Lessons Learned: Pandemic

After the Coronavirus or COVID-19 "Pandemic" there should be some "Lessons Learned".

First, lets put the COVID Pandemic in perspective.  Approximately the same number of people died from COVID, as from the CDC tracked Influenza & Pneumonia deaths that occur each year.

So it is safe to say that as far as a Pandemic, SHTF Scenario, or Apocalypse is concerned, this one was clearly on the "Easy Setting."  Yet there were empty shelves, long lines at many stores, with shortages and rationing of:

1. Food
2. Toilet Paper
3. Masks to protect from airborne virus
4. Hand Sanitizer
5. Sanitary wipes
6. Disinfectants
7. Bottled Water
8. Garden Seeds
9. and much more that was limit 2 per shopper.

Did we over react? YES, in many ways we did, especially the Main Stream Media, misrepresenting the facts and driving fear.  They never put things in perspective, talking about things like the US has the most cases, but not telling you it was low on a per capita basis, and that we had done more testing than any other country, so naturally we found many cases.


While COVID was quite deadly, the early & decisive actions saved many lives.  Before you object, let me provide some numbers from the CDC. In the United States there are about 50,000 people die each week from all causes.  From the Common Flu, during the winter flu season, there are about 500 Americans die per week.  Two - Three weeks after imposing protective measures the COVID death rate peaked at over 10,000 per week after increasing sharply.  With out the quarantine measures, it would have been much higher.

In the US, a Travel Ban from China for non-citizens was imposed 10 days after the first US case was reported and a month before the first death.  Many thought this was premature (including me), but the China actual death rate (not what they report) was likely staggering according to many indicators: Crematoriums running 24-7, Urn sales and cell phone account closures soaring way above normal.

So what are our Lessons Learned?

1. Disaster can be upon us before we realize it.  There won't be much, if any warning, and even if there is, most won't recognize it, until it is too late.  Our Red Flag Warnings may help you recognize a potential disaster is coming, or already here, but if not prepared ahead, this early warning will only help you a little.
2. We must take responsibility for our own safety and well-being. We can NOT depend our our government to protect us from everything. The 2009 Swine Flu (H1N1)  killed as many as 575,000 globally but our governments were still not prepared with enough masks & respirators.
3. Advance preparations is essential. Disaster can come in many forms, but in this case it was a viral infection which is difficult to fight. Only with specific weapons (not guns), like N-95 Masks and sanitizers, along with good practices, can we fight it at all. Helpful habits include things like washing your hands with soap & hot water frequently, not touching your face, wearing a mask, along with social distancing, especially with new arrivals to our group. 
4. Security is important, and gun & ammo stores are likely to be shut down by the government as non-essential businesses.  Those that are open, are sold out, even at list price.  So IF you are ever going to want a handgun, or AR and plenty of ammo to protect your home and family, you better do it before you really need it & before it is too late.  Even if / when guns are banned someday, there is likely to be a grandfather clause, allowing exiting owners to keep them for a while, as long as they register them.  Many countries (like Australia) have been through this slow, gradual gun ban process that is achieved incrementally over many years.  Don't wait!  Act Now.  With out a gun, you will just be saving supplies for someone who has a gun, or a large gang big enough to take them. 
5. Mental health during quarantine or social distancing is important.  Having movies to watch, books to read, games to play, puzzles to work are good, especially if the on-line games & social networking are not working.  Having someplace to get out and walk or workout is important. 
6. In hind sight, we should have only quarantined people over 60 & others in the highest population density cities; but we didn't know that at the time, and the lack of upfront knowledge and the inherit unknown risk can be dangerous in many ways.  The lesson here is that the treatment (or actions taken), must not cause more damage than the problem.

So what do we need to have to be ready; next time may not be so easy.

