Every day the news media reports more cases and more deaths from the coronavirus. The disease and the fear of how much it will affect us has made many people fearful of contracting it. Fears of how it could affect the economy sent Wall Street into a spin last week, with the market nosediving. RV stocks took a big hit.
On a personal level, have you changed the way you live? Many of us are aware that washing our hands often is the best way to prevent getting the disease. But simply avoiding being around other people who could possibly be contagious has forced many people to avoid crowds — whether it means staying away from shopping centers, movie theaters, RV rallies or sports stadiums, or not using public transportation — buses, trains or planes?
How about you? Have you changed the way you live your life to avoid being in crowds? Curious minds want to know.
As always, your comments are welcome.
Our local, as well as national media spend an overwhelming amount of time discussing Covid-19. If they would curb all the hype, people could still be appropriately informed without being alarmed. I have over 45 years in health care, and the media always seems to cause the most angst, not the disease. People of very young age, older age and infirmed, are the ones who need to exercise caution. Wash your hands frequently and avoid others who exhibit signs of illness. Use common sense. If you are ill, stay home, don’t go out unless absolutely necessary. That includes going to church. Surgical masks are a waste of money, they do nothing to protect you, and in fact can cause you harm. Beware of all the scammers trying to make a buck on sanitizers, masks, treatments and such. If you become ill, treat yourself as you would normally. If you develop a fever, call your doctor. Stay out of ERs and walk-in clinics. They are breeding grounds for disease and most people do not properly cover up when sneezing or coughing.
More people die from the common cold, obesity and automobile accidents to name a few, than Covid-19. Panic is worse than the disease, use your head.
Well said!!!
Stop panic buying!
Do you really need 1800 rolls of Charmin for a virus that last just a week or two?
Do you need multiple cases of bottled water? What do you think? That all tap water will be shut off or the electricity is somehow going to shut down?
And what are you doing with all that butter that’s missing on the shelves? Are you coating yourself in it for protection?
At our Walmart, even the shoes are missing.
Is the apocalypse coming?
You will make it!
Today March 10th 2020, the Canadian government announced the FIRST death in this vast country due this virus – an 80 year old with multitudes of other health issues in a care home.
What the hell is the problem here people?????????
How easily you are conned into wiping out the toilet paper, hand sanitizer, & dog food supply in the stores, then forcing yourselves to be captive in your own homes.
Back in 2000, when the world was supposed to come to an end, the same bunch got similarly conned, when they bought every gas storage container in sight to store the gas for the generator they bought and never needed nor used!
.Frankly I’m sick of those so easily taken in by the media feeding them the annual disease of the year poised to wipe them out.
Bird Flu, Swine flu, SARS, Ebola, H1N1 etc etc etc —- give your heads a shake get out, go for a jog wave and say hello to someone.
Preaching to the choir reverend!
But if you are sick (anything – regardless), STAY HOME! STOP INFECTING THE REST OF US! GET 100% WELL FIRST! Just because you don’t have a fever does not mean that you can’t get the rest of us sick!
Learn to live within your means! Learn to balance a budget! Learn to save for emergencies! Take advantage of companies that offer a sick bank! DON’T ABUSE THE SICK BANK for a vacation period!
Have respect for your fellow human being!
Are you not tired of being sick yourself (caused by those inconsiderate B—–‘s that give it to you?
I said that I didn’t change my life to avoid crowds. The reason is I always tended to avoid crowds in the first place. I will go someplace crowded if there is a good reason, but I prefer to avoid them normally.
Yup, I agree.
Totally understandable and I respect your decision.
We just cancelled a planned 12-day trip. My husband is 85 with bad lungs. Heard the death rate for the flu was 0.1% and death rate for Coronavirus was between 1to 3 1-2%. So it is reported to be worse than the flu. We didn’t want to take unnecessary chances. It seems to be very contagious.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. In your situation, none of us can blame you for being on guard. I hope the good Lord watches over you and protects you!
