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 :(

oh sorry looks like WHO have decided it is www.newscientist.com/article/2232086-who-declares-coronavirus-outbreak-an-international-health-emergency/

If I'm reading this right OP, you think Chinese people are carrying this virus and you have a chance of catching it by going to a heavily Chinese populated area? As in just being Chinese means they are carrying it? They don't even have had to have been in China recently? 😂

How are you going to let hubby & son back in the house when they have been mixing with other people who you think are infected then??

When he gets back make him stay in the tool shed for 14 days.

So you are flying somewhere with a significant population of people with Chinese ethnicity?

What makes you think they've been to China recently? How much does it even cost to fly from SA to China and back again?

There is a 2-14 day incubation period and flights from Wuhan got shut down last week. Flights from elsewhere continued, but China is what is technically known as bloody huge.

You are going via internal flight in SA next week. If there haven't been any cases where you're going by then, there aren't going to be.

I'm cabin crew - long haul - and I'm going to say this politely - get a grip.
Although I haven't read the full thread, is anyone immunocomprinised?

Jesus, really? I'm looking forward to getting it so I can get a week off work watching TV in bed.

Step away from the internet. It’s dangerous for people like you OP

you think Chinese people are carrying this virus and you have a chance of catching it by going to a heavily Chinese populated area? As in just being Chinese means they are carrying it? They don't even have had to have been in China recently?
Hmmm, yes, if only there was a word for people who have this kind of sweeping generalisatic attitude to people of a different race. Oh wait.

Whyamiwastingtime

Swine flu was also declared an international health emergency.

To this day, I've not had it.

Ebola has also been declared an international emergency, twice. I know I've not had it, and if you're posting on here, you've not had it either, because otherwise you'd be dead.

International Health Emergency doesn't mean we're all going to die. It means a lot of very qualified people are going to be throwing a budget at coordinating efforts to stop the spread and develop a vaccine, if possible.

Bog standard flu does not have a mortality of 1%. Otherwise every school and every big employer would on average have a flu casualty every year.

This virus is a global crisis. Are you people thick or what
If that’s your opinion of people on here, why are you bothering to ask here. At least none of us are stupid enough to suggest the virus can jump several 1000 miles across the continent from China to Indonesia and india.

Just wants to comment on the fact that you mentioned India and Indonesia being close to Wuhan. A quick Google tells me that they’re both about 3,500km away. The Democratic Republic of Congo is less than 3,000km away from South Africa and there has been Ebola there this year, aren’t you more worried about that?

So although I can understand you having some concerns about the Coronavirus, it’s early days, there have been very few cases outside China and I really do think YABU not to fly within SA.

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

This should be your concern. assuming the OP has read that and is now more concerned than ever and is looking at flights out of SA ASAP

you think Chinese people are carrying this virus and you have a chance of catching it by going to a heavily Chinese populated area? As in just being Chinese means they are carrying it? They don't even have had to have been in China recently?

Oh but wait. Those Chinese people may have been to India. Which is close to China. Didn't you know

OP your title says you want people to calm you down.
When people do you call them thick for not taking this seriously.

I think your relationship probably is over because you're paranoid. And your OH just wants to enjoy the wedding.
Just be cautious not to catch malaria.

Oh wait, I had flu, eventually, in 2016. It's possible that the strain of flu I had then was descended from the 2009 swine flu.

Even so, seven years later is still pretty good, innit?

@SympatheticSwan I don’t think you understand how population statistics work. I’m not saying that the 1% of the population figure is accurate however assuming it was, it wouldn’t mean 1% across all demographics of the population. 80% of deaths from flu are in over 60s, and 60% in over 80s, so it would be entirely possible for that to be the death rate and it not reflect in schools and major employers.

I see no point in worrying over don’t you literally have no control over whatsoever.

Flu/chickenpox/norovirus etc are more widespread than coronavirus. People don't usually panic about them. If coronavirus didn't exist, would you let the risk of contracting these ailments stop you getting on a plane. As other people have said, the actual mortality rate will be at 0.1%.

People aren't thick for not letting minor risks control their life. There are things that we face in everyday life that are riskier than coronavirus.

No children have yet contacted it. The guy in Germany was diagnosed on the Friday and back to work fit and healthy the following Monday. It's dangerous for elderly but most people would be fine. It is essentially like flu (which kills more than 60k people a year yet people still refuse to get vaccinated - baffling).

The World Health Organisation has issued a global warning. I wouldn't be traveling anywhere with a baby.

www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(seasonal)

Illnesses range from mild to severe and even death. Hospitalization and death occur mainly among high risk groups. Worldwide, these annual epidemics are estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness, and about 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths.

So, that's a death rate of 0.97-1.3% then.

It's spreading incredibly quickly from one province and now every province in China. Go and have a look on the WHO website and check out their advice rather than relying on mums net.

@PotholeParadise I did have swine flu when 5 weeks pregnant. I'm still alive but I do wonder if that is what split the egg and gave me twins.

Op the fact that you're writing on here suggests you survived swine flu and Ebola so the likelihood you'll survive is pretty good.

So far the overwhelming majority of the corona patients who have died have been very elderly men with pre existing health conditions. Unless the virus mutates ( ooh er sounds like a b movie plot) young healthy people will cope with the virus if infected. Admittedly you are worried about a young child whose immune system might not be fully developed, but the odds of one of the other 200 hundred people on the plane being infected are the same as the odds of one of the next 200 people you walk past in the street,in a shop, a school, a bus,or a restaurant being infected.