worried about coronavirus (covid19) part 17

[usernameishistory]

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Helpful links

WHO media speech for world plan of action

updated data on this page every day at 2pm until further notice.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-number-of-cases-in-england/coronavirus-covid-19-number-of-cases-in-england

WHO advice for the public
www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Its not just like flu www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/yes-it-is-worse-than-the-flu-busting-the-coronavirus-myths

Why WHO not declaring a pandemic www.newscientist.com/article/2235342-covid-19-why-wont-the-who-officially-declare-a-coronavirus-pandemic/

Worldometer www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

BNO News bnonews.com/index.php/2020/02/the-latest-coronavirus-cases/

Link to WHO report www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

The Lancet coronavirus hub - latest research and comment www.thelancet.com/coronavirus. Please provide updated link if possible, I haven't been able to make this one work.

JAMA coronavirus research centre jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/coronavirus-alert

Please add in other links for any wanting to increase their understanding and decrease their anxiety!

Really thought the bull mastiff was going to get Best In Show.

We will not be shut down

hows it hypocritical? I take my own advice too. I have taken breaks from reading these threads when I feel it's a bit much for me.

What I don't do is tell everyone to stop posting on these threads.

threads like these can run, posters and lurkers can pop in and read or ignore for a while. 🤷‍♀️

Oh give over BCF - its a chat forum not the French Resistance.

I think it's just up to people to try and filter what threads are useful for them to read, and which ones are negative. I find these threads interesting, they would really, really affect my brother in a bad way, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't exist in my opinion. I know some people aren't in a place to recognise this, but there are a lot of factual bits in these threads. I don't agree with a lot of opinions like shutting schools, but that's okay as we are all different and have different perspectives. It would be useful to have insight from other health professionals for balance without more or less mocking the threads.

I’ve taken breaks too when the threads have diverged into stuff that felt off. Everyone should do this if they feel vulnerable.

Agree it's a reassuring watch @Allaboutthatbass, I felt quite positive after watching it the other day.

It is a good point about the amount of hugging and kissing in Italy probably increasing the spread there

The French health minister was recommending that French people stop the traditional kiss when they greet

We will not be shut down

Noone is asking you to shut down - you’re not a 1 woman crusade on this subject

Some of us are just asking you to stop sensationalising this and stick to facts not opinions

Think about the consequences of making those who are already anxious think they are getting CV next - contrary to any actual evidence

Sadly, I know that’s not going to happen

@BigChocFrenzy
Nobody is trying to silence anyone. We are all entitled to our opinions.

The Italian figures today really are quite alarming. Are we sleep walking into a similar situation or is it easier for us to contain as the cases are fairly spread out? I don’t know. Whilst the jump in our numbers were the highest they have been today, the increase wasn’t as high as I thought it would be.

The reports of hospitals being overwhelmed etc doesn’t sound good though. A friend of mine says they only have a very limited number of intensive care beds anyway as this time is a busy one for hospitals without this.

Yes @AvocadoOwl. I think it should go on the list at the beginning of each new thread.

MA announces 15 more cases of #COVID19, all connected to Biogen employee conference in Boston in late February. State’s total cases now at 28
Source - CNBC

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has confirmed that 114 people in the state have tested positive for #COVID19 and there has been one death related to the virus.

To read more about the #coronavirus outbreak in the US, click here: trib.al/jlOZOCH

Bercows

Went to the seaside today, on the way stopped at a supermarket to use the toilets and stockpile wine . Sitting on the loo (for ages due to elephantine nurses bladder and eight coffees prior to the journey) , two people came in and used the adjacent toilets, one made a half hearted attempt at hand washing and the other didn't even bother, not sure which one of them left the wad of damp tissue stuck to the exit door handle ?

Please just wash your sodding hands !

So if Spanish flu lasted 2 years did it just die out on its own? I presume it was before vaccinations?

I don't know for sure that this is what happened but I'm reading an amazing book about pandemics at the moment called 'Spillover' (highly recommend!).

