Healthy people why are you so scared of catching covid 19?

[wakeupitsabeautifulmorning]

Serious question. I’m interested in why healthy people with no underlying problems are so unhappy about starting to get back to normal. I’m not talking about shielded people who need to stay shielded. But everyone else.

When I realised a 'mild' case is not necessarily mild, just what they call anyone who's not hospitalised.
When I realised that I won't get any treatment for it - seems you have to self-treat unless you're close to death and what if I decline quickly and miss that?
Mild cases that go on for 40+ days. Look at the thread on here of apparently healthy people having it for a long time.
The likelihood of passing it on. I saw a video on Twitter saying that 1 person could pass it on to 59,000 people. Imagine that! Being responsible for 59k people being ill.

Having said that, I don't plan to stay inside until there's a vaccine so I may well have to take my chances with the illness at some point, just hopefully not when the medical system is overwhelmed.

It's something called the R rate so you can google 'r rate coronavirus explained' to get info from various sources. Apparently an r rate below 1 for a country means each infected person is on average infecting less than 1 person while they are infectious.

This article explains it in more detail with quotes from different infectious disease experts www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/30/coronavirus-infection-rate-in-europe-what-the-r-rate-means.html

Don't listen to Twitter saying 1 person could pass it on to 59,000 people 🙄

Yes anyone who thinks not hospitalised always means mild please have a look at our thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3894528-covid-lungs-40-plus-plus-plus

It’s a horrible illness for nearly 50% of people who catch it (20% are hospitalised, 36% of the rest have enduring symptoms).

Not so much worried about catching it, but spreading it.

Until there's a method in place to contain the spread of infection it's not a great idea to lift restrictions.

There was a TV programme on last night about 5 families who caught covid 19 and explaining their symptoms. It was good for showing the range. So some people really did have it mild, some at home looked very ill and sadly 1 older woman died.

@cantory What channel was that on please? I'd like to watch that.

Equally - 'mild' can mean barely or not at all noticing it. As seen in many positive tests.

I understand R rates. I also understand that if this had been dealt with before it became a global pandemic that stopping the ability of people infecting others (so a 0) would mean the virus would die out. What I am not convicted of is that now this is a global pandemic that R will never be 0 (or near enough to 0) for the virus to die out. I would be interested to hear if there is a reason why governments would aim for this and if it is therefore part of the strategy.

@2outof3Mightbebad - yes it seems around 50% are truly mild or asymptomatic. No telling which 50% anyone will be in though.

A friend who was in perfect health died with the virus so I'm left in no doubt about how serious the virus can be.

I'm scared of getting it, being asymptomatic and passing it on

As I said earlier, my DD2 (8) had a mild form of it, well it was unpleasant for the 4 days she had it, but nowhere near as bad as when she had chickenpox. I caught it from her, and I've had it for 7 weeks! (It wasn't tested, but I caught what I've had from her and my symptoms have definitely mirrored COVID-19, including the breathing difficulties.)

I'm wondering whether my DD1 (11) has had it asymptomatically, she's hardly ever unwell physically.

Bertilsbrecht

Wel, that’s me blinded with science , but thank you! I get a bit of it 😁
It was a really interesting watch, I recorded it live so my family could listen. It was the first broadcast I’ve seen so far comprised of concise facts, presented in a clear way. I came away feeling I’d learned more. A worthwhile watch if people can.

ravenmum

Ah yes, ze Sherman's

That was predictive text, I promise 😂

Eh? Where has this rhetoric come from?

As a healthy person I’m itching for a sense of normality to return. The sooner the better! As someone who used to work long hours and have an active social life, I used to literally only go home to shower and sleep so this staying home 24/7 thing is very hard on me. I’m not used to sitting around doing nothing all day, I miss work and generally just being out and active. I feel like a bum frankly.

I know lots of people my age (early 20s) would be happy about things starting to go back to normal

2outof3Mightbebad

Equally - 'mild' can mean barely or not at all noticing it. As seen in many positive tests.

Sorrr to be gloom and doom, but Inside Science today was discussing how many tests are false positives.

Because I wouldn't be able to see a doctor or even get to the hospital if I got sick. Hopefully I would but not everyone has. I nearly died of chicken pox so you just never know.

But I'm more bothered about spreading it really, and if I have a way to do that by staying in my house then I will do that.

If lockdown eases we won't stay in necessarily, maybe we'll have a few walks in further away places or a quiet holiday would be nice.

Why wouldn't they? What's the alternative? It's a containment strategy even if not entirely successful, isn't it?

I’ve had it (I think) was fairly moderate/mild but wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I’m active/healthy/no underlying conditions but it has taken me a month to get over it.

My ex work colleague fitted the same profile, a couple of years older than me when he got it. His funeral was last week.

containment (which is the aim I think) isnt eradication - the feeling is that for the most part now it is in Africa eradication is going to be difficult without some form of vaccine

There is every chance this is going to be endemic, we have never eradicated a virus that is this infectious before just suppressed it (and most of the things we have vaccines for are suppressed) and the Plague still pops up every now and then

Ooh apart from Smallpox we eradicated that. Although lets maybe not look into how long that took even with an efficient vaccine

I'm not worried. Should I be?

Quartz exactly. Containment is not the same as eradication.

Maybe they'll do what they currently do with flu, offer the jab on the NHS to vulnerable people and anyone else who wants it will have to pay a fee for it? And will it mean a jab every year, also like with flu?

Because, as an ICU nurse I have looked after people younger than myself who have died of it. Some of them had health conditions and some did not. Rationally I know my chances of survival are good if I catch it, as were those of my patients who died.