Pandemic panic

Thanks for the link janea. With the only source I can find who has supplies of hand gel, I was speechless to see Amazone selling six small bottles of gel, normally 99p, for £70 !!

I still have a well used copy of the Fragrance Pharmacy which I had completely forgotten about so will have a look for any suggestions there too.

At GP this morning I noticed 1 bottle of hand sanitiser at the main desk in our health centre. According to the receptionist, I was on,y one of a few to actually use. Beggars belief!

I do wonder now if she was always easy going (my mother swore she wasn't when she was younger) or if it was just the brandy.

M0nica, the stories I shared were reported on K5 News, an NBC affiliate station, in Washington state where there's an outbreak occurring-

I was watching their station when the story was reported- You can fact check it by Googling:

Snohomish County teacher with compromised immune system wants wider testing for coronavirus
The Jackson High School teacher said she was told she isn't sick enough to get tested. She worries if she waits until then, it could be too late.

Author: Eric Wilkinson
Published: 8:52 PM PST March 2, 2020
Updated: 8:52 PM PST March 2, 2020

They interviewed the teacher via video chat- The video is on the same page as the article-

Labaik I think it varies in strength, but we use it on our hands up at the stables all the time, after touching horses with cuts/abrasions and infections.

Is hibiscrub a hand sanitiser? The vet gave me some for the dog!

Thanks for that link janea. I find I have plenty of aloe vera gel, now just have to find the alcohol.

Trisher what lovely memories your post brought back ! My granny and my mum both used to have a small bottle of ‘medicinal brandy’ with them , especially going away on long journeys.
I wonder if our grand children will remember us for always having ‘medicinal’ hand gel in our bags? Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it ?

Trisher I'm with your grandmother there wise woman! (Not if you drive mind)!

Here’s how to make your own hand sanitiser.
The main thing is that you need minimum 60% isopropyl alcohol.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2020/3/2/21161346/hand-sanitizer-diy-how-to-hand-wash-cdc-alcohol-virus-illness

Of course we should all take care with hand washing and hygiene.

However it should be pointed out that so far almost 14,000 people in UK have been tested for the virus and as yet only 35 (I think) have been found to be infected.

I am in no way down playing the seriousness of the virus on those with underlying health problems - but for the vast majority of us there is no need to panic.

My friend since childhood, who has always been a prophet of doom, is currently beside herself with worry - principally, for her DD who has underlying health problems and works on a supermarket till, which is understandable. However, she has become fixated on a religious "End of the World" scenario. She regales anyone who will listen with the "signs" that were prophesied to occur in the last days.

Plagues e,g, of locusts and viruses - Yes
Floods. Tsunamis, - Yes
Fires e.g volcanoes and bush fires - Yes
Civil Disobedience/wars/exodus /Brexit - Yes
Adultery, Sodomy!!, fatherless children - Yes

It is hard to convince my friend that these things have always occurred (and humanity has survived) It is just that today with global media we are informed of events in all corners of the world. I am quoting her worries here to illustrate the dire effects that these pandemics, etc. can have on the mental as well as physical well-being of individuals.

* Rosecarmel* and Bradfordlass I believe that both the stories you tell (teacher not being tested) ( pharma companies encouraging coronavirus) are both fake news and have been proven so.

I think in this current crisis we all need to be very careful about shock horror/blame news items aimed at causing public unrest and passing these stories onward, whether told to us online or by a friend/trusted person.

The one thing we can be sure of during this crisis is that Fake News sites will be working overtime.

A young doctor I know always carries ‘anti patient’ gel in his car ......aka hand sanitizer . He uses it before and after all patient visits as well as hand washing of course.

My grandmother always carried brandy-'for mediceenal purposes' she said. She lived to be 90.

I wonder if it would work to soak a pack of tissues in Dettol or similar and wrap tightly in cling film and then a plastic bag to clean hand while out?
Would a bottle of teatree oil work, they usually have rubber droplet thingys.

