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Do you remember this Covid news footage?

869 replies

Sitonyourdressmavis · 19/02/2026 09:00

Chatting to SIL last night and we were remembering news footage we watched before the Christmas of Covid when the news was coming out of China about this virus. We clearly remember watching as a family news footage (would have been on BBC normal news not online) from China of people collapsing and fitting in the streets then being zipped up on stretchers and body bags and loaded into a black and yellow van by hazmat suited doctors/army. We all clearly remember this , it was not a film. What was this footage? Covid didn't present like that at all? We remember being really scared. SiL is a nurse and we remember her saying "what the hell is this thing"
Anyone else remember this footage?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
45
ByWarmShark · 21/02/2026 09:27

There was stuff on deadly flu in December 2019 - it was considered a pretty bad flu season, and there's generic flu virus footage out there. But no-one was talking about covid.

Positivepositron · 21/02/2026 09:37

The school trip letter hasn't turned up I take it?

BusterGonad · 21/02/2026 09:39

WonderfulSmith · 21/02/2026 08:59

The Chinese government almost certainly knew about it and covered it up, or at least dragged their heels to tell the WHO. Even if they had been told as soon as the problem was noticed it would have taken a while for an official response.

That though is a far cry from ‘everyone knowing about it’ and discussing it over Christmas drinks in the pub.

I agree, it's just the amount of posters implying it wasn't around before the WHO were informed or it didn't exist before it was a known coronavirus is frustrating.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 09:43

BusterGonad · 21/02/2026 09:39

I agree, it's just the amount of posters implying it wasn't around before the WHO were informed or it didn't exist before it was a known coronavirus is frustrating.

No one is saying that though?

Lifelifelife21 · 21/02/2026 09:47

BusterGonad · 21/02/2026 09:39

I agree, it's just the amount of posters implying it wasn't around before the WHO were informed or it didn't exist before it was a known coronavirus is frustrating.

No one is saying that.

We’re saying is unless you had some close connection to the first cluster of people in wuhan (like a doctor on the ground there) and were one of the very first people to spot something was happening, then you did not know about it before it was reported to the WHO.

Lifelifelife21 · 21/02/2026 09:48

Positivepositron · 21/02/2026 09:37

The school trip letter hasn't turned up I take it?

😂

It’s mysteriously disappeared in the mass cover up that’s also affected the entire internet.

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 09:56

Lifelifelife21 · 21/02/2026 09:47

No one is saying that.

We’re saying is unless you had some close connection to the first cluster of people in wuhan (like a doctor on the ground there) and were one of the very first people to spot something was happening, then you did not know about it before it was reported to the WHO.

Yes there were definitely rumours of a virus before they sent it to WHO I suspect in part they sent it to WHO because it had been reported and they couldn’t cover it up

no it wasn’t recognised as Covid until later but there was definite chatter over Christmas

which makes sense by the time it was reported there were a fair chunk of cases that didn’t suddenly appear

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 10:00

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 09:56

Yes there were definitely rumours of a virus before they sent it to WHO I suspect in part they sent it to WHO because it had been reported and they couldn’t cover it up

no it wasn’t recognised as Covid until later but there was definite chatter over Christmas

which makes sense by the time it was reported there were a fair chunk of cases that didn’t suddenly appear

There wasn't chatter before or over Christmas though if there was there would be something, anything on the internet to collaborate this.

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 10:18

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 10:00

There wasn't chatter before or over Christmas though if there was there would be something, anything on the internet to collaborate this.

Edited

As Covid no of course not that wasn’t found out until mid Jan

a Google of Wuhan Pneumonia indicates that Reddit certainly was discussing a mystery virus in China in December 2019

even the official timeline has the first official case as December 1st with a huge cluster noted December 27th and report to the WHO December 31st and then officially as Covid-19 mid Jan.

there are plenty of people who literally look for such things and by Christmas the idea of there being a Wuhan virus was certainly circulating. December 31st was when the Chinese Government could no longer ignore it and had to report it

From Decemver 12 until reporting 59 patients were reported with an unexplained diagnosis so of course that kind of thing would be reported

for the general public no I suspect it was Jan they first heard it - I heard about it December 30th but for those who do look into viruses they would have been chatter about it as those cases ramped up.

so mainstream chatter no but for those interested certainly yes

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 10:31

a Google of Wuhan Pneumonia indicates that Reddit certainly was discussing a mystery virus in China in December 2019

I've had a look but can only see evidence of it being discussed in late December early January as is consistent with everything else that has been posted. If you have a link to these discussions from mid December before Christmas then I would be very interested to read it and concede it was indeed public discussion before Christmas 2019.

MotherofPufflings · 21/02/2026 10:35

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 09:17

There were plenty of threads on here about it in January - it blew up in Feb and got its own topic section at some point but it was definitely talked about from the end of December

That's what I thought too, but there's no sign of any threads on here before February that I can find.

CypressGrove · 21/02/2026 10:43

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 10:18

As Covid no of course not that wasn’t found out until mid Jan

a Google of Wuhan Pneumonia indicates that Reddit certainly was discussing a mystery virus in China in December 2019

even the official timeline has the first official case as December 1st with a huge cluster noted December 27th and report to the WHO December 31st and then officially as Covid-19 mid Jan.

there are plenty of people who literally look for such things and by Christmas the idea of there being a Wuhan virus was certainly circulating. December 31st was when the Chinese Government could no longer ignore it and had to report it

From Decemver 12 until reporting 59 patients were reported with an unexplained diagnosis so of course that kind of thing would be reported

for the general public no I suspect it was Jan they first heard it - I heard about it December 30th but for those who do look into viruses they would have been chatter about it as those cases ramped up.

so mainstream chatter no but for those interested certainly yes

Also interested in links showing people discussing a virus in Wuhan before Decemver 31 2019 on reddit. I can find discussion from then, and heaps of people claiming they remember discussion earlier than that on reddit but no actual links.

