Data Report

What Should "Endemic Covid" Preparedness Look Like?
lemme tell you this board/forum itself is like a syntopicon of studies more than worthy of study by doctors and those in the governing world and no doubt it  educates and provides a layout of important information and data to the layperson so that they themselves can elevate themselves from the darkness and ignorance of what is really going on.. This board/forum itself is a great reference tool that sheds light statistically, factually and gives us important numbers and percentages of scientific things that are happening to the human condition in its world...This board/forum provides an orderly syntopicon, collection, and index of important up to date studies that is of incredible service to all of us!Educating ourselves and taking advantage of the studies available to us through boards/forums such as this one should be part of "Endemic Covid" Preparedness!

.. as for this topic, This topic alone should be of interest to multitudes The post itself is interesting, thought provoking, extremely important and useful post concerning how we all should react and behave with one another while dangerous  microscopic entities are at play, thriving , multiplying and even mutating amongst the amply populated humans species ...definitely not a post for the timid who might underestimate or scoff at the invisible yet insidious microscopic entities that are indeed upon all of us that dwell amongst one another in the mortal world..
.. I think what currently lacks for me and my immunocompromised loved one is stronger bonds with likeminded people. My loved one has old long distance friends she talks online or over the phone. They live far away and so they aren’t a threat in that if they don’t mask or share the same precautions it isn’t a factor in our lifestyle which contains a lot of precautions. These long distance friends are important but it would be nice to have friends and contacts who share more of the pandemic precautions we do. I would like to develop that..  We have a small home bakery and we do have a customer who has run an errand for us and she wore a mask when delivering some goods to me ( I am a hardcore mask user).. I guess to stick with topic i would say I would like to meet more people on some level to work with or socialize on certain levels that  share or at least respect the boundaries and precautions me and my loved one take insofar as pandemic precautionary behavior goes.. so that’s one of my dreams or goals in regards to  "endemic Covid" preparedness is to make more local friends/contacts to correspond with work with and share with who are of the same mind as us in regards to masking and not participating in public gatherings.

Just an idea but It might be the western cultures haven't appreciated these challenges like some of the Eastern cultures have insofar as accepting those who mask and adopt functioning life-styles while still guarding themselves against the modern disease dilemma ... Asian cultures might have more experience than the western American culture has insofar as how they treat one another in vulnerable times including how their doctors treat their elderly..I don't know but it might be worth understanding how other cultures deal with such challenges...people are people and we can always learn from one another regardless of differences in political agendas we all have much to learn from different cultures and customs...

That prepandemic  social ease that existed before 2020 is impossible for me to achieve and of course not desirable but it would be nice to simply  sit outside in the back yard with another masked person for a little while … its tricky but I guess part of "endemic Covid" preparedness might consist of creating one’s own pandemic support group .. this might involve a lot of online preplanning and prep. It would prove useful and simply feel good to make contact with  and collaborate with others that are either like minded or at least respect the boundaries, plans, and lifestyle of those that indulge in pandemic precautionary behavior that suits both parties without endangering one another. When it is possible I always prefer to collaborate with people who take a lot of care and are pandemic savvy like myself. This pandemic support group or rather  network could serve as a sort of co-op and could be achieved  with great effectiveness through good communication and with being able to talk on phone or discussing things online with one another.

By the way, the more this happens; that is the more people behave, collaborate and live as if there is a pandemic the more likely healthcare and governments might also reform. This might be occurring with many businesses that realize there are a whole lot of people staying at home and that changes  the market places .. hopefully government and healthcare will wise up and reinvent themselves like those of us who are not in denial of the data and the covid pandemic and  are savvy to the ways the pandemic has already changed the human condition from hereon … surely a business that protects its workers and clients from covid and other viruses in an amply populated world will be more successful and make more money than those who ignore the numbers involved in today’s challenges including but not limited to the pandemic concerns.