I do wash my hands more frequently these days but, am not overly concerned re the corona virus.
Just stay on guard for future developments.
Take care. Exercise hand washing regularly. Watch out for those inconsiderate B___ who won’t stay home.
Living just fifty miles from the epicenter of the outbreak (Kirkland, WA) and having heart disease, respiratory problems AND Diabetes, you better believe I’m curtailing my activities. Our park has postponed all social gatherings until this thing is sorted out. Some of the comments on this page are inane, inaccurate, and misleading at best. Not everything is a conspiracy….
Sorry to hear about your troubles. In your situation, none of us can blame you for being on guard. I hope the good Lord watches over you and protects you!
We’ve been going to Walmarts and Costco both for items for our 6 cats (only 4 travel with us) I’ve decided to switch to delivery for Walmarts and not sure about Costco. They have stopped carrying the only dry cat 5 of the 6 will touch and 4 prefer it to wet food. Probably will have to search Amazon for a deli-cat provider.
We have been stocking alcohol gel in our cars for a decade now, to use after pumping gas or before heading into a restaurant for a meal.
My father, when he traveled with me as a kid, always carried Lysol spray and sprayed the bathrooms and sometimes the carpeting in motels. I am VERY allergic to dust and mold, also. So, if we have to saty in amotel, I break out the Lysol for all lightswitches, door knobs, bureau pulls, coverlet on bed, handsets, bathrooms, and especially remote. I also try to remember to spray my purse every 3-4 weeks, if it’s been on a floor. And speaking of allergies, I have to wear an N95 respirator when deep cleaning or I have horrible asthma.
When I worked sometimes when there were lots of callouts I would spray lightswitches, doorknobs and keyboards.
I never get the flu shot because of an extreme allergy to eggs, but since I am no longer working outside the home I will be able to stay home if ill. My workpaces have done such things as writing you up if you take 2 sickdays in 2 months, not paying you for the first day of illness, and expecting routinely for you you to breal actual laws (such as speed limits) in the performance of your job duties.
Be sure to read the label on the back of that can of Lysol or other product. You’ll be surprised to learn that the surface has to remain “WET” for 10 minutes before that product works. How many of you actually ensure a wet surface for 10 minutes? Most just spray and wipe. Hardly close to 10 minutes…Waste of money for not following directions.
I answered yes but by that I mean not just the virus but for other reasons. They are infective nests that spread disease, violence can break out at any time, too much noise, and most of all I like my time alone with my partner. I don’t like waiting in line for venues, concerts and amusement parks.
Partner is in remission (leukemia) -due to immunosuppressant—. We have been limiting exposure to large crowds.
I also have leukemia due to Agent Orange exposure. I have started immune therapy last Monday. So I have cut back on large crowd events.
Good luck, James! And thank you for your service! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I was diagnosed with MDS a year ago and underwent chemo. My last bone marrow sample showed no cancer (whew!) but all my blood numbers are below normal. That means red, white, platelet count, etc is low. So, since I don’t have a normal person’s level of natural protection, I too am limiting my contact with crowds. Otherwise, we go on with everyday life.
Yay, Tommy! No cancer! 😀 Now just get those blood numbers up. You got this!!! Happy RVing, for many healthy years to come! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Sorry to hear about your troubles. In your situation, none of us can blame you for being on guard. I hope the good Lord watches over you and protects you!
We are going on as usual. Right now we are in Florida (14 confirmed cases, Deaths 2, # of negative test results 100, number of tests pending 88, number of people under public health monitoring 278. Today we went to Epcot, it was jammed packed. Spring Break has just started in some parts of the country and from what today looked like, many have not canceled their plans. The one thing I have noticed since COVID-19, I have not seen many walk out of restrooms without washing their hands or barely wetting their hands and thinking they washed them! Yay for that! 29 people die per day because of a drunk driver so the odds of that happening is a lot higher then getting this virus.
