Coronavirus - sick and tired of the hysterical scaremongering

[Ashtower]

I work in an office and I've overheard a number of people blowing the outbreak all out of proportion. One colleague has ordered facemasks off Amazon - we're in SE England ffs. I wish people would educate themselves (from reputable sources) and stop winding everyone up.

Of course, a healthy amount of caution is important but it's made me aware of how mass hysteria ie witch trials occurred in the past. Just takes one ignorant person with a massive mouth (yes I'm talking about you Sue in budgeting).

Thanks @mrshoho. Yes it’s a pretty complex situation. Things are getting out of hand in Hong Kong, with 9000 medical workers pledging to go on strike from Monday.

Some people are certainly hysterical but others are also complacent. The risk to any one of us here in the UK is negligible compared to our everyday risks anyway. There's no need for us to do anything other than practise basic hygiene. That said the precautions on a national scale are absolutely justified. We absolutely cannot afford to have a huge flux of people suffering from pneumonia (which don't forget in serious cases is still 30% fatal), we can't afford to put our medical staff in risk.

China has an atrocious record when it comes to reporting accurate figures and those figures don't tally up with what people on the ground are reporting on social media like Twitter.

It would not surprise me if the real number of infected and fatalities was much, much higher.

Considering this, people are right to be cautious.

Yeah, China just put millions of people in lock down and takes the economic hit just for shits and giggles.

@Besidesthepoint 😁.

OP- Now that there are 305 deaths, the virus has spread to 27 countries and there is evidence of second and third generation infections outside of China (I believe in France and the USA), do you still think it’s scaremongering? Just curious to see whether your thinking as changed - it’s fine either way!

Op is no longer replying as too busy scouring the internet, pharmacies and diy shops to find any remaining stocks of masks
I suspect most "virus deniers" are actually scared to shit but going "la la la you are hysterical not me" help them cope

Those people who are criticising the Chinese govt what else do you want them to do?
If I told you the real numbers of infected people were more like 100k what difference would that make? There is no vaccine. Creating hysteria and panic in their population would not help the situation.
The only thing the Chinese population can do is self isolate and practise good hygiene. They cannot leave unless they hold a foreign passport.

Completely agree OP. My whole family has a cold with a cough. We don’t have coronavirus! I’m also disturbed by the racism being thrown around. Overheard some parents questioning whether the lolly pop lady should be allowed to still do her job. She is of Malaysian ethnic background but has never actually been to China- let alone the effected area recently! Outrageous.

I cant imagine the stress that medical staff are under in China having to witness such large scale illness knowing there is no cure and that they themselves are at risk. I can't blame the nursing staff in Hong Kong at all for calling on the borders to be shut. At times such as this governments really do need to listen to the medical professionals. Is it too late already for Hong Kong now? It's the scale that is so frightening as the nursing staff know there are only so many beds to go around.

@Ashtower

Hi again OP, I take it you’re not coming back to this thread? Now that the WHO is calling for all countries to prepare for a pandemic, are you still feeling bullish about it?

Over 80,000 infected/ 2,700 deaths as of today.

It’s pretty chilling (to me at least) to see that the number of fatalities has risen 100-fold in the last month.

A month ago: 26.
Today: 2700.
Next month ?

Everything I've seen today tells me we have been too mild in explaining the consequences to people and there is way too little concern about the risks. Maybe realities need to be made clearer?

Looks like sue from marketing weighed up the situation correctly. Be more Sue op, be more Sue.

This thread aged well...

@Urkiddingright it is not the same as Swine and bird flu. You don’t know what you’re talking about. With swine flu and SARS people who fog it were primarily so I’ll they couldn’t get out of bed therefore being unable to spread it around. With covid 19 it is being spread rapidly by mild and asymptomatic people. 18,000 people died from swine flu in total. We are only a few weeks into covid 19 and the death toll is already nearing that figure.

I didn’t check the posting date and was thinking WTAF?!

@Ashtower @Urkiddingright I’d love to know if your perspective has changed? That’s not intended as an attack, but I am fascinated by how quickly thinking is changing on this.

I, and others, were savaged on earlier thread and called hysterical because we were worried about the Coronavirus.

It all looks a bit fucking serious now doesn't it?

Yes, it's interesting how perspectives have changed. This thread was very much in line with what I was reading on social media at the time - even a month ago I had fuckwits on my timeline posting about how the worst thing about coronavirus was racist attacks and hysteria. I also had people laugh at me for buying face masks.

This isn't a thread that has aged well.
Although fat too many people in the UK still seem to think like this!

You a bit red in the face now OP?! Well you should be!!

I must admit I thought it would be another saars or bird flu for quite a while & wouldn't reach here. Lots of us were wrong. I didn't object to people's fear, I tried to empathise like I try never to use the word hysterical as it's origins are so insulting to all of us with ovaries. If this is survival of the fittest then I hope kindness & compassion are determiners, not arrogance & superior self-righteousness. Doubt the OP will see this... She's in a park somewhere or stealing bog roll out of food bank bins or driving her massive campervan to the Highlands!

This has been on the BBC about facemasks

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-51881555/coronavirus-do-face-masks-actually-work

That the majority of people can have it and have minor symptoms or not even know they've had it, is what gives me pause on the whole worldwide lockdown scenario. But prepared to be flamed for my ignorance..

@WeWantSweet

Are you serious? Have you not seen the news?

60% of people still agree that YANBU OP...