Has your perception of the severity of this changed?

[Orangeblossom78]

A few weeks ago, people were talking of having parties to get this over with, similar to chickenpox www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3849042-To-throw-a-Coronavirus-party

Do you feel it is now being portrayed as something more 'deadly' to more people as it seems to be in the media

Yet it still has a very low mortality rate for the majority of us and in most cases would be mild

I was really terrified of it in February but more resigned to it now I think. You can't maintain those levels of fear and as most of us are going to get it at some point, I have a better chance if I am relaxed, in good condition, fit and strong rather than stressed, anxious and therefore lower immunity

There really are many asymptomatic, confirmed by testing, cases out there. I might be one of those. Hope so. Either way it is pretty much certain my kids will be fine. That's the most important thing to me and as all the stats consistently show that, I have become more relaxed/fatalistic.

I still wish we had tried harder in February but we might still be in this position anyway.

@wonderrotunda I hope your friend makes a speedy recovery Can I ask, did he have any underlying conditions that made him so acutely unwell?

I think we can distinguish between the severity of the virus itself, and the severity of the situation in which large amounts of people are infected simultaneously.

The virus clearly isn't flu, nor is it (for example) ebola in terms of fatality rates. It's survivable for most people, asymptomatic for some, and though some groups are higher risk, nobody is 'no risk'. You won't definitely die if you contract it in your 70s, nor will it definitely be just a cough/sniffles if you're in your 20s.

However, a sizable proportion of people need medical intervention up and to including ICU so the severity of its impact on healthcare systems is extremely high, also affecting people suffering from other conditions, accident victims etc. Viral load also seems to have a major impact, we only have to look at the number of dead and seriously ill HCP in Italy and elsewhere to understand that this is far more severe than a normal seasonal flu situation.

@ Mlou32 no, no underlying conditions...fit and healthy...54, regular runner and gym goer, vegetarian, non smoker, teetotal. He’s improving today thankfully

Our family perception hasn't changed, we always understood the gravity of it.

But I think my fuckwit neighbours might've finally got the memo and have massively reduced their rule flouting.

My perception of the severity is, if anything, that it has become more severe. The opening or planning of several temporary hospitals and a planned mortuary for 12,000 at Birmingham airport has brought things into sharp focus.

However, last Thursday in the supermarket there were over 50% of people wearing asks and the streets were deserted. I popped in the car to post a letter in the post box today and there were huge queues outside the post office and loads of others just milling around the shopping area. I was shocked. It was still less than usual but masses more than last week.

My brother who is 34 had it. He was very very very sick with it. 14 days of high fever, sweating, unable to lift his head off the bed, persistent cough, headache. Loss of smell. He also got better on day 3/4 and then nose dived. What he didn’t experience was breathlessness and he didn’t need oxygen. But he was the sickest he’s ever been in his entire life. And he has zero underlying conditions.

Now my friend’s 69 year old dad died in an ITU yesterday with no one to comfort him in his last moments. He was ‘elderly’ (I suppose) but again had no other conditions that would make him vulnerable.
So no, it’s not like chickenpox parties at all.

My 5 year old nephew with no underlying conditions has it and is in ICU. It's not flu like at all. It's unpredictable and awful. Peoples perception needs to change. He is not the only child in there either.

medical understatements are an art form - mildly uncomfortable, an cause some discomfort translated to very painful - so mild symptoms translates as being significantly unpleasant - basically it just means you don't need hospitalization

we only have to look at the number of dead and seriously ill HCP in Italy

Most of the doctors who died were above retirement age. Which I think underlines the fact that we should not bring HCPs out of retirement in the UK.

portale.fnomceo.it/elenco-dei-medici-caduti-nel-corso-dellepidemia-di-covid-19/

My perception of the severity of the illness hadn’t changed but it does seem to be more contagious than first thought. Originally we were told we’d need to have close contact with a person or be in the same room for a long period of time but the message now is completely different and you get stories of dozens of people catching it at weddings.

One of the problems with this virus is unpredictability but then most known virus are unpredictable. DS ended up in hospital with chickenpox, I knew that complications were possible but most people’s experience is mild illness and itchy spots. DS was admitted with suspected viral meningitis. We were warned he may have be transferred to regional children’s hospital for specialist ICU on admission, very scary. Fortunately he responded to antivirals.
A relative had polio during the last epidemic. He walked into hospital experienced a mild form of the illness ( didn’t need iron lung treatment) but never walked again, whereas many of those treated with iron lung walked out.
There is a definite difference between male and female reaction to the virus. It could be due to behaviours or lifestyle but there may be a genetic element. It’s too early to know why some people are more ill than others.
However having followed hypochondriacs corner thread some of the symptoms they describe are mild panic attacks which you would expect in the worried well. People who record their daily symptoms are likely to have health anxiety.
I have a friend who spent a great del of time collating symptom checkers available online on so called support sites and it became apparent that the lists were misleading and you could with standard cold symptoms self diagnose with anything from an advanced cancer to anthrax.
If you have symptoms that are listed on NHS site follow the advice. If you are not in hospital then you have a mild case however ill or not you feel.

Sorry I should have said if you follow the nhs advice and contact 111 or Gp according to symptoms then if you don’t end up in hospital you have a mild case.

I feel our govt going around telling everyone this is a mild illness, ok to shake hands and that the NHS is "prepared" in late january and february led to a level of complacency, which is only just beginning to lift.

Unfortunately, the damage has been done.

Agree on the definition of "mild" is somewhat misleading, though if there is no real treatment, then how come celebs and politicians seem to be getting over it with no really affects at all?

As far as I’m aware South Korea have tested loads and haven’t found as many mild or asymptomatic cases as people like to imagine we have over here as in millions have already had it and just never knew.

Even still most people will get it and feel a bit shit and get over it at home. A small % will need hospital treatment and an even smaller % of them will need ICU.

The severity of it would be a massive peak and the NHS getting crippled which still has to do all the other urgent things it usually would. Covid19 in and of itself isn’t that deadly.

China and asymptomatic cases

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/china-pivots-to-tackle-silent-covid-19-carriers-as-us-says-a-quarter-of-cases-may-have-no-symptoms

Korea and asymptomatic cases

www.google.com/amp/s/fortune.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-south-korea-test-data/amp/

(Obviously south korea. Fuck knows what is going on in north korea)

I know of 2 people who have died of it in the last week, one was in their late 40s, one was mid 50s.Both worked full time, had families, played sport regularly, didnt smoke etc not people as some have been saying "that would have died anyway" any time soon.