Two tests per person so divide number of tests by 2. So 55 persons tested and 14 confirmed infected. That’s a 28% infection rate. Death rate for COVID-19 is 34 per 1000 infected. You’re saying more than 34 people are killed by only 1000 drunk drivers on the roads each each day in the United States.
Cheryl, if you really want a dose of reality, check on the number of people in your country (I’m Canadian -just as serious here) who die each day/week/month – year in your state or throughout the country from an HAI.
You’ll quickly forget about the media scaring the hell out of ya over Corona.
Oh you’ve never heard of HAI – ha, it’s North Americas best kept health related killer secret.
Investigate then be prepared for a problem that isn’t going away like the virus of the year will.
And out of the deceased, how old were they? Were there underlying conditions? And please provide an accurate number of those who ACTUALLY have it. Don’t just use the samples sent to the CDC. And remember that prior to just a few days ago, there were no private testing available to anyone. How many had it that never got reported? They just got over it on their own. That skews the mortality percentages horribly wrong. The current numbers are basically invalid as an expired passport.
Last year, I had the exact same symptoms as this CornaVirus. How do we know it wasn’t around last year since no one was tested for it? Can I say for sure I had it? Absolutely not. But I got over whatever I had that was the same symptoms as this.
And this year, a close relative had a virus which could not be cured with normal antibiotics. They went for the next level up. Recall that antibiotics won’t work on any virus. Was THAT CornaVirus? Can anyone PROVE this just started? Or did they just get over whatever they had after 3-4 weeks?
I don’t trust the CDC as far I can throw them.
I checked “I’m living my life as usual” but for us that means avoiding people as much as possible anyway.
We try to avoid people all winter. You never know which one has a cold, flu, or anything else.
The winter weather plays the biggest factor. Once it warms back up, it will all be over until next year when CornaVirus number 20 comes along. BTW… all flus are a form of CoronaVirus.
Unfortunately, because common sense does not prevail, your co-workers and irresponsible parents will continue to go to work and to school which continues this endless cycle.
In the meantime, do like the rich and get your hands on some of these cheap stocks! You’ll be glad you did in about 3 to 4 months.
Influenza Viruses are not Coronaviruses.
You might want to research more. Listen to the words here. Go to the CDC website.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/breaking-down-the-words-used-to-explain-coronavirus/2327814/
There are more than one varieties of CornaVirus.
Yes, but Influenza is not a Cornavirus.
Never saw the poll. No, we won’t change our travel plans. The corona virus scare is primarily news hype. Yes, it seems to be an easily spread disease with a higher than normal, but still low, mortality rate, but you are just as likely to get it at home (work, grocery, school) or other places you can’t avoid as travelling, especially in our own RV, where we can avoid places where it is likely to spread.
Every year, we’re preached about taking the Flu shot.
Every year, the CDC seems to recommend the wrong strand of the shot (type A, type B or whatever they want to call the next strain) and it never works. They always tell you that even if they give you the wrong strand, it will still help. Its BS, because the Flu is the Flu. I’ve never gotten better any faster with or without the shot. Look at the statistics…See how many that got the shot still get the flu.
And on that same topic…If they can “invent” a shot that can prevent the CoronaVirus, then they can “invent” a shot to prevent the flu. But remember, we’ve ALWAYS been told that there is no cure for a “virus”. It has to be a “bacterial” strand before the doctors can give you a shot. Is the CornaVirus not a “virus” (Corna – VIRUS)?
And on the CoronaVirus, they now tell us it comes from animals (i.e. a bat). If that were true, wouldn’t that virus have been around for thousands of years? Why all of the sudden now? Sounds like something out of biological war fare lab that got loose to me…Remember MERS and SARS. All of the sudden they came out of nowhere also. And now all of the sudden, they don’t exist any more? There is more to this story than meets the eye. Politics or biological experiment?
