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Coronavirus - should we prepare?

(92 Posts)
Lyndiloo Tue 11-Feb-20 02:06:33

I was talking to two women at the schoolgates today - one, a young mum, the other a grandmother, like me. They were both very concerned that the Coronavirus has now reached the UK, and were talking about 'stocking-up' on food, in case supermarkets started to close, as they have in China. They were listing all the things that it would be sensible to buy, should there be a pandemic here.

Do you think we should be worried?

Is anyone else planning to stock-up on tinned goods, frozen food, etc.?

Chestnut Sat 15-Feb-20 11:57:32

What worries me about this virus is the long incubation period. People may be carrying it for 10 days without knowing and infecting so many others. I'm not sure what the 'flu incubation period is but obviously the longer it is the more potential to spread it.

goldenshred Sat 15-Feb-20 12:21:23

I think there are a lot of far nastier things to get than this. Sepsis for example.

Callistemon Sat 15-Feb-20 12:27:36

But some viruses can lead to sepsis. Sepsis occurs as the result of another infection.
We know someone who got sepsis as a result of the flu a couple of years ago, she was young and fit but became very ill. Thankfully she is recovered now but it took a long time.

Daisymae Sat 15-Feb-20 12:34:28

Well I have prepped! I have anti bac and face masks. Had to go to pharmacy this morning and they have sold out of a lot of hand cleansers. The government are trying to delay a possible outbreak until the summer as a and e should be less busy with the normal winter flu.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 15-Feb-20 14:10:11

It has just been reported on Sky News that all but one of the nine people who tested positive for the Corona virus in the U.K. have been released from hospital

rosecarmel Sat 15-Feb-20 14:36:05

67,097 confirmed

1,527 deaths

8,573 recovered

Current numbers as of 9:26AM

15 cases in the U.S. and 1 death

No idea if the first set of numbers coming out of China are accurate -

If using the 1 in 15 average, the deaths in the first set would be 4,473-

rosecarmel Sat 15-Feb-20 14:38:10

Here's where I got the numbers from:

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

Yehbutnobut Sat 15-Feb-20 14:59:36

What we are seeing in Wuhan is not a mild viral infection. It is something very contagious and has thrown their hospitals into chaos, halted production lines in industry, disallowed freedom of movement and is draining their resources.

China is not a third world country. Wuhan is a major city. Hoping we will not see this level of infection and disruption here is optimistic, but I hope you are correct.

rosecarmel Sat 15-Feb-20 15:00:43

The American that died, died in China- Not the US- I got that wrong-

The first death outside of China was reported in France-

EllanVannin Sat 15-Feb-20 15:52:05

In 1957 when I was doing my nurse's training, Asian flu broke out globally and I was working on a ward where a few died.
It was first recognised in China again ( avian type ) the same symptoms as the coronavirus affecting the respiratory organs.

I, of course was affected and hospitalized myself and a young 19 year old girl who'd been struggling to breathe in an oxygen tent sadly lost her life during the night. I can still hear her father's howls as he'd sat next to her bed. It was awful.

That was a pandemic where a couple of million died worldwide. It was around summertime as I remember because it wasn't long before another wave of 'flu hit the public after summer and many more died.

I hope it doesn't reach the pandemic stage as it takes a long time to peak before our Autumn viruses descend upon us.
Where you have the avian virus it mutates with the human virus and sets up a strain of flu which is difficult to produce a vaccine for in time before another different strain is around.

I'm sure microbiologists can't keep up with all the different mutants/strains.
We should be cautious without being paranoid.

Callistemon Sat 15-Feb-20 16:00:14

I think the Asian flu reached our school in about September 1957, EllanVannin because it was at the beginning of the new school year. Most of my form was off, then another girl and I went down with it when the others came back after about 2 weeks. I remember feeling very ill.

I agreement, these viruses mutate and always seem to be one step ahead of any vaccines being developed.

EllanVannin Sat 15-Feb-20 16:09:24

Callistemon, not to put a too finer point on it----they were dying like flies.

Callistemon Sat 15-Feb-20 16:14:26

I know it was devastating but hadn't realised that, perhaps was sheltered from the news at the time.
It must have been awful nursing in a hospital and seeing and hearing all of it.

Let's hope we can contain it this time and it doesn't become a pandemic.

MrsEggy Sat 15-Feb-20 17:04:11

I remember having Asian flu, I was only ill for a few days and didn't see a Dr. Hospitals always see the most seriously ill, not the mild cases.

SueDonim Sat 15-Feb-20 17:34:24

It must have been heartbreaking to hear that father, Ellen. sad. I was too young to remember the 50’s outbreak but I caught flu in the 60’s outbreak.

M0nica Sat 15-Feb-20 17:55:30

I have never had flu and neither has anyone in my close family. My sister and I were at boarding school when the 1957 Asian flu hit. Boarders were going down like ninepins and eventually the school closed for a fortnight. Neither of us caught it. We went home, to the army base where DF worked and we lived. Again the virus was rife but neither of my parents nor youngest sister caught it.

That seeming immunity from flu is of course irrelevant to this current crisis as it is not a flu virus and I am as likely to go down with the corna virus as anyone else.