Keep calm. Season flu kills 20,000 a year

[Covidiot]

Sorry. Bit click batey but my fucking cousin said that to me today

Also:

• the NHS are exploiting situation for political reasons
  
• the NHS is not underfunded at all - it just needs a “proper revamp”
  
• the BBC are being far too pessimistic
  
• there is no shortage of PPE
  

I’ve tried to calm down. But several hours later I’m still fucking raging.

So I’m posting assuming most will agree and just tell me to calm the fuck down and ignore the Covidiot.

Jesus. How can people be so fucking deluded?

This is not flu.

[monkeysox]

Yanbu

[HowManyToes]

Your cousin is an arsehole

[Healthyandhappy]

Tbh throw billions at nhs they just increase wages for everyone and people higher up so not much left for everything else.
Yes people die from flu but this is different and is killing young people. The isolation is to protect nhs not get rid of it so I'm not that keen on a long isolation as it's rather pointless as they are predicting most of us get it in long run anyways.

[Toothsil]

I have someone in my family saying similar, and he keeps calling it the lurgy. He refuses to watch any news so has no idea of the reality of this and he makes me so angry.

[Tiredmum100]

Your cousins a dick head. My cousins have just lost a parent a few hours ago to this 'flu'. 😡😡😡.

[AmelieTaylor]

I have a patio....

[MouthBreathingRage]

Oh dear, I know his type. Sadly I've seen far too many similar comments brewing myself on social media and on here. There's quite a few now coming out to say that they're quite angry with the NHS for not sorting themselves out better and berating them for not being properly equipped. Or, 'well my friends/family who work in the NHS are well protected and their hospital not overwhelmed, so it's not that bad yet is it'.

You cant help stupid.

[jojobar]

This isn't flu. But pneumonia (which can follow on from flu) has always killed people of any age. I know 2 people in their teens/ 20s who died of pneumonia in recent years. Many people don't know that something that starts as flu has always had the potential to kill.

I also think many don't know the numbers that die in the UK every day in 'normal' times. It's thousands. So the numbers sound horrendous, but it's a fraction of total deaths. And most have an underlying condition. Those that don't - many are elderly, 80s and 90s.

This doesn't mean I'm not observing any of the govt requested restrictions. I don't believe it's all a big conspiracy. BUT I'm also not going to worry myself sick over it.

What I'd be interested in seeing is the current death stats for all UK deaths set against the overall for this period last year. I'm sure it would be higher. I don't think that much higher though.

[Covidiot]

Thank you @monkeysox and agreed @HowManyToes

@healthyamdhappy you are incorrect to state this is different because “it’s killing young people”. this report from uk government suggests otherwise. The big difference is

1. It’s an non-human originating virus - no immunity
   
2. It’s more contagious
   
3. A larger % require hospital admission taking up a scarce resource. So probably others have died indirectly because they can’t be seen
   
4. It has a higher fatality rate.

[PinkiOcelot]

Your cousin is a moron!! Since when have we had lockdown and everything cancelled for the flu?!! Arse!!

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

It could kill 260000 people in a year- flu does not do this. Flu does not kill young healthy peiple. Covid19 does.
So no, nothing to feel happy about.

[WhatTiggersDoBest]

YANBU.
Coronavirus didn't phone up the flu virus or AIDS or ebola and tell them not to come to the party this year. ALL of those things are killing people. We have to manage this on top of all that stuff.

Anyway, if it's not bloody obvious to your cousin that more than 20000 people will die of this in the UK before it's over, he or she is as bad at maths as the hundreds of people who were saying the same two months ago. Maybe they should STFU and sign up to do a GCSE in maths when this is all over.

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

And NHS workers seem to think there is a shortage of PPE... what is your cousin's expertise in this field?

[Covidiot]

@jojobar

But you’re oversimplifying - see report in my last post. There are more deaths - but it’s Also the stress it puts in the health care systems in every country. Far far far more people need hospital treatment. And it’s far more contagious. So huge impact on health resources and huge risk to those on the frontline.

And I think another very interesting stat - which I can’t find - is how many healthcare professionals die every year from seasonal illnesses because I bet it’s pretty much none.

I really worry that a few don’t understand the massive sacrifice some frontline workers (NHS or otherwise) are making for us.

[Pukkatea]

Even if it was exactly the same as the flu, all that tells me is that 20k people dying of flu IS ALSO TRAGIC AND AWFUL.

[Covidiot]

@MonaLisaDoesntSmile yes I tried to ask this - how does she know?

BUT SHE DOES APPARENTLY SO DON’T FUCKING ARGUE WITH HER

I need to calm down.

[Covidiot]

@Pukkateayed 100% agree

But at least we can minimise a bit by having the annual vaccine.

There is so much ignorance and arrogance in the world.

[jojobar]

It is more contagious, transmission isn't fully understood. But to the average heathyish person the risks of dying or becoming seriously ill are very low. Lower than RTAs I believe.

Like I say, that's not a reason to assume risk is exaggerated or to be lax, or ignore the requests that have been made of us. It's just to keep a balance of perspective in our own minds.

[Amortentia]

What I'd be interested in seeing is the current death stats for all UK deaths set against the overall for this period last year. I'm sure it would be higher. I don't think that much higher though

I think your in for a bit of a shock then. According to ons in Scotland we’ve got people dying of Covid19 and much higher rates than usual of death not connected to Covid19. This is the case across most of Europe too, people who would normally need medical help are not seeking it because they don’t want to go near a hospital or don’t want to be a burden. There might be slightly less death due to RTAs but levels of anxiety for those out on the roads might mean there are more deaths. We just don’t know yet, but it is naive to think that overall death rates will be down.

[Amortentia]

Oh, and the number of people who die from flu is spread over a year. We’ve had half that amount die in a 5 week period, there is no way it’s comparable.

[bettybattenburg]

I was about to say you are being an arse...however I see it's your cousin being an arse. Hand it to them on a plate OP.

[LilacTree1]

I wish everyone would calm down

We were bound to encounter new diseases. We’re none of us immortal.

Death and taxes 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Gwenhwyfar]

"But to the average heathyish person the risks of dying or becoming seriously ill are very low. Lower than RTAs I believe."

That may be true, but it's still not to be sniffed it (just like we have to be careful crossing the road).

www.channel4.com/news/all-our-icu-patients-are-in-their-50s-or-younger-frontline-welsh-doctor-who-recovered-from-virus

[LilacTree1]

“ the NHS is not underfunded at all - it just needs a “proper revamp”

My late father was in the nhs and he spent a fair chunk of his life raging about the money wasted that could go on patient care. At one point I remember he said the hospital had more big wigs round the table for strategy meetings than they did staff at A&E at the busiest times.

There’s a huge layer of top management who really need to justify themselves.

[alloutoffucks]

No on average flu kills 8,000 a year in the UK. When it killed 20,000 the vaccine had not been that effective and it was recognised as a bit of a crisis.
We are in lock down but still corona has killed more people than flu usually does.