Just read this article on the worst pandemic flu’s. Did they take shots for it? Did it work if they did? Did it not run its course and end?:
https://www.mphonline.org/worst-pandemics-in-history/
And you really can’t believe the media on anything, but if this one is to be believed, it should set the record straight on the regular flu and the Corona Virus…Why haven’t we heard about this in the news? Media Bias once again? Selective reporting?
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/the-flu-has-already-killed-10000-across-us-as-world-frets-over-coronavirus.html
Which one do you think you should be afraid of?
Great comments! Bottom line is, Big Pharma is always behind the reports and pulls in billions of dollars when they do mass fear-mongering!
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nutrional Health
More on the “sucess” or lack thereof flu vaccines:
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm#howeffective
This is long but not a rant. I am trying to impart some education and common sense and maybe provide a different perspective to what might be happening than that being fed to us. We need to start using our brains and powers of research and discrimination on this virus issue. So:
1. How do we KNOW that there is a new virus different from the current virus running around our country infecting everyone with symptoms not-so-surprisingly similar or the same as those ascribed to the COVID-19 virus? Folks who are susceptible to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia – which the current virus is leading to quite rapidly, with excessive mucous production, are dying and in numbers greater than that being reported by this so-called new virus. I know. I’ve had it. It took me almost 3 months to fully recover. Along with most of the folks in the remote county, in the very large state that I live in. It’s the flu season. This one is a doozy because it starts out like a head cold and then just won’t let go with intensifying symptoms that lead to bronchitis and pneumonia. Because it starts out mildly, people don’t go home and so it has spread, and has been spreading very rapidly.
2. The test kits being touted can’t tell us the exact virus you are sick with. They are general test kits that can tell someone that a patient has antibodies to viral particles in their system. What kind those are can’t be tweezed out by these general kits. The tests that could tell you what virus particles you have in your system are expensive and take a long time to run and are NOT AVAILABLE TO MEDICAL CLINICS, DOCTORS OFFICES AND HOSPITALS. So all your doctor can do is receive a positive or negative test result for a viral infection. Period. Since most influenza viruses have the same, general symptoms, your doc will assume you have what is currently running around for whatever year you are sick in, based on your symptoms as compared with everyone else who is sick. And then you will be told to go home, rest, take something for pain and fever, and drink plenty of fluids. And to go back to your doc if you get complications such as severe coughing, shortness of breath, etc. The typical advice the medical community dishes out each year.
3. If you’ve been traveling to China, some docs will conclude you have COVID-19, whether or not you do. If you haven’t been traveling or exposed to travelers, like in a nursing home, but you are a reporter for a media outlet that wants to stir the pot, you can just report that someone has COVID-19 and get away with it. Who, in these times, is going to stop or challenge such a reporter or media outlet? We, the masses, will check our brains into the nearest closet and believe the questionable news report and get excited as expected. And then do the expected and programmed silly things that panicky people do. Which leads, ultimately, to an economic crunch in which YOUR money diminishes (if you cave into panicked behavior) while a few, manipulative folks reap the monetary rewards of your panic.
4. Which leads to the possible theory that a few people are getting very rich off of the stock market volatility, and might even be either manipulating this whole thing or certainly taking advantage of it. You see the stock market wobble. You sell your stocks and move your money to a safe place. Those not-so-nice folks ultimately buy them back at a premium, making themselves wealthier and you, less so. OR, we get moved into another recession which some folks think we need to be in so us little folks can stop making a nice profit to our nest eggs Or to attack a political figure and so some few folks can benefit from a depressed economy. Recessions tend not to be accidents. They tend to be engineered. We need to think about that.
5. So, I find it totally amazing that in a country full of people who are free to learn anything we want and are free to use our brains in a logical manner in order to come up with logical conclusions, are NOT researching things for themselves; NOT getting appropriately educated; and NOT using logic to help come up with conclusions that might be different from the ones the media and government want you to come up with.
