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Coronavirus

How corona virus has spread

(44 Posts)
Dinahmo Thu 09-Apr-20 14:32:43

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/the-cluster-effect-how-social-gatherings-were-rocket-fuel-for-coronavirus

The above is rather a long article but explains clearly how the virus spreads - through long periods of social gatherings rather than shopping in supermarkets etc. It makes interesting reading

AGAA4 Thu 09-Apr-20 16:15:57

Interesting article. Thanks. I don't think anyone really knows for sure how the virus is spread but large gatherings of people socialising, sharing cups, hugging and kissing is obviously a sure way of transmitting the virus.
Until we find out definitely how it is spread I will be avoiding shops whenever possible and staying at home.

JenniferEccles Thu 09-Apr-20 16:26:03

Stating the obvious???

Urmstongran Thu 09-Apr-20 16:26:19

Me too AGAA4. Especially as I’m over 60y.

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 16:31:17

Unfortunately some people can't avoid going to shops [eg my daughter can no longer get deliveries so has to pick up from a supermarket next week]. So it is reassuring to read articles such as this. I must admit that I haven't read it yet [I will asap] but assume it supports the viral load theory.

EllanVannin Thu 09-Apr-20 16:33:38

There is no doubt at all that it's caused by gatherings/ crowds/ cinemas/ theatres/ concerts/ music gigs and when it first started, by flights and through its air-con shared by those who had the virus but showed no symptoms.
Look how air con has caused Legionnaires in the past ?
Other people's exhaled breath circulated, yuk.

Covid. 19 was here before even the W.H.O knew or were aware of.

Urmstongran Thu 09-Apr-20 16:41:16

Those that have and will die are doing so through weakness. Not weakness of character though. It's weakness of immune systems of which we have little control over. You get what you are born with and there is next to nothing you can do about it. You can maximize what you have through diet and good living which will help the better off but all you can do is not reduce your immune system, not increase it.

GagaJo Thu 09-Apr-20 16:41:36

A small said in another thread, I have a friend who developed it THREE weeks into lockdown. Ongoing going to the supermarket once a week and dog walking. Thankfully she's ok, but she wasn't at any gatherings.

I don't think we'll know the real truth until the panademic is long gone.

GagaJo Thu 09-Apr-20 16:42:07

Grr. Autocorrect. *As said

GagaJo Thu 09-Apr-20 16:42:33

Only going

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 16:47:49

According to Dr Campbell you can improve your susceptibility to catching diseases of the respiratory tract by taking VitD [and this is backed up by the BMJ. From memory I think it can be improved by 70%

EllanVannin Thu 09-Apr-20 17:37:47

Great, I'll continue with lashings of Lurpak on me crumpets smile

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 17:59:51

GagaJo; I've been pottering about the kitchen, cleaning [I've got ants grrr] and thinking about your friend. Worrying though it is that she has caught the virus even though she stayed pretty much at home the fact that she is, thankfully, on the mend again shows that viral loading could be a factor and that the more we can minimise our contact with the virus albeit not being able to avoid it completely, the greater our chance of getting a milder dose of it.

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 18:00:33

...you've got crumpets...envy…!

M0nica Thu 09-Apr-20 18:14:06

GagaJo I do not think the suggestion is that Covid-19 is only transmitted through social gatherings but that social gatherings are the way it can be spread to a lot of people all at once, who can then, each, of them pass it on to other people.

I believe the take off point for the virus in both Italy and South Korea where church congregations where 100 plus people could be infected in one event. If they just went to work and home and infected 5 people, which I think is the average, the virus could go from 0 to 100 to 500 cases within a week, after that it is in the population and contact tracing is impossible.

What precautions did your friend take when she went to the supermarket? Was she wearing gloves? a full length coat? that could be hung out to air once she got home, a mask, there are lots of arguments pro and con maskes, but even a scarf around your face offers some protection.

Dinahmo Thu 09-Apr-20 18:18:05

A few years ago my OH got pericarditis. One evening he developed pains in his chest/arm and we ended up calling the emergency service. A doctor came with a cardiograph. She found nothing wrong with his heart. It was obvious that he was in pain and so she called the paramedics who came with a bigger machine - again nothing wrong with his heart. It was still obvious that he in severe pain and so he was taken to hospital, put on a drip with pain killers, which didn't do much. In the early hours a doctor concluded it was pericarditis and after a couple of days he came home, with large doses of aspirin. No subsequent problems. Some people told him they knew someone who'd had it and had not recovered. We couldn't understand how he'd caught it and our GP said that it was in the atmosphere.

Not to frighten you all, if this had been ebola, it would have been far worse because whereas the particles containing covid fall to the ground, apparently those from ebola stay in the air.

GagaJo Thu 09-Apr-20 18:20:01

Knowing my friend, she probably didn't take precautions. Next time we're chatting I'll ask though.

janeainsworth Thu 09-Apr-20 18:36:25

Thank you for the link Dinahmo.
I can’t help wondering if the Cheltenham Festival had been cancelled, whether the spread of the virus in this country would have been different.

suziewoozie Thu 09-Apr-20 19:05:55

And now there’s talk of Royal Ascot ‘behind closed doors’. What does that even begin to mean? Someone should slap the organisers down now for even floating the idea.

EllanVannin Thu 09-Apr-20 19:15:23

Yes, Labaik. There were two pkts of Roberts's but not keen on them so I took the last pkt of Warburtons which are nicer. I could have been greedy for greed's sake and taken the others but as it happened I wouldn't have enjoyed them so left them.

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 19:20:15

There was a lot of debate about that, jane. Many people that usually go stayed at home; some that usually stayed all week left early. Then again there was Crufts a few days before and various football matches. A few well known people came down with the virus; Lee Mack being one of them, but I haven't heard of many people that attended the festival coming down with it. Most people that came over from Ireland self quarantined themselves on return. What it does show is how difficult it is to make a rational decision if you're emotionally involved in something. Everyone knew in their hearts that it shouldn't go ahead [or should be behind closed doors] but, with it being the highlight of their racing year they blanked it out. One argument was that, given that most people had already got tickets, transport, accommodation etc they would probably still travel there anyway to meet up with friends. I think the main cause of the spread of the virus was people coming back from skiing holidays in Italy and the Liverpool Athletico Madrid game; both of which which brought people here from a known hotspot. Having said all that [I will get there eventually] yes; Cheltenham should have been cancelled!

maddyone Thu 09-Apr-20 19:20:58

Royal Ascot is simply not important. How on earth can anyone even think of it, behind closed doors or not. What is it that people don’t understand about lockdown? It means NO social activities. I realise behind closed doors means no punters, but the jockeys, and all the other organisers, and owners, crazy! It’s hardly key working is it?

maddyone Thu 09-Apr-20 19:23:38

Andrew Parker-Bowles got Coronavirus and he was at Cheltenham. Why anyone would go beats me.

bikergran Thu 09-Apr-20 19:33:24

Well a lot to be said about "that weekend "when Lockdown was forthcoming.. and pubs clubs/eating places were told to shut,all and sundry went out to all of those places having their last drinks/meals socialising,kissing /hugging and crying , like they do on New Years eve ..I wonder how many of them had symptoms and then spread it amongst all the others! selfish people.

Labaik Thu 09-Apr-20 19:37:57

Lockdown should have been on the Friday. I'll never understand why they waited till the Monday.