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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?

#521

Post by mercer »

irq11 wrote: post #280
allovernow wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The annual Flu, MERS and SARS were far far worse This is NOT TRUE. I urge you to stop relying on the news and look at the literature that is being published in real time. I don't have time for a full response but 15% of cases require ICU care to survive. There are less than 100k ICU beds in the U.S. and the virus spreads 2-5x (R0 estimates from 3 up to 8 depending on source) more readily than SARS or MERS or the 191…

”Now is the time to be alarmed.” And this accomplishes what, exactly? Shortages of gloves and canned goods? Being “alarmed” is not a positive choice, even if your worst-case projections of the future turn out to be true.

Oh hey guys, Comical Ali is back[1]!

In all seriousness, I'm truly baffled what motivates you to stand out so strongly in your anti-hysteria hysteria. I mean, I'm the anxious type who just like to prepare for stuff just in case, especially if the cost is low, but you appear to go actively out of your way to spend energy on countering any degree of concern, and it's frustratingly difficult to understand the underlying motivation.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Sahhaf

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

#522

Post by mercer »

l4yao wrote: post #443
allovernow wrote: post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If people start trickling into stores to stock up now, as the Canadian government is urging it's citizens, there will be less of a rush later. Perhaps we can avoid the chaos of empty store shelves.

Your wording seems a bit off mark. The Minister of Health is recommending everyone to always have an emergency reserve in case of any unforseen event, from illness to power blackout.

I'd say the vast majority of people that I know don't have such a reserve, and are seriously considering it now.

If they all go and stock up, what with the JIT-style of many supermarkets, I wouldn't be surprised to encounter shortages.

Even just to avoid the inconvenience of that, stocking up now, while the majority of the population is not too concerned, seems prudent and even beneficial to everyone else

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

#523

Post by thorwasdfasdf »

tabs_masterrace wrote: post #102
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…

Not too worried, but that's what I'm doing just in case supplies chains break down. Mostly beans, dried fruit, chicken stock. You might want to get a few things to boost your immune system, and to compensate for less then ideal nutrition. Vitamin C, D, B12 are the most important ones. Thyme is supposedly very good. Tea, green & rosehip. Red wine, chocolate. Don't bother with masks or anything, you probably won't be a…

as far as vitamins go, the most important ones are vitamin C and B because they are water soluable, so your body doesn't store those. The fat soluable ones can be stored in your body for a very long time (A,D,E,K), so you don't need to worry about those as much in times of fasting.

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

#524

Post by starpilot »

selimthegrim wrote: post #517
mothsonasloth wrote: post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jacketed Hollow Point bullets Essentially they create a shockwave in a soft target, causing a lot more damage than a Full Metal Jacket round (FMJ).

I thought cops lobbied for restrictions on this ammo

They did.

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

#525

Post by thorwasdfasdf »

sagebird wrote: post #507

On the "don't stockpile" pleas: I think it is fine to stockpile before the crisis hits. We are in the stage where that information will affect investment, how manufactures allocate resources, etc. Basically they will respond with an early stockpile signal by producing more. So when the crisis hits, the supply will be greater. EG - I think we are still in a stage in US where stockpiling is adding more to the productio…

at my local sprouts grocery store they were out of some of the bulk section bins: 2 or 3 of them. But, the other 17 bins were still mostly full. So, I don't think the full panic has set in yet.

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

#526

Post by thorwasdfasdf »

brador wrote: post #485
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…

How do you get electrolytes when fasting?

Check this one out: https://kale.world/the-lowest-calorie-electrolytes-for-fasti...

Basically: - cream of tartar (no cream, it's just potassium bicarbonate)

- spinach / watercress / swiss chard (for magnesium)

- table salt ( for sodium and chloride)

- coffee (although not super high in electrolytes, it's got a great balance of them, and if you drink 5 cups or more it really adds up)

Don't go with sports drinks (they're only good for sodium and contain very little other electrolytes).

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

#527

Post by eveningcoffee »

mercer wrote: post #515
eveningcoffee wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WHO can say what they want but considering how the virus popped up in Italy tells a different story. Something has been overlooked.

I agree. It's probably aliens. Or reptilians.

Naturally argumentum ad hominem is always the best strategy.

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

#528

Post by kempbellt »

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #432
kempbellt wrote: post #154

By listening to "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. Seriously, stressing out about this is going to create more problems than the virus itself. Humans love starting panic parades anytime something scary happens. Best thing to do is not worry about it.

RE: It's The End Of The World As We Know It, at the end of the song at about 3:57, you can hear a voice in the background say what sounds like "Party". I've never been able to find an explanation for how that got into the song or why it is there.

Fascinating. Never noticed that until now

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

#529

Post by oriel »

I put together this doc (https://awesome-covid-19.github.io/) in response to 2mo of obsessing over the emerging virus and needing to share what I knew in the form of actionable items for the average person (re all my friends and coworkers freaking out on monday).

Its intended to be a kind of emotional preparation as much as physical, and a lot of it is just priming and practicing awareness.

If you see anything thats missing, needs updating/correction,etc please open a PR!

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

#530

Post by jiofih »

gwright wrote: post #500
jiofih wrote: post #490

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The entertainer makes zero money on the added price of tickets from trading dynamics we are talking about, it’s all middlemen.

Doesn't change the analysis re: supply and demand. Just changes to a discussion of the middlemen as a supplier.

It invalidates what you mentioned re. the entertainer avoiding a certain location due to price control. And btw, price control in this case means “no resale above ticket price” or something similar, not the government controlling the pricing itself. The supply is fixed so there can’t be a shortage (except when it’s caused by price gouging performed by middlemen).
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