Worried About Coronavirus- thread 39

[CrunchyCarrot]

New thread!

[RigaBalsam]

Thanks Crunchy

[CrunchyCarrot]

Previous thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3884177-Worried-About-Coronavirus-thread-38

[BeyondMymymymyCorona]

Hey I’m back! Was waiting for the last thread to fill up before rejoining as it had so many posts.

What have I missed?

[BBCONEANDTWO]

Thanks Crunchy

[woodencoffeetable]

What have I missed?

• school probing opening up again, sort of
  
• it's all fat people's own fault
  
• still not much data available on children and how they spread disease
  
• the potential end of lockdown soon

[CrunchyCarrot]

And Prof Neil Ferguson quitting after breaking the lockdown rules.

[ToffeeYoghurt]

Thank you for the new thread.

RTB thanks for the article in the last thread.

They fail to take into account by autumn more antiviral and immunosuppressant drugs will be available. With global demand there's restricted availability. Over the next few months more can be produced. Whether the UK government bothers purchasing any is a different matter.

If they wanted to reduce the spread to a less risky level, they'd not ease lockdown too early and they'd implement border controls (checks and quarantine) when they do ease it. Simple measures that would go some way towards making a difference.

Additionally. Early treatment of patients likely reduces the spread. Fewer infectious people around to spread it. Isn't it the case they think people's viral loads are higher if it progresses to a serious stage? More risky for everyone they come into contact with.

[EmeraldShamrock]

Thanks Crunchy.

[CrunchyCarrot]

This is an interesting read, an article by an 80 yr old on the Asian flu that struck back in 1957, and the very different attitudes people had to that, compared to what it's like now.

www.city-journal.org/1957-asian-flu-pandemic

[squid4]

Breaking lockdown rules is only ok if you're a Tory, like Robert Jenrick.

[ToffeeYoghurt]

Thanks for article.

It's interesting how we move forwards in terms of attitudes. There used to be different attitudes on race and sex and sexuality too.

What was commonplace then is rightly viewed as bigotry today.

[Saucery]

Apart from growing up in an era where diseases that could kill you were more commonplace, which understandably informs your view of what’s happening today, the thing I find difficult to countenance is that we now know far more about all kinds of diseases. We know how a virus operates and my personal view is that with this knowledge we should not be in the situation we are now in. We let the virus travel round from its origin with humans as the host and the transport. I can see why a vaccine or a cure are difficult to find. I can’t see why we didn’t use the existing scientific knowledge to stop it spreading, however harsh or unpalatable those measures might have seemed at the time.

[Saucery]

So it’s not being cushioned from death, it’s dealing with a preventable death. We are more than capable of doing that.

[lubeybooby]

The weekend lag in reporting numbers is really driving me mad now because every week Monday/Tues (and worse over Easter with the bank hols) without fail the press jump on the apparent 'drop' like it's some miracle. When it's just the reporting lag, not an actual drop. You'd think they would catch on by now. Just constantly giving people a false sense of what's happening.

Why on earth are weekends still a thing during a global emergency? Or can't they at least say to the press, look it's always going to seem lower on Mondays and Tuesdays, just stop with hyping it up.

[meercat23]

But they do say that. Every week they point out the weekend effect but every week the press latch on to the lower numbers.

[Comenext]

@CrunchyCarrot
Thanks for that article. Great to read.

[CrunchyCarrot]

The very excellent Dr John Campbell's video on Covid-19, Stroke in the young and Vitamin D.

[EmeraldShamrock]

@CrunchyCarrot I thought of your chart when I saw the UK death toll surpass Italy. I don't understand why there isn't panic and more news stories like in Italy when their numbers were getting out of control.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Thanks for new thread.

[woodencoffeetable]

numbers from 'der spiegel'

interesting is the next to last column about the rate of new infections compared to last week.

[weepingwillow22]

@woodencoffeetable. Thanks for the numbers. The UKs new cases have been flat for a while whilst deaths are dropping. Presumably new infections are not showing a decline here because of the increase in testing whereas in most other countries there was a higher level of testing at the outset?

[Eyewhisker]

But UK new infections will be heavily influenced by the increase in tested numbers, so not really an increase. The fall in the number hospitalised is a much more accurate reflection of trends over time.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Well, the (finally!!!) increased number of tests brings the UK more in line with other countries too. Italy and the UK have had the same (to two decimal points) percentage of those tested positive deaths for about two weeks solid. But Italy had tested twice as many people. So the UK figure looked worse than it probably was because of the low number (relatively) of tests being done.

Almost everything will be more accurate over time. But the government can't keep changing its mind about what figures we can consider just because it suits their agenda.

[Keepdistance]

Im concerned there are 2k positive key workers (incl family) a day. That is a lot. If thats nurses/teachers/supermarket etc that is a lot they are infecting. Thats 60k a month without them infecting others.
If even a few of them have kids or pass it to people with kids it will be in schools from the start back. Or already going round them as they could be in already.
We are not in the position many other countries are as we still probably have a lo of infection bubbling away.(still only testing kW and hospitalised).
Really need to get testing anyone with symptoms. As someone said now out of general cold flu season so may be more likely covid.