AIBU to ask you if you are worried about the new Coronavirus?

[IvyBush123]

I am not sure if there is reason to worry about the new Coronavirus. I am not a medical expert but to be honest feel a bit scared because we know so little and some experts seem worried. How do you think?

2 surgeries closed now being reported

British Airways has announced it has cancelled all its flights to Beijing and Shanghai until 1 April due to the Coronavirus outbreak

"Are there many cases in Russia, with it bordering China?"

Two

This has been linked before (and thanks to the poster who did) and it seems to be reliable:

gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

This is so sad. People of Wuhan celebrating new countdown on December 31st.

twitter.com/WLaowai8/status/1225637845508837377

Everybody so happy and cheerful and just a short time later they are afraid for their lifes.

Anyone just heard the Imperial College bloke on Radio 4 - predicting 472000 deaths in the UK - with 60-70% of UK infected and 1% death rate?

Bold statement but he's no fool.

Anyone just heard the Imperial College bloke on Radio 4 - predicting 472000 deaths in the UK - with 60-70% of UK infected and 1% death rate?

No, but that sounds concerning.

Oh come off it.
How can he possibly know that ?
Right. I really am off now. This thread is beyond scaremongering

@SlayB that’s disgusting about the checkout worker, I can understand people not worrying anxiously about all of this, but how can they be so blinkered and clueless as to have zero awareness of their own germs and how they might affect others? Or how they’re not protecting themselves from ill people either?

That’s absolutely awful for the poor guy in the Phillipines having to deal with all 3 of those illnesses at once. Feel so sad about that actually.

@YoursTunbridgeWells omg that is terrifying!! we’re screwed then basically.

Can I suggest that if anyone has any info from what they‘ve read or heard they post links to the source? Statements made In the media might be true, but equally can be taken out of context or from a less than reliable source. This way needless scaremongering can’t be prevented and the more qualified amongst us can decipher what’s been said after being given the source.

(Not saying you heard wrong TWells, but this might be helpful to those prone to excessive anxiety.)

To be fair a 1 per cent death rate out of 472k is 4700 people. Horrible, but we are not talking half the population wiped out here. Most of those people are likely to be the elderly and those who are already ill.

I am not saying that they are dispensible - I have several family members with pre existing health conditions, including my own DH who has Crohn's disease. But what can we do other than continue to take reasonable precaution.

Similar predictions arose WRT swine flu and bird flu.

There was a Jon Ronson article ages ago where he writes about accidentally getting cc'd into some emails between phycisists working fairly high up in the CIA, who were swapping horror stories about various things they predicted were likely happen imminently (including nuclear war with Iran and terrorists using bird flu as a bio weapon). This was way back in the early noughties. My point here is that experts, as knowledgeable as they are, also tend to be paranoid.

we’re screwed then basically.

Of course we aren't. 472k people and a 1 per cent death rate isn't even 5000 deaths. Please think logically here! And that's even if it's true!

Can I suggest that if anyone has any info from what they‘ve read or heard they post links to the source? Statements made In the media might be true, but equally can be taken out of context or from a less than reliable source. This way needless scaremongering can’t be prevented and the more qualified amongst us can decipher what’s been said after being given the source.

100 per cent that. I think it's grossly irresponsible to post things you've heard in the media which aren't verifiable, on a thread where a large number of people quite clearly suffer from excessive anxiety.

@notanothergiftcard I’m sure the post said 472k deaths not infected, if it was that number with the virus and then and then 1% death rate I wouldn’t be as freaked out!

No no, read it again. 60-70% infected is 36-42 million people. 1% of that is 360-420,000 deaths

I think 60-70% infection over the course of year (until he hopefully have a vaccine which is starting to be rolled out) sounds about right.

I think the death rate will be higher than a 1% death rate as I don't believe that the NHS can cope with those numbers.

It might be 1% at the start but as healthcare workers get ill it may well go up.

Repeated exposure is a significant problem (viral load), hence young previously healthy doctors etc. dying in China.

Oh yes my apologies, I read it wrong!

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p082vzd3

Just listened to this - BBC podcast by experts earlier today. Quite well explained I think.

Does anyone have a source for that though? Can't see anything in R4 website

Oh cross post. Is it mentioned on that podcast?

Anyone just heard the Imperial College bloke on Radio 4 - predicting 472000 deaths in the UK - with 60-70% of UK infected and 1% death rate?

I didnt hear it but surely thats worst case scenario? As in what would happen if no preventative measures were taken and no plans implemented to stop the spread. I mean, most countries have experts employed to draw up these plans which will be put into effect at the first sign of a sustained outbreak. They are already working on developing new treatments and a vaccine. It's very unlikely to get to that point.

No need to freak out. Practice good hygiene, wash your hands frequently, dont touch your face, clean regularly touched surfaces in your home daily. You'll more than likely be fine.

Depends. Unverified sources are suggesting airborne transmission. There's very little that can be done to stop it if that's truly the case

i read the imperial college paper, it's bloody scary, but it really is a report for the worst case scenario.

If anyone wants to read the full report the link to it is here:

www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-2019-nCoV-severity-10-02-2020.pdf

I heard that same interview on the BBC Radio Pm programme too. 60% of 60 million is 36 million with the virus. One per cent fatalities of 36 million cases is 360,000 people, isn’t it?

The programme isn’t up on the Sounds app yet to post links but it was some time in the first half, between five and 5.30pm.