Coronavirus. AIBU please calm me down

[Areyoucomingalong]

Hi guys. So we're down in South Africa at the moment and so far no reported cases. We're flying to attend a wedding next week and im so worried its making me physically ill :( the AIBU part is that we're just flying 2 hours to another province but like lots of counties we have a huge Chinese population and im only scared because of our baby. I'd really not like to go though hubby and other son couldn't give a shit and thinks im stupid but this virus is spreading so rapidly. Please tell me to calm the Ef down :(

LTB then.

I dont think she'll have to LTB
He'll probably leave her first for being a nutter

Yanbu, I don’t think you would really be fretting over it if you didn’t have a baby but you do so of course you’re worried! I’m due to fly next month with my baby for just an hour flight and I too am petrified for the same reasons you are and I’d rather not go also. The likelihood of your family catching it is low so try to keep that in mind, but to be extra sure, just be a clean freak, bring sanitizers, don’t let strangers start cooing over and touching your baby etc.

There have been 5 other declarations by the WHO of Public Health Emergencies of International Concerns during the last 11 years. Did you avoid taking domestic flights during all of those too?

Flights are banned from China.
WHO estimates 250,000-500,000 deaths from flu annually. That means every year. Death toll from coronoviris is at 140 - though I suspect it's much higher due to isolated populations. However it still is a very very small number (there's well over a billion people living in China).

My fil teaches almost exclusively Chinese students. I'm not cutting him off. And my baby is a baby, not a toddler

With that data - yes its more damaging than the flu but if you do catch the new coronovirus - you are 97% going to be fine (although 99% chance of being fine with the flu)

Really, do you think it's binary. You either die or you live with no ongoing problems?! The reality is that there will be a lot of people left with permenant lung damage, and damage to other organs as it is causing multiple organ dysfunction in some patients. This will lead to reduced quality of life and reduced life expectancy.

If you read some of the articles from earlier this week when the Medics in Hong Kong were threatening to strike, they talk about how many of the HCPs who worked during the SARS outbreak and caught the virus are living still with lung damage now.

You obviously know best OP, as you’re so rude to those answering your post, so not sure why you bothered asking.

You are being daft. Go to the wedding.

I am going to agree with you OP. I am not majorly panicked but I would not be going on a plane right now to be honest. Not for a wedding. YANBU.

Indonesia and India 2 weeks ago, so yes, ok not China but close.

Viruses don't leap across entire land masses or seas.

Im not worried about myself. Yes, my baby is healthy but he's under 2

Early data suggests it is disproprtionately affecting older males, although thats only from the first 99 inpatients, so included the orginal people infected at the fish market, who may have been disproportionatley older males. Most the people who died had comorbidities, and/or were longterm smokers.

I'm reading that Spanish flu had a mortality rate around 15%.
I'm hearing the Wuhan CoV has mortality rate around 2.5%.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to get ill. But this isn't Spanish flu.

I told DH tonite that I think we'll get it. Sooner or later. Maybe few yrs from now. I'm not worried about that.

I forgot a relevant piece of info and that was that the entire family came from Indonesia and India 2 weeks ago, so yes, ok not China but close.

It's approx 4000 km from Indonesia to China and 3000km from India to China. That's stretching the definition of close somewhat more than I'd expect TBH.

Please do not worry. The virus will be world wide soon so it will come to your town anyway.

It seems to mostly be killing older, unwell men. No one knows the mortality rate yet but I suspect strongly that loads of ill people have not been diagnosed or near hospital.

I have thought many times I was dying with tonsillitis. so add to that some hysteria that tonsillitis could kill me, I'd be in right flap. Over nothing.

Your body is amazing and fights off viruses, bacteria etc every day. Have faith that it can and will do the same with this virus.

The current death toll works out to a rate of 2.2%. That’s comparable with standard flu. 60,000 people died of standard influenza in the US in flu season 2018 (sept 18-feb 19). In Dec and Jan, Coronavirus has killed 128 people across a far denser population.

The percentage of people in China who have Coronavirus is 0.0001%. The percentage of the population who have died is so small the calculator on my phone can’t even work it out.

If you compare the rate of deaths versus cases in the first week it was in the news, 3.6%, to now 2.2%, it’s actually de-escalating.

China declared the outbreak to the WHO on 31st December. In that entire time, which is the busiest international travel time of the year for China, there have only been 20 or so cases declared in other countries, and only ONE case in a person who didn’t contract it directly in China, and he is married to someone who caught it in Wuhan.

You are being extremely irrational and frankly ridiculous.

I'm reading that Spanish flu had a mortality rate around 15%.
I'm hearing the Wuhan CoV has mortality rate around 2.5%.

I'm pretty sure they didn't have ECMO, Non-invasive ventilation, or renal dialysis in 1918. The two figures aren't really comparable. You'd need to compare the number of patients needing advanced interventions who would otherwise die to get a real feel of the seriousness. Hence the reason why WHO have declared an emergency, stating concerns of it spreading to countires with less sophisticated healthcare systems.

I don't think you are being unreasonable OP. I wouldn't be taking a baby on any unnecessary plane journeys at this time.

You are being a bit of a ninny.

I get why you are nervous about this. I have a baby (2m old) and tbh, am very careful where I am taking her and am super nervous about my husband flying this Sunday for work. I wouldn't be concerned at all if it was just him and me but I do worry because of our child. If you feel so strongly about it - then don't go. I'm always for following one's instincts.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates of any country and you are worried about a virus

Don’t be so pathetic. Show a bit of backbone.

This virus is a global crisis. Are you people thick or what?

I would suggest you read up on what a WHO global emergency is, and why and how they are declared, rather than insulting those who seem to have done the work.

Your risk perception does seem skewed, probably not helped by the media coverage on this.

OP, you asked us to calm you down and when people tried you told them they were thick!

This virus is affecting a tiny number of people at the moment. Almost all of those infected are within China. So in order for your child to contract the virus, you'd have to come into contact with someone who had recently been in China, had contracted the virus there and wasn't yet ill enough to know they were infectious. And even then, if your child was unlucky enough to pick up the infection, it's very unlikely that it would kill him. I'd be more scared of the plane crashing.

lol 😂 at just thinking Indonesia and India being close to China...
Let’s just lump all those nationalities in there as being basically the same.. fuckin hell ! 🙄