Coronavirus Pandemic: Practical Hints...

[Crossbreed]

I went to make our monthly supply shopping trip last night and discovered that there was a run on toilet paper, bar soap and hand sanitizer, due to the coronavirus scare. (I was able to find toilet paper at a more obscure location, but it cost more than we normally expect to pay.)

I wasn't shopping for hand soap in that trip, but I began to consider alternatives, if there were none available,

1. Mild dish detergents, and
2. Body wash/shower gel.

(Google says that either will work just fine.)

 

[Ken S.]

You can make your own hand sanitizer with rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel mixed at a 1 to 1 ratio.

 

[rainfall]

I did the same thing Crossbreed. Although I go once a week and couldn't find any toilet paper (after going to four stores I gave up) and some stores had closed early. It was an abrupt change from just a few hours before that where the shelves were stocked. Right after an announcement closing all k-12 schools state wide and all major events was made, everyone apparently panicked.

It reminded me of how it was almost 11 years ago when the electricity got knocked out to the city for three weeks because of a severe storm. Everything is fine one moment and the next, lines are out the door and even gas stations were putting limits on the amount people can buy. A friend of a family member was out when it all first happened and there were arguments and physical fights, etc. I was like, wow...I'm glad I went out after the fact when everything was already gone. I really don't get how people think panicking like that will help anything.

 

[Aneka]

I went to make our monthly supply shopping trip last night and discovered that there was a run on toilet paper, bar soap and hand sanitizer, due to the coronavirus scare. (I was able to find toilet paper at a more obscure location, but it cost more than we normally expect to pay.)

I wasn't shopping for hand soap in that trip, but I began to consider alternatives, if there were none available,

1. Mild dish detergents, and
2. Body wash/shower gel.

(Google says that either will work just fine.)

I've got whiskey, rum and different kinds of liqueur

 

[Gracey]

Anything you can't find in the shops,
order it online from China,
they have an abundance of goods over there at the moment

Just kidding.


I've just come in from a daily shopping trip to our local Aldi store whereby notices were posted up on aisle shelving stating products on those particular shelves were limited to two per customer.

As I glanced I saw wrinkle cream, toothpaste and hand cream.

I can only deduce that developing wrinkles, bad breath and dry hands is unacceptable should one contract the virus and have to be quarantined

great tip with the rubbing alcohol and aloe, thank you

 

[Kirsty]

Anything you can't find in the shops,
order it online from China,
they have an abundance of goods over there at the moment

Just kidding.

I’m quite scared about this - I’m pretty sure the sanitiser I ordered online was from China, but the virus doesn’t effect packaging, so will it be okay to use? I hope it will be and hopefully it won’t be from China! I’m not being sarcastic or anything.

 

[Aneka]

I’m quite scared about this - I’m pretty sure the sanitiser I ordered online was from China, but the virus doesn’t effect packaging, so will it be okay to use? I hope it will be and hopefully it won’t be from China! I’m not being sarcastic or anything.

Whatever you buy now, it doesn't come from China (and they're even quarantining packages). Soap, detergent is as effective as desinfectant. We can't buy desinfectant and santizer anymore here, as regular customers.

 

[Judge]

Essentially you don't want to dismiss either hand sanitizers or the use of soap and water. Both have their place under the present circumstances.

"CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. The guidance for effective handwashing and use of hand sanitizer in community settings was developed based on data from a number of studies."

"Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

Why? Many studies show that hand sanitizers work well in clinical settings like hospitals, where hands come into contact with germs but generally are not heavily soiled or greasy. Some data also show that hand sanitizers may work well against certain types of germs on slightly soiled hands. However, hands may become very greasy or soiled in community settings, such as after people handle food, play sports, work in the garden, or go camping or fishing. When hands are heavily soiled or greasy, hand sanitizers may not work well. Handwashing with soap and water is recommended in such circumstances."


Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings | Handwashing | CDC

 

[Kirsty]

Whatever you buy now, it doesn't come from China (and they're even quarantining packages). Soap, detergent is as effective as desinfectant. We can't buy desinfectant and santizer anymore here, as regular customers.

Okay. The bottle had English words on the label. The thing I (was) worried about was the arrival date as it will be arriving at the beginning of April. I did wonder why it’s going to take so long and that made me assume it was from China.

 

[Crossbreed]

You can make your own hand sanitizer with rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel mixed at a 1 to 1 ratio.

Just checking the math here. Won't the alcohol content be 30% when they are combined in that manner?

