Pandemic Preparations

UPDATE 3/7/20: We need to prevent and we need to prepare for lockdown. There are now two identifiable strains of COVID-19. There is an aggressive strain and a more milder strain. It is believed the milder strain is mostly effecting the United States--which is why many people have mild or no symptoms of the virus. This is dangerous because it is spreading rapidly and even more so if people are walking around asymptomatic. The CDC is not being transparent with testing and the US is just now testing more people for the virus. They have only tested a few hundred when other countries have tested thousands. The incubation period is between 2-14 days with some people having symptoms as late as 27 days or being asymptomatic yet still testing positive. WHO announced the global death rate for COVID-19 is 3.4%. To put this into perspective, the influenza death rate is 0.1%. The average deaths each year from influenza is around 50,000 people. I feel this will peak in the next couple months, so we need to be prepared for lockdown within our homes. I don't want to see anyone unprepared and feeling scared because they don't have the supplies to get them by for a 2-4 week quarantine. Well I survived through SARS back in the early 2000s and that's a coronavirus... yes, but SARS was less communicable and only killed approximately 800 people. The death toll as of today is at 3,600. In one week 16 people have died in Washington state from COVID-19. In 4 months, 47 people have died from influenza in the state of Washington. I am very scared for the people that are acting like this virus is no big deal and nothing more than the flu. I feel like these individuals haven't been watching the news and haven't been doing their own research. If I get a knock on the door that I am to be quarantined because I've been within 6 feet of someone for 10 minutes (this is currently happening in the US), I want to know that I have everything in my home that I need to thrive for 2-4 weeks. It's best to be prepared before the crisis begins. I highly suggest you buy what you need now and share my blog with a friend. I began buying stuff three weeks ago and many of the items are low on stock or out of stock. Items in stores are also running out. Better safe than sorry-I want everyone prepared.

Preparedness = No Fear

All conspiracy theories aside, we need to prepare because people are being effected by this virus and cities are being shut down. Whether stocking up on necessities is warranted or not, at the end of the day it is better to be prepared, because it is very likely your town will be mandated to lockdown.

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Below I will share how I am preparing for if the Coronavirus comes my way. As always with my blog, these are my personal beliefs and experiences. Please refer to my disclaimer and I recommend getting medical advice before doing anything new.

Oh Coronavirus, how no one really knows anything about you. No one knows whether you're a wild virus or biological warfare. No one really knows what's going on in China. No one knows how dangerous you really are...but we're busting out a new vaccine to test on us all in hours. The CDC says don't worry--yet the every year the CDC ploys scare tactics to get your flu shot. It's all so confusing and the way the news chooses to portray issues, I'm steering clear from mainstream media, and preparing on my own terms.

Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch told The Wall Street Journal that "it's likely we'll see a global pandemic" of coronavirus, with 40 to 70 percent of the world's population likely to be infected this year.

I'm not so much scared of the virus, as much as I'm scared of what the government will enforce. Will they enforce Martial Law? If you aren't familiar with the law you should become aware of it. Here, this woman breaks down some of it and how we may be effected. I am not trying to fear-monger, BUT I don't want to rely on anyone--I want to be able to take care of my family. Because I've been in natural disasters and let's just be honest, it's a shit show.

In case you aren't quite sure what the Coronavirus is, it is an upper respiratory illness that can be a mild cold or can be deadly, depending on the strain. This strain was recently named COVID-19. MERS and SARS are also classified under Coronavirus. Think of it like Influenza.- there are so many different strains and the CDC guesses each year which strains will be a good fit for the upcoming flu shot. Hence, why the flu vaccines sucks ass and per the CDC (so maybe even less effective) the flu shot is so ineffective. People that get the flu shot are still getting influenza. Some families in my community are reporting the only people in their family that have gotten influenza are the ones that get the vaccines.

If you just want to jump to a page with picture links to buy all the necessities, click here.

Health

I want to be prepared the best I can in case we are in fact quarantined in our homes for any extended period of time. I'm sure I'm missing out on some items, so if you have anything to add, please contact

• Masks. Update: I know the CDC has flyers saying, 'stay calm and wash your hands', but I don't trust them. Do you know why that it?! Because there are no masks. They are all sold out and even the healthcare industry can't get them. I truly believe an N95, and better yet, an N99 mask will protect us from illness. BUT you need to put it on and leave it one and don't touch your face. There are 2 types of masks that you need. You need surgical masks for anyone that is actively sick. These only help keep the germs in. There is a huge shortage of all masks right now. Then you also need N95 or N99 masks to keep the germs from getting in. Most masks like these only last a total of 8 hours of use. I found some at my local store but they are completely gone online. I then began my search for reusable N95 rated masks. Most of them only keep out .3 microns. Most viruses range from 0.004 to 0.1 microns and we currently don't know what size the coronavirus is. To top it all off two of the major reusable masks are sold out so I kept searching and found a local company called RZ masks. There masks are .1 micron rated and if you're just using it to walk around the city, it should last about 50-60 hours. They also have placeable inserts so you don't have to constantly buy whole new masks. I bought one for each of my family members--The smallest size (medium) fits my 9 year old but not the smaller ones. I just finished a makeshift mask for the littles with the filter from RZ masks.