P.S. I use this term “pandemic savvy“ and pandemic precautions somewhat loosely .. to me it really doesn’t matter whether technically I’m in a pandemic or not.. even if covid is eradicated I’ll probably continue my careful lifestyle.. I liken the pandemic experience to being a flood or hurricane survivor.. you got risky people who stay in the flood zone and rebuild and then you got the careful people who chose to move to higher ground where it doesn’t flood before rebuilding because they don’t want to take the risks of being flooded out again… that’s like me I’m not risking this pandemic or the next one! I'm certainly not going to put myself in the same favourable conditions to catch covid nor will I emulate the behavior of carrying on life normally as if no one gets covid or catches diseases at this point in time... With all respect to those infected with a novel disease of these modern times I simply plan on behaving differently than those who have caught covid. To me times have changed things are different than they were over the decades of my life and the human condition is being challenged by microscopic entities that raise the stakes considerably higher than in the past for us mortal humans. I’m playing it safe for health reasons from hereon and have adopted a safer slightly modified more health conscientious way of living that is actually efficient  makes use of masking and cleanliness and a certain way of remotely receiving goods and collaborating and more long distance communicating with others. My recent way of living (masking publicly and buying and trading remotely in bulk, avoiding gatherings and staying at home perfecting the spot I live in more locally)compared to my past way of living is actually a more rewarding lifestyle and safer, healthier and happier for me regardless of the pandemic. 
"What Should "Endemic Covid" Preparedness Look Like?" is a very good question indeed and I look forward to what others think as well. Again, I can't help but believe this particular forum/board supplies so many good studies and insights that it surely helps to empower the individual with pertinent up to date knowledge about our current human condition setting up the reader to be in a great position to decide for themselves what steps he/she should take in regards to their own "Endemic Covid" Preparedness. The reasoning behind my statement that this site is an indispensable tool for the laymen is that there has never been another time in history during other times of pandemics or plagues where such scientific studies could be collected and presented online. This will be the first pandemic/time in history one can peruse studies all over the world instantly therefore this site is a tool and virtual smorgasbord of important findings,facts, figures, and patterns pertinent to todays challenges and we can utilize it in our way of life.

Here's some of my successful experiment/experience with ordering all my food from UPS or Fed Ex: I haven't gotten anything from a grocery store in four and half years.. I order everything from online stores or local farmer market(for most fresh vegetables)

"California farms" brand canned Evaporated milk is the way to go for us! Tastes incredible. they also have California Farms Sweetened Condensed Milk

We like ordering a lot of things from "webstaraunt"

We just got  four bags of "cracked Up" powdered whole eggs (no artificial ingredients) each bag makes 70 large eggs) tastes just as good and is infinitely easier than handling regular eggs.. they are regular eggs in powdered form... tastes great as scrambled eggs or in omelet form or in baking.
(ironically canned evaporated milk taste fresher to me than cold refrigerated grocery store milk probably because with canned milk you can mix with water and/or put some ice cubes in it and refrigerate it in a glass or metal container and that tastes better than the plastic or laminated cardboard containers refrigerated grocery store milk usually comes in and with the canned milk, one also refrigerates smaller portions of the canned  milk therefore it stays fresher because one consumes all of it sooner. Same goes with the eggs .. they never get refrigerated to begin with so there are never any old eggs in the fridge to go bad because its already in powder form and the brand "cracked Up" powdered whole eggs just taste good to me.)

The trick to all this is finding the right brand and suppliers (try ordering from where restaurants often order stuff)

...For most of my life I didn't think I could live without cereal and cold milk.. but I found the cold milk in gallon plastic jugs doesn't really taste that good after all and instead of cereal I eat oatmeal from a fifty pound bag.

Like I said I like ordering all my food from companies like Webstaraunt also because I can return the product if something is wrong. These companies have great return policy whereas grocery stores do not in my experience..also grocery stores aren't that great at delivering their goods to a house often damaging individual goods in trip and there's too many plastic bags and stickers and then if something is wrong they often won't send someone back to your house...that's why I like companies that ship their goods in dedicated shipping box via Ups and Fed Ex.. their boxes and packaging protects your items for bumpier travel and also they are good at packing perishables with dry ice when necessary. Basically you are buying whole sale and the box goes straight to you rather than the box going to the grocery store then cut up and placed on shelves, then to a cashier. Its just an extra necessary step to order things from grocery store and the goods will go through to many unnecessary steps and hands.