 

[GrownupGirl]

Viruses are not alive. So how can hand sanitizer kill them? Bacteria can be killed, but you also destroy the good bacteria on your hands that help keep it healthy. Just look at all the skin infections people with OCD get from constantly washing their hands. And then the bad bacteria becomes resistant, and no amount of sanitizing will kill it.

 

[Ken S.]

Just checking the math here. Won't the alcohol content be 30% when they are combined in that manner?

My Bad that should be 2 to 1 ratio. Here is where I got the information from.

How to Make Hand Sanitizer Using Just Two Ingredients

To make hand sanitizer, you’ll need just two ingredients: aloe vera gel and isopropyl alcohol.

The gel is designed to help thicken the homemade sanitizer, but the type of isopropyl alcohol you’ll need to buy is extremely specific. It has to have a 99 percent concentration, as lower concentrations of alcohol won’t be sufficient to reach the 60 percent threshold that the CDC recommends for hand sanitizer.

Once you’ve purchased the two ingredients, you’ll need to put them into separate containers, and then mix them together. For the mixture to work, you’ll need to put one part aloe vera into the mix for every two parts of isopropyl alcohol.

 

[Major Tom]

My checklist: Don't panic.. Done..

 

[Crossbreed]

Don't keep making new threads. Especially when you are following flakey, false information on social media!

This thread isn't based on "flakey, false information on social media." It is based on my own recent shopping experience.

The general panic has taken on a life of its own. And my conclusions about what to do about it did not fit into the other threads devoted to covid-19.

(And it's a platform for other such helpful ideas... )

 

[Stardust Parade]

People need to get over their mass hysteria. The world isn't ending, but with the way people are reacting you'd think it was.

 

[Gracey]

I’m quite scared about this - I’m pretty sure the sanitiser I ordered online was from China, but the virus doesn’t effect packaging, so will it be okay to use? I hope it will be and hopefully it won’t be from China! I’m not being sarcastic or anything.

Relax @Kirsty,
even if the sanitiser is from China,
after you've opened the packaging and disposed of it,
wash your hands then use your new product.
problem solved

 

[Gracey]

People need to get over their mass hysteria. The world isn't ending, but with the way people are reacting you'd think it was.

I believe lack of facts leaves plenty of room for fears to manifest.
The worries are genuine though.

I've stood in shops recently and observed people with full shopping trolleys resembling one of those school math problems;

'Billy has 52 toilet rolls & 13 kilos of pasta, if he shares ...."

I'm thinking Billy wont need those toilet rolls if he consumes all of that pasta.
He'll need surgery if the laxatives are ineffective

The 'hysteria' stems from a genuine fear of potential consequences or risk for themselves and loved ones.

Anyone in the UK, (if you don't already know)
The Gov.UK & NHS sites have a link to a site.
This site offers an Operations Dashboard giving daily updates on confirmed cases in regions up and down the country.

I use it to check risk ie, any cases or clusters reported in my area yet.

 

[Kirsty]

I agree that COVID is probably more viral online than it is in real life.

Coping with coronavirus anxiety - Harvard Health Blog

 

[Mary Terry]

I haven't seen what I'd consider hysteria in my area. Maybe because we deal with hurricanes, tornadoes and extreme storms on a regular basis, and everyone here "knows the drill" for widespread emergencies: cash, gas in car, food in pantry, all prescriptions filled at pharmacy, and stay home till it passes.

My sister and I were in Pensacola, Florida last week where several cases have now been identified. Only 6 cases reported in our state so far. She and I are going to monitor ourselves just in case we have been exposed. Her son came home from university yesterday. All college classes will be solely online for remainder of this semester, and all sports activities have been indefinitely postponed. Yet our grades K through 12 are still going to school. Makes no sense to send college kids home but keep sending younger kids to school, but that's what they are doing so far. Good news is that my nephew has about 40 rolls of toiler paper at the house he rents in his college town, about a 2.5 hour drive from here. He may have to make a TP run for us.

 

[Judge]

I haven't seen what I'd consider hysteria in my area. Maybe because we deal with hurricanes, tornadoes and extreme storms on a regular basis, and everyone here "knows the drill" for widespread emergencies: cash, gas in car, food in pantry, all prescriptions filled at pharmacy, and stay home till it passes.

Agreed. When I think of real panic and hysteria I have to think back to October 17, 1989. The Loma Prieta earthquake, when some folks on the street were losing it. I still recall having to yell at some man to keep it together in the presence of his young son.

Still, that was a pretty scary afternoon seeing as how I was in one of the worst places to be when it happened. On a BART station platform. It didn't collapse, but the quake knocked everyone to the ground. When it stopped, no one said a word. They just went down the escalators that were still working and exited the station. Lots of folks exhibiting grace under pressure.