1. First, look at our Beginners List, then add:
2. Food
3. Toilet Paper
4. Masks to protect from airborne virus
5. Hand Sanitizer
6. Sanitary wipes
7. Disinfectants
8. Bottled Water
9. Garden Seeds and a few garden tools 
10. Have plenty of ammo, and some good Prepper weapons, like a hand gun and an AR.

 Each of these Blue links above have a wealth of additional resources, and Knowledge is Free, so learn what you can by reading.

For more information:

Blog Table of Contents
Lessons Learned series
 
Introducing Prepping to Skeptics 

Pandemic
Prepper Sanitizer

Lessons Learned

Understanding Pandemics 
Pandemic Preparations

Preparing Skeptical Loved Ones
Scenario 1: Pandemic

Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time
List of Top 10 Lists
Top 10 Prepper Websites
Top 10 Posts
For additional information, visit these sites.

https://www.livescience.com/worst-epidemics-and-pandemics-in-history.html
https://www.healthline.com/health/worst-disease-outbreaks-history#3

Or click on a topic below for additional related articles.

Biological Warfare

Imagine if a foreign country was collecting massive amounts of DNA from around the world and using it to develop biological or viral weapons against certain groups of people. 

They could for example, use it to cause a pandemic that kills elderly conservative voters, and to devastate an economy to help get an otherwise highly successful leader voted out of office.  A leader that put Americans first, instead of illegal immigrants or other countries.  

A leader that had the lowest poverty level in recorded history; the lowest Black, Hispanic and Women unemployment in recorded history, like Donald Trump did in 2019 as an example, before the COVID-19 virus from Wuhan China devastated our economy and killed our elderly.  I've copied the Poverty report at the bottom, in case it gets removed from publication.

Imagine further that the media and a political party would sow fear through out our country and place the citizens under house arrest in area's they control.  Then they suppress the use of existing drugs that have been used safely for over 40 years, and that might treat the illness and saves lives. Then immediately after winning the election, they release a vaccine, change the way the statistics are counted, and open up their controlled territory to allow citizens to dine out and begin to return to normal life.  

IF this were to happen some day, all involved should be tried for treason, including the scientist that develop these deadly diseases, who should also be tried for premeditated murder. 

For more information:

Blog Table of Contents
Lessons Learned series
 
Introducing Prepping to Skeptics 

Pandemic
Prepper Sanitizer

Lessons Learned

Understanding Pandemics 
Pandemic Preparations

Preparing Skeptical Loved Ones
Scenario 1: Pandemic

Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time
List of Top 10 Lists
Top 10 Prepper Websites
Top 10 Posts

Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019

September 15, 2020

Report Number P60-270

Jessica Semega, Melissa Kollar, Emily A. Shrider, and John Creamer

Introduction

Download Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019 [PDF - 1.2 MB]

This report presents data on income, earnings, income inequality, and poverty in the United States based on information collected in the 2020 and earlier Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highlights

Income:

• Median household income was $68,703 in 2019, an increase of 6.8 percent from the 2018 median of $64,324 (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
• The 2019 real median incomes of family households and nonfamily households increased 7.3 percent and 6.2 percent from their respective 2018 estimates (Figure 1 and Table A-1). This is the fifth consecutive annual increase in median household income for family households, and the second consecutive increase for nonfamily households.
• The 2019 real median incomes of White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic households all increased from their 2018 medians (Figure 1 and Table A-1).
• Real median household incomes increased for all regions in 2019; 6.8 percent in the Northeast, 4.8 percent in the Midwest, 6.1 percent in the South, and 7.0 percent in the West (Figure 1 and Table A-1).

Earnings:

• Between 2018 and 2019, the real median earnings of all workers and full-time, year-round workers increased 1.4 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively (Figure 4 and Table A-6).
• The 2019 real median earnings of men ($57,456) and women ($47,299) who worked full-time, year-round increased by 2.1 percent and 3.0 percent, respectively (Figure 4 and Table A-6). The 2019 female-to-male earnings ratio was 0.823, not statistically different from the 2018 ratio (Figure 5).
• Between 2018 and 2019, the total number of people with earnings, regardless of work experience, increased by about 2.2 million. The number of full-time, year-round workers increased by approximately 1.2 million.