6. Instead, we are being led around by our noses by people who do NOT have our best interests at heart. Please wake up. We are in a typical flu season and a lot of us have gotten sick with the current flu. Most of us will recover. Many of us will take longer than we would like. Many of us won’t get sick at all. A few of us will have complications and die and we will grieve their passing and bless them on their journey as we do every year during this time. We don’t need a special, new virus for all this to happen since it already IS happening. In huge numbers far greater than the puny COVID-19 virus is causing. It’s a flu bug. Your flu vaccine either isn’t very effective for it or not at all effective for it since it is, if anything, probably a normal flu mutation for which the current vaccines are not designed to work on. We need to get real about that.
7. IF there really is a COVID-19 virus, different from the one(s) currently running around, then it is a very weak one, based on the numbers being reported vs the numbers of sick people from the current-year virus(es). Which might, possibly, be one and the same as already hypothesized above. Thus, nothing to get excited about unless you have an immune compromised system due to age or other complications. In which case you should be more careful regarding ANY viral infection and not just the questionable-at-best COVID-19 one.
8. Note that China, the country of supposed origin, has a HUGE pollution problem that is making their city dwellers very, very sick, in general, with lung diseases and other immune compromised diseases. So ANY viral infection is going to hit those folks very hard during a normal flu season. But maybe, China wants to get people quarantined for awhile and slow the economy for a bit to reduce the pollution output (which has apparently happened). It’s cheaper than putting in expensive manufacturing equipment to regulate pollutant outputs. A totalitarian government can easily tell people what to do and believe because the population is programmed to do so. And because you get seriously punished if you don’t. And such economic slowdowns also happen to allow government and private entities to manipulate the stock markets that will see some few individuals wealthier, to boot. This should cause us to want to defeat that sort of behavior by not buying into it. We are Americans and we are smarter than they are. Or we should be. We still have the freedom to thumb our noses at our government, other governments, and the media without “disappearing.”
9. Take reasonable hygiene precautions for the time of year we are in. Keep yourself as healthy as possible. Be where you want and need to be in this country. Buy stuff like you normally do. If you believe in flu vaccines, get a shot. If you get sick, go home and recover if you can. If you can’t, try to protect others around you. Understand that wearing a mask is useless since you are going to touch your face at some point and since the mask itself is loose around the edges and the weave of the mask material more than likely isn’t going to be small enough to thwart a tiny virus from getting through. Don’t bother. Don’t sell off your stocks since if you wait it out the jerks trying to get rich off of your panic reactions, won’t. Which could make you feel good about keeping some few jerks from their anticipated wealth. Your money will come back. Be strong. Be empowered. Don’t be a mindless lemming (who are actually smarter than folks give them credit for.) Be SMART. Enjoy life.
Love, love, love seeing and reading comments from someone that finally has common sense! I am in the health field and am very frustrated, angry and very upset by how the mass population is being brainwashed to believe that this is really a crisis. It is baffling to me that a 1st world country doesn’t have smarter folks educating themselves on their own health and what their reading and hearing. Why are people not demanding stats on deaths from the flu shot, and vaccinations because those stats are a lot higher than death from virus or flu, and yet the general public fall over themselves lining up to get theirs. Watch next year when Big Pharma comes out with the “new” vaccine for Corona virus….folks will be falling over backwards to get theirs not even having any understanding of what’s in them or the adverse effects. To date we know directly 4 people that have died from flu shots. We’ve never had one and never will.
Just sent a note to a local TV News Broadcaster about that same subject. WHY are we NEVER told about the real statistics?
TELL ME (For not only the CoronaVirus but the FLU and common cold as well):
How many are affected
How many have died.
Where are the illnesses/deaths occurring.
How young/old were the persons affected.
Were there underlying conditions.
Those statistics that conclude with 100,000 dead mean nothing without further information. They could have all been 90 years old in multiple Sr. Citizens facilities.
Instead, the news media wants to create fear and panic by not reporting the full facts.
