Panic versus virus

During foot and mouth we lived in a very rural area surrounded by farms,it was truly tragic seeing the pyres and watching the white suits appear on our tranquil view.
Ramblers would still turn up and appear in our village with their dogs expecting to walk.
City dwellers had no idea of how serious this was as it was not affecting them in any way.
I think it’s the same with C19, until we are directly affected it’s happening in another part of the country to someone else so we are OK.

Artdeco you need to take into account, that people are very, very scared and the symptoms of Covid-19 are symptoms that are vague and common to many winter bugs so people ring 111/go to hospital just in case. They want, one could say, need to know whether it is Covid-19, so if required they can go into social exclusion. For many key worker industries, other than the NHS, staff going into social seclusion are making continuing to operate very difficult, especially when those going into seclusion may not have Corvid-19, nor might any contacts and they would go back to work if they knew that.

Artdecogran - I am in a similar situation to yours and fully understand how hard it is having no-one at home to chat to.

But it is clear that this virus is different from the usual seasonal flu (and its accompanying loss of life). It is a brand new virus and we have no defence against it in the same way as we do with flu. It is a virus that spreads more easily than flu, which means that more people will get it. It is a virus that is more deadly than flu - deaths from flu do not make the news because they mostly occur in elderly people who were ill beforehand and the flu was simply the straw that broke the back, so to speak. This new virus also has serious consequences in more of those who are infected.

Clearly the social disruption is a pain, especially to those of us who are alone for the first time - but it really is essential. Because the virus is going to be so widespread, if no actions are taken the death rate will be much higher, because the NHS will be wholly unable to offer life-saving care to patients, partly through lack of capacity, but also because so many staff will be off sick.

It really is worse than seasonal flu. please believe me; and it has been predicted by scientists for many years.

Monica my DD is a senior nurse at an nhs hospital. The hospital has a serious problem with people turning up asking to be tested for corona/asking for medication with no symptoms whatsoever. They haven’t been in high risk situations either. They are not admitted but they still take up valuable resources. As I have said previously I am not taking any viewpoint at all on the situation, just asking questions. I am a recent widow and have no one to bounce ideas about with. I just wanted to ask questions. I have not abused anyone but the amount of abuse I have received has, quite frankly astonished me.

Artdecogran The 11,000 flu deaths occur in a society that is going about its ordinary everyday business: children at school, pubs, clubs, restaurants, leisure centres concert hall, theatres etc etc all open, people mingling, hugger mugger, leading life in a way we called 'normal'

These Corvid-19 deaths are occurring despite the fact that ever major country that has the disease has instituted strict lockdowns, some with draconian enforcement methods, and despite that, these countries still have rocketting death rates.

It has been estimated that if we had had no special measures and Corvid-19 had spread like flu does, then up to 80% of the population would get it and we could have up to 200,000 extra deaths.

Hospitals do not have enough ventilators, major new hospitals are being built to cope with those needing hospital care. As for people going to hospital when they normally wouldn’t Where are your wits, woman? Hospitals do not admit people into scarce beds just because the patient thinks they are ill enough. They do not put them on ventilators because the patient thinks they need one. People are admitted to hospital because the doctors judge that hospital admission is essential. They are put on ventilators because doctors can see that they need to be on a ventilator.

Hospitals are very good at sending people home if they do not need care.

Johns Hopkins, a reliable ource I believe, has released a True or Myth webpage:

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/2019-novel-coronavirus-myth-versus-fact

Someone rode past me on a bike today while I was doing my daily walk. From what I heard of his conversation he was saying that everything had been blown up out of all proportion and that things weren't as bad as the press were making out.......

I can't really believe that anyone is still asking this question. Death rates x10 normal flu. No one has immunity. Highly contagious. Not just the old can die. If you don't die your you may have permanent lung damage. Might mutate. Let's party!

*got not hot

Tesco's recent announcement of a maximum 80 yes ONLY EIGHTY? items per online order beggars belief?
Who on earth places orders of 80 items? Even taking into account 2 of everything, it equals 40 items.
Haven't the stashers and stockpiles hot enough?..greedy mares.

