When is it time to panic

Hey gang, it is seeming increasingly inevitable that the coronavirus will be in every country and widespread by the end of spring. If industries and the movement of supplies is slowed or stopped is now the time to be buying a supply of food, water, and other essentials? 

My wife and I live in the Vancouver area, with a very high chinese population, and there has been 5 cases so far in bc with surely more to come. If China is any indication, entire economies may grind to a stop, and I am seriously thinking about what steps we should be taking BEFORE it hits full steam.

 Also I watched contagion last night......

It might be helpful to spend some time thinking about what you can control and what you can't.

Run about.  Scream and shout.

Sounds like a great idea.

Eh... prep as if you would for a blizzard if you have to, but in countries where they actually treat the disease it's nowhere near as bad as China.

The way I see it I'm not sure there's any way to avoid the virus. Sure, you can find the most remote place in the world to evacuate to, but if the virus can be transmitted by both humans and animals, and can survive for an unknown number of days on surfaces, do you really want to be in the middle of nowhere if you get sick?

Most people don't have the luxury of avoiding human contact, due to family, work, etc. so if it spreads uncontrolled there's not much avoiding it. 
 

I figure the best plan for survival is:

1. Try to keep yourself in good health. 
2. Stay abreast of where people in your area will be sent for treatment and/or quarantine. 
3. Stock up on household goods, canned food, etc. in case you end up needing to self-quarantine for an extended period and/or so you're not caught off guard when the public panics and raids the shelves of all the local stores. 
4. If you have symptoms that could be due to COVID-19(and presuming there's reason to believe the virus is in your area), don't put off seeking treatment/diagnosis. 

Robbie said:

It might be helpful to spend some time thinking about what you can control and what you can't.

I can control how well I am prepared. I can't control the spread of disease. Seems pretty simple.

I'm more worried about the flu. 

And I'm not worried about the flu. 


Unless you have an auto-immune disease like my girlfriend, there really isn't any reason to panic over it.

Last year there were 25,844 confirmed cases of the flu in Canada, and likely many more un-confirmed cases. I would prepare as you would for that. I'm not exactly sure how that large number of flu cases effected the economy of Canada, but if it was anything like the US, I'd expect minimal impact. 

Shut off the tv, step away from social media, and just relax. 

This time next year - or maybe 6 months from now - we'll be looking at Corona virus the same way we look at Asian Avian Flu, West Nile, Ebola, Legionnaire's Disease, or any one of a dozen "This is the Big One, Elizabeth!" outbreak events in the last 40 years.  In fact, I'm already looking at it that way right now.

Yes, a lot of people will get sick.  Yes, a lot of those people will die.

But it's going to get contained and controlled without ever getting near the "everyone for themselves / Walking Dead" level.

Catatafish said:

Robbie said:

It might be helpful to spend some time thinking about what you can control and what you can't.

I can control how well I am prepared. I can't control the spread of disease. Seems pretty simple.

In a case like this, you can also control your exposure to some extent. Stay out of crowds. Wash your hands. Do not pet the monkeys. All the stuff your mom told you.

Catatafish said:

Robbie said:

It might be helpful to spend some time thinking about what you can control and what you can't.

I can control how well I am prepared. I can't control the spread of disease. Seems pretty simple.

Correct. But what are you preparing for? A few days of no Walmart? Two weeks of no utilities? Living the rest of your life in remote Canada?

What you can't control is what you are preparing for. Which makes it hard to prepare. If you want to improve your preparation for the unknown, that is a great plan. But there is just as much unknown any other day of the year. So consider upping your preparation permanently, not just for the next few weeks.

Wash your hands, then quit picking your nose, scratching your eyes and sucking your thumb. 

As an automobile mechanic who washes his hands anywhere up to fifteen times a day, I very seldom get colds and flu.

In reply to z31maniac :

The flu is far more common, slightly less lethal. I have 529 walking Petri dishes climb on my bus every day. 
While I have both flu shots as a matter of some measure of self defense, I don't worry too much.  In the 6 years I've been a school bus driver I haven't caught the flu yet and last year didn't even have a cold.  ( this year I've caught two but haven't missed a day of work). 

To be clear I am very healthy and still young and not worried about the virus itself, one time I walked off typhoid (true story). I'm more concerned about the  availability of supplies if things grind to a halt, or when the trucks stop delivering food because everyone is at home.

I too live in the Vancouver area.

Don't eat bat soup.

Don't worry so much.

It's just the news cycle feeding you the current thing to worry about. Next week it will be terrorists, or climate change, or the earthquake, or the magnetic poles reversing or whatever other thing will get them views.

Seriously, if you're normally a healthy person, wash your hands and worry about it less than you worry about the flu.

Or, go buy some paper masks at Home Depot and flip them on eBay for a profit. Fund your prepping that way.

As for supplies. Worry more about the protesters blocking the shipping ports and rail lines.

I'm far more worried about the economic damage that this is doing and could continue to do than I am about actually getting the virus.

Yeah, wash your hands.  Don't smoke.  Get your flu shot.  Get enough sleep.  Eat healthy, balanced meals.  Just keep yourself healthy and don't travel to Wuhan.  Washing your hands and staying away from Wuhan will help to prevent infection, staying generally healthy with a robust immune system will lessen any effects in the unlikely event that infection happens.

As far as preparing for the impending collapse of social order...  Instead of buying supplies, I'd be putting money in the market right now.  Things are definitely on sale.

The answer is to stock up on ammo.  Obviously, lol!

ShawnG said:

As for supplies. Worry more about the protesters blocking the shipping ports and rail lines.

It depends on the supplies. It probably won't effect needed supplies too much but I am seeing part delays because of stuff in China. It is going to have some economic effect.

In reply to Catatafish :

I’ve still got some Y2K supplies.  If you want them, they’re yours for the cost of shipping.

Duke said:

"This is the Big One, Elizabeth!"

Thank you so much!

wae said:

As far as preparing for the impending collapse of social order...  Instead of buying supplies, I'd be putting money in the market right now.  Things are definitely on sale.

I know that trying to predict the market is folly, but I'd guess that the sale is just getting started. 2020 was expected to be a down year anyway for manufacturing/industrials. I think the ripple effects of this virus will only exacerbate that downward trend and impact Q1 results (at a minimum) for even more industries. Of course if they get it under control soon, Q2 or Q3 could see an uptick in demand as they work to rebuild inventory.

I'm in the be prepared but unconcerned camp.  

This article title on reuters just about made me LOL.

Investors eye bleach, food and tissues as virus fears intensify

In reply to frenchyd :

I've tried to convince my wife that the constant contact with germs is what keeps me from getting more than the occasional sniffle most winter.