The government (and employers, and schools) fail to mandate that those sick stay home. End of story. We need a law that says if you have the Flu, a common cold or any other transmitted disease that you are required by law to stay home. If not, a jail sentence can be imminent. I’m so tired of irresponsible persons bring their illness to work. It spreads like cancer to the rest of the team. How irresponsible. Don’t tell me that you can’t afford it. Many employers offer sick leave. They can’t help it you blew on it on a spring fling. Others that do not, persons need to learn to manage a budget. Oh yea…that don;t teach budgets at school…
One thing about it, many will continue to make a fortune off of those that panic buy. Today, we were at Walmart. The shelves were empty of water, bread, cleaners, paper towels and toilet paper. The Stock Clerk stated that he can’t even stock the shelves. Instead, he sits the pallets out in the floor and let’s the crowds fight it out.
What are people afraid of? Do they think the water tap is going to shut off? Maybe their well is going to go dry? The electricity is going to shut off? Heaven forbid if their cell phone gets cut off and they have to directly talk with a human.
Well said. AMEN!
I over 60 and have a kidney transplant. Heck yes, I’m being super careful.
Good for you Lizzy. I suspect there’s a few of us rare birds out there who have been taking the precautions, being “super careful”, like taking the full time required to wash our hands properly since we could do so independent of mother. Stay well!
I support your decision. If I had a condition like that, I would also stay away from inconsiderate persons. If I have it, I WILL stay home until fully cured! And I will tell you if you come to my door!
No we are not limiting our RV travel. Flu kills more people per year then coronavirus has or will. Wash hands and cover your coughs. Stay home if you have any illness. There has been less then 100 people infected of the millions living here in US. The flu will mutate a bit each year and people will get year after year. coronavirus Will not mutate and if you have or get it you will be immune in the future. People who have a underlying health issues should be careful.
Good for you. Take care. Exercise hand washing regularly. Watch out for those inconsiderate B___ who won’t stay home.
Here in Central Florida we have not had any cases of coronavirus yet. But when it gets here, I will avoid crowds. We have planned a 4 month trip for this summer, and I am somewhat afraid that we will get somewhere on our trip, and one of us will get sick.
With all of the thoughtless people out there, I won’t be surprised.
Take care. Exercise hand washing regularly. Watch out for those inconsiderate B___ who won’t stay home.
Until I see people dropping like flies around me, I’m going on my merry way.
Good for you. Take care. Exercise hand washing regularly. Watch out for those inconsiderate B___ who won’t stay home. Our cruise leaves April 12. We WILL be on it!
Glad to hear you are being pro-active Chuck! SEA is a major hotbed. This stuff spreads so easily and that is the scary part of it – it has the rapid potential to be devastating to the older or impaired population. We don’t have any in ND – YET – but now one in MN – so it won’t be long before it lands here with the all day traffic back and forth to the Cities. Amtrak on the east coast is cutting back today; and of course we all know the plight of airlines. Could and more than likely will lead to massive layoffs across all sectors.
The press certainly likes to make political hay of every event – no matter what! Some of this event is news hysteria – but on the other had – and until a vaccine is available, routine precautions and common sense should prevail. I am old enough to remember POLIO and all the curtailed swimming activities and crowd avoidance advice. That could have been termed “hype” too – but was it? Take care and be well – and if you’re sick – stay the hell home!
Regardless of what cold, flu or CornaVirus you have!
Be considerate of others (unless you just enjoy making enemies of people).
I have no respect for those that come to work sick.
We will not be cutting back on anything and both of us are appalled at the scare tactics and mass fear the media is instilling in the general public. Folks need to wake up and use some common sense. Big Pharma writes the media scripts and are laughing all the way to the bank and will be making billions of dollars on this one! Being in the health industry for many years, common sense has to prevail and really all that needs to be done, is folks need to start taking better care of themselves. Eat healthy, drink water and get lots of rest.
Good for you. Take care. Exercise hand washing regularly. Watch out for those inconsiderate B___ who won’t stay home.