• Water. We all need healthy water and we can only store so many bottles of water in the house AND bottled water is not healthy for us! I've owned a Berkey system for 10 years now and I'll never ever not have one! Read about all the contaminants removed for the water. Here you can save some money on a Berkey now. You can also read more under the Products I Love. P.S. if our city water is under an advisory for Hep A or other viruses in the water, then I'll also boil the filtered water or use 2% iodine.

• Air purifier. It's so important to keep the air in our home as clean as possible, especially if we're going to be stuck in it for who knows how long. It's been said that the air in our homes are more toxic than the air outside. I bet many find that hard to believe, BUT with all of the off-gassing of carpets, paints, etc, coupled with our homes being sealed up, I believe it. So, I recommend buying a HEPA or ultra-HEPA system. I just bought an AirDoctor and I'll let you know how I like it. It removes airborne pathogens, VOCs, and dust particles. Update 3/7/20: I've noticed a huge difference in our air quality. If I have it upstairs and go downstairs, I notice it smells like off-gassing. We live in a one year old home. So happy we bought it.

• Food. This could be a post on its own. I want to preface by saying that I am aware these are not the healthiest foods, but that's not my concern when I'm prepping for a disaster. You don't have to buy dehydrated survival foods. That can get expensive and if a crisis never occurs, it will never get eaten because they typically don't taste super yummy. Assuming the electricity remains on, freeze your meats, vegan products, cheese, bread, tortillas, and other frozen meals, and veggies, and fruit. I want dry foods that will keep my family alive during a time of need. I'm not going crazy, but I do have a stash of flour (to make tortillas and quick breads), dried beans, canned foods, rice, oatmeal, pasta, sauces, canned salmon, peanut butter, jelly, MREs, jerky, coffee, chocolate ;), goat milk formula for kid nutrition and for cereal too, dried fruit, nuts, and other dry foods that won't go bad anytime soon. Sugar can be used if you run out of maple syrup for my 'sweet tart' mega dose vitamin c recipe. If you do want to go a little more extreme you can buy your dry good in bulk and store them in containers like this and make sure you use oxygen absorbers like these. Those buckets are amazing, I wish I still have mine. Last but not least, food for your fur-friends!

• Cash. If the city shuts down, the banks will be closed and the ATMs out of cash.

• Gasoline I've been in natural disasters-if places are shut down, gasoline will be slim or nonexistent. Better to try and keep a full tank in case things change and you need to evacuate for whatever reason.

• 2% Iodine Tincture. This little bottle will not only kill ringworm and disinfect wounds, but it will also sanitize your water. It's said to be a better water treatment than chlorine. So if you don't want to purchase a Berkey, this tincture won't remove much, but it will remove most bacteria and viruses. Add 5 (clear water) or 10 (cloudy water) drops of iodine to each quart of water and allow to sit for one hour. It will make you water taste funky, so you can always add some Vitamin C powder (about 50mg per quart) once the tincture has been in the water for one hour.

• Hydrogen Peroxide. It has been proven to be very effective in killing bacteria, fungus, and viruses. Great alternative to bleach. During an outbreak, if someone has to leave to the home, it would be advised to have them remove their clothes and shoes in the garage and spray them down with peroxide before entering the home to shower. More on prevention during an outbreak. Blog post here.

• First aid kit. I'll just leave this at what you think is important. If you're trained in using a otoscope, keep one in the home--so great to be able to see if it's a bacterial or viral ear infection. What about gloves, masks, thermometer, nebulizer.

• Medications- any medications that you take, you should have a few months supply for you and your pets. Not only in case of lock down but also in case there is a shortage of your medication, depending on where it is made.

• Staples- Think of what you can't live without in your home. I love chocolate. What about diapers, wipes, trash bags, feminine products, paper plates, paper towels, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies.

• CBD oil. Because it helps calm my nerves and boosts the immune system-it modulates the immune system. The endocannabinoid system is located throughout our body, primarily down the midline. There are two specific receptors in the endocannabinoid system that assist in creating homeostasis amongst all of the systems in our bodies-CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB2 receptors reside in the gut and 80% of our immune system is in our gut! 10% off with this link.

• Potassium Iodide for radiation poisoning (throwing this in here, because you never know when atomic bombs will be launched (I had a missile vision a few months ago...)). The CDC gives a ton of information on KI and the actual dosages for infants, kids, and adults. IOSAT is a well known brand and is what we keep in our home. They are tablets and can easily be cut as needed for child doses. This is to only be taken during a radiation attack.

