Community Chat

[Cakers3]

I feel for all of you with distance between you and loved ones.

DS and family are 5 minutes away and we've already had 4 birthdays that were Zoom.  Forget Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[Cakers3]

Always keep some coin along with paper money.

We've already seen how some businesses didn't give change back or rounded up puchase to even $$ amounts.

Learned a long, long time ago when hit with a hurricane back home-small bills and coins.

[DiAnne]

I have been well warned by my neighbor who is a physician in the Seattle area and my cousin who is a physician in the Los Angeles area (he said some stores are boarding up their windows).

I have a few more things to get done next week and then I will hunker down for winter.

[Carmie]

I read an article yesterday about how grocery stores are stocking up on items that might be in short supply. They are filling their warehouses in case production slows.  I hope so.

I am pretty set.  I always have enough food and supplies to last for several months.  Right now I am baking and making soup and other items to freeze for when I don't feel like cooking.  I do that every few months.

Right now I have to use up some packages of  turkey packed in gravy...then I can make a fresh batch for this winter.

I did make a store run yesterday and bought some canned corn.   I read an article that said it will be in short supply this winter.  If so, I have a few extra cans in stock. Anyhow, it won't go to waste.

We always keep a stash of cash in our home safe....that is part of our preparedness plan.

[KaySD]

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@Susan in California wrote:

I generally stock up anyway, so we are set.  I also try to

keep some non-perishables and paper goods for our son

and his family who live in the City. 

We are prepared and have a lot of masks, soaps, sanitizers,

wipes. 

We've seen our doctors for routine appts., and our dogs keep

us very happy as companions. 

It is hard not being able to visit family members who live out

of state or to travel, which we usually do three times a year.

Overall, I am trying to stay hopeful and grateful.

But, as many have already stated, we are waiting for a safe and

effective vaccine.  So we are prepared for a wait of a few more months.

---

Atta girl, @Susan in California! You've spoken for me. And I don't feel "locked down." I feel "sheltered at home." I appreciate what each day has to offer. 

[Grade1Teach]

We did stock up on a bunch of things in August.  We put them away in our shed so that we wouldn't be tempted to use them.  I am so glad we did.  We don't need to worry about getting basic necessities if things get bad again. 

We shop at Costco regularly anyway, but we are going to make a few extra trips.  I'd rather be proactive than sorry at this point.

[SoX]

We're pretty much prepared ... freezer is full, linen closet stocked with TP, we go to early morning "senior" shopping at Sam's and Costco.   

DH has his doctor's appointment next Tuesday ... I already had mine ... got my flu shot.   I early voted last Friday ... I have some pastry orders coming from here (Q)...  

Let's see ... did I miss anything?

[pitdakota]

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@Susan in California wrote:

I generally stock up anyway, so we are set.  I also try to

keep some non-perishables and paper goods for our son

and his family who live in the City. 

We are prepared and have a lot of masks, soaps, sanitizers,

wipes. 

We've seen our doctors for routine appts., and our dogs keep

us very happy as companions. 

It is hard not being able to visit family members who live out

of state or to travel, which we usually do three times a year.

Overall, I am trying to stay hopeful and grateful.

But, as many have already stated, we are waiting for a safe and

effective vaccine.  So we are prepared for a wait of a few more months.

---

____________________________________________________

@Susan in California, sounds like you are fairly well prepared.  I will encourage you or anyone else thinking it might just be a few more months until a vaccine is readily available to research information about the covid-19 vaccines and follow that information.

The 2 leading companies thus far in the development and testing of the vaccine are producing a vaccine that will need sub-zero temperatures to transport and store the vaccine.  

Moderna's vaccine will require a transport and storage temperature of -4 degrees F.  Pfizer's vaccine will require a transport and storage temperature of -94 degrees F.  Most regular freezers can accomodate Moderna's vaccine, but if Pfizer is the first one cleared, there are multiple steps that will need to occur in the cold chain in order to dispense the vaccination.  It takes a special freezer for Pfizer's vaccine. 

They are currently installing what they call freezer farms at the UPS World Hub which is near me.  They will contain both normal & special freezers that will be able to achieve the really low temp necessary for storage.  I think they are also working on equiping some of their UPS transport planes with a few of those freezers as well.

I mention this in the case people are really holding out for a vaccine coming in a couple of months so that they can research this and follow the information for themselves.

I think people think of the covid-19 vaccine distribution as what they are familiar with in terms of influenza vaccines; distribution to drug stores, doctor's offices, drive through clinics, etc. Influenza vaccine can be transported and stored at refrigeration temps.  These types of vaccines will not be able to process along that same type of cold chain.

Obviously, if the first vaccine approved is one requiring special freezers for that type of distribution will not occur.  It would look a lot different than what I think most people are thinking about & take longer to actually vaccinate individuals due to those considerations.  Additionally, it is not only transporting the vaccine, but the vaccination sites will have to have whatever type of freezer in order to keep the vaccine at their site.  

An important reason to be on the watch for more information specific to your area.  In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see. 

[pitdakota]

This past weekend, I just happened to have a conversation with the manager of one of our largest Kroger stores here.  He is the son of someone I know.  After speaking with him, I might change some of what I had planned for the fall.

According to him, the store is running anywhere between 35-40% out of stock at any given time.  There are still some real challenges in the supply line due to covid.  Evidently many food production companies are not totally back up to pre-pandemic operation and won't be with the physical distancing requirements and trying to keep employees separated.  

Adding to the challenge according to him, is that companies are still being impacted by employees contracting covid, being off work, and still causing others around that employee to have to quarantine.  So at any given time decreased production can drop due to those circumstances without warning.  

He also explained that many companies might have something like 15-20 different products in their line, but most major companies are focusing on only running production for their top 6-7 products.  He gave an example of TV dinners, instead of producing the entire line they are focusing on only producing maybe 6 or 7 different choices.  

He did affirm that demand for groceries is still well above normal pre-pandemic times and attributed that to so many people working from home and a large number of school aged children that are at home doing online school.  

This all came from me just asking him about when we might see manicotti pasta here again.      

[patbz]

I read in Raven Rock ( excellent book on Civil Defense preparedness) that in a pandemic that part of distribution may be done Post Office trucks.