Thank you for this comprehensive gathering of information, Ronni.  
When I read earlier this week that VP Mike Pence would be in charge of deciding what information scientists would be allowed to report I laughed out loud.  What a good joke!! 

This is the man who publicly stated that he could not have a private meeting with any woman unless his wife was present.  Like asking a kid playing stick-ball on the street if he thinks we should take aspirin.  

I personally believe that those of us in the high risk, over 80 group, can still rely on the common sense that got us this far.  As a nurse I think face masks give a false sense of safety and only a high end sealed respirator like the one my husband used when spraying paint, etc. is efficient. 

When one takes the face mask off?...now what. If anything is trapped on the outer layer it is now on your hands and disseminating into the surrounding air.  What to do? Common sense says wash your hands, keep your cooking area clean, stay at home for a while, etc.etc.

I remember the acronym I used when answering letters from teenagers.  FEAR--Fantasized Expectations Appearing  Real. Is a pandemic "real"? I do not know, but today I'm going to press on, enjoy your blog, feed the birds and squirrels, then have breakfast with a second cup of coffee to greet a rare sunny day in Portland!

Thanks, Ronni, for your ever helpful advice. I had not even been aware of the possibility of drug shortages but of course that makes sense. The simple kind of cloth face masks you occasionally see on people in the subway have been sold out in NYC drugstores for weeks. More heavy-duty masks can still be found at home improvement/hardware stores.

Currently my husband mostly works from home, which, I hope, lessens the chances of him bringing germs home from the office. We constantly remind one another to “Wash your hands!” whenever entering the apartment, and have positioned a large bottle of alcohol-based hand rub by the entrance.

The control on information is appalling. Of course, everything that doesn’t drop from the mind of the self-proclaimed “stable genius” is fake news, after all, so we should all just trust our own Dear Leader. Gag me with a spoon.

Pence in charge? Might as well appoint Robby the Robot. The man denies science and reality. A doctor should be in charge, or someone from CDC or WHO. The media are creating panic and someone should stop them. Get your info from reliable sources, those in the medical field (or Ronni), and ignore the fear-mongering mainstream media.

Of course the fatality rate is higher among seniors. It is with any disease. We're all compromised, if only by our age.

Some how I seem to have missed Democrats blaming DT, I did hear him blaming Democrats.

I just spent an hour in a too small waiting room with adults and children yesterday, I am going to watch with a cautious eye. There is a woman in CA with no known exposure with it and it took them some time to realize it. So WH screening all info does not leave me with a bunch of comfort.

Thank you so much Ronni for today's post. And to everyone who commented. All good advice, important to be reminded of, for prevention of the COVID-19 virus. And other viruses such as this year's flu which is, so far, killing more people here.

I'll be washing my hands and not worrying about the coronavirus.

I have been trying to get an answer for two weeks about the availability of testing on a local level. Finally I found that no one is being tested for coronavirus unless they state that they have been to China in the last two weeks. So that means people who may be mildly symptomatic with coronavirus could easily be walking around. They are sent home from the doctor because they don’t test positive for flu B.

This isn’t the fault of local doctors- this is based on CDC guidelines that are supposedly being changed as we speak. But it is problematic that testing is not yet available locally for quick diagnosis. As someone in the medical community stated yesterday on TV “you can’t find something if you don’t look for it”. Why are we so far behind at this point??

And today I see Trump saying that a “miracle will just happen” and it will spontaneously go away...

Well we are going to "test the system" - we are off to Japan in 2.5 weeks.

Japan is taking this seriously! They are closing all public schools from now until late March. Private schools will probably do the same. The normal school break there is from March 20 to April 8 so this is really disrupting testing and graduations - not to mention all the parents who will have to take time off to care for their kids longer than expected. Less of a big deal there as the Japanese are much more open to doing what is the best for the society without a lot of complaints. Closing schools is a good idea IMHO.

We are going because we had already planned to go to care of our 4 year old granddaughter during the break. We have masks and hand sanitizer to bring along. Masks are more to fit in rather than probably doing anything of much help. The natives will be less concerned about us if we wear masks. Masks are very common there most of the time anyway - a lot of people wear them most of the time when out in public anyway. Fortunately we will not be in crowded areas and do not need to use public transportation while there so exposure might be limited - we'll see.

Maybe we will get a mild case and get inoculated. We are both in early 70's (72 and 70) so it would be nice to see the death rate by year after 70 :-) We are both in good health so not expecting any major issues even if we do catch it.

Also found out (in case you ever wanted to know) travel insurance "trip protection" does not cover us for any travel issues due to a virus outbreak - even if the country were to ban all travel. The "medical protection" will cover us if we get sick or quarantined. Got $$$$ invested so we are going!

One huge key to staying safe and minimizing the spread: accurate, evidence-based. timely information. With the mandate for everything to be funneled through Mike Pence, aka the sycophant-in-chief, that went out the window. Every bit of information we get from this source will be passed through the filter of "does this make the boss look good or bad"? Resulting in complacency when we should be vigilant, and irrational fear when we need to stay sensible - whichever message helps the WH at the moment is what we will hear. I'm praying that those in the scientific community who have access to data and are not controlled by the government will rise up in opposition and communicate the facts.

I heard on the news last evening that a female scientist from the CDC will be advising Pence so that gave me hope that we will have someone with correct knowledge involved.

Thanks for the reminders of how to keep the threat down, Ronni. I always use the antibacterial wipes on the grocery carts whenever I shop and I am rarely sick with a cold, maybe once a year, if that. I do have sinus allergies (dust and pollen)...so have to take precautions when working in the yard. Plus we have wind here near the coast. I keep the windows open as have heard that's best to circulate the air even with allergies.

Husband and I are healthy at 79 and 80 y.o. so we will keep on doing what works, hand washing (husband not so much) and avoiding crowds.

Thank you, Ronni, for the astute and useful advice about the Coronavirus. I am now going to venture an opinion about something else that has been bothering me lately. A certain commenter feels this section is a good place to crow about how Trump has successfully escaped all the traps (like the Mueller Report, Impeachment, e.g.) that the vile "progressive democrats" have set to entrap DT. Such comments obviously meaning to "enlighten/educate" us make my blood boil. These comments always end with praise about how well you, Ronni, are addressing stuff you should be "limited" to addressing, such as old age and illness, but never politics. Presumably, these skillfully wielded compliments mitigate and allow him to continue with his pro-Trump agenda. There are so, so many venues for pro-Trump advocates to sell their wares. TGB has always been the one oasis for me from such opinions. It is true that this individual states his views in a calm, well-mannered style while I'm the one feeling my blood pressure rising. Nevertheless, I do not understand why such individuals cannot be blocked from the comments section. They can still read all the useful information they like, but not add comments that impact other readers negatively.

Right on the button, Pamela &Vala.
Thank you Ronnie for another valuable informative post.
Another source of accurate information is the World Health Organization (WHO) for those skeptical about Dr. Pence's info.
BTW Dr.Anthony Fauci is a reputable source in the CDC who has been censored.

The reason Trump put hapless Pence in charge is so that when it all goes to hell in a hand basket, he can deflect all blame to Pence.

If you listened to the CDC folks at the "news" conference, they contradicted Trump's numbers and potential for spread.

Trump has cut funds to CDC and there is no way there are enough tests for the U.S. How much you wanna bet the tests are made in China (as are masks) and since all manufacturing plants are closed in China due to the virus, nothing will be produced in time should we need it.

Scary. We are in Calif and have decided to self quarantine in our home, not go out unless absolutely necessary, and follow all the tips listed by Ronni.

Thanks for the informative blog today. You are wonderful!