Coronavirus

[OhSoOuting]

AIBU to set out some facts because some of the threads about this are utterly ridiculous.

You cannot get coronavirus from having recently eaten Chinese food, sat next to an Asian looking person on the train, or walking on the opposite side of the road to a group of Chinese tourists.

You do not need to withdraw your child from school or university if one person in that institution is self-isolating due to being in contact with someone who in turn was a contact of an infected person. The person who is self isolating is 2 steps removed from the virus, your child is 3 steps removed - it’s not a risk.

The flimsy paper masks do not protect against Coronavirus. All they will do is make you look a bit of a twat on public transport. You either need to go the whole hog and get an N95 respirator which needs to be fit tested by a medical professional, or you could just make sure you wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face.

If by some tiny chance, you think you may have coronavirus, DO NOT GO TO A&E OR YOUR GP. Call 111, and they will arrange for you to be tested.

If by some even tinier chance you have indeed got coronavirus, remember: the virus has a slightly less than 2% death rate of known cases. This being cases acute enough for medical treatment to be sought. As we’ve seen from the so called ‘super-spreader’, it can be extremely mild or virtually asymptomatic. This means the rate of cases is likely to be about 4 times the known cases and puts the death rate at somewhere under 0.5%. (Statistics from a variety of sources including LSE and the Lancet)

Of the deaths, 80% have been over 60 and 75% had a pre-existing health condition. There have been only 2 deaths outside China. It is almost certainly no coincidence that China has the highest rates of heavy smokers in the world.

We have NO IDEA what is going to happen, so why flap and panic until we have more information.

regina yes thats our real worry....the nhs cant and won't cope with it when it takes off over here

LoveNote - if it takes off over here

in the meantime, use basic hygiene you've always used

The vast majority of the population need to seriously ramp up their so called hygiene practices though. A disgusting number of people don't even bother to wash their hands after using the lavatory, let alone blowing their nose. We need a campaign if this starts spreading here.

Agree with ShiningBrightly - the death rate is running closer to 18%. Remember China isn’t being that transparent, and I did see this a week or so ago.

@LoveNote smoking : current smoker and smoking history affects the outcome if the virus causes pneumonia.

A MuLBSTA score is a way to predict mortality with a weighted score
with Viral pneumonia.
Smoking History is 3
Quit smoker is 2 it is quite a low score when 12 is high.

A bacterial co infection can happen when a patient is recovered and then antibiotics is needed as it is not a virus.

Also worrying is false negatives, thankfully I saw CT scans are being used in Asia rather than relying on throat swabs. "Hubei reports nearly 15,000 new cases after new diagnosis method introduced".

One case was negative for pharyngeal swab neocoronavirus nucleic acid tests 3 times before final hospital admission and being tested positive.

Those in support of OP can you please pop your reasons in the thread I've just made, to help those of us trying to keep perspective whilst fighting anxiety. Thanks

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3821799-The-Positive-Mental-Health-Corona-virus-thread?watched=1

@Hefzi excellent post.

@Reginabambina what private health insurance do you have?

My research suggested that none of the available policies in the UK would cover emergency treatment.

There aren't many intensive care beds in private hospitals anyway and my understanding is that you would only be covered by insurance for a space in one if you had a pre planned operation for example that went wrong.

I wasn't encouraged by my research suggesting that we have one of lowest numbers of intensive care beds in Europe relative to our population.

Oh stop SHOUTING to make your points .

I'd like to consider myself a rational person, but even the risk of it has made me feel a bit concerned, only as a family member falls into the one of the vulnerable category so a family holiday from a busy London airport at peak season for some travellers, as it is half term from this weekend, from an infected area or even those self isolating in the region (am talking about Gatwick and the schools/GP surgery in Brighton) was enough to make us reconsider.

Especially as Gatwick is still receiving flights from China and Asia, it is not worth the risk to my family when one is immunosuppressed, especially as they only recovered from pneumonia in late Jan. If they weren't vulnerable we'd still be going, but with plenty of antibac. I too don't relish the idea of wearing a mask for 8 hours, never mind trying to convince the DC of wearing one that length either if we decided to carry on leaving from Gatwick at the weekend.

The point of going on holiday is to relax, but going through a high risk area such as Gatwick with this hanging over us and the worry it would cause just isn't worth it, it is also what we have the travel insurance for.

Thanks for your patronising post OP. It's great that you know more then the WHO and other experts about whether we should be concerned.

