Pandemic panic

deanswaydolly these are the symptoms which don't include a runny nose.

high bp is a very great predisposition to serious covid-19 consequences. All those with bravado saying they will carry on regardless to groups etc, 50% of those who died worldwide had high bp, a very great risk factor. Just be thoughtful and not selfish. 1/3 of the British adult public have high bp, have some care about not infecting other people.

craftyone, could you please clarify what you mean by ‘very great’ as regards predisposition to the virus, and ‘very great’ as regarding the risk factor . How high is high? Do you have any actual figures?
Unless these statements are borne out by actual medical facts, I feel ‘very great ‘ to be rather an emotive/ dramatic phrase to use .

I have not seen any statistics to verify that, do you have a link please, craftyone?

Older people tend to have higher blood pressure which could lead to other complications which would leave those people more susceptible to diseases such as these viruses and and to the flu virus.

So yes, but is it the high blood pressure alone , or it is a combination of factors?

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-09/top-virus-doctor-says-high-blood-pressure-is-major-death-risk

I may be mistaken , but it seems to me that an awful lot of ‘top virus doctors’ are popping up all over the media .
Also a great deal of fake news . I’m relying on the good old BBC to not lead us astray.

Of a group of 170 patients who died in January in Wuhan -- the first wave of casualties caused by a pathogen that’s now raced around the world -- nearly half had hypertension

”That’s a very high ratio,” said Du Bin, director of the intensive care unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, in an interview with Bloomberg over the phone from Wuhan.

craftyone I’m not a statistician and feel free to correct me, but I don’t think it’s odd that half the people who have died had hypertension.

Given that nearly all the people who have died in China have been elderly, and a high proportion of elderly people have hypertension, it shouldn’t be surprising that half of those who have died had the condition.

academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/56/4/M217/619961 This article gives a prevalence of 50% in people over the age of 69.

there we are then, take it or leave it. Just a warning to do your level best to follow the government advice and to try not to get infected or infect others. I have normal bp btw, not all elders have high bp, it does not necessarily come with the territory

Think you may be putting your faith in the wrong organisation there curvygran

Anyone with diabetes has a compromised immune system which puts them at higher risk of complications with coronavirus. It's estimated that about 5 million people in the UK have diabetes including one in ten of the over forties age group. Many people aren't even aware they have diabetes so don't know they are at greater risk.

Probably, sodapop. It's really difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff , so to speak.

Luckily we have medical professionals in the family to debunk some of the more hysterical scare stories.

craftyone don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting for a minute that anyone is blase about this. I am following all the NHS advice and will continue to do so. We're all vulnerable simply because of our age.

Why is the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation bringing on Nigel Farage to talk about coronovirus? He knows nothing but they just keep promoting him as they have done for years.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/channel-4-news-dorothy-byrne-stepping-down-1-6553501

Apparently 111 has been giving people who come back from Italy the wrong advice,they are supposed to self isolate for 14 days but have been told they can go straight home,even on public transport,and so mixing with the public

angiotensin, look it up. Sars, coronaviruses interact with ACE2 angiotensin converting enzyme to enter target cells. I am saying no more, just please no-one be gung ho about carrying on with living as you always have done, interacting in groups etc. The scientists need time and so does the nhs. Elders have a lot of risk, age and T cells for starters add to that high bp. Jane we are not all equally vulnerable

I think anyone over 60 is in the high risk group unless they are very fit and go running, cycling or distance swimming in which case their lung capacity is better than normal. It attacks the lungs. All grans need to take extreme precautions, keep away from crowds and watch everything you touch outside the home.

I understand that 111 have hired hundreds of call handlers in the past few weeks. Guess that they have had insufficient training

I have an dental check up tomorrow and will be meeting dd for lunch first. I have decided that tomorrow will be the last day on which I mingle with other people, strangers. The 2 shops I went to early on today were extremely quiet, in iceland I was the only shopper. All shelves are fully stocked. I bought a few things to add to my care kit, just in case, strepsils and the like. That is me done with whatever I might need

Half of me is loving the exciting science behind all of this, the links between sars and corona and their links and method of entry to human target cells. I could have so much to offer still, my mind is very active but heyho we all need to retire at some stage. The other half of me is spent being very wary of this deadly (in some) virus that heads straight for lungs and kidneys.

crafty, could you perhaps volunteer to be part of an advice line, which might free up other regular staff to go front-line.
you could do that remotely, from where you are, no contact risk, and could use agreed protocols, for the advice given.
but i doubt the govt has got their act together to utilise retired professional scientific people lie you, who could have a lot to offer and make a significant contribution.
heard on radio today the the red cross are already working n a hosp emergency dept, in bangor; have been since last year having declared the nhs to be in a crisis situation then.

I'm really scared. I'm torn between coming home in just over a week and risking either being infected by grandson OR by bringing it back into the house with me. The exclusion zone around Italy is creeping into Switzerland (where I am now). It's now only about a 30 minute drive from where I am.

And my school is STILL open. FFS

Are you driving or flying Gagajo?

Apparently London schools are having emergency meetings on Monday to discuss closure procedures.

Flying. I guess driving would be safer. Confined in a car, on my own. Unfortunately my car is in the UK.

I wish they'd just close my school.

Don`t be scared gagajo but be realistic, up the drawbridge as soon as you can. All, do your best to ride through this first wave, while young people get over it, eventually there will be less passing around of viruses and people will get back to work. Cleanliness, distancing, they are primary.

I will not be hugging my dd today, she is in a high risk occupation. I will be carrying a bottle of water in my own car, not be ordering a hot drink at the cafe (crockery). Will be taking my little bottle of precious sanitiser, using my gloves and doing my level best not to touch my face. Car park involves numbers, will poke them with my little finger and use sanitiser straight away

Well I wasn't panicking until I read this thread! Thanks very much. ?