It explains that once a certain number of the population have caught something like the flu and have become immune to it there aren't enough susceptible people left for the virus to continue to be able to spread so it dies out.

Oxford Uni's vice chancellor's comments on their case of COVID.

"I am constrained in what I can say at the moment, but I am glad to report that the student self-isolated as soon as they developed symptoms and did not attend any university or college events after they fell ill. As a result, PHE has advised that the risk to other students and staff is very low and that university and college activities can continue.”

Why is she constrained? This is a public health emergency, what right does she have to keep relevant information from people affected? What she says suggests the student did attend Uni and College events before they got symptoms, and let's face it, was likely contagious then. What does 'became symptomatic' mean? Probably fever - maybe they had a slight sore throat beforehand? Don't staff or students who may have had contact right before full blown symptoms appeared deserve to know if they have had contact? Don't other students living in that college deserve to know? The students are mostly young, but some may have underlying health conditions, and there are many high risk members of staff. I know staff members who are very fed up and feel they are being left high and dry with quite dismissive emails about this which give literally no more information than is in the press.

The Uni could also do a lot virtually if they chose to. They are not choosing to and will no doubt expect staff to miraculously set virtual exams in a ridiculous timeframe, rather than giving them ample time to prepare. They'd better hope that their workforce isn't off sick then. They seem to be being incredibly cavalier about this.

Also, there are several known cases where asymptomatic people caused spread of COVID so the PHE advice just seems flat wrong. You'd think a supposedly top university would use their in house health expertise and presumably communications expertise to look after their staff and students a bit better.

‘Don’t tell them your name myrtle
Hadn’t realised things had become fractious here - yours made me laugh out loud.

Devon having the highest number of diagnosed cases is interesting...

... In recent years there's been a population shift with the young moving to cities whilst those who are older tend to be in regional town and seaside areas.

This means that if COVID-19 affects the elderly more then there is going to be particular pressures in regional towns which perhaps don't have as many specialist skills as the bigger city hospitals.

The average age in the UK in 2018 was 40.2.

For England and Wales:
0-15 19.1%
16-64 62.5%
65+ 18.3%

For Devon
0-15 16.8%
16-64 59.4%
65+ 23.8%

Devon is one of the areas with the oldest population in the country.

to see demographics for other areas have a look at this website

Devon also has areas where the average age is above 49 years of age.

It also has one of the largest number of elderly people in raw numbers too.

You would expect Devon to have more problems with covid-19 compared with many other areas of the country.

It's interesting that Devon is showing the highest number of cases atm. Its location doesn't make it where you'd expect the outbreak to be showing first, because its not a metropolitan hub and doesn't have regional airports. What it does have is lots more people who are elderly though. Not only that but it is an expensive county to live so it has many more affluent pensioners who are more likely to travel than pensioners in cheaper areas of the country which have older demographics (your regional towns).

Early signs of a cluster appearing in Devon suggest that perhaps its being detected due to an older, travelling population rather than clusters popping up in the younger metropolitan cities.

An apparent absence of cases in more metropolitan areas with higher populations, therefore may in itself be a worry. Are these areas more like to have asymptomatic cases in younger people? It certainly begs a question which is potentially troubling.

If we start getting cases popping up using the sentinel system in cities, particularly if there's no history of travel, then I think we could have a much higher number of undetected cases than we realise.

This is very much a hypothesis but Devon popping up high on the list of number of cases, is something to keep an eye on.

My daughter is due to have her first immunisations but I’m worried about taking her to the GP for that due to the risk of Coronavirus.

Is that reasonable and should I just wait it out and delay until the threat has blown over?

sugoi
take her, the vaccinations are very important, especially at this time

We will not be shut down

FFS. No one is asking for that. A few (myself included) have suggested that maybe some could be a little more careful about stating opinion/ dodgy sources as fact, as misinformation could help to fuel needless panic and anxiety that could well be detrimental, not helpful, to the containment of COVID-19. IF people genuinely want this thread to be helpful rather than sensationalist, why would that sentiment bother you? Genuine question.

No, please take her @Sugoi
The risk is still relatively low. Her immunisations are more important right now.