Gobsmacked by UK response

[Aspoonfullofjam]

Stay at home for one week if you’ve a cold (even though all evidence is that incubation is two weeks)

People over 70 don’t go on cruises.

WHAT!!!

134 new cases in a day and no action. 13 EU countries have closed all schools, another 11 partial closures but apparently no action needed in Uk.

Jesus.

You can’t get immunity from a flu like virus as far as I know as it just keeps on mutating every few people

Happy to be proved wrong. Thats why you need a new vaccine every year?

@Purplewhitelie Yes you are right. And this virus has already mutated once. It will become like flu I suspect. Some people in the UK will die from it every year.

No one saw China knocking up a few hospitals then?
It was like a ballet, engineering and construction on speed.

Now imagine that in the UK?

I shudder to think.

You cannot control a viral infection, thats King Canute territory, Hunts says UK is at 10k infections.

& Johnson said he'd sort out adult social care.

I find it absolutely baffling that the decision has been made to only test those in hospital. How on EARTH can we track what is actually happening within the country and therefore make informed decisions?
Personally I find it worrying that so many other countries are taking stringent measures while we’re simply washing our hands until they’re raw.

user1497207191 Love Twatter and Facecloth !!

Boris’s strategy might have made sense pre vaccinations but, with a vaccine expected in a year or so (and, with the investment going in now, my bet is sooner) why not try and minimise cases rather than building herd immunity.

Most people are working DoubleAction, I'm not sure where you got the impression they won't be? Both my husband and I will be working from home for the duration. I'm self employed and pretty much every person in my husbands workplace is able to work from home. Those who can are being told to, those who can't if well will go to work. It is about minimising risk as much as possible. 2 people in an office is much less risky than 30.

I would like to think that we aren't so selfish that we can't stand a few months out of our lives where we restrict what we do to only that which is necessary. Nobody in Ireland is talking about 24/7 lock down right now. It seems like you are misunderstanding the situation in Ireland as it currently stands.

I am very surprised by the comments that healthy people can suffer and then develop immunity. Yes if you are lucky enough you will. If you look at what happened in other countries, healthy people did die too. The older people have higher risks but that does not mean that healthy people will not die.

I was in HK during SARS which caused many healthy people to die and this virus is even more contagious and vicious than SARS. I find the policy announced today lame and completely taking everyone's health for granted.

So the issue with testing. The kits mostly use a machine made by a company called Qiagen. The plasticware required is made in China (so none coming through). The backup supplier is US but they stopped all export of healthcare relevant goods - so we just don't have the kit to do the testing! We got an email today entitled 'URGENT CALL FOR HELP' asking anyone who has a) the machine, to let NHS use and b) any spare Qiagen kits to let the NHS buy them. So basically the testing equiiment is just not there.

BackInTime Thu 12-Mar-20 17:55:59

Cam77 Completely different society and government to China

Ireland, a which has a completely different society and government from that of China, has now put its armed forces and Gardai (police) on standby to assist the civil authorities after earlier announcing the closure of all educational and public facilities.

ILLBESUZIE Thu 12-Mar-20 17:59:15

Thankfully Boris has medical experts to guide him. I'm pretty sure they are a little more clued up than you or I.

Ireland's Taoiseach (PM) is himself a medical doctor with many years of experience in actual practice before entering politics.

Boris otoh has a BA in Piffle.

What could Leo Varadkar MD possibly know or understand that Boris doesn't...

Germany hasnt closed schools either

No one saw China knocking up a few hospitals then? It was like a ballet, engineering and construction on speed.
Didn't one collapse?

Other countries may well be near their peak. This could well be because the r0 of this virus is low enough that containment measures curb its spread completely. Therefore, whenever you contain the virus, its peak will shortly follow (as in Wuhan) once the pre-existing but hitherto undiagnosed cases wash through the system.

Now, when we do this, we will still not yet have herd immunity. So we release the shutdown (possibly an area at a time) but track the cases very closely (as China is doing). When they start to mount again, clamp down again. Inform the people, let them know what is happening, why we are doing what we are doing.

Yes, this is a marathon, not a sprint, but it doesn't have to be one that kills everyone.

And COVID-19 is spread by respiratory droplets, contrary to assertions here that it is not. The droplets fly through the air and settle on your desk or in your hair or on your hands or in your nose.

So from supporters of the government's strategy on here, the gist is that we are seeking herd immunity by ensuring around 80% of us get COVID, and also we are aiming to delay and flatten the peak, and also we don't need to test patients because it no longer matters whether we know how many people have it? How are we to know that we have attained the required 80% and whether we have delayed and flattened the peak, if we don't know how many people have it?

No Scorpion, I think that was a hotel that was being used as a quarantine centre but it does make the same point.

What exactly is meant by the peak in terms of numbers or percentages? Is the peak when 80% of the population have it or have had it?

Or is it when the majority have had it ie 51% as after that the percentage can only go down? If it's 50% that's 30 million people!

I'm sure I sound stupid but I would like to know!

As soon as someone young dies it will be

For those younger people who are expecting no more than a cold, this might make interesting reading.

www.sciencealert.com/the-new-coronavirus-isn-t-like-the-flu-but-they-have-one-big-thing-in-common

Although it kills more old people 41% of serious cases were in the under 50s.

I think the peak is based on new cases per day?

Allout to reply to you I hope you are right.

I’ve heard experts describing it as an ELE. Which means it’s pretty serious.

Poisoning,

If you assume the percentage of hospitalised patients remains constant, you only need to test in hospitals to find the peak.

Donkeytail, you're spot on.

The Govt should have absolutely said today that if you can work remotely, you should. Limit going out to what is really necessary, stick to good hygiene. At least that, ir the shutdown, whichever appears to be eorking best. There's been a significant spike in cases in the last 24 hours, it's getting too little, too late now.

The annoying thing is employers rely on Govt guidance and because the Govt didn't say to wind down, everything continues as normal even if you can work from home. I'm in this situation and would much rather be told to limit going out or to stay in for a few weeks. Got family members over 90 with respiratory conditions to look after and I can't even visit them properly now because I'm still out and about lots and would be putting them at risk. So BoJo banging on about not introducing the limitations now because people, particularly elderly, would get lonely and isolated, is deluded. It's happening now because he can't get his shit together, even at times like this.