Worried about coronavirus thread 24

[ofwarren]

Sorry everyone, I was watching that shambles of a press conference

Chris Whitty said 37.8 but also said some people just feel a hot forehead or if they feel like they're burning up.

I knew a doctor once who could accurately predict how high a temp was by just touching the patient.

We don't have a thermometer. I came from a family of medics and never had one.

Bercows you said yesterday you were unwell with a sore throat and a tight chest.

SO WHY ARE YOU ON A BUS.

Don't criticise others if you don't take responsibility yourself.

I want to know what provisions will be made for those families who do not feed their kids and the school has to step in when lunch is sometimes the only thing some kids eat. Those types of parents will have made zero preparations for this, how the hell are they going to survive?

Reports estimate 12-18 months before a vaccine can be released and produced in sufficient quantities for everyone

So presumably we face at least the whole of next winter with this as well

Certainly a marathon, not a sprint
have we the correct strategy ?
Will the govt U- turn under the pressure

btw, we can't be sure it's the government driving this:

Any PM would be totally irresponsible to completely go against the advice of the CMO and chief scientific adviser

For all we know, they could be saying the 2 strategies don't make much difference in the end,
so he's chosen the least damaging economic one

• or the strategy could even be their recommendation and he's worriedly asking "are you sure" every meeting

World Health Organisation:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀.

COVID-19 is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures (like case finding and contact tracing) may end up with a larger problem, and a heavier burden on the health system that requires more severe measures to control. WHO urges all countries to take a comprehensive approach tailored to their circumstances – with containment as the central pillar.

*Random
*
Sore throat and tight chest aren't self isolating symptoms.

FLU AND HERD IMMUNITY

people do develop immunity to the strains of viruses they got in contact with (hence a vaccine), but most flu virus strains mutate or recombine and generate new immune variants over time, to the point that the main strain in circulation replaces the previous one. The population is not immune to the new one, leading to a new wave of infections.

Flu vaccines are made from the most prevalent strains in circulation on the opposite hemisphere (for us, Australia, basically) or where most new variants seem to originate (usually China) pre-flu season.
That is why some vaccines don't give enough protection: sometimes the variants that become prevalent in the West are different from those that were identified for the vaccine.

If COVID-19 is more stable than the flu, it's good news. It means that a vaccine based on what circulates now will be effective (assuming they get it right) next year. If it mutates rapidly, then it is not good news.

This letter 🙁 Something Chris Whitty never thought he would have to write. This hit home to me.

@idontlike789 how about those that have to work at large events, or people that go to these large events and then go into their local shop/school.
Organisers of children's extra curricular activities who can't cancel at the moment because of the venom of 'it's only the flu' brigade.

I've had bronchitis for weeks, just getting better now but still occasionally coughing. I get the odd corona joke at work but if I cough in public people look terrified.

In a similar position. My virals have been checked this week and I don't have anything.

DS has a cough. Has had it since before half term.

Guidance is no new cough. He's not got a new cough as far as I'm concerned.

No idea if school will even let him in now.

It's rather unhelpful.

Sunshinegirl82 So no evidence of immunity, and comes down to a 50 50 gamble as whether it's like flu as in you are not immune from different strains.

As you just admitted it's not your life the government is gambling with and that is why you are so dismissive of the fact there is no evidence to say having it once creates immunity.

You have no skin in the game. it doesn't matter to you if this experiment goes tits up.

A vaccine is estimated to take that long but I believe they’re hoping to find an anti viral med that will at least help treat it. Let’s hope they find one and an effective one at gnat. Trying to cling to any positives amidst this madness

There are reportedly at least 2, probably many more variants of this virus

I've looked at the available genome sequences of the virus last week.
They all have a mutation here and there.

The variants found by the Chinese have been disputed as having a meaning.

And the mutations that characterise those strains don't code for an amnio acid, which means that they don't affect immunity to viral particles.

More from the WHO from yesterday(yes, I know, our clever Eton-educated British government advisers know much more than those silly foreign world-leading scientists and doctors who actually have extensive real world experience in fighting epidemics but still, perhaps worth a read?):

First, prepare and be ready [...]
Second, detect, prevent and treat.

You can’t fight a virus if you don’t know where it is. That means robust surveillance to find, isolate, test and treat every case, to break the chains of transmission.

Third, reduce and suppress.
To save lives we must reduce transmission. That means finding and isolating as many cases as possible, and quarantining their closest contacts. Even if you cannot stop transmission, you can slow it down and protect health facilities, old age homes and other vital areas – but only if you test all suspected cases.

Guidance is no new cough. He's not got a new cough as far as I'm concerned

No, the guidance is a new cough.

NewYearNewTwatName I keep reading people saying I'm only 30 I will be fine, no one knows how each person will cope with it and there have been icu admissions from those in their prime. So there have been beds available to keep people alive. It's likely that due to bed shortages people will die who could have been saved.

@NewYearNewTwatName

What you think I don't have a mum? A FIL with COPD? A MIL with numerous health concerns? Quick hint, yes I do!

We can't all not catch it. Far better me than them.

I keep reading people saying I'm only 30 I will be fine

Yes, it just means you're not likely to die.
It doesn't mean you won't be in bed for several days with consequences.

The government's 'herd immunity' strategy to contain coronavirus could kill over 1 million people, figures show t.co/jpKsA6ZKYe
The independent

Well let’s hope it does not mutate to survive and starts picking off younger ones!

We can't all not catch it. Far better me than them.

Yes, but it you catch it, you could infect them before you know you've got it.
Unless you stop all contact.

Viral damage to the lungs is a thing with this. Even if you are young you don’t want it!

Random18 my GP has not told me to self isolate when I asked her for advice and I have no other way of getting to college. My chest is tight due to asthma and I actually feel better today. No cough or fever so no need to isolate myself. I just don't appreciate being sneezed or cough on at the best of times.

Statistically the vast majority of people in their thirties WILL be fine. That's a fact. The death rate in that age range is 0.2%.

There are no guarantees with any illness. You can get sepsis from a cold, you can die of chicken pox.

We can't all not catch it. It's happening. The only way to protect yourself personally is to self isolate for 6 months or so. That's it.

I will certainly limit contact with those more vulnerable although I expect there will be advice for them to isolate themselves as far as possible in the not too distant future.