Grocery store products in their tiny boxes gross me out now. There's no way whatsoever can I eat produce which is left out for people to thumb through... I can't eat anything anybody might breathe on from grocery store or if it gets exchanged by hands or put in a grocery store cart..I used to work at grocery store and that's too many hands for me.. Its not just all in my head I find it cheaper, safer to eat from a bulk supplier where maybe just a farmer or two picked stuff and it sat in a sealed box and comes off a truck. It just seems ridiculous to me now to think I'd walk around browsing and waiting in line for something to eat after all these years in life I know what I want to eat so I can just order it being far more efficient instead.
Here's how crazy grocery stores are .. there are so many middle men... managers, stockers, bathrooms... parking lot, the general public..etc. .. here's how inefficient a grocery store is: Basically a truck drops off tiny individually wrapped stuff to a grocery store a stock person cuts open the box puts it on shelves where the general public shares a dirty grocery store cart which carries tons of germs ..then they puts it all on a public conveyor belt where a cashier who handles money gives the stuff to a bagger to stick in a plastic bag...
I bypass all that and simply cut open a box from a trucker who left the box of bulk items on my front porch. These items are wholesome and last more than just a few days .. often the items last for months even a year or more and its all wholesome because it tends to be home cooked...As for veggies I get them dropped off from farmers market and then I wash them. Ive been doing this  four and half years maybe its been five years straight now and its so efficient and so much more quality and to me makes grocery store shopping like some sort of torture. I don't miss the grocery store shopping at all..Because of the pandemic, my desire to make no contact with the public combined with my past experience in food service/industry and my own conscientious precautions, practices & preferences in regards to the conditions my food should be prepared, handled, and served; it actually grosses me out now just thinking about what the produce laying out there in the open and just the customers gross me out and the workers too...that just feels too close to food source for my comfort level considering the challenge our modern society faces with covid and other diseases besides like I said its like tiny little package of this and that that last like a week or less from dangerous car trip every week.. I'll never do that again as I am totally spoiled receiving all goods from a truck onto my doorstep.

Sometimes I might order get a giant box or oranges or bananas from afar probably from some company probably from one picker and I just wash them and stick them in fridge...

I never get less than fifty pounds of "King Arthur" flour and store it..
...You got fifty pound bag of flour and that means bread man! get a bread machine and have the machine need the dough for you then stick the needed dough into regular oven and presto you've got homemade bread and you'll never eat that weird preservative tangy tasting nasty loaves of bread you get from grocery store again!

You might want to invest in a robust bakery mixer.. The brand we use is from "kitchenaid " Now you can bake.. also I'm spoiled and we have some sort of special metal bowl that leave in the freezer so that its cold when we add ice cream mix to it.. the cold bowl hooks up to the mixer allowing us to make homemade ice cream!

You might find a cool corner in the house to dedicate as little pantry area.. maybe get big plastic buckets with lids to store some stuff... you might stack some boxes with large nice ziplock bags of nuts and dried fruit .. you can get creative with how you store that extra food.. its not as difficult as one would think with some large containers maybe modify some of those coolers with lids for some stuff. You might find a way to stack your containers on top of one another in the little pantry corner. Just make sure everything is sealed or airtight so critters aren't attracted to your food.

Depending on each person's physical abilities and the way their dwelling's driveways's and  entrances are set up one can invest in hand carts to help haul goods. I simply use a wheelbarrow and am comfortable lifting heavy things but one could easily use a hand cart and cut open the box and open its contents then transport the contents in smaller vessals to where they want into back yard or to indoor porch or garage... I encourage people to get creative if they have challenges with heavy objects to use the advent of the wheel and special tools and to break down heavy objects so they are manageable for them.

In many ways our recent society needs to get out of the buying things weekly rut because of a weekly paycheck and to not minimizing your dwelling to not include food storage...in many ways this is like getting back to the olden days of horse and buggy when people made each trip count by buying huge sacks of flour and giant burlap bags of potatoes...we will spend more time preparing the food but it will be more quality food and we will save an astronomical amount of time without the countless frivolous trips for tiny packages shopping haphazardly.  It is not a new concept or new way of doing things and one can easily modify their kitchens and apartments to store more food with modern bins, shelves and modern airtight vessals and containers. 

... just for the sake of one example, its silly not to order a ton of toilet paper and toothpaste toothfloss(something you need everyday and know you will need for the future) and have it shipped to ya as compared to the weekly grocery gauntlet trips of standing next to some family in line  for like a week of toilet paper!
I always remember The bigger in bulk I buy the more time I'll save later. I also know that while it may appear to be somewhat costly to order stuff it really isn't because of all little costly trips for small items and all the hidden costs of going out with a car... if you can fill a five gallon Lowes bucket with a bag of flour or giant containers full of beans or walnuts  that's gonna last for months and if you got fifty pounds of flour and you got canned milk and powdered eggs, then you get dried fruit and a bunch of handy canned goods you will be set!Add just a little basic baking skills and it will be healthy tasty paradise...food we actually prefer! 
To us, Its kind of like we are set up to have a small home bakery for a weekend farmers market but instead we just live off the little bakery. Instead of feeding other people all weekend for a mere weekend we just feed ourselves all month or or even all season with the same energy spent and everything we need and all the ingredients are already in our little pantry area, in the kitchen, or in part of the laundry room.

