worried about coronavirus (covid19) part 18

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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

For research on CV and babies:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2761659

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

Those numbers seem encouraging - it’s certainly not doubling or anything like it

Oh and main reason i'm thinking - I currently have a very nasty chest infection...cough..fever etc. Not once has anyone asked have I been abroad, could it be corona virus etc. Dr was very non plussed

I highly doubt it...but you never know

Freezing, it is incredible! However it needs to be viewed within the context of their huge population I think.

Sea, yes thats a fair point!

@StarUtopia Surely we all just need to accept you're going to get it regardless and just carry on?? because we need to change our behaviour and implement social distancing and better hygiene. You are right we cannot stop everything for a year. However social distancing implemented each buys us needed time. If we all did not change at all, the rate of infection would overwhelm both us economically and on the healthcare systems, as a significant number, around 10% will be severe enough to require hospitalization.

Star, we need to remember that of all the thousands people with symptoms who have been tested, very few have come back positive. That obviously mostly includes people who have travelled from areas with confirmed high levels of community transmission, so you should be reassured by that

I assume there will be a large jump in numbers tomorrow or Wednesday because they will be testing quite a few clusters of people who will probably be positive (e.g. the MK hospital staff and the family of the man who sadly passed away)...so if these clusters of people tested positive then numbers will increase quite rapidly but it won't reflect a dramatically worsening situation.

Cheltenham Racecourse has emailed all ‘older’ ticket holders to ask them to ‘consider it carefully before attending’ this week.

Hopefully they will have included some of the older Owner and Trainers too.
And the stable staff.
The course staff/stewards etc.
Caterers and Cleaners.
B&B owners in the town.

Madness.

@BigChocFrenzy I think you should be on the cobra meeting! This seems so sensible and really not a huge economic impact compared to not doing this...
Encourage firms to allow WFH whenever feasible
Advise people NOT to go on cruise ships
Allow parents to keep kids home from school, without fines or losing school place
Encourage people 66+ or with health issues, to avoid public transport and crowds
Ban school trips abroad
Ban public gatherings / events / trade fairs etc of more than 1,000 - sports events etc in closed stadiums

BCF
Precisely. Reduce exposure and risk for those who are vulnerable.

Been to the supermarket today and there were stacks of toilet rolls in the entrance (choice of brands even!). I didn't think to look for sanitising gel as was lunchtime dash for few bits. Plenty of pasta, tins whatever. Not an empty shelf in sight.

My Mum says it's not going to stop her from going out unless there's a total lockdown. She wouldn't see anyone all day and I can't guarantee to get regular shopping to her, so it's important to her. She's been getting a few extras in (and it won't be much). All she's asked me to get are baked beans, tinned peas and porridge.

There's a rumour there's a case in our village. If it's in the area everyone reckons, then it's a mile from home. Only thing is we have a real community with quite a few shops and even men who work fulltime regularly pop into the village for a drink, club, treat on way home, so chances are they've been in the village unknowingly spreading it around. Have been pretty good with handwashing, but it's definitely stepped up a gear now.

The only reasons Cheltenham is still going ahead is money. The whole town will be rammed for the duration of the festival, pubs absolutely packed, busy busses and trains etc. The infection will spread quick if people attend who are positive.

Very interesting graph re cases in China appears to have stablisled and the recovered rate is rising quite quickly, the rest of the world is on the up bit slower the last day or so..

gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Encourage people 66+ or with health issues, to avoid public transport and crowds

In fact, the briefing said the opposite. They said if elderly people had started staying in, they should not, they should go out again and behave normally.

So, not only not recommending social distancing, actively encouraging people NOT to social distance. See below:

Elderly people who are worried and already staying at home do not need to – the general advice applies to carry on business as usual and wash hands

It really is carry on as usual and anyone worried or deviating from that, working from home or staying in is going to be told to go out, totally bizarre compared with basically the rest of the world (I don't think there is one country where vulnerable citizens are being encouraged not to social distance!)

A plea from Italy that countries not seeing the worst of it yet do get our act together now. twitter.com/silviast9/status/1236933818654896129

The measures I suggested are much less than would have to be imposed if the cases get out of control
A stitch in time etc

It would encourage the more vulnerable to avoid risk
and also reduce the risk of younger healthier people spreading the virus to them

• without hitting pay packets or the overall economy too much

< checks Inbox for COBRA invite >

@seasmize But that article says: “Since last week, patients presenting to 100 participating GP practices with severe respiratory infections, but who do not display Covid-19 symptoms, are being tested on an opportunistic basis.”
...They are not testing people with classic covid-19 symptoms who may be acquiring it in the community.

No, they will be testing people with symptoms suggested of Covid-19, and they are also testing people who don't have those symptoms. In addition, they've been retrospectively testing people who have had pneumonia which was initially attributed to other causes, to find out how far it might have been circulating unnoticed. That article is about opportunistic testing, ie testing people who don't have the normal indications for testing.
Guidance on Covid-19 for health professionals has probably been posted somewhere on this thread already, but here it is just in case.

@StarUtopia
“Genuine question. Right now, anyone displaying flu like symptoms obviously rings 111, gets referred for testing, confirmed corona virus etc.”

I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Work has made me call 111 several times (to find out whether we should close, they’re happy for me to stay away) and even with a fever and contact with a confirmed case just over 2 weeks ago and someone awaiting results more recently they’re not testing me.

It's a three day supply chain or something isn't it? Stockpiling will only empty shelves for a short period and then the system catches up.

I've just booked an ocado shop for sunday evening just in case I can't get to aldi for some reason. Most things were fine but OJ and tinned toms were out.

Meant to mention click the + button in the bottom right box then put your mouse on each dot and that gives the numbers of cases!

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18292103.coronavirus-bournemouth-university-student-tests-positive/

I dont know if this is part of the 2 patients yesterday or a new one. Only 1 patient was "identified" (I use quote marks as the only id was a gym user) yesterday so this could be patient 2 here.

@Nearlyalmost50 the cynic in me thinks that’s because it could mean less pensions or benefit to pay out...

Running That's the sad state of hospitals, rather than the respect of public health professionals in epidemiology, virology etc

The latter requires only a comparatively small budget to maintain to the highest international standards

Our NHS is not regarded highly in Germany, by those who know it, but our top professionals are

In Germany, where 1153 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed by 2pm local time, the health minister Jens Spah has appealed to citizens to travel as little as possible, to work from home, when possible, and to contact doctors by telephone in cases where the virus is suspected

So, why is the scientific advice in Germany different? They have more cases but so far no deaths. They are not encouraging their elderly to keep shopping.

The health minister in Germany did not recommend closing schools at the current time, interestingly. But large events shut, only making necessary journeys (so to work obviously) and people making sensible decisions, they even suggested walking or biking and not using public transport.

They also have experts and scientific advisors- are they just further down the curve of having/having detected more cases and so that's why they are recommending these measures? Why doesn't their scientific advice apply to us?