COVID-19 PSA. Read this and get your head in the game

And now ours is shut until April 3, I think, for now. Maybe we should take this opportunity to take that cruise!

 

Korea also has the medical laboratories to process all those tests. The tests the US was given to manufacture could only be ran through a dedicated facility like the CDC. Local labs tried to process them and the labs couldn't do it for some reason (too technical of test?).

 

I am not a medical professional, so please dont rely on my advise. But based on what I read, it is best to minimize the risk of elderly getting the virus. It ideal to minimize her exposure to other people, including yourself, especially if you "feel under the weather".

 

“...nations do behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.” -Abba Eban

Edit: ...aka, everyone needs to help/keep calm/do their part.

 

Looking at today's numbers vs. yesterday's I'm starting to feel a tiny bit optimistic that we may have gotten ahead of this thing in the US. Not that plenty of people won't get it, but maybe that there won't be a meteoric rise.

Italy on the other hand is experiencing a horror show. Anyone who thinks the US response is a waste should look at what is happening there. 21K cases, up 3500 from a day ago. 1440 deaths, up 175 from the day before. 7% mortality rate.

 

And now most major retailers (both brick and mortar and online) are limiting the amount of paper products, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, gallons of milk, etc. you can buy at one time because of all the panic buying.

And this behavior makes it all that much harder for those who only buy what they need, when (or just before) they need it. For instance, I can’t have sugar and need to drink special milk made with artificial sugar. Well, I went to three different local stores who sell it the other night and couldn’t find any on the shelf... so now I’m stuck mixing my shakes with water all because people went out and panic bought every gallon/half gallon of milk they could regardless of what kind it was.

And let’s be honest, I’ll survive this inconvenience, but it’s definitely frustrating and downright embarrassing to see people behave the way they have been.

 

Don’t forget the retailers that happily sold this stuff to these asshats. Unless your head has been in the sand since last November, you were perfectly fucking aware of this possibility. The choice to make a quick buck by enabling the hoarders is just as reprehensible as the choice to step on your neighbors to make your ignorant ass feel ‘prepared’.

 

Oh yeah, you’re not wrong there. I work for a major US packaged food manufacturer on the sales team supporting a local grocery chain. And as things around this outbreak started getting more and more media attention, that grocery store has been requesting additional product for weeks, cancelling planned events (i.e. discounted pricing) to enable them to charge full price for our items and is now asking us to place any and all displays we can get them in the paper products and cleaning section of the store to help “fill empty aisles and shelves”...

 

With all this talk of viruses, the Mrs. and I have a bunch of movies to remind us about how bad it could get.

First up was "I Am Legend" last night (we hate the dog scene)

"World War Z" on cue for tonight (love it when they make it to the base in Korea)

Time permitting tomorrow, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (if not only for the closing sequence)

Gonna have to do some more research to fill out the marquee for next weekend...

 

I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. -My Dad

 

Its also sad that so many of the perishable items will go to waste. I have seen people literately buying gallon milk enough to fill an entire Costco shopping cart . How the hell they are going to consume that much of milk or even store it refrigerated?

 

FIFY

 

Milk can be frozen and is good for a week after opening even if past expiration.

 

If you have enough space to freeze it or store it refrigerated.

 

Too many manufactures have outsourced/moved their labs and factories to Asian countries, over the past 20 years.

 

Freeze it, then put it in a cooler and use it to keep other food cool.

 

Which is why SK had the ability to process that many tests

 

You should have stared with Outbreak or The Andromeda Strain.

 

Lab consumables are outsourced. But there are plenty labs in the US. Biotech is one of the fastest growing industries in the US. The issue is testing pathogens like this requires specific bio-hazard certification which not many labs usually have. SK lifted such certifications so that any lab with required equipment can test it.

 

Outbreak is on Netflix, and while you're at it watch space jam. They cancel basketball because they think the players are getting sick so it's sorta relevant