To think people may have already had coronavirus?

[minniebo]

I had pneumonia recently, pretty severe, hospitalised. Everyone I've told has said, 'it's weird how many people have said they've had pneumonia in the last month or two.' Yes I know it's the season for these things but it's a bit unusual that so many young and fit people have had pneumonia.

Just out of interest, has anyone you know had pneumonia in the last month or so (in the UK)?

How do you think you know more than the people who track and survey circulating viruses?

Well, China informed WHO on 31/12, they blocked their own Chinese Dr's from talking about this new virus 2 weeks earlier.
They first noticed patients displaying symptoms mid Dec, often people don't display symptoms for 2 weeks, so that puts it late November, early December
How many people went in and out of Hubei province/China in those 4 weeks?

Are the authorities testing retrospectively swab and blood samples and could they even do so?

The UK testing rate isn't v high 14k tests done in 2 months, Italy 23k, Korea 109k

I had pneumonia the end of January and it completely floored me. It came on quick with a high temp for 4 days, then nasty cough which carried on for three weeks. I'm still getting over it and still in pain with my lungs. Both children ended up with chest infections at the same time, but were not as bad as me. I told the hospital I had had lots of contact with Chinese people through my work since the new year, but they didn't seem fussed, as I wasn't aware anyone I had contact with had the virus.

I had my first asthma attack at the begging of November. I've always had asthma but have never had a attack and I had a terrible throat infection

The WHO are very aware that cases started earlier. Health authorities are too.
Epidemiologists went back from the first cases to determine that the actual first cases happened much earlier. They have tracked contacts.
But of course MNetters are so much more clever than the actual professionals in charge of limiting coronavirus, even without knowing what kind of viruses have been detected in circulation this year.

@Lweji that's a bit snide.

FYI there will be Mumsnetters who are amongst said professionals, I am sure of it!

Epidemiologists went back from the first cases to determine that the actual first cases happened much earlier. They have tracked contacts

So the 5m chinese who travelled in and out of Hubei province in the month leading up to 31/12 were tracked? yep course they were and as symptoms in the vast majority are mild to non existent, they wouldn't have sought any medical advice.
A japanese Doctor (who isn't on MN) said he thinks there are 10s of 1000s of cases in Japan

Its not a case of "knowing" more than Epidemiologists, its the fact that the Chinese authorities cannot be trusted one inch and perhaps neither can ours in the West, the US say they have few infections.... yet have tested just a few 100 out of 300m.

I think my DP has had a mild version. He's getting over it now but yes, I have a feeling it's been doing the rounds for some time now.

This was my first thought when we started to hear about it, but they've done several thousand tests by now and surely more of those would be positive than have been, if it was already circulating in the general population.

No one seems to be entirely sure when it started, because the Chinese government haven’t been very honest about things.

How naive do you think the WHO is?

I most definitely don't think they are naive, naive is neither here not there.

Politically influenced, yes, very much so.

FYI there will be Mumsnetters who are amongst said professionals, I am sure of it!

I'm going to bet my wallet that they're not the MNers speculating that their funny bug at Christmas was Corona.

If is called confirmation bias (only testing those you think have it) and the WHO is very aware of it. Yes, I also think it has been around a while and many more people have it already than had been reported, we won't know unless we test loads more people. My DH had a terrible, terrible flu that floored him most of Dec so who knows, most likely just a winter bug.

The numbers tested in the UK vs the number of cases found, along with the tracing of almost every case to recent travel to at risk areas is definitive proof that it has not been circulating in this country prior to February. Unless people think theres some sort of cover up (extremely unlikely) the numbers speak for themselves. If it had already been going round, the rates tested would be finding hundreds of cases every day as they are in italy/South Korea.

