Coronavirus (COVID-19) Panic Buying?

[lovetravellingoz]

Indeed, I get the impression Aussies are too busy emptying supermarket shelves to go on holiday!
cheers skip

Not at the supermarkets I frequent. And at Costco, when don't shoppers here have full trollies?

I think it is more that hand sanitiser has a run on.

 

[Denali]

Coworker was at Kellyville Aldi last night and said 2 women, approx 70 and 50, were going at it over toilet paper.

70 said, "Shut your mouth and mind your own business you stupid B" to the other woman, who was questioning the 4 packets of toilet paper in her trolley

 

[p--and--t]

It's similar to the situation around the national oil reserves where I believe Australia is the only first world country that is unable to meet its signed agreement to maintain 90 days of supply reserve.

This makes me very angry. Canberra has known about this forever and keeps getting reminded by Defence and other partners but does zilch about it.

 

[pauly7]

Quite a few of us have asked where we stand from our medical insurers.This came today-
Summary of advice

• A medical practitioner does not have any obligation to see a particular patient other than in an emergency or if subject to a workplace contractual agreement
• MDA National supports that Members should not treat or carry out testing on suspected cases of COVID-19 if they do not have the appropriate PPE or practice facilities

And not all public hospitals outside the major cities have appropriate protective clothing.

At least one of the insurers has actually fronted up and given members some clear and frank advice. The others are still in hiding....

 

[ja1]

Strategic planning needs to come into this. Three months supply is enough to help people right now.

I agree but strategic planning and 3 months aren't compatible with each other. One is much long(er) term than the other.

I'm simply noting the requirement for '6.9m masks a month' can't be sourced out of the national medical emergency stockpile. It was never designed for this and the world doesn't necessarily plan to have one emergency at a time either.

I'd like to think that Greg Hunt's office has setup a meeting with the suppliers, supply chain and doctors to work out how much needs to come out of the national supply now (which is distributed across states anyway) and how much is going to be available within the next few weeks from new supply - noting that we're going to be competing for that supply globally with everyone else.

 

[Pushka]

I agree but strategic planning and 3 months aren't compatible with each other. One is much long(er) term than the other.

I'm simply noting the requirement for '6.9m masks a month' can't be sourced out of the national medical emergency stockpile. It was never designed for this and the world doesn't necessarily plan to have one emergency at a time either.

I'd like to think that Greg Hunt's office has setup a meeting with the suppliers, supply chain and doctors to work out how much needs to come out of the national supply now (which is distributed across states anyway) and how much is going to be available within the next few weeks from new supply - noting that we're going to be competing for that supply globally with everyone else.

Indeed. They reacted with the toilet paper issue as if that was a big issue when in reality it was created by stupid numpties.

 

[ja1]

Any bets on news crews outside Aldi this weekend since one of the (presumably worked out a long time ago well before all of this) advertised specials is in fact toilet paper in 36 or 48 pack rolls ?

I'm used to seeing crowds when Aldi runs really in demand but there's every possibility this weekend could be absolutely ridiculous and you want to avoid being anywhere near an Aldi store or on a road that leads to one..

 

[Julesmac]

Well as I had to get up early today anyway, I popped down to Woollies for a few items and some boxes of those 1/2 price tissues we always use & I wanted to save on.

Nil, zero, zilch, in the "paper products" aisle. Empty shelves all the way.

Staff said "the system says" the truck was dispatched for delivery overnight but hasn't arrived

Might be like America in Prohibition - the truck's been hijacked!!!!!

 

[Cossie]

A chance to stockup on a favourite at aldi next week. Brat herring in spicy marinade on special, going to be panic buying on that for us, it's yummy!

 

[Julesmac]

I need more Aldi cofffee capsules. Maybe the coffee aisle is on the other side of the store to all items tissue related

 

[get me outta here]

Do you mean the federal government?

This makes me very angry. Canberra has known about this forever and keeps getting reminded by Defence and other partners but does zilch about it.

 

[get me outta here]

Sadly, there is a lack of trust in general going around.

 

[Pushka]

I sell. Great Price. At my local just now.



They obviously have a lot of short customers who also can’t bend!

 

[Katie]

Oh my gosh . I usually use one particular florist /hamper place local to me to send flowers and hampers
They have a new item in anti bacterial gel....what the heck do gift hampers have to do with anti bacterial gel????

It would make sense with a baby hamper, especially if you were including some nappies. I used the anti bac hand gel most frequently when Miss 13 was a bub and cleaned my hands with it after changing her nappies. On occasion, a proper soap wash was needed.

