TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

As I write this magazine issue in the first week of March, the U.S. has suffered its first 6 deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19)
outbreak. The number of infected Americans has passed 100, and both numbers are sure to be significantly higher by the time the ink on this page dries.
For the last 6 to 8 weeks, this viral outbreak has been leading the news and there have been lots of “experts” who have been paraded in front of TV cameras and radio microphones espousing a variety of opinions. Some would say that all the coverage has instigated a panic and that this has led to shortages of N95 masks and other items thought to be useful to those who want to protect themselves from the threat. Many of us have seen store shelves emptied of their normally plentiful supplies of water, rice, beans, hand sanitizer and other items that would be good to have in quantity should the supply chain snap a link or two.
On last weekend’s visit to our Costco, my wife and I noted that about 40 percent of the parking lot-filling crowd of shoppers had several cases of bottled water and other longer-term provisions piled in their carts.
The normal Saturday crush was at least triple what we typically experience, but the good news was that none of the pallets of good stuff were empty at that point. That said, I read that sales of Corona beer have dropped significantly purely because of its shared name with the coronavirus. Inventories are probably in very good shape at your local Piggly Wiggly, and that’s probably a sad but telling indicator of the intelligence of some beer drinkers.
Today, the word “pandemic” is being flung about by people who think they know what it means and that the current situation justifies its use. Fortunately, at the moment, this is just a significant outbreak of a new virus. While people are dying, it still has a way to go to gain a place in the history books as a true pandemic.
The Spanish fl u pandemic of 1918-19, which one might call it the “mother of all pandemics,” affected one third of the world’s population (500 million infected) and resulted in the deaths of at least 50 million people.
In comparison, this fall and winter’s U.S. fl u season has racked up much smaller but not insignificant numbers because this recurring event has been highly active this time around. In the period between October 1, 2019 and February 22, 2020 there have been up to 45 million known illnesses, as many as 560,000 hospitalizations and up to 46,000 deaths attributed to the fl u.
This is known as an epidemic and the U.S. experiences a fl u epidemic almost every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During a recent ER visit, I witnessed patients being triaged in the hallways and other common areas of our local hospital. The nurse I spoke with about it told me it had been that way since before Christmas. Have you heard much about this on the news?
Now, while COVID-19 has spread to many places around the world and a growing number of fatalities are resulting (79 countries, 92,823 cases and 3,164 deaths reported as of this writing), the number of cases we’ve seen to date slowly creeps toward the generally- accepted definition of a pandemic. Paraphrasing the CDC: “An inflenza pandemic occurs when a novel Influenza A virus spreads from person to person around the world and affects a very large number of people.” COVID-19’s global numbers have a long way to go before they catch up to the seasonal fl u deaths in the U.S. alone.
So, while many people want to classify the situation as a pandemic, they may have to wait at least a couple more weeks for the numbers to validate that status. Chalk their eagerness up to their dependence on social media for their information and guidance.

What’s the point of all this? I think it relates to the most basic facets of being a prepper. Know what you need to be prepared for, get your plan, gear and supplies in place, be able to recognize the type and scope of the threats that come, or may come, your way and act according to an informed analysis of the situation.
Being educated with facts and proven solutions is critical for you to be the most effective and efficient with your efforts and these things will also mitigate your stress levels while the tsunami of public opinion rises and ebbs around you. This is why people devote time, energy and money to understanding how and when to react to a challenge to their safety and security. If there’s been a break-in down the street, you react accordingly to ensure you have removed as many vulnerabilities from your situation as possible. You don’t head for the hills because you assume it’s inevitable that you will be next and the intruders will be packing RPGs.
For experienced preppers, this has been an interesting opportunity to reflect on their preps and identify gaps in their plans. It’s also been a gratifying time for those who may have felt the sting of mockery from the media and perhaps friends and family who thought their prudence was impractical at best and lunacy at worst. I daresay very few folks in the aisles at Costco and all the grocery stores around the country were preppers before they hopped in the car with their new lists of survival supplies.
While waiting in a medical office recently, I overheard some of the staff talking about how they guess they must be preppers now. There was chuckling and nodding of heads but there was also a tone of realization that this is not a bad team to join. As they shared stories about how family members had been in touch with them to acquire face masks, they changed from reluctantly sharing their stories to appreciating the value that having even one critical tool in a preparedness kit can have. I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
Being prepared for all sorts of emergencies is nothing short of common sense and has consistently proven to be the best approach for protecting
the lives and interests of your family and members of your group. In actual fact, it doesn’t need to be validated by the approval of others because it is self-validating. To observe the panic that has struck so many people in the last several weeks, especially considering that the S has not even HTF yet, should reinforce your resolve and dedication to your efforts.
As I sit at my desk, typing away, I find myself checking some of my sources for updates on the growth of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. I hope and pray that it won’t reach true pandemic proportions. Ultimately, as with any other disaster or emergency we try to be prepared for, only time will tell. I hope it turns out to be nothing more serious than an exercise for
preppers as well as the government and private sector organizations who are entrusted with the job of keeping the greater public safe.
Perhaps, by the time this issue hits newsstands and mailboxes, the situation will have peaked and things will be returning to normal. My suspicion, however, is that it will be worse, but hopefully only incrementally. If more people remember how to wash their hands and respect the health of others by getting checked out and/or staying home when they feel something
coming on, there could be a good chance that we’ll avoid unnecessary infections and deaths, not to mention major inconveniences. (Please don’t cancel the Blade Show in Atlanta!) But, if people insist on going to work sick and sending their sick kids to school, for example, the situation could go south quickly and it will take a while to recover.
Keep fighting the good fight and take every opportunity to improve your situation. Remember, this is not the only potential risk we will face this
year. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture because you’re focused on this topic. Give COVID-19 its due but keep your head on a swivel.

All the Best!
Mike McCourt

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