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Coronavirus

Pandemic panic

(509 Posts)
vampirequeen Mon 02-Mar-20 13:18:37

Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I've heard the corona virus isn't a very pleasant illness but then it's not the worst illness either. Seems to be a fever, aching and a cough. Most people who get it will recover but like all illnesses a few won't.

So why the panic? I vaguely remember the Hong Kong flu....mainly because my mam got it and my Grandma came to look after her and us. Mam must have been really ill to ask my Grandma for help. I remember she was in bed for what felt like ages but was probably only a few days. I don't remember mass panic, schools closing etc. I wasn't very old at the time and my memory isn't as good as others. Was there a panic? Did the nation go into shutdown?

curvygran950 Sat 14-Mar-20 15:15:11

Excellent advice OurKid1, thanks for that . Easier said than done though ......

OurKid1 Sat 14-Mar-20 15:06:35

This appeared on my FB page today -

Labaik Sat 14-Mar-20 15:01:33

There was a programme about pandemics on BBC4 last night, but I fell asleep watching it. It's been on several times and I must admit to not ever really watching it properly even though I have BBC4 on most nights. I must watch it. It did say that there are warehouses full of equipment and medication to be used in the event of a pandemic but I'm sure GP's have said they have received very little and what they have had is shoddy.

craftyone Sat 14-Mar-20 14:53:45

It is not at all necessary to test everyone varian. All resources need to be spent on the ones who become ill, have difficulty breathing. Have you seen the pictures from Italy? We need the help to go where it is needed, not just so that some people can say `oh I have coronavirus`

Common sense has to prevail, we all need to do our bit and keep a distance at the very least

craftyone Sat 14-Mar-20 14:49:00

no don`t suddenly drop the ACE inhibitors, stay isolated and speak to your doc about changing the drug for another

craftyone Sat 14-Mar-20 14:46:42

yes too right re over 60s and just for once I am grateful that I have no parents and that my husband has died, he had copd and was on ACE inhibitors and immune compromised really. Would not have coped with being grounded. I can cope, luckily have the right temperament

Yes the second part, greeneyedgirl, absolutely correct.

Greeneyedgirl Sat 14-Mar-20 13:56:55

I don't believe it's as easy as all that for the over 60s to "hunker down" as you put it craftyone.
Many younger people have to deal with older folk on a daily basis and once the virus is endemic in the community older people will be at more risk surely?
Many carers for example will be younger.
If it is slower to spread, surely the hospitals will cope better, even if it takes longer?

May7 Sat 14-Mar-20 13:52:36

Thank you craftyone thanks for your insight and Janeiansworth thanksfor the link
This has helped me make an informed decision about my elderly parents who are both taking ACEs
That's what I need, proper information and explanations so that I dont have to listen to fake news and Chinese whispers and can make an informed choice as to how I will behave.
Maybe chinese whispers wasnt a good phrase to use in these circumstances confused

Greeneyedgirl Sat 14-Mar-20 13:50:58

I was thinking about the not testing policy. Those who may develop symptoms, self isolate and recover, may erroneously think themselves immune when in fact its a normal winter cold/chest infection or flu?
No way of tracking how the epidemic is progressing.

varian Sat 14-Mar-20 13:44:31

The World Health Organisation has repeated calls for all countries to find and test every coronavirus case after the British government claimed the practice was “no longer necessary”.

Announcing the next stage of the UK’s strategy, the chief medical officer for England said on Thursday that only hospital patients would now be formally checked for the virus.

“It is no longer necessary for us to identify every case and we will move from having testing mainly done in homes and outpatients and walk-in centres, to a situation where people who are remaining at home do not need testing,” Professor Chris Whitty added.

The plan puts Britain at odds with international advice issued by WHO, which repeated appeals for efforts to track and trace all coronavirus cases on Friday.

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-update-testing-news-herd-immunity-who-uk-cases-map-a9402051.html

If we do not have a reasonably accurate count of cases, how can we possibly rely on the science?

There is an basic rule in statistical analysis - rubbish in, rubbish out. If your data is unreliable, you can learn nothing.