EasternStandard · 21/02/2026 11:13

That thread is interesting. It includes

‘We’re long over due a flu epidemic.’

‘We have vaccinations now and also personal hygiene, flushing toilets etc. A flu epidemic is not on the horizon in the Western Hemisphere.’

Ok Covid isn’t the flu but we did get a pandemic.

Meant to quote that old thread linked below.

Gottogetoutofthisplace · 21/02/2026 11:13

This absolutely did happen, there was also a half-page photo of a body being picked up off the street by people in hazmat suits in one of the broadsheet newspapers.

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 11:14

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 11:10

Hong Kong took emergency measure on the December 31st it didn’t just exist in a vacuum chatter would have existed before

it was a pretty bad stage when it was reported

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044050/mystery-illness-hits-chinas-wuhan-city-nearly-30-hospitalised

Again though that's the end of December. No one is disputing that people were becoming aware of and discussing the issues at the end of December.

busyd4y · 21/02/2026 11:16

Gottogetoutofthisplace · 21/02/2026 11:13

This absolutely did happen, there was also a half-page photo of a body being picked up off the street by people in hazmat suits in one of the broadsheet newspapers.

Pre Christmas 2019? Do you remember which paper it was?

Whinge · 21/02/2026 11:16

Gottogetoutofthisplace · 21/02/2026 11:13

This absolutely did happen, there was also a half-page photo of a body being picked up off the street by people in hazmat suits in one of the broadsheet newspapers.

The footage is out there, but it was absolutely not shown before Christmas 2019, which is what the OP is claiming.

Unless you, or another poster can find evidence to prove otherwise?

MotherofPufflings · 21/02/2026 11:29

busyd4y · 21/02/2026 11:15

There were threads started in Jan 2020

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3801822-To-be-concerned-about-the-new-coronavirus

There are probably earlier ones, this is just the first I came across

Thanks, that looks familiar

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 11:34

MotherofPufflings · 21/02/2026 11:29

Thanks, that looks familiar

But that calls it coronavirus it wasn’t identified as that until early/mid January once the WHO has been notified and protocols kicked in

from mid December there was concern about a pneumonia virus hitting Wuhan - that had reached such a point by December 31st it was reported to rh WHO and Hong Kong were taking measures against it

there would be absolutely no mention of coronavirus in 2019 just a pneumonia type virus that didn’t fit usual protocols

no footage would have been shown though

Brewtiful · 21/02/2026 11:40

from mid December there was concern about a pneumonia virus hitting Wuhan

There were indeed some concerns in Wuhan towards the end of December but as yet there's been no proof people outside of those in the know in china were discussing it in mid December let alone people in other countries.

MotherofPufflings · 21/02/2026 11:43

Tiswa · 21/02/2026 11:34

But that calls it coronavirus it wasn’t identified as that until early/mid January once the WHO has been notified and protocols kicked in

from mid December there was concern about a pneumonia virus hitting Wuhan - that had reached such a point by December 31st it was reported to rh WHO and Hong Kong were taking measures against it

there would be absolutely no mention of coronavirus in 2019 just a pneumonia type virus that didn’t fit usual protocols

no footage would have been shown though

The thread looks familiar to me as possibly the first time I had heard about concerns around a new virus.

This thread started because the OP says they wrote about it in their diary in mid December and a school was considering cancelling a school trip. Nothing I've read since has persuaded me that this is likely to be based in fact rather than misremembering.

WarrenTofficier · 21/02/2026 12:56

@Dabralor posts a few pages back are interesting. First she has a very clear memory of what she read about (whistle blowing Dr) where she read it (Daily Mail) and when she must have read it (Christmas day, hiding from family, eating snacks and drinking wine) a few post later she has googled and concedes that her memory is 'wrong' the Dr hadn't spoken out pre Christmas so the thing she absolutely remembers can't have happened as she remembers it. Presumably she read something else that day hiding in the bathroom with wine and read about the Dr at a later point and is conflating the memories.

The OP has a similar memory what she saw (video of people falling in the street), where BBC tea time news, date 18th December because of family visit /diary but when shown that the BBC didn't run the footage she thinks she remembers on the day she thinks she saw it she hasn't back down.

Odds on the school trip worry was a different issue in China - the issolated bubonic plague outbreak seems to be the most likely candidate for this and her diary entry is also referring to something else that she has then attached the later memories of covid footage too and is now 'certain' that this is what the diary entry is about.

Back to Dabralor and the whistle blowing Dr, if the 'Wuhan mystery virus' was already on the BBC news in mid December and the talk of Christmas dinner tables across Europe and USA as various posters believe what exactly was the Dr whistle blowing about? He couldn't be exposing something if this was already in western main stream media and known by members of the public.

How does 30th December whistle blowing fit into a time line of mid December TV coverage?

ByWarmShark · 21/02/2026 13:34

This thread remains infuriating. If any of the evidence you are offering took place after Dec 26th 2019, then it is not in fact evidence of a report on Dec 25th or earlier. That's how time works. Those few days make a massive difference - it's like people just can't understand it blew up really quickly.