I am going to do just that Bluesky
It is the best suggestion I have heard yet.
Just don't drive whilst doing it.

It would be foolish to underestimate the effects of this illness, many people say it is no worse than the flu. I had Asian flu in 1957 as did my baby sister, we were desperately ill.
I have had various other strains of flu too so was relieved when I was eligible for the vaccine.
All the information I have read suggests that this illness does not present like the common cold and if you have a runny nose and are sneezing then you do indeed have a cold.
No hand sanitiser to be found over the weekend, I like to keep one in the car to rub my hands when I leave shops. Supermarket trolleys are the dirtiest things around.

Apart from all recommended hygiene measures, hand washing has always be a priority for me since childhood, wearing gloves when out, drinking only from paper cups or taking my own, doing shopping on line and generally staying away from crowded places, I've taken to carrying a miniature bottle of whisky and putting a drop in my tea. Hopefully it will kill all known germs dead!

The cynic in me thinks that it's an expedient way of clearing out the vast number of baby boomers, of which I am one. {Sorry ?}

grannyactivist, I can empathise with you and understand what you are saying.

My immunine system is compromised and I worry about catching the virus, I suspect I won't survive if I catch it.
My usually laid back husband, is so worried about me catching it. I suspect he would like me to shut myself away in isolation for the duration.

Last year on a trip coming back from Rome, the passenger next to me, coughed, spluttered, sneezed for the whole journey. He didn't even cover his face when sneezing.
DH and I spent the next six weeks very unwell with a viral infection. No matter how many precautions you take, it all depends on others, playing ball!

I was listening to K5 NBC news station out of Washington and they ran a story about a science teacher who became sick that may have come in contact with a student who tested positive for the virus but the CDC refused to test her because she wasn't on their "short list" of those they will test and was told she isn't sick enough- She is immune compromised- The CDC refused to comment-

Also on the same station, local authorities are talking about purchasing a local hotel to use as an isolation unit and impromptu hospital-

In other words, the U.S. isn't prepared -

Thank you Labaik. Because of my weakened immune system my daughter, who is a nurse, long ago instilled in me the importance of proper, regular, hand washing - and I'm a stickler for following 'rules'.

My husband travels a lot on public transport and visits a great many places around the country. He's incredibly fit and well and is ten years younger than me so if he gets the virus his chances are extremely good, but he's desperately afraid of bringing an infection home. When he left for an extended trip this morning he went supplied with Dettol wipes, hand sanitizer, packs of tissues and latex gloves.

My eldest son, his wife and their toddler have all recently had Strep A confirmed by blood tests and they've been worriedly waiting to see if they've passed it on to me. My children have grown up contending with my health issues and for the most part they don't fuss, but they are truly spooked by this virus - especially as I haven't been well since the end of summer last year.

I don't think it helps when I remind them that I will one day have to die of something.

..or not get less well....[if that makes sense...]

Which is why everyone should do everything they can, within reason, to limit the spread of the virus. When I worked for the NHS when swine flu was rampant I was shocked at how many of my colleagues didn't bother to be vaccinated. And a recent survey that said many people didn't wash their hands after going to the toilet . I sincerely hope that you stay safe and well grannyactivist.

I am not given to panic, but the virus has a death rate of around two per cent (similar to the Spanish Flu outbreak that killed around 50 million people) and those most at risk are people with compromised immune systems who are over 65. So, that would be me then.

I have recently recovered, sort of, from a period of severe ill health that included pneumonia. Today I've started a new course of antibiotics for a kidney infection and am battling the associated chills and nausea whilst peeing blood and razor blades (well it feels like razor blades). I'm praying it doesn't turn into pyelonephritis this time and that the sore throat I'm brewing isn't Strep A, caught off my son and his family on a recent visit.

As you can surmise, I am not a well woman . Which is why my family, also not usually given to panicking, are actually beginning to worry about my chances of surviving Covid-19.