Any Concerns With Chinese Pen Orders In Light Of Coronovirus?

[Mercian]

I'm more concerned with more common stuff such as the flu and various preventable illnesses causing more deaths amid the US's stupidity with anti-vaxxers.

 

The anti-vaxxer movement is not just in the US - it is all over the world, including here in Europe.

Hence the rise in cases of Measles on this side of the Atlantic..

I had Measles quite badly as a kid (pre-vaccination days).

My brother got it in his final year before school. I contracted it from him, in the last week of my second year of school.

I was bedridden for three weeks, and after my face swelled up so much that my eyelids split I spent a week of that time delirious and hallucinating. I lost half of my school summer holidays, and was really annoyed about that - but I got off very lightly compared to what that disease can do to its host.

 

I wish that parents would be shown films of kids who had Measles, Whooping Cough, Diphtheria, Polio, Tetanus etc at the ante-natal classes, and also be taught about the potential consequences (e.g brain damage, permanent paralysis etc).

So that they can find out BEFORE their kids suffered the diseases themselves - and so that there is no loss of ‘herd immunity’.

 

Because when that’s gone, the diseases have larger pool of vulnerable hosts in which to develop, and to mutate in to new strains for which there are not as yet any vaccines.

 

My apologies for going off-topic again (I promise to stop now) but people nowadays seem to have forgotten that there are very good reasons why our species invested so much time and effort (and money) on developing the vaccines for these diseases

[KBeezie]

 

The anti-vaxxer movement is not just in the US - it is all over the world, including here in Europe.

Hence the rise in cases of Measles on this side of the Atlantic..

I had Measles quite badly as a kid (pre-vaccination days).

...

I'm aware but not sure how severe it is in other countries, least here it seems like even those in government are legislating law without basic education in that regards.

 

I too had the measles when I was a kid, or more specifically german measles (rubella?), it's why I'm severe-to-profound deaf now.

[A Smug Dill]

I'd use Lysol (concentrate) over Barbicide._...‹snip›... Anyway - I have some stuff on order from China, I'll just be patient until they arrive. It usually takes three to four weeks anyway.

Any idea what that might do to the raw or coated finish on pens with wooden barrels, e.g. Delike Times and Moonman M6? I'm asking because I don't know; but I'm seen first-hand that the coating on my Moonman M6 didn't do too well after a soak in a very dilute solution of (Fairy in Australia and the UK, aka Dawn in the US?) household detergent and ammonia.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Thank you for the ideas presented throughout this thread.

Since 1999 I've worked in mainland China, including during the SARS period.

The ongoing current event has had quite an impact on ordinary business here.

At the downtown MixC Montblanc boutique yesterday afternoon, all staff were wearing masks, as was I.

Tom K.

[Bibliophage]

A lot of the various disinfectants use ethanol, propanol, and xylenol, which acrylic might not like. The bottle of Lysol concentrate I have next to me has o-Benzyl-p-Chlorophenol for the active ingredients, and the closest/best MSDS sheet I can find for that is this one.

 

https://app.aceworldwide.com/qualitydocs/Forms/SDS/Lysol%20Brand%20Concentrate%20Disinfectant.pdf

 

In the past, I don't remember having any ill effects from using it on wooden floors and walls, but we usually used it on tile and linoleum.

[Erik Dalton]

Not sure exactly where Chinese pens are made (Wuhan?)? With the hype the media is placing on this pending pandemic will mail out of China slow further? When package arrives anybody taking any precautionary steps?

I placed my first Chinese pen order a week ago and was advised it won’t ship until the end of the month due to Chinese New Year. In parallel I ordered some additional #6 nibs from China of varying size to compliment the pen and they have already shipped. Boil them?

Nothing to see here?

 

Thank you for starting this thread. It is timely and worthy of discussion. I’ve got some valuable info here....Thanks

[Tom Kellie]

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Mr. Kellie you better stay in tip-top condition, I don't want to hear about a single hint of a cough from you and all your loved ones there.

As for the topic on hand, fortunately good personal hygiene seems to be the recommended counter-measure for now. But I still put off ordering any new pens from China and I'm not sure if I'm going to open my order of stationery products, which was shipped at the end of December. It's not like I can give them a good wash before using them..

