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!?

This picture might help. See the curve - it's exponential. So the cases aren't just going up in a neat line, they are increasing in multiples - the infection rate and death rates are accelerating. We haven't seen the half of it yet, it's quite literally like the tip of the iceberg.

As for flu, it really isn't comparable. Last year there were 1692 deaths from flu. I'n just one month, there have been 104 deaths from Coronavirus. It is a pandemic - there is no answer for it. There is no cure. It will do what it does.

Because it's obvious from what has happened in countries like Italy and Spain that it is far worse than a flu. The number of cv cases are multiplying rapidly and it can easily get out of control if everyone doesn't act responsibly.

It's not groupthink - you spouted factually incorrect nonsense. You're welcome.

I'm not sure op understands words like "exponential".....

Mumsnet is a fucking awful place for mob-shaming anyone who doesn’t agree with the groupthink. Seriously awful. Reminds me why I left....

Well you know where the big X is, don’t you!

Honestly. The level of ignorance beggars belief.

People who a few weeks ago were perfectly fine and relatively well cannot BREATHE without ventilators. This is not just a flu.

But yeah maybe the solution is just to reject ‘groupthink’ and go about your business as usual - A visit to your local pub or nightclub, perhaps? A nice intimate dinner with one of your elderly relatives? Maybe a long, leisurely catch up with that good friend of yours who is immunocompromised. Maybe cough and sneeze and come into contact with as many people as possible, spread it around as much as possible, so that people like my daughter or my friend might actually have to literally fight for their lives in the next few weeks.

No?

Op, do you not watch or listen to the news at any stage? It’s been very clearly explained, it would be very hard not to understand or be mis informed. In addition it’s been explained on this thread and you’re still saying you don’t understand. Which indicates another issue at play.

Potentially maybe you have someone you could ask to try to explain it to you simply if you’re struggling this much?

I don’t think people should be hard on you because you find it difficult.

A person with flu infects 1.3 people. A person with C19 infects 2.5 on average.
I.e. way more contagious

Flu incubation 1-4 days. C-19 1-14 days.
I.e. way more difficult to detect

Flu hospitalises 2%> C-19%
I.e. way more healthcare resources needed and way more debilitating

Flu fatality is 0.1%. C-19 is 3.4%
Obvs.

There is a vaccine to flu. We are at least a year away for C-19.

This was all in a handy chart on the internet but I'll save you the trouble.

And just to be clear, I’m not panicking, I’m not hysterical. I’m as sanguine as it’s possible to be given the circumstances.

However, I am taking sensible precautions to protect those I love, and the most vulnerable in our midst.

Ebola kills itself in a 'relatively' short period of time. I've seen 2 Ebola outbreaks in my lifetime. It is transmitted through close bodily contact, and fluid contact - because it kills it's victims 'quickly' and people can protect against it then it dies out and doesn't spread like this never seen before airborne virus that none of us have immunity too.

A lot of us have some immunity to most strains of flu as we have either had them before, or we have had the vaccine. Either way we have built up some resistance in our bodies.

My son had swine flu 10 years ago aged 12. I don't recall their being a vaccine, but he was prescribed the anti-viral drugs to combat it (can't remember their name). I sent my 1 year old to live with my Mum and cared for him on an hour by hour basis - I didn't catch it.

If it was Covid, I would be guaranteed to catch it.

My son is now 22, has to take immuno suppressant drugs for an 'underlying condition' a serious one. This could kill him.

Luckily he doesn't live with me and his little sister any more as we have been told to isolate since yesterday by the GP due to my symptoms and we're not feeling too well at all.

@WellErrr

I seriously doubt that you actually had Swine Flu tbh but regardless, if you know anything about Spanish Flu and how devastating that was you wouldn't be asking. It was especially deadly because increased travelling allowed it to spread much more quickly around the world. Sound familiar?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

I remember one of the students where I worked dying from an undiagnosed heart condition. He was twenty and this happened over twenty years ago. I will never forget seeing his Mother collapse at the tree planting memorial service. I myself have since suffered a child dying who had no known underlying reason to die, she died in her sleep, she was a young adult. My DS had to have his heart investigated and I know he is fine, many of us walk about with undiagnosed conditions. It’s why you get young seemingly healthy people collapse and die on sports field.

People with underlying conditions known and unknown may die. It’s not just their deaths it’s the impact. I will NEVER fully recover from my daughters death. Not only am I scared for me and my loved ones I really fear for the pain others may have to endure.

@Evilcorona

This is going to sound flippant but - can you leave? If you have an abusive partner can you use this as the impetus to walk away?

So at least if Well err doesn't see it as a big deal means they will absolutely not be stockpiling food....

In a nutshell: nhs doesn't have the resources or money to keep up with the demand of patients it will have to see. Lots of people will die because of this. This virus does things that they have never seen before. Things that experienced doctors and consultants have no idea how to treat.

People will be unable to work meaning job losses, debts, many many people going hungry. As we have seen tonight kids will be off school for who knows how long. People will again be unable to work.

As for the virus itself it spreads like wildfire sometimes without even showing any symptoms which is extremely worrying. Nobody knows how many actually have it or have already had it and spread it to others.

Please educate yourself.

Helping flatten the peak infection curve and potentially stopping the hospitals being over run with uneducated, self entitled, posturing tools that are suffering from Cognitive dissonance.

Plus this a novel (means new unknown) virus born from a communist country, the elderly needs shielding initially while hospitals gear up for and influx of thousands of people requiring ICU care.

Want me to carry on, or are you going to continue to live in a dream world where you are not responsible for anything?

Inkpaperstars: I think you are right to be suspicious of social media OP, you obviously frequent parts of it where absolute crap is spouted. You need different sources.

Well indeed.

People who a few weeks ago were perfectly fine and relatively well cannot BREATHE without ventilators. This is not just a flu.

Well for the elderly this is precisely what the flu can involve.

As it also did for my 3 year old daughter 2 years ago

OP

I found this university lecture regarding the so called (mis-named) Spanish flu of 1918 very interesting

The novel virus is not the same as the Spanish flu but the mortality rate is considered to be similar.

It is an informative and thought provoking lecture that will help you to place the current situation in context

Re the novel coronavirus this discussion with Michael Osterholm is enlightening and highly accessible and will help you to understand why this is a very serious situation

You're welcome

I seriously doubt that you actually had Swine Flu tbh

Erm...why? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

Are you my mum OP? Are you an "oldie" who thinks it just needs to run its course?

Bit ageist.
But no, I don’t think I’m your mum.

This graph, the red line is UK hospital capacity. We have 50% less critical beds than Italy per population. We won’t be able to treat even a fraction of critically ill people.

Over 400 people died in italy just in one day. Italy has a slightly lower population than the UK and they have managed to confine the worst of it to one region.

In the UK around 1,400 die daily (from any cause). Now think of those numbers. One third AGAIN are dying of just one cause.

And that's in a country 2 weeks ahead of us who have taken the strictest measures.

Italys population is slightly older than ours....but only slightly

Op I think your question is valid.
Bohemian, v level headed post.

It is possible to understand the gravity of the situation, agree with the measures being taken by national governments, and still think mumsnet is a frenzy of scaremongering and panic.