Navigating an On-Going Pandemic

It sounds like infection rates are going up which isn't too surprising since it's summer. In Florida, the median age for infection plunged to 37. On face value that might seem shocking, but let's back up the truck a bit. The people getting infected are least likely to die from it. They'll feel miserable for a couple of weeks, but they get over it.

The virus is not the killer plague the media made it out to be. Yes, some people get sick, and some die. But the number of deaths is incredibly low.

The media, being the media has blown it way out of proportion, covering each unique horror story as if it were happening exponentially. It's only when you see the actual numbers and work out the percentage that you realize what a snow job they created. They created a hysteria. I'd be scared too if I got sick today.

If you'd like to work out the numbers for your area, below are the links for population density and the formula for getting the percentage. When last I checked, this was the percentage for the US. Note where the decimal point is.   0.036937992804132%

How many people have been infected and/or died of Coronavirus.
Percentage Calculator

I don't anticipate another shutdown so prepping for a second wave or increased infection from the first wave will be treated slightly differently.

We are going out more. We shop weekly. We even eat out--sorta kinda. We buy restaurant food to go. I still don't feel comfortable eating in a restaurant.

So how are we treating this pandemic?

• We wear masks inside stores. We do not wear masks if we're outdoors shopping unless we happen to be in a congested area--which by us, never happens.
  
  
• We use hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes religiously after EVERY shopping encounter. If we shop at five stores, then we clean our hands five times. No exceptions.
  
  
• I wash my store bought produce.
  
  
• I wash my hands after handling mail or high touch areas.
  
  
• We spray Lysol on our shoes and don't bring them in the house. Please be careful spraying Lysol in the house if you have pets. Phenols are toxic to pets.
  
  
• We shop locally when we can, especially restaurants. Small, local (not big box stores and franchises) are the ones that got hurt during the shutdown. Support them first if you can.
  
  
• Stay stocked up. I'm still having trouble finding rubbing alcohol and alcohol wipes, but otherwise we're in good shape. Hand sanitizer is everywhere but we prefer the wipes.
  
  
• If you're elderly or immunocompromised avoid people when you can.
  
  
• Don't be afraid if you get sick. It's not a death sentence. The vast majority of people recover just fine without any medical intervention.
  
  
• If you get sick, up your dosage of Vitamin D, C, and Zinc. New research is saying steroids help too, but this is something only a doctor can prescribe. I'm not surprised by the steroid finding. It makes sense that if you can reduce the inflammation, you strike back at the virus's major method of attack.

We were planning on having friends over for the holiday, but I guess we'll have to wait a little longer.

The main way we're handling this continuing saga is by supporting businesses who were hardest hit by the shutdown. I don't want them to lose their livelihood.

Shop farmer's markets, eat from mom and pop restaurants, buy local whenever you can, and wash your hands. That's the best way we can help each other.

The ramifications of the virus are isolation and time. It is a gift. Use your time wisely if you're allowed to work from home or unemployed. The gift of time is precious and valuable. It has allowed us to get far more accomplished than we normally would.

Even while supporting local businesses, our spending has never been lower. Honest to dog, this virus scare has been surprisingly beneficial for me and mine.

I've lost weight, we've saved a ton of money, the garden is stupendous this year, plus we've gotten so many projects around the homestead done.

We miss our friends and family but we still talk to them all the time. I daresay, we talk to them more now than when we used to see each other.

How do you think people lived through the Spanish flu without cell phones, internet or tv? We have it good, my friends. Don't ever think differently.

How do you spend your free time? Did you check off any big projects from your to-do list?   

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