I just want to emphasize this point. I’m a physician and cringe whenever I see friends or family say they’re stocking up on masks. I see pictures in the media of people wearing masks inappropriately or with only one strap attached. To be truly effective, you have to have the right mask and it has to be specially fitted and tested to make sure particles aren’t seeping in through gaps. I work in a hospital and we are having to find alternate vendors for masks because of shortages. Please don’t go buying up all the masks—leave them for the healthcare providers!
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Try ordering what you need online. Amazon and probably a lot of other suppliers still have things in stock.
I’m sorry I gave incorrect information. Apparently 80 proof vodka is only 40% alcohol and 60% is needed for killing the virus. Vodka could stretch the rubbing alcohol. I read 15 places yesterday that vodka was effective but I suspect maybe only as an anti bacterial, not as an anti viral. My apologies.
Luckily I’ll have no problem finding other uses for my vodka stash.
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If we drink enough of the vodka, we won’t care about the Corona! LOL!
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I wouldn’t cancel but then I haven’t changed any of my lifestyle habits and am flying out on holiday next week.
However you need to decide on what you feel comfortable with.
Ski goggles don’t create a seal around your eyes. Swim goggles do. But I don’t think you need to wear goggles unless you’re at risk of someone sneezing on your face.
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I’ve previously discussed that I put a fresh roll of TP for each new guest and move the partial roll to my part of the house. I’ve done this for purely psychological reasons. I think it sends a message, probably subliminal for the vast majority of guests, that “no dirty strangers’ hands have touched this item that I’m now applying to my private parts, face, etc.” I have individually wrapped rolls so the guests have to notice.
Now I’m reading that CV19 may be transmitted via fecal-oral means. Maybe some hosts who were skeptical about this when I posted about it before can take this information into consideration. I’m still going to use partial rolls in my part of the house but not immediately, I’ll store them in my garage over the summer. Apparently the viruses don’t like hot, dry conditions.
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Here it’s lurid headlines on Fox News cable, factual reporting from PBS and MSNBC. Of course Fox and all those Brit tabloids are owned by Rupert Murdoch. I haven’t read his Aussie papers but I’ll bet they’re even worse. Murdoch will do anything to sell advertising at high prices and buy politicians on the cheap while avoiding taxes.
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Everclear is 90% ethanol. It’s not sold in all states. If you can’t get Everclear, buy cheap vodka, which is usually about 45% ethanol.
— Editing —
Just found this. They should know.
If I lived in NH I’d be leading an email campaign to tell the state medical board to cancel his license. We don’t need entitled p***ks like him practicing medicine — we have enough of them already.
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I agree with @Helsi as another health care professional.
Personally, I’ve been reaching out to incoming guests. Along with their check-in instructions, I cite the virus and indicate that they’re likely to experience additional check-points or questions when coming through Customs (if they’re international). I am letting guests know that while I’m not particularly worried about the virus, it’s always better to be safe than sniffly and no one wants to be sick on vacation. It’s very easy to get sick in NYC!
I let guests know that:
- I’ve recently switched out cleaning products into more heavy-duty, bleach-based products
- I left Vitamin C packets (Emergen-C and Airborn) for them to use
- I’ve left them cough drops and travel packs of anti-bacterial wipes to carry with them if they’d like (for hands, phone, whatever)
I also reiterate the recommendations about washing their hands, staying hydrated, and please remove shoes when entering the home (again, NYC is extremely dirty!).
Guests have responded really warmly and positively to the message. I felt like I wanted guests to know that while I’m not worried, I’m responsive and want to be considerate.
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will the everclear work? or the Bacardi 151? I think there are other types of alcohols in the liquor store with a high concentration of alcohol. Sorry I have the bad habit of reading from the end up, so I see it has been discussed already.
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OK, you just convinced me to install the bidet instead of my regular toilet. The TP can go to hell. I mean, lets save the Canadian forests. One of my friends has one and it comes with a remote and it has all kind of cool stuff, from lighting and colors to ambiental music. I think the guests might be impressed.
I stayed in a home with two bidets and 6 Americans. I think only one of us used it. I’m not anti-bidet, in fact I think having one in my “aging in place” bathroom will be in order. But Americans have to be habituated to them.
Do you think they’ll mark me down for having them? It’s true I’ve seen them in Turkey but japanese have them too and they are quite sophisticated. I have a good friend, a doctor who just remodeled her bathroom and installed one of these. She gave me the idea. But they’ll come in handy in cases like these where viruses hac spread via feces and there’s a TP shortage.
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There is? I just ordered more on Amazon yesterday and there seemed to be plenty, not to mention the local stores.
I don’t think you would marked down but just make sure you supply TP.
Guest post: “OMG there was this weird, scary contraption in the bathroom that looked something like a toilet, but apparently wasn’t. We got a damage charge request for crapping in it, should we refuse to pay?” 
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“Sink in the bathroom was weird, you have to practically kneel down to use it. Plus, host didn’t supply toilet paper.”
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I have no idea how to use a bidet. And I’m older so if crouching is necessary, I might just be toast.
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I thought this was worth sharing.
I’m a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I’ve been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria…there is little I haven’t been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.
I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.
What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don’t have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know…" and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games…that could be kyboshed too. Can you even
imagine?
I’m scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession.
But mostly, I’m scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.
Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and “fight for yourself above all else” attitude could prove disastrous.
I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let’s meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.
Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it.
#washurhands #geturflushot #respect #patiencenotpanic
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