It's clear that the real reason for your lack of concern is that you think you'll be all right Jack and that your risk will only be 0.1% and that those of us with health conditions will take the hit. Thanks for that. I feel so reassured.

Obviously there is no point in panicking but only because there is no point in panicking about anything. That doesn't mean you shouldn't wake up and smell the coffee though. Presumably there are children at your children's school with health conditions such as asthma. Will you not care if they die due to this? Do you have parents that are over 60? If this infects a lot of people you will know people who die so get your head out the sand and stop feeling smug. It is not similar to flu.

@Hefzi 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Brilliant

NaturalBornWoman well that is just rank and those people want to have a word with themselves. one of the best lines of defence we have is hygiene - maybe cold and flu season wouldnt get so many people if others were a bit more proactive in a simple thing such as hand washing. absolutely mind boggling

Basic hygiene is far from universal and needs its profile raised.

I watched a demo online today of how to clean hands and wrists with the hospital gel. I've used it in the past but the instructions on the wall weren't quite as clear.

On the other hand my DP thinks washing "clean" hands after coming home is ott so me taking more care is perhaps a wasted effort. Maybe he'd take note of a public health campaign?

Nobody knows anything. The real truth that is. So posting an arsey message saying people are over reacting is just as bad as those who are over reacting. I work quite high up in the medical sector and from some of the emails I’ve been included in show there is plenty to be worried about if more are infected.

Just to clarify we don't use gel at home, I have just used it when in hospitals.

"The insanity on the preppers thread is like nothing I’ve seen before. I’m not sure how these people have the time to research/assume/stress etc. What are they doing all day?"
Not seen any insanity. People with questions. People suggesting good hand hygiene. People considering what to do if they are in quarantine. None of these is insane.

Yes I’m so tired of people blithely posting, oh you don’t need to worry because only older people and those with health conditions are likely to die. Do they not think that anyone on MN will fall into those categories or have family who do?

And when they say “older”, it seems there have been a lot of deaths of people in their fifties, not an age when you usually expect to have one foot in the grave.

Lots of people don’t wash their hands after the loo, which helps things like norovirus spread. Not sure that they’re going to change now although it would be great if they did.

Pneumonia is horrible enough anyway.

In my fifties with MS. I'm being sensible but not blasé. Perhaps I fall into the "doesn't really count" category. My dh and my 12 year old might beg to differ.

anyone have much of an idea of how this will affect trade coming into UK from China?

YANBU OP thanks for some reason in an otherwise crazy series of threads.

As I am over 60, immune-compromised and have 2 respiratory illness already I should be taking precautions.

My children and grandchildren might be younger and stronger but if they get it so will I.

Unless you have no loved ones over 50 with pre-exixting conditions you should be taking care.
Just good hygiene will help.

I understand that wearing a mask will help to stop people touching their faces which is one way the virus gets into the body so it is not a waste of time and anyway it is good to stop ordinary viruses from spreading so much.

YANBU OP thanks for some reason in an otherwise crazy series of threads.

Yes it's so crazy to think that we should be seriously worried about this. After all only people over 60 and those with health conditions will die and they have 1 foot in the grave anyway apparently.

So glad you’ve rocked up, OP. Why aren’t the WHO using someone who ‘works in A and E but isn’t a HCP (receptionist?).

Until your post I’d been carefully monitoring the evolving situation via the Johns Hopkins dashboard, CDC and WHO updates. Bloody rank amateurs!

I work for the police, have had pneumonia previously (6 weeks ill) and I have a floppy mitral valve and weak left ventricle.

Yes the media is going mad, they do over everything. I personally have not witnessed the panic you describe. I imagine the Corona beer was a prank call you’re obviously far too clever to have got. Emergency services get prank calls, some people are twats.
Yes, eating a Chinese is a stupid reason to suspect, but on the other had do we REALLY know how many and where other cases are, as yet undiscovered.

You have a point about not needing to panic, but you delivered it in such a patronising, know-it-all manner, and owned to not being a HCP (there are plenty on here who have not given the line you are) you’ve just come out as a bit of an arse. I suspect you’re listening to the moans of your qualified and unqualified colleagues and repeating what they’re saying, feeling like you have special knowledge. You really don’t (it is unlikely they do either, at this point, not many do - play the plague inc game and see how long it takes a virus like this to escalate out of the base country (and that’s with being able to engineer it to be super strong, deadly and contagious).

You really can’t fight with stupid.