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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Coronavirus are you worried?

595 replies

CountryGirl1234 · 23/01/2020 18:49

So this virus has infected 600+ already and seems to be picking up pace. It’ll be in the UK any day, if it’s not already. AIBU to think this is going to have a big fallout and are you concerned?

amp.theguardian.com/science/live/2020/jan/23/coronavirus-china-virus-flu-scotland-testing-wuhan-live-news-updates

OP posts:
woodchuck99 · 03/02/2020 09:55

For those who aren't worried because they think that the death rate is so low the statistics so far are are "17,405 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Three hundred and sixty-two people have died - but 487 have recovered". So as far as we know only 3% of those infected have recovered so far.. We don't know how many of the 16,500 will die and therefore the actual death rate.

Welltroddenpath · 03/02/2020 10:07

I’m a bit more worried than last week. Simply because the info coming of China implies that most people who are ill can’t even get tested or treatment. Therefore the numbers can’t be accurate.

Plus those who where admitted to hospital yet recover is around 500? So either people are very long for a very long time or we are going to see a spike in death rates. They are building 1000 bed hospitals. Yet in two months only 500ish have been discharged from hospital.

I still think time will tell. I did a 🤔 when I heard on the news last week that the NHS was well equipped to deal with the TWO confirmed cases. I wonder how well equipped they would be to deal with mass sever respiratory failure? It’s all so far got a spin on it.

Still, I am not stressing. What difference will getting in flap make to outcome.

mindfulprep · 03/02/2020 10:11

Woodchuck

Apparently from an insider source, the death rate is much higher in reality. The hospitals are so full that lots of people with severe symptoms are not able to get medical care, so they die in the ambulance or at home. If someone dies before they get a formal diagnosis of coronavirus, then their death certificate would say something like pneumonia, and therefore would not be counted towards the statistics.

woodchuck99 · 03/02/2020 10:24

mindfulprep I don't doubt that the death rate and probably the infection rate is much much higher than we have been told. I'm sure PHE and other authorities know it too. That's why the lack of robust response is quite frustrating. They expect us to trust them when they state that the risk is low and that they are trying to find any contacts but considering nobody knows much about the whereabouts of the two infected people that is unlikely to be true. If they knew what they were doing we wouldn't have two cases and potentially more in the UK already.

Yehdivvy · 03/02/2020 10:28

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-51348593

Prejudice towards the Chinese population has increased due to the outbreak of the virus.

woodchuck99 · 03/02/2020 10:37

Prejudice towards the Chinese population has increased due to the outbreak of the virus.

While any racial abuse is certainly prejudice, I think avoiding Chinese restaurants is common sense considering some of the staff may have recently returned from China. I'm sure most people would feel differently if they had closed the borders but they haven't hence the case in York.

Quartz2208 · 03/02/2020 11:57

Woodchuck I dont doubt the number of deaths is higher as are the numbers of infected (and the infection rate). But the agreed death rate of 3% is already very high. The experts seem to agree that it is likely to be that but I think we forget how high that actually is and why the response is such

woodchuck99 · 03/02/2020 12:35

But the agreed death rate of 3% is already very high. The experts seem to agree that it is likely to be that but I think we forget how high that actually is and why the response is such

I agree. I wonder if those who are blasé about it will feel the same when a child in their child's class dies from it because that is what we are facing if this rapidly spreads.

ofwarren · 03/02/2020 12:57

Exactly woodchuck some of us have kids with medical issues and have every reason to be extremely worried. My son would die.

ShanghaiDiva · 03/02/2020 13:10

Latest update, I live in China, has just over 17000 cases in China with 361 fatalities.over 11000 cases are in Hubei province and 350 deaths there.
I think the figures are probably higher, but it would not make any difference to the advice in china- stay home, practise good hygiene and avoid public places. My husband’s staff had an extended holiday until today and have now been told by the govt to work from home. My dh had already told them to work from home so good to see the govt is giving the same advice.
For some perspective, my province has a population of about 80 million with 271 cases.

MissPoldark · 03/02/2020 13:20

I feel totally consumed by this now. Anxiety through the roof. Feel like crying all the time. Trying to hold it together and be rational but really struggling.

woodchuck99 · 03/02/2020 13:36

For some perspective, my province has a population of about 80 million with 271 cases.

And you are already being told to stay at home and avoid public places. I don't think we will get that response here based on what has happened so far. They did very little to prevent swine flu despite it killing half a million people in the world.

HairyFloppins · 03/02/2020 13:37

I am a bit the same MissPoldark. If my DH gets this it will be awful he already has lung damage from pneumonia.

