AIBU to not be worried shitless about coronavirus like the vast majority?

[Thefaceofboe]

Am I....????

Totally agree Freezingold

My DH works in A&E. He doesn't seem especially worried, I am more so. He's brought quite a few illnesses home over the years. Norovirus a few times and swine flu last Xmas! Not so worried about me and the kids getting it but worried about passing it on. We'd normally go and see our parents at Easter but I think we might give it a miss this year.

Something that keeps coming up when talking about it is that we can't really compare the figures in different countries. Testing is done widely in Italy whereas in the UK they are hardly testing anyone.
He has a colleague from a different hospital who thinks he had it a month ago- he'd come into contact with someone who'd been to a conference in Wuhan and come back with a cold. Neither of them tested! Not sure why

Of course suueee you’re the biggest expert on your son. I hope you all stay well.

I wouldn't say I'm not worried but I do think there's fuck all you can do about it if you come into contact with it. No amount of hand washing, buying toilet paper will stop it. If I think I've got it I will self isolate of course, and/or I will choose not to go to a place where I know there's an outbreak, however, it's too late for that I think. It's already everywhere.

If I had a serious health condition I would be staying at home and avoiding public events, rather than investigating how many cases there are in Slovakia!

ShanghaiDiva this doesn’t make any sense. I have a serious autoimmune disease, live in Asia, am avoiding big public events, and am researching how many cases there are in Slovakia... from my (very clean) home. Not sure what your implication is. That everyone uses public libraries?

Totally agree Freezingold. It’s a very odd mindset - wanting a communal slap on the back for being unfazed.

It’s a very virulent illness, and it will kill vulnerable people. I agree that there is not much we can do individually. But posting self-congratulatory threads about how relaxed and chilled you are is one of the stranger responses to a worldwide pandemic.

I can't say I am particularly worried either, and I would come into a somewhat at risk category.

It is more concerning that people have apparently lost any sense of proportion and seem to have mislaid their brains. Are some of them really planning to live on pasta and bog roll?

My twelve year old son has type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism and has had two infections in the last two weeks needing steroids and anti-biotics. I read that he is 5 times more likely to die if he got Coronavirus (although that is just a medical guess).
My fear is that he will get it at the peak and there won't be medical care available.

But I am scared for ds, especially since there is a confirmed case in the school opposite his. We are business as usual but I am ready for schools closing, self isolation etc because it's all I can do.

It's good that there are lots of people who aren't scared but it is also a natural, instinctive human response to feel fearful and want to protect the people we love.

We must try for understanding - we are all just trying to do our best even if we achieve that via different routes.

Sorry, my conclusion is YANBU op but neither are those who are worried shitless.

The only people I know who seem at all concerned are the anaesthetists. And the ODPs.

Other medics: it’s just flu what’s the fuss?
Anaesthetists: well if we shut all the theatres and use all the ODPs as ICU nurses then this is how many ICU beds we can make....

We need to face these issues if they materialise. But at the moment, they haven’t. So we have to continue to live our lives.

Sensible advice. I live in an earthquake prone country, and in this area we are constantly being reminded that we are due for "the big one". Other than being as prepared as we can there is nothing we can do, so we just continue to live our lives (and don't stockpile toilet paper!)

Because you're so brave and calm you should volunteer yourself to work in the NHS over the peak of the virus. I read that a law is being drawn up to allow people four weeks' leave from their jobs to enable them to do so.

It's the least you can do as you're so calm about it.

I’m not worried, I am concerned about the reaction of others though and shocked at the panic.

But please don't sneer at those of us who are genuinely worried. Who have small dc with lung issues. With other issues which puts them at risk. Or those of us who have seen the NHS in chaos unable to provide!

This sums up how I feel.

Fine to be able to go meh I'm alright Jack. Aren't you the clever one.

I am not scared shitless but I've felt a general feeling of anxiety and have only read sufficient to know actions I can take to minimise risk to myself and others.

My heart goes out to people who suffer from the anxiety of losing a loved-one who, according to some callous people, are convenient collateral damage, to have a societal cleanup. Yeah but that unnamed person is someone's loved-one.

So carry on being all meh OP clever you 🏅

My heart goes out to people who suffer from the anxiety of losing a loved-one who, according to some callous people, are convenient collateral damage, to have a societal cleanup. Yeah but that unnamed person is someone's loved-one.

I haven't seen anyone say that. Did someone say that on this thread? That's horrible.

@ThierryEnnui
My point was that some posters seem to spend a lot of time posting x cases here, y cases there, rather than focusing on what to do with the information. Collecting facts about cases is useless unless you use the information. If numbers are increasing make decisions for your family, have a plan b for if you are ill or if your child is ill, plan to stay home and avoid public events etc.

I agree. That report about the old chap that died and his family having to deal with self isolation instead of making funeral arrangements was so moving.
My late mum was in her 80s has copd and lung cancer and still survived hospital acquired pneumonia. And her eventual death still broke our hearts. People are not colllateral damage.

@mac12 I'm not sure where you read that the median age of ICU admissions in Italy was 46 but this article says 46 is in fact the bottom of the range www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-italy-doctors-intensive-care-deaths-a9384356.html%3famp

In Lombardy the average waiting time for an ambulance was 8 minutes, it's now 60 minutes due to the system being overwhelmed by coronavirus. 16 million people are in lockdown in Italy. It seems a bit morbid to come in here and sneer at those who are genuinely concerned about this.

The real scandal here is not someone buying extra bog roll and pasta. The real scandal is that we operate a Gig economy where a lot of people in the service industries that we rely on for food deliveries etc, can't afford to do the right thing and stay off if they are required to.
Write to your MP about it instead of boring everyone on MN about what a rock you are: www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/
Actually, keep posting that stuff it makes you happy. Gives us more opportunities to point out the real problem.

Where’s the sneering in saying that you’re sanguine about it? It isn’t obligatory to worry yourself to death about something you have absolutely no power to change.

@alsohuman. I totally agree.

It scares me that people can look at the measures Italy has taken today and still say this is all overhyped. This is serious.

I'm not saying "everyone is going to get this, fuck we are all going to die" etc in a drama llama tone.

I'm saying this is very, very serious and will change everyone's lives for a while - some through actually contracting it, some through loved ones and colleagues getting it / dying from it and many, many through the measures that will need to be put in place here potentially similar to Italy.

A bunch of people being poorly (even mildly so) is a problem for the economy. With cold and flu season, some people get it and some people don't because there is a certain amount of immunity in the population.
This is potentially everyone at more or less the same time.
That is a problem for the economy.

I'm sure people in Italy felt like you OP two weeks ago.
We are two weeks behind Italy and we can see the impact this is having.

I think it's somewhat naive to not have any concern or contingency plans.

I'm glad you're not concerned OP. But some compassion and understanding for people who are at risk, for old people who are isolated and worried, for those with anxiety who are frightened, for parents worrying about a child with underlying health conditions who is due to go on a school trip to Italy, wouldn't go amiss.