[Honeybadgers]

I'm in king county, about 20 miles south of the first confirmed case. We just ruled out one upstairs at the urgent care at work today. We sent the patient home even before the results because they weren't sick enough to warrant isolation.

 

Coronavirus is nothing compared to this year's flu. We've had more deaths from the flu in Washington state this year than current worldwide coronavirus deaths. It's actually suspected now that there are greater than 40,000 cases, just that symptoms are so mild people aren't seeking treatment. That makes the ~50 deaths much less scary.

 

Also, no, it won't survive on a pen long enough unless you get your packages from china within a couple days of packaging. And even then, the exposure mechanism would be next to impossible to actually be a risk unless you take the pen and rub it all over every mucous membrane and open wound you have. the only known vector is airborne. Touching it and even rubbing your eyes afterwards is a very, very slim transmission chance.

 

And bear in mind, coronavirus is in the same group as the common cold. It's killed a few people, yes, but this ain't SARS or bird flu. This epidemic is good for the american 24/7 news cycle. China is doing a good job to handle it and this is not really a public health crisis.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Bobje
offensive photograph deleted

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

 

 

And bear in mind, coronavirus is in the same group as the common cold. It's killed a few people, yes, but this ain't SARS or bird flu. This epidemic is good for the american 24/7 news cycle. China is doing a good job to handle it and this is not really a public health crisis.

I want more people like you to write articles about the coronavirus. But not about the flu.

[Mech-for-i]

Well ; residing in Hong Kong, and live through the like of Avian Flu, SARS, quite a few minor outbreak which never made international news , and now Coronavirus I figure I had some authority to say something about the said matter ..

 

First off this virus is just infectious and even more so if you consider its infectious period vs SARS, But yet its still documented that its still basically a human to human and human / animal infection. There is no documented cases of indirect infection as depicted in handling something like a pen from infected areas , not even in its heaviest infected area. So just be sensible and observe basic decent hygiene. On the other hand this new strain is just as strong and even might be stronger than SARS and the reason we are not seeing that extensive pandemic was primary a result of the weather and come months down the road and weather start to get warm and moist it might be another matter altogether, so do not just take it lightly as its something as a common cold. As of this moment, there is still no proper treatment derived.

 

During the SARS outbreak, more than 300 of my fellow citizen here bite the dust and no one here take this lightly ; and the fact that this outbreak happen right around the time the area exhibit its annually ( world's ) largest mass human exodus which put many carrier persons to other locations ( without themselves knowing or detectable ) its only going to made matters worse in coming days and weeks. As of this moment , in China, only 1 province is without confirmed case and every other are taking the category A medical precaution and the Chinese medical authority is categorizing this as Category B infectious disease which mean its only a class down from Dipthera, Smallpox, Black Plague and alike. The estimation right now is that this is far from over and the peak of it likely will be around May

 

If anyone or you know anyone been recently to China and especially around the infected area, its advised that the person seek professional medical consultation and self quarantine for 14 days.

 

From a person who actually live in and around infected area ( we had already 8 confirmed and more than 300 suspicious cases here in this city alone ) ; I must say most who are not in and around this part of Asia seems to either take this too casual and too lightly ; or just simply over react .. neither of which is good for it.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Mech-for-i

[Tom Kellie]

Well ; residing in Hong Kong, and live through the like of Avian Flu, SARS, quite a few minor outbreak which never made international news , and now Coronavirus I figure I had some authority to say something about the said matter ..

 

First off this virus is just infectious and even more so if you consider its infectious period vs SARS, But yet its still documented that its still basically a human to human and human / animal infection. There is no documented cases of indirect infection as depicted in handling something like a pen from infected areas , not even in its heaviest infected area. So just be sensible and observe basic decent hygiene. On the other hand this new strain is just as strong and even might be stronger than SARS and the reason we are not seeing that extensive pandemic was primary a result of the weather and come months down the road and weather start to get warm and moist it might be another matter altogether, so do not just take it lightly as its something as a common cold. As of this moment, there is still no proper treatment derived.

