because:

- they've changed their reporting standards multiple times

- they don't seem to be testing enough people because of test kit shortages, because many people seem to have given up going to hospitals when they're sick because they know they won't get in or because they're barricaded in to their homes or forbidden from leaving

- their media censorship makes it difficult to independently verify the numbers they are reporting

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

#336

Post by anfilt »

paulgb wrote: post #133
rimliu wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of that's going is overreacting people hoarding supplies.

Ironically, when I considered the likely outcomes, the one that convinced me to stock up on food was not actual supply chain distruptions (which I see as possible but fairly unlikely), but that mass hording will lead to shortages (which I see as very likely).

Mass hoarding is a supply chain issue. one in which the supply chain cant handle the peak demand. Whats worse about mass hoarding is it can cause feedback that amplifies it.

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

#337

Post by lifeisstillgood »

titzer wrote: post #263
dfsegoat wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> more lethal than flu/MERS/SARS WHO reports a 34% fatality rate for MERS, while at present it is around 2.4% for COVID-19 [2]. So it would be helpful if you provide sources when throwing down comments like this. I'll admit it's more contagious, as they state below, but again, most US cases are asymptomatic. 1 - https://www.who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/ 2 - http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/study-…

> it would be helpful if you provide sources Actually, to be honest, it would be helpful if everyone refrained from cherry picking information to support their current emotional state. Please, please, please, let's rely on experts who specialize infectious diseases to do the communicating and go back to our code.

>>> Please, please, please, let's rely on experts who specialize infectious diseases to do the communicating and go back to our code.

Thank you.

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

#338

Post by wbsun »

- similar to preparing for an earthquake (in SF Bay Area): food, water, propane, gas cooker, first-aid.

- dozens of N95 respirators, which may or may not help...

- lots of mini hand sanitizers carried in cars, backpacks, jackets.

- watching for local news.

- avoid shopping in stores, started using Amazon fresh.

- during weekends, take kids to outdoor state parks/recreation areas instead of museums, zoo, malls where have lots of people.

- technically as software engineers both my wife and I can work from home, but we are still going to the office.

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

#339

Post by jiofih »

gwright wrote: post #323
riquito wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Italy it's illegal, you cannot hoard or speculate on basic necessities (as the masks are being considered during the epidemic). https://www.repubblica.it/economia/2020/02/26/news/coronavir...

Perfect way to guarantee shortages. Let the price float and there is an incentive for businesses to figure out how to increase the supply quickly, thus causing the price to drop. The economic theory on this is rock-solid and yet it seems impossible to educate the general public or government officials regarding the consequences of price controls.

In cases of extremely skewed demand/supply the price never actually goes down, and all the buyers get hosed. See: concert tickets.

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

#340

Post by ravenstine »

vl wrote: post #304
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…

What about guns/ammo?

I wasn't going to talk about that because I think it'd be frowned upon on HN, but now that you mention it...

I own a .22 long rifle and have tons of ammo. I've been thinking of getting a glock but haven't gotten around to it. It's not the best for self defense, but it's a heck of a lot better than no gun at all. It's ridiculously easy to shoot accurately. The ammo is cheap and ubiquitous, which is another advantage.

There's other defense items that I would use first if possible. I own some cans of police grade pepper gel, tasers, a slingshot, and a combat knife, among other things.

Post reply on HN