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COVID-19 antigen rapid test (ART) kits for self-testing will be "sold by pharmacists" to the public from Jun 16, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Jun 10). These self-test kits have received interim authorisation from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to be sold to the general public. The kits are: Abbott PanBio COVID-19 Antigen Self-test, QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test, SD Biosensor SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self-Test Nasal, and SD Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test. These tests produce results in less than 20 minutes, said the Health Ministry. "They are simple to use, they can be self administered. From next week, Jun 16, these kits will be dispensed by pharmacists at selected retail pharmacies. We will then open up for counter sales at more retail locations progressively," said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at a multi-ministry task force press conference. Sales will initially be limited to 10 ART kits per person to ensure that there are "adequate supplies for all”, said the Health Ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak. But as more supplies are made available for retail sales, authorities will "eventually allow test kits to be freely purchased", he said. Prof Mak said: "The ART self-test kits complement our overall surveillance strategy. "These fast and easy-to-use tests allow us to detect infected cases more quickly, in particular among individuals who do not have acute respiratory infection symptoms, but are concerned that they may have been exposed to Covid-19." This might be for people who had been to a place that a confirmed case had visited, for instance. The four self-test kits that have been granted interim authorisation by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for sale to the public are the Abbott PanBio Covid-19 Antigen Self-Test, the Quidel QuickVue At-Home OTC Covid-19 Test, the SD Biosensor Sars-CoV-2 Antigen Self-Test Nasal, and the SD Biosensor Standard Q Covid-19 Ag Home Test. In response to media queries, Watsons Singapore said it will be retailing the Abbott and Quidel QuickVue test kits at all pharmacy stores in phase one of the test kit roll-out. "We would be keeping with MOH’s recommended guidelines on retail selling price, which will range from approximately $10 to $13 per test kit," it said. MOH said: "Individuals who have a positive result for their ART self-test should immediately approach a Swab And Send Home public health preparedness clinic for a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. "They are then required to self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result." Meanwhile, those who test negative on their self-test ART should still stay vigilant and adhere to prevailing safe management measures, MOH said.

The recent series of fires and accidents have got me thinking about this. I have a first aid kit, ,torchlight, pocketknife, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, glass punch and seat belt cutter in my car, as well as the safety triangle. Now you can buy a complete kit, and they can cost from $15 upwards, but do note that when they say "100 components", they count Each plaster / alcohol swab, so don't be fool! However there are sites which teach you how to assemble one, and you can certainly make one, or buy one first, then refresh it from time to time. Some useful sites: https://www.outsideonline.com/2338961/how-to-build-first-aid-kit https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-complete-guide-to-making-a-diy-first-aid-kit/ I do a lot of outdoor stuff (when there's no Covid), and I look forward to doing it again. A small kit is an essential component. Now, those sites do give most info on how to assemble it, but let me add a few pointers: - you can use an old airline vanity pouch. I got a nice one off a trip - bring some of your meds too. Some of us are on a ton of meds, so put a set into your porch as a spare. I typically bring them in my toiletries bag, so this is my spare one. - I also put a bit of cash in it, you'll never know, eg a cab ride if the car breaks down - I also adjust my kit according to the trip, eg if it's a multiple trek in Nepal, I'll expand my kit (actually I have more than one kit, one for small trips, and another for longer ones) - I put the expiry date and assembly date on the pouch - add a waterproof pen - good for writing bandage timing on the arm if you do a tourniquet - black tape or duct tape - a simple compass helps - I keep my old OCS Silva compass handy but I also stick one in my car Oh, please open the wrappers Before you travel... time is of the essence if someone is dying or burning... and know how to use the contents before you fly / drive / travel Hope this helps 🙂 3 Also useful in economic downtimes: What about an AED: A sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a chaotic electrical condition of the heart resulting in the loss of blood flow to the brain and body. Once the heart stops beating normally, an SCA victim will lose consciousness and stop breathing immediately. Defibrillation known as shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) is the only treatment for SCA. The shock can stop a life-threatening and irregular heart rhythm and allows the heart to resume a normal rhythm. These are still quite costly, so I don't think it's needed unless you have someone who is really at risk, but then again, he may not be suitable for long trips or even a lot of physical activity.. Oh, and no.... you can't just hook up your starter cables and clamp them to his nipples...

One of the biggest pastimes of my childhood... not just the 1/35 models (unlike the 1/72 scale of Airfix), Tamiya was also responsible for the powered cars, with a remote control. https://tamiyablog.com/2017/05/mr-masayuki-tamiya/ https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20170511-00000002-jct-soci

You see, if you're living in a place where floods have become some sort of a daily sighting, you may want to consider building a DIY flood kit. Who knows, you may even make a handsome fortune out of it. Don't believe it? Well, what about watching the accompanying video? The guy riding the Honda motorcycle shown in the video makes good use of duct tape and some plastic tubes. With those, he makes some sort of dual snorkelling air intake and ensures that no water gets into his exhaust pipe. So, the next thing he has to focus on is to keep on throttling and make sure that the bike goes in a straight direction. It's pretty creative. Using this method, he successfully managed to go through the flood despite its three-feet depth. What an engineering mind he had for such an unfriendly condition. Imagine how many people you could possibly help with such a DIY flood kit.

Times are changing for the US military, which now finds itself embroiled in urban combat, for which the standard Humvee is less than ideal. As the U.S. military phases out the Humvee, its maker, AM General, strongly believes that the hardcore off-roader may still have some life left in it. For fans of the Hummer or the actual wartime vehicle that inspired it, now is your chance to own a version of the original High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or Humvee for short but without an engine. After more than 10 years break from the civilian vehicle market, AM General is considering to offer a kit car based on the C Series Humvee. The kit which is said to conform to US regulations includes a rolling chassis and could start from US$59,000 but builders have to get their own engine and transmission. A starting price of that amount is not too bad and with a suitable engine and transmission fixed, the final price will probably be around US$75,000. Considering the price of a Hummer H1 in 2005 was around US$140,000 before any added options, that US$75,000 price tag is rather reasonable. But, there is a catch. The reason why it is pretty inexpensive is because a kit version will be as stripped as a military version. That means buyers will not get the nice trimming or accessories a normal, civilian version would have. Buyers would likely get a cloth top, cloth doors, no interior trim, no sound deadening and no air-conditioning. But this would not matter much to the hardcore Humvee fans as these fans are pretty much more concerned about the Humvee