Labaik Sat 14-Mar-20 12:47:25

From facebook; so true...….'Coronavirus has revealed painful political truths in a way that nothing in our lifetimes has done before.
We were told that care workers were ‘unskilled’, that we didn’t need them in the way we need bankers or doctors.
Now we see that they are one of our most important lines of defence in a global health crisis.
We were told we could divide our country from other countries and thrive in splendid isolation.
Now we discover that we are intrinsically connected to our neighbours, and that if a vaccination is developed we will need the cooperation of other countries to access it as quickly as possible.
We were told that a zero hours, gig-based economy where workers must continue to be productive even if they are ill would be to the benefit of all of us.
Now we see that putting work before health costs lives.
We were told that refugees and migrants would bring disease into our country.
Now we discover that wealthy travellers are much more mobile, and therefore much more likely to fuel epidemics.
We were told that our National Health Service could be whittled away and dismantled in the name of money.
Now we discover that without the NHS, we will have no money.
Nothing reveals truth as powerfully as vulnerability.
Whereas the right likes to think that we can build elaborate ivory towers and separate ourselves from others, the left has now been proven correct in its belief that - whether we like it or not - our fate is always bound up in the fate of other people, even if they live on the other side of the world.
Human beings are not separate from each other, we ARE each other.
Human beings are not separate from the economy, we ARE the economy.
A robust public health service is not a luxury that we pay for if we can, it is the very foundation of wealth and security.
Unfortunately, these lessons may have come too late to save us".

Labaik Sat 14-Mar-20 12:38:18

I'll never forget that, whenever there was no new news to put on the front page, even The Observer would dig up an old article from the Lancet to put on the front page and on Monday morning the surgery would be inundated with phone calls from terrified patients.

Labaik Sat 14-Mar-20 12:33:02

Surely people taking themselves off lifesaving medication will only make the situation worse; ditto clogging up the health service by asking for alternatives [if they switched they would have to visit surgeries for b/p checks etc and risk infection]. Better to self isolate as much as possible.

janeainsworth Sat 14-Mar-20 09:30:35

www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8.pdf

Was this the link you mentioned Craftyone?

craftyone Sat 14-Mar-20 06:04:08

I should have said diabetes 2

For those kicking against the traces, simply study the gov graphs, the red one with the superimposed green one.

craftyone Sat 14-Mar-20 05:59:04

The science advice to the government is very good. I 100% agree with it and as I said weeks ago, we need in the uk, to enable the younger people to get this and recover to get immunity. It will give the nhs and scientists time. In the meantime, those over 60 and/or with the underlying conditions and esp if taking heart ACE drugs and /or diabetes drugs, hunker down at home while this first wave sweeps in

I only mention ACE now because what I wrote about weeks ago, high bp, ACE is now in public domain and I can say it. ACE2 provides a pathway for the virus to go to target deep in the lungs and kidneys. We can stay safe, up to us. You will find the info via the lancet. I cannot give links

Personally I have brought forward all I needed to buy to get my new garden going, parcel after parcel, part of new house costings. I have made sure I will not be bored and have things to do outside in my fully enclosed garden. I am hunkering down from today. Luckily not on any drugs

Marydoll Sat 14-Mar-20 00:02:43

However, it may be fatal for some of us. sad.

Sussexborn Fri 13-Mar-20 23:56:50

We should be very thankful that medicine and society has moved on since the 19th century, Alexa.

Chestnut Fri 13-Mar-20 23:15:34

Indeed Alexa we are fortunate that this virus isn't fatal to everyone it touches. It could be a lot worse.

Alexa Fri 13-Mar-20 18:24:38

Do you remember what we are told about how the native peoples of the Americas died of infections introduced by Spanish and other invaders and conquerors?

This happened because the native peoples had no immunity whatsoever to pathogens that were not lethal to the invaders.

Coronavirus is as new to all of us as syphilis and measles were to the native Americans. Fortunately the Covid 19 is not usually lethal.

Chestnut Fri 13-Mar-20 18:02:31

I see some of the Queen's visits have been cancelled. If anyone needs to self isolate it's her and Philip considering their age. I wonder if we will see her out and about again because it will be some time before all this is over.

GracesGranMK3 Fri 13-Mar-20 17:44:13

Two thoughts. We need to remember our curve toward the greatest number of people having the virus is behind many continental countries by quite a few weeks.

Perhaps this will push us forward more quickly in our use of technology.

Chestnut Fri 13-Mar-20 17:36:56

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe was reporting more daily cases than China did at the height of the outbreak there. That's because they brought in some very stringent rules which we in Europe will never be able to implement, although Italy is having a good crack at it.

Callistemon Fri 13-Mar-20 17:03:07

Yes, grannyactivist, even if schools shut down teachers and other staff will still be 'working from home'.

Y7 pupils onward do their work via laptop and will probably be expected to carry on with some, lessons at least.
Older pupils will have their exams disrupted and future careers and university offers possibly delayed.

It would not be 'a jolly' or an extended holiday; it will be extremely worrying for teachers, pupils as well as all parents.

Jane10 Fri 13-Mar-20 14:58:17

Och I wish everyone would just 'Keep clean and carry on'!