Can someone help me understand why this is such a big deal? Because at the moment I really don’t.

[WellErrr]

Why is the world closing down?
Why is this worse than flu (which thousands of people have, and thousands die from each winter)?
Why the massive response?

I just do not get it at all. The only thing bringing the country to a halt seems to be the fact that everything’s shut and/or banned. Not the virus!?

I just cannot get worked up about it and I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe where everybody else knows something I don’t!?

The simplest answer is :

1. The virus is new and there is no vaccine or cure

1. A HUGE number (compared to flu) need intervention to BREATHE

1. Our NHS can't cope with too many people having it at the same time as we don't have enough BREATHING MACHINES (respirators)

It’s a virus which has a lower prevalence rate and FAR lower mortality rate than seasonal flu

You know the exact opposite is true? The CFR at best is thought to be 1% which is much higher than flu. It could be as high as 3.4% that’s millions of people.

The death rate is higher than flu. You can catch it more easily than flu.

If you are vulnerable and you get it, there is no treatment. If your immune system doesn't fight it, your lungs will fill with mucus and you will either die of drowning or your organs will shut down one by one, whilst you are scared and alone in isolation.

Does that help?

I have reported sofatos post. I think it crosses a line.

People are such cunts on here.
It’s amazing.

That being said, OP you are being a bit of an idiot mainly because you could look at this stuff on google rather than poking the giant cluster fuck that can be mumsnet.

If you don’t have any family members/friends within the susceptible range I can see why it’s more of an inconvenience than most things but our country is filled with people in those brackets so it’s life changing for them

I think it's a perfectly valid question if you're not part of the MN hysteria massive

Tbh I haven’t been here for a few weeks, I’d forgotten how nuts it gets...

And it "hasn't done it anywhere else" because EVERY country has introduced huge measures to protect their population

Which they don't do with flu

Because they are airlifting desperately sick people out of the north of Italy into the south?
Because the UK is going to make Italy look like a bit of a sniffle?

And because of what sofa says. There is no other explanation for a sentient being who has access to world news to be asking that.

Therefore
A) you're a GF
B) you're what sofa says
C) you're an aubergine

It’s a virus which has a lower prevalence rate and FAR lower mortality rate than seasonal flu, so why is the world grinding to a halt?

I can see why you're confused at the fuss if you think this.
It's about ten or twenty times more lethal than seasonal flu, and far more contagious.
You can do the maths - if we didn't take measures to try and get the numbers down, that's 64 million x 0.02 x say 0.8 (assuming 80% get it, unchecked) dead. It's a big big number. And that's in one country.

@WellErrr because it hasn’t been allowed to run rife anywhere. This is because countries are shutting down. Which prevents it running rife.

A FAR lower mortality rate than flu ?? Wth??? Italy’s fatalities are running at over 7% , one in 15.
You really think that is a lower rate than flu ? Flu - 0.1% .
Now do the maths over a large population.

I think the simple answer is actually not how many people die directly from the virus but because of the amount of people hospitalized, it means anyone else with another problem that needs to visit the hospital does not get the care they need.

Troll off

I can see why you might suspect that random people on the internet could get worked up about something that's not that serious, OP. But have you not read or listened to any of the comments by medical experts? Do you really think that governments would be bringing in measures which will cause financial ruin if it wasn't necessary?

It’s not like it turns you inside out or makes your lungs come out of your ears. It’s a virus which has a lower prevalence rate and FAR lower mortality rate than seasonal flu, so why is the world grinding to a halt?

This is why you are confused. It spreads quicker than flu and has a higher fatality rate. There will be more cases over a short period of time and more of those cases will need hospital treatment, specifically ICU that with winter flu. Pretty much nowhere has the capacity to deal with this number of cases all at one.

We don’t have enough ventilators and we don’t have enough staff trained to care for ventilated patients.

That’s why they are trying to slow the spread down until we can find a drug treatment or vaccine.

Did you look at the picture @eeehbyegum posted?

If that doesn't answer your questions then there is not much hope I'm afraid

Moron

Now now.

It’s not like it turns you inside out or makes your lungs come out of your ears. It’s a virus which has a lower prevalence rate and FAR lower mortality rate than seasonal flu, so why is the world grinding to a halt?

Where do you get that information from OP?

I think it’s also important to look at Italy to see the fallout.

I have just read an article showing the number of cases for 2 different regions in Italy from the 24th February where one went into lockdown 2 weeks before the other. (Lodi and Bergamo) The difference in cases was very marked.

@nellodee bang on. Hit 104 today, a day ahead of prediction x

OP, what do you mean it has a far lower mortality rate than flu? The mortality rate for flu is only 0.1-0.2% - that's 1 or 2 deaths in every 1000 patients. The Covid-19 mortality rate is a lot higher.

Try google?

It’s a virus which has a lower prevalence rate and FAR lower mortality rate than seasonal flu

Where on earth did you get this idea from? The prevalence rate is lower at the moment because it is only just getting started. The mortality rate is much higher than flu, and if we allow the number of cases to become as high a flu then we will see many thousands of deaths.

PS the death rate per infected in Italy was 7.2% on Friday. It fell on Saturday to 5.9%
I don't know what flu rates are...