Price Gouging and Staying Safe During This Pandemic

I am an avid shopper on Amazon. I like the convenience and not having to go out to the store for things I can have delivered at home with free shipping. Once the Corona Virus was brought into the United States, companies were raising their prices on much needed commodities.

Matt Colvin and his brother Noah went to every Dollar Tree, Walmart and Target in surrounding states and wiped the shelves clean coming home with 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and wipes as soon as he heard the first case of Corona Virus hit the US. He started selling them on Amazon for up to 50 dollars a bottle of hand sanitizer which was only 6 ounces.

Once Amazon realized what him and a lot of sellers were doing they suspended their accounts and banned them from ever selling anything on Amazon again. eBay has done the same thing. He is stuck now with 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and wipes. To me this is disgusting. People preying on the population that is panicking and will pay whatever price to get what they need for their families.

Are there still people selling on Amazon who are still price gouging? Yes! Amazon has not gotten to all of them yet.

This will be a hard lesson for some people to learn. You can't wait anymore for something like this to happen to prepare your home for obvious reasons.

Living in Florida I have always stock piled goods throughout the year to make sure if we have a hurricane my family will be alright. You never know what is going to happen. Why wait until something so large as a pandemic happens to try and find things that you need to stay healthy.

You should always keep a months supply of all nonperishable items. Whenever I work overtime I take that extra money and buy goods to stock in my closets. You don't realize how much you need things until a category 5 hurricane rips through your city or town and you are stuck without electric for three weeks. Yes I had to survive Wilma. It was devastating. I got through it because I had bought the necessary items we needed to get through way ahead of time.

I get it, I really do. You are afraid you will get the virus so you want to clear the shelves of what they have. You can buy all the cleaning products you need and still get the Corona Virus. The best dense against any illness is good hand hygiene.

I would hope that everyone would have antibacterial hand soap in your home to wash your hands after using the bathroom. Going out in public in crowded stores is putting you at a huge risk of getting the virus. While you are shopping think of how many people touched what you put in your cart and you won't wash your hands when you get home.

Wearing a mask is not going to save you any better then if you just wash your hands and don't touch your face. Handwashing is the simple most easiest way to combat all diseases that are contagious.

Don't crowd the emergency rooms just because you have a runny nose. It doesn't mean you have the Corona Virus it could just be allergy's. People use the emergency rooms for everyday care and now that this virus is considered a pandemic, you tying up doctors and nurses because you have a splinter in your finger is a bad decision. I have always stressed that emergency rooms are for just that EMERGENCIES.

When should you go to the emergency room? If you have a fever, body aches, a cough and trouble breathing. If you only have a runny nose or headache I doubt you have the virus.

Stop panicking. It doesn't help the situation. Check on the elderly they are at most risk for dying from the virus. If you are a healthy person and you get it, you probably will come through just fine.

Stay home unless you absolutely have to go out in all this madness.

Improve your immune health by getting a yearly check up. Take your vitamins and don't go in public places if you are sick.

Singing your A, B. C's while washing your hands will make sure you are doing it long enough. The looks I get in public bathrooms singing this silly song is hilarious.

If you work in the healthcare field, take your uniforms off in your garage or as soon as you walk into the house. Take a shower before hugging or kissing your loved ones you live with. You have a duty to protect your family and patients you come in contact with.

Self isolate if you have been out of the country. This virus has a 14 day incubation period. You could be spreading it and not even know it until it's too late. If you have elderly parents in a nursing home or assisted living facility, stay home until you are told you can visit. Call them and check on your loved ones. Its the best thing you can do for them.

As weeks go past we will find new cases of the Corona Virus but with people isolating themselves we can get past this faster.

Pandemics date back to 165 AD. The last pandemic to the United States was the HIV virus. According to the WHO, 32 million people have died of HIV since the beginning of the epidemic out of the 74.9 million who have been infected.

We don't want these numbers and it can be controlled if you don't go out and help spread it. Stay safe and wash your hands. It's the single most important thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones to stay healthy.