Coronavirus thread 12

[VivaLeBeaver]

Can’t see one? Sorry if there is one.

@Branster... trust Matt Hancock to basically say we’re not at the stage where we need to cancel large gatherings of people coming together from all over the world, to spend 5 days rubbing shoulders. It’s not bad enough. Yet!!!😡 So, lets go ahead, wait and see.

Apologies if I started a panic mentioning biological weapons. I am just fearful and talking out loud. As someone says, it really doesn't matter what provoked it, it's how we deal with it that counts. I wish we could stop the world for six months, hunker down and ride it out safely.

This is an excellent thread by a doctor who has condensed all the latest facts.

twitter.com/juniordrblog/status/1235127363341553667?s=19

Really interesting about the RO numbers and how it spreads.

Some countries in Africa do at least have the benefit that they had to sort out their pandemic preparedness when they dealt with Ebola.

Just talking about transmission of this disease. I just happened to be reading Richard Preston devil in the freezer when the Corona virus started. Probably not my best move. The ability of smallpox to travel on a breeze is quite incredible. People can catch smallpox by being in the same building as an infected person, even on a different floor. Corona virus obviously is different to smallpox, but Corona virus is small and light. I would be interested to know if it's possible for it to be transmitted by air.

I don’t know what I think but my gut is telling me this is bad, they are playing this down

@Newjez I'm interested in that too - because although apparently (can't remember source) there haven't been any direct infections on a plane, it was also apparently the worst decision to keep everyone on that cruise ship as the virus spread even though they were all kept in isolation? Or am I missing something?

Why would you want to spread lies about biological weapons @itwaseverthus?

Do you think it's clever? Funny?

@larkdescending I've experienced this today too. Don't know whats wrong with people!!

Why do people post on here just whipping up supposition and spreading nonsense theories? There are numerous reports that say that it has to date been mostly a mild disease in children.

As it stands, most people who get this will be only mildly unwell. A significant minority however will develop pneumonia and require hospitalisation (current estimates about 20%). A smaller percentage will be critically ill. Some people will die. Beyond taking reasonable precautions, and being particularly careful if we are in poor health or over 60 (particularly over 70) ie avoiding crowds and public transport if at all possible, we can't really control whether we get it or how ill we will be.

It makes sense to be concerned and act appropriately. It doesn't make sense to run around Chicken Licken style.

@itwaseverthus

This was posted a few threads ago so get that people have joined the discussion since and may not have seen it.

As others have said some people's basic hygiene leaves a lot to be desired, I've watched people coughing without covering their mouths all day, this afternoon I saw a man on the underground absentmindedly picking his nose, wiping his hand on his jeans then holding the pole on the tube 🤢 That's one easy way for viruses to pass and shows why washing your hands is the best you can do. BTW am I the only one who now has hands that resemble a crocodile! The alcohol in the hand gel I use when commuting is sapping every ml of moisture out of them!

From the WHO report based on findings in China:
^
Routes of transmission^
COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets and fomites during close unprotected contact between an infector and infectee. Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19 and it is not believed to be a major driver of transmission based on available evidence; however, it can be envisaged if certain aerosol-generating procedures are conducted in health care facilities. Fecal shedding has been demonstrated from some patients, and viable virus has been identified in a limited number of case reports. However, the fecal-oral route does not appear to be a driver of COVID-19 transmission; its role and significance for COVID-19 remains to be determined. Viral shedding is discussed in the Technical Findings (Annex C).^

Household transmission^
In China, human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 virus is largely occurring in families. The Joint Mission received detailed information from the investigation of clusters and some household transmission studies, which are ongoing in a number of Provinces. Among 344 clusters involving 1308 cases (out of a total 1836 cases reported) in Guangdong Province and Sichuan Province, most clusters (78%-85%) have occurred in families.^

Flybe

twitter.com/PeterAdamSmith/status/1235302201851072513?s=20

@JollyHostess

I'm with you Sass
We just have to hope that children will come off lightly.

That said, one of mine is asthmatic and I know others have said that makes no difference, but if you've seen the impact of just a common cold in an asthmatic child then you know how how scary it can be.

@newjez it has that information here: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html. And also in the Twitter link I posted.

Apparently it is spread through droplets in the air. Contamination from surfaces Is possible but not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

@pussycatinboots I've removed my rings - you're not alone there

And people's 'gut feelings' are not really very useful. Much better to read the advice from medical bodies. If you don't trust the advice from PHE and the NHS, read the CDC advice in the States or the Singaporean health advice. It's all out there. You don't need to have hunches about the suppression of information.

Been following this thread for a few days now. Have been preparing a little and watching with growing concern. Was chat to an ortho surgeon at the weekend who said it’s too late to contain Covid-19. Cancelling public events, closing schools is pointless, it’s already out there. Some wings of his hospital has been closed down i preparation. So I don’t say this to be alarmist but if correct, then we will see the peaking continue and full emergency measures will be implemented

I also have asthma.

I really don't appreciate people posting crap about it being a biological weapon designed to kill the weakest, like me.

And who benefits - the only real winners at the moment are Environmentalists (look at pollution over China/huge reductions in air travel etc) and I cant see how they would have the skill set

Kills off the old so the working age population do not have to spend time out the workplace to care for them. Less cost to the state in terms of pensions. Helps to solve housing issues. Less health long term health are costs for people with chronic conditions or poor lifestyle choices.

There are a potential few winners in there.

@Oakmaiden
This Harvard Infectious disease epidemiologist also says that estimates of R0 are declining to sometimes below 2 (in other words it is less infectious than previously thought).
mobile.twitter.com/mlipsitch/status/1234879949946814464

Errrr - are we sure that Twitter guy's a doctor, mammon?
I just thought it a bit surprising that the first fact he listed was that the virus "has nothing to do with Corona beer"

Sorry for typos! Bit late for me! Zzzz

I’m meant to be going on a cruise the week after next....... so hard knowing what to do because if we cancel at this stage, insurance won’t cover it and it’s gutting to lose thousands of pounds. I know you can’t put a price on health, could really do with the official advice changing.

The Connor guy was in the paper a few weeks back. In the first article it says he was in hospital for two weeks, in the latter it seems like just one night. Am I reading it wrong?

www.thesun.co.uk/news/10876645/coronavirus-uk-brit-virus-china-wuhan/

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8075633/First-British-victim-25-describes-coronavirus.html

less contagious than flu (at 4.40 min) WHO: