COVID-19 Diaries: Perspective Of A Prepper In Thailand, 103 Days In

Mark is from Thailand, a country 2,123km away from Wuhan, China. Although there are only 177 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Thailand at the moment of this interview, he is already well-prepared for a serious outbreak… ready to survive even if the virus wipes out 90% of the population in his country. 

Q: How afraid of the novel coronavirus are you now? How did you prepare for the COVID-19 outbreak?

A: I am pretty scared because I think at least 50% [of the time] that I have it myself and I am scared to give to my family.

I bought a respirator mask, protective clothing, a lot of supplements such as Hydroxychloriquine, Ventolin, elderberry, vitamin C, vitamin D, NAC and ALCAR. I also bought antibiotics and a pulse oximeter. In addition, electrolyte powders too for diarrhoea; it saved my life one time. On top of that, I am growing veggies at home.

[Interviewer’s research: Hydroxychloriquine is a malaria turned autoimmune drug that has been said to be effective in treating COVID-19—and has been heavily promoted by President Trump of the USA despite medical experts warning that they don’t yet know how safe and effective it really is. Ventolin is for treating shortness of breath caused by breathing problems like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Elderberry is full of antioxidants. Vitamin C is another antioxidant that also has many other benefits including the prevention of scurvy. Vitamin D is essential for building strong bones and helps prevent rickets. NAC or N-Acetyl Cysteine is used by the body to build antioxidants. ALCAR or Acetyl-L-Carnitine is an amino acid that is also produced by the human body to generate energy. Antibiotics are used to treat some types of bacterial infection. A pulse oximeter is used to measure the amount of oxygen carried within your body.]

Wow! Where did you get your protective suit and respirator mask from?

I bought the suit on lazada.co.th, a Thailand local site. [It cost] US$100, everything is reusable. For the respirator filters, I bought 20 extra sets. 🙂 The air here is so bad, it is good to have this outside to breathe normally. I think they were $6 for a pair but now they are about $20.

Are you using the gear now or keeping them for later use?

I wore these PPE (personal protective equipment) and respirator mask today. I just went out with the protective suit and the P100 filtered respirator [the respirator option that blocks the widest range of hazards] and didn’t even really get funny looks. Really, most people had masks on, maybe 75% of the people.

What measures were implemented/are going to be implemented by the government of Thailand to deal with the COVID-19 virus?

They are fighting the virus in many ways. For example, temperature scans are everywhere, foreigners will have to download an app on their phone to track their movements on arrival.

How do you keep yourself from getting infected?

I’ve been already staying home now for a few weeks (but just out today with PPE), and will stay inside for a while. 

Mark believes this novel coronavirus will change the world as we know it and likely not for the better. “Lots more authority and powers for those that have too much already.” 

Tomorrow, we’ll chat with someone from the Lombardy region of Italy to find out what lockdown is like for one of its Milanese residents. Follow the latest in our COVID-19 Diaries series here.

If you’re in a country that has been affected by the novel coronavirus and would like to share information about the situation where you’re at, do get in touch with us here.

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Mark. Interviewer: Kauai
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