I bought the last Purell: Virus threat brings out our worst behavior

Actually listing on Amazon.com

Want to spend $179.99 for a couple bottles of Purell hand sanitizer? A few days ago you could have on Amazon. But since then, the online company has removed hundreds of price gouging listings. Surely more will pop up, it’s inevitable.

Americans, the culture that we are, will pay whatever we can, to get what we think we need, even if we actually don’t.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) threat is bringing out our worst side as a nation and culture. In the past few days, people have lined up outside COSTCO to stockpile toilet paper. Facemasks and hand sanitizer are long since sold out. You snooze you lose.

Overreaction is nothing new in America.

I live in New England which operates on the French Toast Emergency System. When the weather forecaster announces a pending snowstorm there is a mad dash to the grocery story to stockpile eggs, milk and bread, the three French Toast essentials.

Do most of us NEED these three things to survive the storm? To be honest…. No. But it is our custom and routine and will be repeated again and again.

And right now, thanks to all the folks who panicked and bought out the nation’s supply of facemasks and respirators, people who truly need them will suffer.

Patients with compromised immune systems rely on medical facemasks to save their lives. Medical and dental offices need them to properly do their work.

My niece Aubrey has Cystic Fibrosis and she uses facemasks to prevent infection. My sister Paula works in a dental office and they can’t order any facemasks now, supply has run out.

In the meantime, clueless people have scooped up every type of facemask they could find, including industrial ones that are only useful for dust on construction sites.

The irony of those hoarded medical facemasks/respirators is they will be virtually useless to the people who bought them. The facemasks need to be properly fitted, following a number of safety and sanitary directions. Otherwise, improper use could actually make you sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning that HEALTHY PEOPLE should not use them.

Are we listening?

Let’s face it, Americans tend to behave badly when facing a crisis. So now is the time to step back, if possible, and prepare reasonably in the event a pandemic is called and the virus becomes more widespread.

The best prevention is washing your hands. This will not change, ever. Just use regular soap and water. You can easily prepare for this, right?

Get a flu shot. Will it prevent Coronavirus? No. But it could prevent you getting sick from the “regular flu.” That way, if you catch the flu, doctors can be on the look out for Coronavirus and get you the right treatment.

If you or a family member is sick, stay home, don’t go out. Call your doctor if you think you have the flu.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

As for that Purell hand sanitizer, which is not currently available in most stores, I was able to snag the last bottle at my local Stop & Shop. The endcap shelf which held tons of them had long since sold out, but I spied a lone bottle on a top shelf and bought it.

I put the bottle of Purell in the mail (which I might have been able to get $100 for if I was a gouger) and sent it to Christine’s Critters, a worthwhile non-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates raptors. Christine runs education programs for children with her crew of “ambassadors” which includes owls, falcons, hawks, wild turkeys and bald eagles. These ambassadors suffered injuries which prevent them from ever being released back into the wild.

Christine nursed these noble birds back to health and has given them a permanent home. In order to show the ambassadors to students, she uses a lot of Purell sanitizer for  everyone handling or dealing with the birds.

But, Christine can’t get any Purell right now, so I sent her my lone bottle. Admittedly, it won’t go far, but imagine, if everyone reading this blog sent her just one bottle of Purell, it would make a big difference.

If you don’t have any Purell, but want to help this terrific cause, Christine’s Critters also has a wishlist on Amazon filled with other useful things that will make the world a better place for her birds.

I’m hopeful people will reach out and help Christine’s Critters.

As bad as we are when it comes to panicking in a time of crisis, when push comes to shove, Americans can also be exceedingly generous and more than willing to lend a hand to someone in their time of need. That’s also the America I know.

Click HERE for more information about Christine’s Critters and how to get involved. There is a wish list on Amazon, with modestly priced and much needed supplies. Christine can also accept paypal donations.

Donations and checks can also be sent directly to:
Christine’s Critters, Inc.
PO Box 1157
Weston, CT 06883

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