Novel coronavirus: what I did or wish I did to prepare for covid19

Update: caveat, please do not stockpile these items , especially mask and gloves as those are needed by medical institutions. These are some of the things that I wish I had on hand as they were stock piled by others.
So it seems all we're hearing these days on the news is the Wuhan virus, here are some of the things that we've done and some things that I wish we did:

Things to buy:

  • Hand sanitizer with more than 60% alcohol content (my mother actually bought us some from America) alcohol rub is effective against the coronavirus by attacking the outer layer of the virus.
  • Hand soap: washing your hands for more than 20 seconds (the ABC song) is the most effective way, I had to scramble to find large containers of refill for our hand soaps as we were washing our hands so much.
  • Masks: (I did buy some as soon as I heard of it so we did have some) but only need it in close quarters or if you're immunodeficient like my son seems to be. Surgical grade mask is what Taiwan CDC says are effective so there's no need to do the N95 unless you have a situation like in Wuhan. 
  • Thermometer: our in-laws bought us an amazing thermometer that goes across the forehead before we left for Taiwan that pretty much earned itself a place on the top shelf in our small apartment and the title of the best gift ever as we had to check our temperatures every day. 
  • Wipes: there are wipes made with alcohol and we use those to wipe our phones down as the virus can live outside of the body for several hours and we use our phones so much. 
  • Saran or cling wrap: these are handy for wrapping up your phones in case you prefer spraying your phone with disinfectants or just exchanging the old ones for new ones when you get home.
  • Laundry detergent: along with hand soap, we were using so much detergent as we took off our clothes every time we went in and out. 
  • Toilet paper/Tissues: If you don't have enough masks, stick some tissues/toilet paper on the inside to re-use the mask became a thing here in Asia.
  • Cloths/towels: this is for if you can't find masks and need to make some of your own, also, I found that I had to wash a lot of hand towels since you really to dry your hands well after washing them. In Asia, people also started making cloth protective covers for their masks which I'm not too sure about yet. 
  • Lotion/coconut oil: our hands were getting cracked from washing them so much. Not something I thought of until it happened. 
  • Gloves: disposable ones for pressing elevators and opening doors as the virus can live outside the body.
  • 2 weeks supply of food: rice, flour, canned foods, frozen vegetables and fruits in case you have to be quarantined. 

Things to do:
Get plenty of fluids, sleep, and exercise. Your best protection and friend is your own immune system so make sure you treat yourself well.

I will continue to update this post as there are probably things I need to add.


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