(P.S. just a political side note/remark: our government is very out of touch with the needs of its people. Government officials don't work from home offices like they could should during pandemics working remotely and they don't stay at home and they eat out all the time and so basically therein lies the challenge to give people government supportive incentives to encourage people to become more self-sufficient to live more in harmony with the modern day challenges we live in such as how to survive a pandemic or pandemic like occurrences.. governing people need to recognize and support the values and common sense of buy in bulk, stay at home work from home remotely etc. instead of acting like a bunch of tourists eating out all the time ignoring the peoples need to change their ways with the times...its as if people in politics don't know how to be effective collaborating remotely online through the written word with one another... these governing people must be everywhere 'in persona' always on the go 'on the run' therefore never writing anything down with anything definitive in mind always doing everything orally.. hardly an environment conducive to introspection and strategy..these politicians leading highly social lifestyle of the rich and the famous these politicians are also known to to come down with covid some being infected two and three times with outbreaks occurring amongst their constituency ... hard to tell how these bouts of covid affect their judgments and reasoning powers in the long run they are hardly the role models we need in todays trying times.
The individuals and communities that value and aim at being self sufficient really make out well in the long haul because This prudent buying in bulk, masking in public so as not to get sick, and self sufficient ways of living helps one not just survive the pandemic but all social strife including times of war, economic strife and unequal distribution of goods, climate disruption ...Currently my area of North Carolina and several states are still dealing with surviving and eventually rebuilding after hurricane Helene... I hear helicopters as I type this.. There have been helicopters allay long and all week long above my head distributing emergency goods to families in need in the mountains near me.. from what I hear its pretty awful having to leave the house to share the highway with all those still in need and suffering.. once again I don't have to go anywhere and its smart not to since buying in bulk, staying at home trying to work from home, taking advantage of online resources really pay off during these challenging times... I advise politicians to do the same and learn to stay at home and collaborate online with one another to get things done strategically and thoughtfully. The pen and the internet is mightier than the sword. ) while it is unfair to say all politicians behave as if they are in a photo op, keep in mind I wear a mask publicly and so I have the inability to get sick and I am  impervious to most diseases whereas most socially inclined politicians are imprudently unmasked risking sound mind and sound body as well as risking passing it to others,  those politicians that must seek public acknowledgment and draw crowds every time they must speak and impart what they think is wisdom,  I think it unbecoming of politicians and even people to carry on in public like there are no serious issues occurring in today’s times me , I celebrate life in private at home through music, the arts, I take advantage of being a musician, , the arts and entertainment and education online … at my leisure. I consider  the populace has too many challenges and serious things are going on in public so while I mask to avoid serious illness and avoid much tentative frivolous social interaction in public, I respect the serious nature of events occurring in public, i still enjoy a healthy carefree time and couldn’t have a happier life in private.

What Should "Endemic Covid" Preparedness Look Like?

Well, people should have masks on. I would have to answer: To be ready to face ones peer's(or so called peers) in a mask is a prerequisite and requirement for surviving endemics and pandemics.

For what it is worth, here is a rare glimpse into one masker's mind as he prepares himself mentally, physically, and even spiritually for a bicycle trip past the maskless...

Today there was a mix up at the HUB or local women's agricultural center where a delivery guy picks up food for us in exchange for some of our baked goods and drops them off at our doorstep. Tomorrow morning I will face my peers(if you call them that) with a mask. These are people affiliated with the local farmer's market they handle food and are also around livestock such as poultry and cattle and while they should wear masks for covid because they are handling food and masks for bird flu because many are farmers they probably won't be wearing them. Many of them I have been affiliated with in the past as we had a small bakery and used to be part of the Farmer's market prior to when the pandemic began approx. in 2020. The first half year the place where I pick up food to their credit had covid precautions in place and many wore masks and they handled boxes of food outside but now I don't think they kept those precautions in place...

... so I will mask up, ride my 10 speed bicycle for a six mile round trip to pick up one box of fresh farmers Market vegetables. Ive got a big army backpack that will hold the box of vegetables and I am an an avid bicyclist and Ive made the trip before. I feel the most comfortable masked in public while on my bicycle and I think that is because I’m being physically active, blood and energy pumping through me and I’m the most confident and feel the safest when active on bicycle.

I used to have a paper route and delivered newspapers on a bicycle when I was a kid. I was 14 went to a garage counted out like 40 papers and stuck them on my back and stomach in a bag and delivered them seven days a week for a couple years rain sleet or snow.. I can easily handle a box of vegetables on my back. that's a joyride..I will be listening to music on my headphones as I ride in my mask across town and back like Ive done a million times.