It’s very encouraging news that China is starting to get back to some sort of normality, but because they adopted such a strong clampdown of affected areas it is said that a very large percentage of the population has no immunity at all and therefore the ‘herd immunity’ hasn’t occurred.

Some scientists maintain that this herd immunity is essential to prevent the virus returning next year.

I believe that was the thinking behind our government’s decision to delay a lockdown here.

I did read that some scientists go even further and are of the view that a better policy would be to allow young healthy people to continue working along with protecting and isolating the elderly and those in poor health.

I don’t think any of us would swap places with Boris would we?

Teetime ditto

It was already here before we knew about it so closing us off wouldnt have helped.

I have a fear of getting some other illness at a time when the NHS is so overstretched, or of having a dental problem that needs attention. Not panicking exactly, but very apprehensive.

Grounding all flights and closing borders to this country would have solved a huge problem initially so that by now we could have been totally free from the virus.

This is a virus that has been brought into the country and it annoys me greatly. It is an airborne-type virus similar to Sars as droplets from people sneezing can stay in the air for several hours.

The problem with CV19 Artdecogran is the frightening speed of transmission and the rate of infection. NO ONE yet has immunity to this virus unlike seasonal flu, nor is there a vaccine and there won't be until (probably) next year. NO health care system on this earth has the capacity to manage the number of cases when the peak of the pandemic comes. Its not about the total number of deaths, its the fact that the peak happens so fast. We should be very, very afraid and do everything we can to slow transmission rates which is precisely where we are at.

My dd a dentist and everyone else in the practice have been told not to come in, each will be on call for a week in rotation, no precedures will be done, advice and prescriptions for antibiotics only. I say thank goodness for that, they are unsung front line workers, aerosol contagion from drill, air jets etc and at very high risk. No PPE and running out of essentials. No panics here

I do see your point Artdeco. A very elderly person I knew was in hospital with an unrelated problem. He died last week - and had Coronavirus which will be noted in the figures - but it’s not the cause of his demise. In this respect it is similar to seasonal winter flu.

BUT - this is an unknown virus. It is spreading worldwide and isn’t just a winter flu which goes away with the sun and is restricted to one small part of the world. People who get it badly, get it REALLY badly and can die from the virus alone.

It is a pandemic. It’s scary.

In 2013/2014 11,000 people died from flu related causes in the uk, but no one noticed and there was not mass panic. I am asking questions not putting forward any point of view at all. Just wondering how we got to be in this frightening place.

Unflippingbelievable...or words to that effect.
Yesterday In Italy nearly 700 deaths.. is this worse than normal flu.? Too bloody right it is.
I heard an idiot last week talking about how there’s more people killed on the roads each year.......missing the point that this would be on top of all the other deaths.

I'm speechless too!!

I've just had a long conversation from the hospital, informing me that my new treatment for Monday has been cancelled, as the risks are too high. Emergency treatment cannot be guaranteed if I have an allergic reaction, ( history of previous incidents) as NHS is stretched to the limit.
Told under no circumstances have I to leave home for next 12 weeks.☹

Some people just don't get it. ?

I think the panic buying would not have been so bad before social media, we would have just gone to the shop we usually use instead of travelling around to various shops stocking up.

People were not listening to the press coverage as they continued,and some still do,to flout the advice by still going out unnecessarily, mixing with others and spreading the virus.

This virus is fast spreading so has to be controlled, if all care staff, shop workers,police and many other key workers caught this at the same time what do you think would happen.

Flippetty Flip!!!!!! (I am trying not to curse, but I hope you get my intention)

Is this virus any worse than the ‘normal’ flu?
Yes
Is the death rate going to be higher when it eases than the normal seasonal death rate?
Yes
Is the social disruption, the financial hardships and sheer worry that this has caused worse than the deaths caused
Comparisons are odious.

Have you not seen what is happening in our hospitals and those in Italy, the US, Spain etc? Do you really think that we can carry on as normal at a time like this?

I'm lost for words!