Poverty:

• The official poverty rate in 2019 was 10.5 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from 11.8 percent in 2018. This is the fifth consecutive annual decline in poverty. Since 2014, the poverty rate has fallen 4.3 percentage points, from 14.8 percent to 10.5 percent (Figure 7 and Table B-5).
• The 2019 poverty rate of 10.5 percent is the lowest rate observed since estimates were initially published in 1959 (Figure 7 and Table B-5).
• In 2019, there were 34.0 million people in poverty, approximately 4.2 million fewer people than 2018 (Figure 7 and Table B-1).
• For all demographic groups shown in Figure 8 and Table B-1, poverty rates in 2019 were either lower than or not statistically different from those in 2018.
• Between 2018 and 2019, poverty rates declined for all race and Hispanic origin groups shown in Figure 8 and Table B-1. The poverty rate for Whites decreased 1.0 percentage point to 9.1 percent. The poverty rate for Blacks decreased by 2.0 percentage points to 18.8 percent. The poverty rate for Hispanics decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 15.7 percent. The poverty rate for Asians decreased 2.8 percentage points to 7.3 percent (Figure 8 and Tables B-1 and B-5).
• Between 2018 and 2019, poverty rates for people under the age of 18 decreased 1.8 percentage points, from 16.2 percent to 14.4 percent. Poverty rates decreased 1.2 percentage points for people aged 18 to 64, from 10.7 percent to 9.4 percent. The poverty rate for people aged 65 and older decreased by 0.9 percentage points, from 9.7 percent to 8.9 percent (Figure 8 and Table B-1).

Tables

Income:

Table A-1. Income Summary Measures by Selected Characteristics: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table A-2. Households by Total Money Income, Race, and Hispanic Origin of Householder: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table C-1. Historical Median Income Using Alternative Price Indices: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Income Inequality:

Table A-3. Income Distribution Measures Using Money Income and Equivalence-Adjusted Income: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table A-4. Selected Measures of Household Income Dispersion: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table A-5. Selected Measures of Equivalence-Adjusted Income Dispersion: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0MB]

Earnings:

Table A-6. Earnings Summary Measures by Selected Characteristics: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table A-7. Number and Real Median Earnings of Total Workers and Full-Time, Year-Round Workers by Sex and Female-to-Male Earnings Ratio: 1960 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Poverty:

Poverty Thresholds: 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-1. People in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-2. Families and People in Poverty by Type of Family: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-3. People With Income Below Specified Ratios of Their Poverty Thresholds by Selected Characteristics: 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-4. Income Deficit or Surplus of Families and Unrelated Individuals by Poverty Status: 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-5. Poverty Status of People by Family Relationship, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-6. Poverty Status of People by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Table B-7. Poverty Status of Families by Type of Family: 1959 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Number and Percent of Shared Households, and Number and Percent of Adults aged 18 and older, in Shared Households: 2018 and 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Impact on Poverty of Alternative Resource Measures by Age: 1981 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Percentage of People in Poverty by State Using 2- and 3-Year Averages: 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 [<1.0 MB]

Interrelationships of 3-Year Average State Poverty Rates: 2017 - 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figures

Income:

Figure 1. Median Household Income and Percent Change by Selected Characteristics [<1.0 MB]

Figure 2. Real Median Household Income by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figure C1. Historical Median Income Using Alternative Price Indices: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Income Inequality:

Figure 3. Income Distribution Measures and Percent Change Using Money Income and Equivalence-Adjusted Income [<1.0 MB]

Earnings:

Figure 4. Median Earnings and Percent Change by Selected Characteristics [<1.0 MB]

Figure 5. Female-to-Male Earnings Ratio and Median Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers 15 Years and Older by Sex: 1960 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figure 6. Total and Full-Time, Year-Round Workers With Earnings by Sex: 1967 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Poverty:

Figure 7. Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figure 8. Poverty Rate and Percentage Point Change by Selected Characteristics: People [<1.0 MB]

Figure 9. Poverty Rate and Percentage Point Change by Type of Family: Families and People [<1.0 MB]

Figure 10. Poverty Rates by Age and Sex: 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figure 11. Poverty Rates by Age 1959 to 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Figure 12. Demographic Makeup of the Population at Varying Degrees of Poverty : 2019 [<1.0 MB]

Source Information

For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf [PDF - <1.0 MB].