I also had a virus that started before Christmas and was really ill for two months, it was nothing like any virus or illness I have had before. The main symptom was a really bad cough I thought it had developed into pneumonia. I went to a walking centre at the hospital, I didn't get a scan but the nurse could hear a crackling on my lungs and gave me a course of antibiotics, to be honest I still don't feel 100% now with my lungs. My husband has friends from China that regularly fly home and back and I work in a shop that is a pickup point for parcels that are shipped directly from China so I think its possible we could have been exposed to it. I have just found an article that says scientists in Beijing have found two strains of the virus in samples, one strain is the most aggressive and is the strain that has infected people in Wuhan and is now trailing off, the other strain is milder and has been around longer but is continuing to infect new patients. I am wondering if its possible that the older milder strain has already been around parts of the UK and would this mean that people who have been exposed to it would carry an immunity to the stronger more deadly strain? link to the article: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8073543/TWO-strains-killer-coronavirus-spreading-study-claims.html

Yes, last year a friend and I had the same thing. She was put on a course of antibiotics which made no difference, therefore most likely viral. I didn't go to go until after I was on the upturn, bloods etc showed likely pneumonia. Worst respiratory episode either of us had ever had. Lasted months, and I still feel my lungs are not quite back to full health.
Due to the vast number of ppl with very mild symptoms, it's extremely likely lots of ppl have it without being diagnosed, isn't it.

Yes I do come to think of it, including a normally v healthy child. Before Xmas I was ill for what seemed like weeks with a virus that lacked the cold symptoms, I definitely remember feeling breathless although this is something I have experienced who're when unwell. It's possible it's been around ages I suppose and half of us are immune already or I guess it could be a different strain of the same virus.

My dad was so I'll to the extent my mum said she had never known him to be so I'll in 50 years. He has never been I'll that we recall tor more than a couple of days. He had profuse sweating, a blazing fever and a non stop cough which was relentless, for the first time in his life he voluntarily went to the doctor and agreed on a bumper course of antibiotics on the strict understanding if there was no improvement in 3days he was in hospital.
My husband then caught if ftom him after minimal contact and although was rather unwell with the fever and severe coughing and breathing issues didnt have the antibiotics. Then our 18year old son was affected but not particularly significantly and our two year old who had a couple of days of temperature and coughing but was better quickly. This was before the virus was a big thing here and not a full blown epidemic in china.
It's interesting as they didnt have general flu, just the fever and coughing and difficulty breathing so it's hard to know I definitely think its possible

My FIL thinks he had it in January, no idea whether he did, he makes a fuss when he's ill. My MIL had a milder version and they both recovered without medical treatment.

It was probably a bad cold, but he's convinced.

I'm 25 and both me and my 3 year old daughter were hospitalised in early February for pneumonia. The week before we had flu and the whole 2 weeks were just awful.

I work in paediatrics in a therapy role and it's been the worse winter for flu Since October ( positive results) and general winter illness I don't think it was Covid-19 as children aren't as badly affected apparently. They are all quite similar illness anyway. i do think it's probably more widespread though.

Ds1 was hospitalised in December with breathing issues. At the time, staff commented how the children's ward was unexpectedly full of kids with breathing issues. Incidentally, we live very close to confirmed cases

If is called confirmation bias (only testing those you think have it) and the WHO is very aware of it

Conformation bias is when you select information that supports your pre-existing belief.
Case in point: this thread.
It is not when suspected cases are tested. That's just called diagnostics.

Scientists on the other hand, are funny buggers. They are more used to testing their beliefs, but, crucially, they test each other's results and conclusions.

China is now getting cases imported from Italy.

If it was as widespread as some people have decided it is, the picture would have been very different.

Also, again, there are more coronaviruses out and about that can cause somewhat similar symptoms.
1/6 of all colds.

Yes!!! Me, my son, my mum and my newborn daughter all had a bad cough / cold / flu type thing over Xmas. We are convinced we had Corona, although my husband and daughter didn't get ill...? Could they be resistant to it for some reason? I have been saying for weeks tho that there could be hundreds / thousands of people at home with what they think is a cold but is actually Corona?

I had the same thing just after new year! No cold symptoms but hacking cough, tired, couldn't breathe properly choking on coughing and couldn't walk the dog very far without getting totally out of breath!! High temp too