Media scaremongering

[Reginabambina]

Anyone else starting to get irritated by the report of ‘fit and healthy’ people dying of ‘Coronavirus’ where people clearly aren’t healthy and are only suspected Coronavirus cases? It’s very sad to hear reports of anyone dying under any circumstances but it seems like media outlets (less reputable ones in particular - Daily Mail I’m looking at you) are trying to start a panic. If you are sharing these links (especially if you are one of the really irritating people that keeps whatsapping them to me!) please stop. You’re spreading fake news. If you write for of edit one of these outlets please consider your journalistic integrity (and the career ending potential that this sort of thing has!)

Is this the woman on the DM who had 'no underlying health issues' who was clearly obese and hardly a picture of health?

IMHO, I do wonder if the shift from reporting about the sick and elderly dying (the majority) has moved to reports about younger people dying (the minority) to help get the message across that everyone is at risk.

I think that as a 25 year old (I wish!), I too would feel that I'm way outside the "at risk" group therefore may well be inclined to carry on as normal.
As with any newspaper reports, the wording can be everything.
Headlines seldom are "the truth".

@Fatted that’s the one I was sent today (which led me down the rabbit hole that is the DM website). There were so many reports or a similar vein.
@winged and that makes it ok to lie then?

Ive noticed that a lot of the 'fit and healthy young people' seem to be pretty overweight, so not very healthy and definitely not fit. You can also be young and fit but have underlying health conditionsa that you are unaware of if they've never caused you problems.

They still make up a ridiculously small proportion and that’s not coming across in the media coverage at all.

The 21 year old who didn't die of cv at all

Full agree OP just been saying exact same to DH

Is it ridiculously small?

16 younger than 50 with no underlying health conditions died in London yesterday

That was 8% of the deaths in London

I think people are desperate to continue to 'other' deaths from this.

There will be young, previously healthy, normal weight people who die, aged under 50.

Yes, some groups are at greater risk, but that doesn't mean any are at no risk (except perhaps the under 10s, where inthink there have still been no deaths)

The media loves death and destruction. Old unphotogenic people dying doesn’t sell. Find a young, fit person with a grieving family! Preferably with cute kids or a spouse with an illness too: that’s what they want. It’s sick.

I think there’s also pressure to make sure people stay in, and scaring them is the best tactic.

@LaurieFairyCake where did you get that information from? It doesn’t match what I read

Yes. It's very irresponsible. However it's also indicative of how unhealthy we are as a nation. There has not been anywhere near enough work done on the obesity crisis over the last couple of decades and as more than half of adults are overweight, we have a very skewed view of what fit and healthy means as most of us aren't.

It was on the bbc website at 07.30 this morning

Uffff completely agree OP

The worry I have about all this is that the more at risk groups say oh I told you so - it is just as much a problem for youngsters and then relax their guard.