Reading ShaghaiDiva's post from above made me more rational. I think I might stop reading this thread now.

yolofish · 03/02/2020 13:58

misspoldark I am trying not to be consumed by it... but DH is on chemo, and DD2 is commuting to London and back and she is terrified of bringing it home because he is immunocompromised.

Trying to just stay waiting and watchful...

ChardonnaysDistantCousin · 03/02/2020 14:04

For some perspective, my province has a population of about 80 million with 271 cases.

271 reported cases

ShanghaiDiva · 04/02/2020 01:14

@ChardonnaysDistantCousin
Yes, reported cases, but even if the numbers are higher the advice is the same- stay at home, practise good hygiene, there is no vaccine and creating hysteria over a potential cover up achieves nothing.

woodchuck99 · 04/02/2020 08:26

Yes, reported cases, but even if the numbers are higher the advice is the same- stay at home, practise good hygiene, there is no vaccine and creating hysteria over a potential cover up achieves nothing.

Maybe from your point of view "hysteria" a.k.a. concern that there has been a potential cover-up doesn't achieve anything from outside China it could achieve a lot. For example, a realisation that things are potentially much worse than have been reported may make country shut their borders to China which would slow down the transmission until there is a vaccine.
I am immunosuppressed and and very used to avoiding infections. I feel there is something a bit different about this virus if people really are staying indoors and practicing good hygiene to the extent I normally do if I know something is going around. It could potentially just be that there is a long incubation time and that the cases will slow down soon. I hope so but in the meantime I think there needs to be a more robust response outside China.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 04/02/2020 08:35

I think it must take a lot of courage for residents of China to speak out openly on social media about the situation there. Even on anonymised platforms.

woodchuck99 · 04/02/2020 08:55

I think it must take a lot of courage for residents of China to speak out openly on social media about the situation there. Even on anonymised platforms.

I agree. The fact that doctors and nurses in Hong Kong are striking about the fact that they are still allowing visitors from China says a lot to me.

ShanghaiDiva · 04/02/2020 09:59

I don’t see Xi allowing the border to be shut. China and HK are one country with two systems.
@woodchuck99
Some countries are taking a more robust attitude, US and Australia, And UK could do the same if they so wished, I assume.
What is different is there is no vaccine so staying at home is the only option. As you are immunosuppressed I am sure you are well aware that the only measures people can take in this situation are quite primitive- stay home and practise good hygiene.
I hope you stay well and healthy. China has been our home for 12 years and this is whole situation is just devastating.

woodchuck99 · 04/02/2020 12:02

I don’t see Xi allowing the border to be shut. China and HK are one country with two systems.

The fact that they won't shut it is not the point. It is the fact that the doctors and nurses in Hong Kong are striking because they want it to be shut that is relevant.

What is different is there is no vaccine so staying at home is the only option. As you are immunosuppressed I am sure you are well aware that the only measures people can take in this situation are quite primitive- stay home and practise good hygiene.

That's the only measure that people in China can take. Outside of China they can also stop anyone from China (who doesn't live here or people with British passport) from visiting. As you say they can do that but they aren't doing it and if they wait much longer it will be futile anyway.

ShanghaiDiva · 04/02/2020 12:15

Yes, many Hong Kongese remember SARS and don’t want that to be repeated. Ironically, there are not that many cases in HK, 15 was the latest number that I saw, which is lower than Japan and Thailand. Travel between the mainland and HK has been dramatically reduced eg Cathay is only operating 4 flights per week between HK and my city compared to the 14 it would normally operative and that is just one airline.
If the border was closed it would be very difficult for non nationals to leave the mainland and return to their home countries. How would you feel if you were a non Chinese national with no way out?

OhYouBadBadKitten · 04/02/2020 12:23

You might be interested in this report Shanghai, which talks about not knowing where some of the cases have picked up the infection from: www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3048839/coronavirus-hong-kong-confirms-first-death-39

Be careful people about wishing for borders to close. A huge amount of our trade is dependant on China - including medication. Demanding we close borders could bite us on the bum in other ways.

woodchuck99 · 04/02/2020 12:35

Be careful people about wishing for borders to close. A huge amount of our trade is dependant on China - including medication. Demanding we close borders could bite us on the bum in other ways.

They can continue to trade while preventing the great majority of those without British passports or who don't live here for entering. Those that do arrive in UK from China should be quarantined.

ShanghaiDiva · 04/02/2020 12:37

Yes, very interesting report and very worrying for H.k. dh’s employees are working from home.
As I have said before, it is absolutely devastating. I known so many little businesses in my city and they have been forced to close (and it is sensible for that to happen) but for them they may never recover from the economic consequences of this outbreak.