The Census Bureau reviewed this data product for unauthorized disclosure of confidential information and approved the disclosure avoidance practices applied to this release. CBDRB-FY20-372.

 

Best 2020 Christmas Gifts

After the COVID Pandemic is the best time to introduce your loved ones to prepping; even those who resist or resent Prepping.  Now they will be open to having a few sensible preparations.... just don't say I told you so.

So here are a few Christmas Gifts that you can get them, because you care.

1. Masks to protect from airborne virus
2. Hand Sanitizer
3. Sanitary wipes
4. Disinfectants
5. Garden Seeds
6. and other items that were "limit 2" per shopper; especially those that are non-perishable or have long shelf lives.  
7. Last but not least:  Ammo
   

COVID-19 did not even make the top 10 list, so it could have been much worse.  Imagine a Pandemic Scenario where 10% of the global population dies instead of 0.01% like on COVID-19.  It is believed that Small Pox wiped out at least 50% of the Native American Population and possibly as much as 90%.  Imagine 9 out of 10 people you know dying..... It could be MUCH worse next time, especially in large cities.

For more information visit our related links below: 

Blog Table of Contents
Prepper Gift List
Pandemic Posts 

Understanding Pandemics

Understanding the numbers is important.  The first to know about is the R - nought (R0) which tells us how contagious it is.  Basically, it indicates how many other people an infected person is likely to infect.  Greater than 1 means the number of infected is likely to grow.

For example, the common Flu is around 1.3, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) based on early data is 1.4 to 3.9, which is likely inflated due to unreported mild cases.  The common Measles is 12-18.

Values of R0 of well-known infectious diseases
Disease	Transmission	R0
Measles	Airborne	12–18
Diphtheria	Saliva	6–7
Smallpox	Airborne droplet	5–7
Polio	Fecal–oral route	5–7
Rubella	Airborne droplet	5–7
Mumps	Airborne droplet	4–7
Pertussis	Airborne droplet	5.5
HIV/AIDS	Sexual contact	2–5
SARS	Airborne droplet	2–5
COVID-19 (early data)	Airborne droplet	1.4–3.9
Influenza	Airborne droplet	1.3–3
Ebola	Body fluids	1.5–2.5
MERS	Airborne droplet	0.3–0.8

Second, is the deaths per 100,000 people.  Because the number of deaths is generally a small, fraction of a percentage, they are measured on a 100,000 scale.


The CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 36 million flu illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations and 22,000 deaths from flu: but possibly as many as 55,000, with a mid point of 38,500.  How does this compare to to the COVID-19?

 

Makes you wonder, why the panic over the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  The unknown risk from a new variety is a reason to be cautious, but it seems the irresponsible mainstream media is not reporting the whole story, i.e. comparing it against the common flu, to put it in perspective, which is causing unnecessary panic, with stores being overwhelmed and fights breaking out for supplies.  

ADVICE:  

Stock up on supplies ahead of time.  

This is why we are Preppers in the first place.

Visit our Blog often to learn how you can be better prepared.

 

For more information

Blog Table of Contents

Pandemic Preparations

Printable Materials for Promoting Good Health Habits: Flu.gov U.S Department of Health and Human Service American Red Cross Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Influenza/Flu WHO Pandemic preparedness

   http://www.ready.gov/pandemic

Recent updates on the flu can be found at:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm

Click on the topics below for more related information.