• Crank radio to stay in contact in case electricity goes out.

Supplements/Vitamins

If an epidemic/pandemic enters your town, do you want to take the risk on going to the doctor/urgent care/ER for something and end up catching something worse? That's up to you, but we plan on avoiding all locations like that as best as we can. We will home remedy our ailments with the following unless they are out of our control and then we will of course seek medical care.

(Here you can read about my prevention line/dosing-up I take)

These in purple are my top go to supplements for prevention on a budget.

• Powdered Vitamin C . Oh, man. so much information about Mega-dose Vitamin C--I really want to get this blog published so you all can start prepping. Just order this! We don't make vitamin C. Animals make 5-10g of C a day. Adults can easily take 3-5g a day as a preventative. We need higher doses than what the FDA recommends and we need even higher doses when we are ill. More information on Vitamin C dosing in this post and another post here about mega doses.

• Vitamin D. Most of us are deficient and it's so important in boosting our immune defenses. This one is unflavored. If you buy one with K2 in it also, that helps the D be absorbed. This is a good one, I just need to do more research on higher doses of K2 so we haven't purchased it. But we do get K2 in our multi. Mushrooms and sunshine are also great ways to boost the immune system and get natural sources of vitamin d.

• Colloidal Silver. Amazing antibacterial and immune boosting properties. It is proven to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. It's very beneficial to nebulize after going to stores or work-it will kill all bacteria and viruses in the mucous membranes and lungs. It can also be taken internally. Read more about it here.

• Nebulizer. This one is like $20. Here is a link I found online about using a nebulizer with colloidal silver. Please do your research and speak with doctor before trying. Here's a video showing nebulization of colloidal silver. Here's a study on the use of using colloidal silver during illness. Please do your own research and speak with a doctor.

• Iodine (nascent iodide-different from the other iodines I was speaking about-this can be taken daily.) It's a great immune booster and detoxifier and thyroid health. We are all deficient and even more so since most of us now steer free from iodized table salt. Dosing here for kids. If a persons has sufficient iodine levels and their thyroid is working properly, they can successfully convert carotene into vitamin a.

• Liquid Oregano Oil. This stuff is my go to when illness strikes, along with the ones listed in purple. It's a potent antibacterial, tastes awful, and will make you smell like Italian food, BUT it works. It is NOT an essential oil. For the toddlers, I put 2-3 drops in my hand and mix with a small eraser tip of coconut oil, then rub along their spine, and bottoms of their feet. My oldest is 9, so I add 2 drops into grape juice shot 2 or three times a day. Here is someone giving doses. I've read it should only be used for 7 days. Please do your own research and speak with doctor. This is to only be used during illness.

• Vitamin A. We only eat natural sources like carrots and sweet potatoes because it is easy to overdo vitamin A and it makes me nervous.

• Elderberry Syrup. Or dried elderberries to make your own. So simple and saves so much money to make your own. We use this as a preventative. If you are ill, be cautious if your symptoms continue getting worse, you ned to stop this and possible go to ER because there might be a cytokine storm. Recipe here.

• Homeopathy. Take as prescribed on label. My ND always said to give my toddlers 3 instead of 5 pellets, but please speak with your doctor. Rhus Toxicodendron works for the aches that comes along with illness. Antimonium Tartaricum works for the wet cough that isn't productive. Belladonna helps with fever. Arnica Montana helps with pain and headaches.

• Neti pot or saline spray and nasal bulbs for the littles. I recommend using sea salt instead of their packets. These are always good to have on hand because sure enough, you need to bulb in the middle of the night.

• Raw honey-Manuka if you can afford it. It's a great alternative to cough syrup.

• Garlic cloves- Cheap with great antibacterial properties. For me, I crush 2 cloves, let it sit for 10 minutes and then swallow with water 3 times a day when I'm ill. Letting it rest after being crushed allows the allicin to be released, which is the biological compound in garlic.
  

Grab 'n Go Bag(s)

These are bags I have packed in case of an emergency, a natural disaster, an apocalypse--you know...that sort of 'oh shit' moment. I have one bag under my bed and inside of it there is a list where all of the other items or bags are located so I don't have to do too much thinking during a time of crisis. If shit starts going south, I'm not sure I want to stick around in my home and wait for the government to dictate what they will and will not do to my family.

Medical bag- All listed above under Health and Supplements in a bag or easily accessible.

Clothes bag- I pack just enough for us all to get by for two days. I also pack a few toiletries, important documents and cash (small bills).

Food bag- I'll be grabbing what I can from the house in a bag! I will also grab my Berkey water system

Map- in case the towers are down.

Firearm- I have one locked up in a safe place with some ammo, ready to grab. I support the second amendment.