 

During the SARS outbreak, more than 300 of my fellow citizen here bite the dust and no one here take this lightly ; and the fact that this outbreak happen right around the time the area exhibit its annually ( world's ) largest mass human exodus which put many carrier persons to other locations ( without themselves knowing or detectable ) its only going to made matters worse in coming days and weeks. As of this moment , in China, only 1 province is without confirmed case and every other are taking the category A medical precaution and the Chinese medical authority is categorizing this as Category B infectious disease which mean its only a class down from Dipthera, Smallpox, Black Plague and alike. The estimation right now is that this is far from over and the peak of it likely will be around May

 

If anyone or you know anyone been recently to China and especially around the infected area, its advised that the person seek professional medical consultation and self quarantine for 14 days.

 

From a person who actually live in and around infected area ( we had already 8 confirmed and more than 300 suspicious cases here in this city alone ) ; I must say most who are not in and around this part of Asia seems to either take this too casual and too lightly ; or just simply over react .. neither of which is good for it.

 

~ Mech-for-i:

 

Thank you so much for your measured response.

Your post is greatly appreciated for the wisdom and balanced explanation.

It's encouraging to read such a mature, well-informed post.

Tom K.

[tamiya]

TV news just before I wandered up to bed says 4800 infected & 100 casualties.

 

How's that tally with what your local news outlets are reporting.,

[Bibliophage]

TV news just before I wandered up to bed says 4800 infected & 100 casualties.

 

How's that tally with what your local news outlets are reporting.,

That's probably 'confirmed' infected/deceased. The various CDC reports I was reading imply that many of those symptomatic will be too minor for the people infected to bother to get tested. It'll be much like a cold. So they have to go with just the numbers of which they can be certain.

[SpecTP]

TV news just before I wandered up to bed says 4800 infected & 100 casualties.

 

How's that tally with what your local news outlets are reporting.,

there is a tracking site that is pulling data from WHO and CDC

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

 

Back on topic.. I ordered some packages (toys) that is coming from China and have been informed that shipment is pushed out 2 weeks.

[Mech-for-i]

Well as of this moment the total confirmed case count had already break the 6K mark with 5974 alone in China ,mind that the latter one already exceed the total number of confirmed cases of SARS during the then outbreak ; the critical number though is that in China alone 1239 are in critical or serious condition and there are also 9239 suspicious cases. There are also able to be tracked 65537 previously in close contact with the confirm infected & 59990 in medical observation .... However

Those are just the small numbers. The really important number is that Wuhan alone ; only days and a week before the lockdown 5 million people are recorded left the city for Lunar New Year Holiday and now they are everywhere and consider that the strain start spreading even before the person become ill ( and not every carrier become ill either ) well you can do the math yourself. And the numbers as stated in prior paragraph are also misleading cause right now the procedure of confirmation is restricted by number of test kits available and the restricted distribution of the test kits and also the limitation of testing capacity ( lab facilities, personnel etc ). By scientific mathematical model; just Wuhan alone there is right now estimated 0.2 million already infected , with most would not be showing any real symptoms ( the current rate of becoming ill after catching the virus is roughly 15% up ). And the city is severely lacking facility to treat or to even diagnose so many now needing to seek medical consultation and treatments

I am not posting these figure to try to scare anybody I am just trying to let people know that this should be taken seriously but not too over reacting

Now to the pens the latest data shown the strain could survive a fair degree of low temp especially in dry condition but its not like it could survive prolong exposure to environment and basic disinfection do the job so come if you do worry about the packages you receive from China. Then best option is to done a pair of rubber glove and just wipe down everything while keeping a surgical mask on though I would consider that a bit over the top. Even we here do nothing of the sort. Most of you guys are not like me who are already in the infected area so don't try to worry yourself to exhaustion or over react just keep within good basic health guideline like washing your hands with soap properly

Edited January 29, 2020 by Mech-for-i

[Mannyonpil]

So, as I am reading this thread, I get a package from Shanghai with a Moonman T1.

 

Now y'all got me afraid to open the damned thing.

[Mannyonpil]

"Moonman, feel the temperature of writing."

 

That is not the slogan I want to see right now.

[Mannyonpil]

末匠感受書寫的溫度 It seems like some kind of sick joke.

[corniche]

So, as I am reading this thread, I get a package from Shanghai with a Moonman T1.

 

Now y'all got me afraid to open the damned thing.

Hi Mannyonpil,

 

I'd open it and enjoy it. 👍

 

Wuhan is 523 miles west of Shanghai and I'm pretty sure Moonman pens are not made there, (Wuhan, that is).

 

Option B: Send it to me.

 

 

Sean