To be concerned about the new coronavirus?

[MissPoldark]

I’m increasingly alarmed by the developments on this. Today we learn that 1 hospitalised patient infected a number of healthcare workers and the first case has been confirmed in the US (a patient who had been to Wuhan).

There are 3 direct flights per week from Wuhan to London, it only seems like a matter of time
Shouldn’t these flights be temporarily suspended?

Half a million deaths from swine flu

I didn't know that figure, but I live in Mexico City and when the "outbreak" happened I didn't know anyone that even had a slight cough. I asked around among everyone I knew and none of us knew anyone who was sick. Which is all very fortunate considering the authorities hadn't the first clue about how to lock down a city.

Apparently the first transmission to a human was from a snake! Always said they were evil!!!

Humans, right?

Chinese cities are incredibly densely populated so anything will spread fast there

Most cities are densely populated. Rush hour tube anyone?

Four suspected cases in Scotland, four miles from my home.

These people have arrived from Wuhan 14 days ago, been in London for 14 days before coming to Scotland and becoming ill.

I’m pinning my hopes on the experts saying it’s not as bad as SARS.

Snake "I've only just got over dying of bird flu, swine flu and ebola. This is the last thing I need"

At work, we discussed buying glamorous nightwear because we thought "if we're going to die of swine flu, we at least want to be found in something glam". We gave up at Ebola though.

If the authorities really want to stop the spread of the virus they would have banned flights out of the country to contain it.

With the rise of the anti vaxxers, I would not be surprised if we had another Spanish Flu type scenario, given the way we travel, the levels of poverty in the UK currently and how long it takes to develop vaccines.

I'm a Biomed Undergrad and keeping a very close eye on this. Its interesting.

tbh I'm more worried about the current swine fever epidemic, which is already impacting the manufacturing of vital medicines.

DH is flying to Tokyo and Bangkok for work in the next 3 weeks and I am worried about it, but I'm trying to be calm and not panic. (Even though I have just read Station Eleven - about a virus which originates in China and wipes out 99% of the world's population!)

What do anti-vaxxers have to do with the rise of a new virus?

What do anti-vaxxers have to do with the rise of a new virus?

I was thinking the same thing.

Dunno but right now they seem to be busy thinking up conspiracy theories about the new coronavirus being man made so that pharma can profit from selling vaccines

Yeah, cause there aren’t enough diseases to develop medicines for already

@ChardonnaysDistantCousin Have you been to any Asian cities?

It's a totally different level to London.

It has certainly sent share prices of some pharma companies rocketing.

One company producing certain anti virals increased by 150% in one day.

www.ccn.com/the-coronavirus-panic-sent-this-biotech-stock-soaring-150/

speaking of different levels, I am currently scared about London getting worse, I thought it was peak overcrowding ten years ago.

before anyone says "move" I will as soon as my mum passes. Though whether or not I outlive her is anyone's guess.

I don't think there's any conspiracy, these things develop and mutate and with a horrendous population problem they are more likely to do that, surely?

I can't remember how or why Ebola ended up being quite well contained.

ChardonnaysDistantCousin
Many humans are evil - but ALL snakes are!

Just because you don't like snakes it doesn't make them evil. They're incapable of that. They're just doing what they must to survive.

Honestly, it’s supposedly had 3 weeks to spread across Asia and in that time it’s managed to infect 0.0001% of the population. The death toll is 0.000001% of the population. It’s only fractionally higher than the number of people killed by cows and sheep in 3 weeks.

Also almost all the deceased were very elderly people with chronic conditions like Parkinson’s and diabetes.

Ds (9) loves snakes. Much maligned but fascinating creatures. He's getting a ball python for his 10th birthday.

People keep talking about SARS. It killed just 800 people. Seasonal flu wipes out more than that.

It’s been compared to the Spanish flu in terms of mortality rate. I think the real question is how easily it gets passed on, incubation period etc. In the absence of that information it is concerning.

It’s been compared to the Spanish flu in terms of mortality rate

so has the swine flu ten years ago

Just Google the figures of how many people die from the flu (usually because it does the same and causes pneumonia)....and does everyone go around in a massive hysteria about.
SARS which is what everyone seems to be worried about and comparing this to caused 774 deaths which is a drop in the ocean in the flu death numbers.
Practise good hygiene and you will likely be just fine and if you develop it you may well have some mild symptoms and that will be it.

@stripeypillowcase swine glue had a very low mortality rate because it was most active in young adults or something like that. It was something like 0.02%. In hindsight it seems to have been really blown out of proportion. It’s impossible to tell yet whether the mortality rate for this disease will be as high as Spanish flu, hopefully not (what with modern medicine and all that). But early reports suggest it’s more deadly than swine flu. We’ll have to watch to see how it progresses but it’s certainly something that healthcare specialists and public health authorities should be wary of.