*DO IT ALL* says the W.H.O. Director General

[Barracker]

www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/europe-is-now-the-epicenter-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-who-says.html

Tedros said countries need to take a comprehensive approach to try to fight the pandemic.

"Not testing alone, not contact tracing alone, not quarantine alone, not social distancing alone, do it all," he said.
"Any country that looks at the experience of other countries with large epidemics and thinks that won't happen to us is making a deadly mistake, it can happen to any country."

We're not doing it all.

Yes our Government are telling lies. No critical cases and relatively low rate of infection.

@Cam77 There are so many lies from those claiming the British Government is right. So many lies about what is happening in other countries and about WHO.
And anyone who has some understanding of the science gets attacked as scaremongering.

I wasn't referring specifically to our gov.

The idea that herd immunity will protect the vulnerable will only work if we shelter the vulnerable now. However there is no advice about how to protect those currently vulnerable. No one is telling care home to close or families to stop visiting elderly relatives. People are just doing these things off their own backs.

When there was no plan to stop flights from Italy it was pretty clear that this government was deliberately allowing people to become infected. They had no intention of stopping it happening.

I'm in Ireland, and honestly anyone ive spoken to in the last few days absolutely cannot believe how the UK are handling this . It's absolutely shocking. I feel so sorry for UK residents. Hope that doesn't sound patronising , I'm genuinely sad for your older folks and the sick.

@Cam77 I have thought that for the last week. Just advance search some posters. It is clear that is what is happening. There are certain phrases that are always used.

Don't know about Cam, but I did, and funnily enough many of the The government are killing us threads are started by new posters/namechangers and some posters are very active only on the were are all doomed threads.

I think it might be a good idea to limit newly registered posters from starting many threads in this topic. Wasn't this done for the General Election?

There was another expert on Radio this morning explaining why herd immunity is a gamble as we don't know enough about this virus. Big assumptions are being made about how this virus operates when no one actually knows.

I guess they see it as like chicken pox. They hope it’s a stable virus and children will catch it and become immune for the rest of their lives, in most cases.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon I think it would be a good idea to limit new posters.
Like many I name change frequently.

But it was obvious with Brexit that there were probably paid people on here pushing a particular view. And I suspect it now with this virus. Limiting new posters would help. MN know people who name change and those who are actually new.

It’s not chickenpox its SARS.

SARS can cause long term lung damage.

Well as long term as you live. Pulmonary fibrosis (the most likely outcome) has a 3-5 year life expectancy

@ShastaBeast But there is no proof of that. The science suggests the opposite. The virus has already mutated once. There are suggestions that people's lung function can be permanently affected.
There needs to be more research. But even the Chief Medical Officer this morning said once it spreads through the population, it will become a seasonal virus. That is because it mutates, like flu. And we spend a fair bit of money vaccinating people every year for flu. And people still die.

I just rang my mum’s care home to be told ‘we have no restrictions on visiting at this time’. I’m baffled.

I’m not saying they are right. Just that’s clearly what they think. There’s no evidence to suggest either is correct. The mutation so far may not be a sufficient jump that the body wouldn’t recognise it as the same virus. You cannot state it’s so or not, no one can.

Nor can we state with certainty it will cause irreparable damage to the lungs. It’s all new and unknown. Please stop stating opinions and conjecture as facts. I don’t necessarily disagree with you but even the leading scientists are in the dark about many aspects in this emerging situation. Mumsnetters aren’t unlikely to be those involved in the current investigations even if we’ll informed generally.

@haverhill That makes no sense at all.

I too cannot believe how the uk are handling this. We in Ireland are all taking precautions as directed. Everyday the situation changes. We now only have a caretaker government but every possible thing that can be done is rolled out for a worst case scenario. Closing schools is the right thing to do. I hope the meeting in Armagh today will close off the border.I am a business owner and employer our trade is down 80% but as far as I can I will not take risks. We have a family occasion in the uk next week and we have been criticised for cancelling our travel plans.

@ShastaBeast Yes sorry you are right it is unknown.
But gambling people's lives on a theory when we don't even understand how this virus operates is very scary.

www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3074988/coronavirus-some-recovered-patients-may-have

Yes it is certain that it causes lung damage in survivors.
What the long term prognosis is is unknown.
It's a huge gamble if your pathway is to aim to get 80% infected for herd immunity, don't you think?

I do wonder how many people know anyone with long term lung damage? I do. It is not a good scenario.
Are some kids having long term lung damage?

But our economy will be in better shape.

I hate the Tories with a passion, but there is SUCH a fine line between protecting the people and the economy. If they start closing everything now and the economy tanks more people will be forced into destitution and budgets will be slashed (again).

Because if the NHS collapses under the strain and other services such as morgues and funeral services,this won’t also cause the economy to collapse? I think this is fallacious reasoning.

But I do think it is British arrogance if anyone really thinks only Britain has the right approach and every other country, WHO are lots and lots of experts are all wrong.

And I am furious that my kids could be left without a mother because of this. All because Boris wants to gamble against all the experts.

I do not understand why anyone would think that every other country has got it wrong, and only Britain has got it right.

Agree with this.

I don't know about kids but it's certainly not inconceivable.
I have close relatives with lung damage. It's shit

Lung damage can have a knock on affect to your heart. The two work in tandem.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon Totally agree.

People who are active on this type of thread are scaremongering.

Ask yourself why they want to do that and what their agenda might be.