 

[Katie]

It happens a lot, especially by owners of smaller independent shops like the local fish and chip/chicken/fast food shop and restaurants. As soon as something they need/sell hits a 30% or better discount, they are in the supermarkets clearing the place out.
I've seen a north side CBR chicken shop get a pallet of coke from the nearby Woolworths many times. Also every time frozen duck goes on special (~40-50% off), the Chinese restaurants are in on the morning the sale starts trolley loads of them. (of course with the duck, the store gets allocated a set amount and isn't able to order more. Store gets 30-35 boxes. 7-8 birds per box. Every time it goes on sale, it is all gone within 3 hours, solely from the restaurant owners)

Agreed. I worked at what was then one of Coles' highest trading supermarkets in Queensland in the 1990s, before Chermside was extneded and Maroochydore got seven day trading. For a stage, my working hours were 5pm-10pm each weeknight, mostly managing checkouts or the store. We used to have people coming in who would literally buy a whole shopping trolley's worth of cigarette cartons - all various brands and strengths - a couple of nights a week. Eventually, we imposed a limit of four cartons per customer. We couldn't keep the stock up to their demands, and the lady who worked on cigarettes during the day would get so annoyed at running out of stock after the overnight purchases. It was clearly not for their personal use, and we assumed they had some kind of corner store somewhere.
The same kind of bulk buying would happen with coke cans and coke bottles on good sales (e.g. 50% off).

 

[Cossie]

Just bumped into a friend at the local shops, ironically he was there to buy some toilet paper as they had run out. None to be had in that supermarket!

 

[Denali]

Just bumped into a friend at the local shops, ironically he was there to buy some toilet paper as they had run out. None to be had in that supermarket!

Hope you didnt physcially bump in to him and if you did, you then sanitised yourself like its the 60s and its an Agent Orange drop

We had a fire evac today.... when everyone came back, no fire thankfully, I told everyone theyve just touched handrails that a couple of hundred people just touched. There was a rush to wash hands.

 

[Katie]

A week or two (?) ago, a colleague's wife came home from work with signs of a cold/flu. They decided to self-quarantine, as where she works is apparently near an area with lots of visitors from China, and they were concerned about the potential for exposure to COVID-19. When they called the doctor, they were pretty much told to stay home, don't come in here, and go to Emergency if symptoms got really bad.

Sharing more for the doctor's response, rather than discussing whether they should have assumed the potential for coming in touch with COVID-19, racial assumptions, potential over abundance of caution, etc.

 

[ja1]

For the people who are looking at travel insurance, I've just gone over the Cover-More PDS as I've had to organize travel insurance for my Mum who is travelling MEL-AKL-PPT and then HNL-AKL-MEL in Mar/Apr this year. They're the same providers if you rely on credit card travel insurance (e.g. from CBA)

Cover-more specifically excludes claims where it's related to a pandemic in a number of sections:

Section 1 (overseas medical and dental expenses) - except for section 1.1 which seems to indicate coverage is still provided if you get sick)

Section 2 (Emergency accomodation and transport)

Section 9 (Travel delays)

Section 11 (Special events)

So basically where you might have been previously able to make a claim if your flight was cancelled and you had to rebook/buy a new ticket/hotel costs whatever (under Section 2), CM specifically exclude all claims if this is as a result of a pandemic..

However they do still seem to cover your actual medical expenses - which is the main thing my mum needed from a policy that involved travel anywhere near the USA..

I've fired off an email to ask VA/CM for some clarity - I'm really surprised that there was nothing on their website front page as of an hour ago as it would probably have saved their call centre from going into meltdown. I tried to phone and gave up pretty quickly (< 20 minutes) as it was clear noone was going to answer my call for a while and no call back options.

[edited as unsure what the heck auto-merge was doing]

 

[Renato1]

Just got the following odd advice from Victorian Seniors Program.
Odd as in,
"DON’T wear a facemask if you are well" - why? Is stopping other people's sneeze particles entering one's mouth and nose a bad thing?

and
"......for 2 or 3 weeks. This means having an adequate supply of your prescription medicine, food and other essentials" - time to panic Buy!

and
"If you don’t have a tissue cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow." - Am I allowed to use my handkerchief?

Cheers,
Renato


"Ten ways to reduce your risk of coronavirus

1. WASH hands often with soap and running water, for at least 20 seconds. DRY with paper towel or hand dryer.
2. TRY not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
3. COVER your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow.
4. ISOLATE yourself at home if you feel sick. If you take medication, ensure you have adequate supplies.
5. PHONE your GP first if you need medical attention. They will tell you what to do.
6. CONTINUE healthy habits: exercise, drink water, get plenty of sleep, and now is the time to quit smoking. Call the Quitline 137 848.
7. DON’T wear a facemask if you are well.
8. BUY an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with over 60 per cent alcohol.
9. GET the flu shot (available April).
10. SHAKING HANDS is optional!

Important: older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions are more at risk of experiencing severe symptoms.

Make a plan for how you will manage if you are confined to your home for 2 or 3 weeks. This means having an adequate supply of your prescription medicine, food and other essentials – and food for your pets!

Make sure you stay in touch with family, friends, neighbours or others in case you need help or your symptoms worsen."

 

[Katie]

Just got the following odd advice from Victorian Seniors Program.
Odd as in,
"DON’T wear a facemask if you are well" - why? Is stopping other people's sneeze particles entering one's mouth and nose a bad thing?

Because, if you're healthy, there's little point wearing one unless you are looking after someone with COVID-19. This according to WHO:

When and how to use masks

WHO's guidance and advice on the use of masks to protect against and limit the spread of COVID-19.

www.who.int