Maybe These people used to be my friends but maybe they are new ..they probably won't have masks so I'll avoid all frivolous encounters , be real business-like try to avoid getting too close to anybody, swoop in and  grab the box and pedal home. I'll be in my mask .. the Masked Man doesn't mess around.

So anyway,

This is how I survives a pandemic: I recognize  I could catch covid and that’s why I’m masked I’ll keep minimum contact...  keepings thing strictly professional and then I get outta there on my bicycle! (Another thing I do is always allow myself a getaway response that is if I ever feel uncomfortable like the crowd is too thick I can always abandoned mission if I feel unsafe.)

Ive never had covid. I am quite skilled and experienced in my mask. I'm not going to hang around and chat with maskless people even if I know them because I am there on mission to grab a box and ride on! I am quite comfortable riding my bicycle in mask. I have riddin my bicycle masked for exercise a lot since the pandemic. So for me this is a habitual thing. It will simply be another glorious masked bicycle ride listening to music on headphones for me.

Best Wishes,
The Masked Man

P.S. another requirement for endemic/pandemic survival besides the willingness to be masked before peers/previous friends or affiliates might be to cut off those who don’t have one’s best interest at stake. I feel one must avoid contact with people such as family members that are in denial of the dangers such as covid. This will prove a great challenge to many but if one takes precautions and others do not then others do not have one’s  best interest in mind and are a threat.
This nature of covid is a disease that penetrates and gets exchanged amongst the herd and the flock.. one must behave as if a lone wolf.. one must stand apart from the pack to survive a disease one must not huddle in a herd of the maskless… we must wear a mask to filter out the airborne disease and vapors of breath. We are not above the other species of animals when it comes to catching a disease. A mask should protect me from any sick animals and after the close encounters are over throwing  clothes into washer  and washing hands before taking off mask should do the trick.

Update:
Masked bicycle 6 mile round trip to pick up box of farmer's Market vegetables was successful and went pretty much as I had planned! I will share with you how I felt as the only masked person there taking endemic/pandemic precautions I felt safe enough. The box was left outside for me off to the side. There was a crowd/gathering munching on food together but they were off to the side so I felt safe enough and was able to avoid any personal encounters with all of them. I had an inner confidence being on my bike and even though I was the only one masked I felt smart. I felt defensive but I didn't feel challenged by any maskless people during my trip. Everybody seemed to not disrespect me and I was able to keep to myself. I will say I felt somewhat like an authority figure or at least I felt in control in that I had confidence and I was on a mission to get my box and get out of there but at same time I had enough space and was polite enough and nobody got into my masked face.

I wear a heavy duty mask as it is actually a respirator style mask with heavy duty straps and two cartridge/filters and I tie a bandana around it so once I put it on, I don't mess with it or take it off...I am well conditioned and have been exercising on my bike in mask for some time so there wasn't any awkward mask slippage or anything about it that felt awkward for me as I felt physically strong and to be honest the group of maskless people looked kind of meek. I didn't feel weird standing off to the side with my bicycle waiting to swoop in to get my box of veggies. I felt strong and the box fit in my backpack pack and I didn't even have to get off my bike and had a mist bottle of alcohol for my hands and I was outta there.

I rode past the college. Everybody looked kind of outta place to be honest just a bunch maskless people not very strong. This is just the impression I got as I whistled through my mask displaying a show of confidence , I listened to music on headphones and darted through the traffic home. Sprayed my stuff clean , threw my clothes in wash ..washed hands, took off mask jumped in shower.. then got a nice glass of water.

Anyway I hope sharing how I felt helps someone in dodging covid and other illnesses and helps the masked people in particular feel good about themselves.

In this day and age I don't how those people can sleep at night wondering if the chubby guy next to them munching on food talking at the same time didn't make them sick. It was also funny riding by a group of college kids all huddled together listening to some college professor all unmasked give them a lecture...(I would not recommend taking such a trip if it was in the evening or if there were any evening party events in the area where drinking might occur because drunken mobs of people in party are quite reckless have low self esteems and will often target masked individuals)  many people are herd/flock animals ..sitting ducks that's for sure. that's no way to live or survive an endemic/pandemic .. social butterflies and people prone to peer pressure and people trying to do 'normal' things with one another are bound to share germs just like regular flock/herd animals .. I actually felt quite normal being independent zipping around on my bike dodging crowds was easy in my mask on that errand.
Here I am just got home from my 6 mile bicycle trip with box of veggies tiny clip of video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1arLAd6JY7CeENE7GQo0C8tG-MwSOMM43/view