Is the fear out of proportion?

[Hotlungs]

I’m asking this genuinely as I struggle with anxiety and have a tendency to catastrophise.
I read yesterday that 99.5% of people will survive if they have the virus. Whilst I understand that people are worried they are in the 0.5% is the fear rationale? The press describing it as a ‘killer virus’ and people saying they don’t want to go to the supermarket incase they die. Obviously I’m not talking about those in the vulnerable group.
Are we doing poor risk management? Again to clarify I don’t mean the current lockdown situation to protect the NHS (which is needed) but I mean the fear of it.
We are more likely to die in our cars but we risk manager that (with precautions) to still use them. What are people’s thoughts?

Agree re social media. I was pregnant in 2009 during the swine flu pandemic and social media was just starting out. Worked in frontline healthcare. We just cracked on, I don't remember it being like this, even for the vulnerable sub groups.

scaevola, then Sarah Gilbert is wrong then?

We aren't only risking the population but
Health care workers, police, prison and anyone who has to come into close contact.

Getting the disabled back to work and putting up the age of retirement might have sounded good, but now isn't going to work in practice.

The vaccine that they are developing may not be suitable for lots of groups of people people or the elderly.

This will change things dramatically. In some ways, it might go back to how things, were, with retirement at 60.

I actually dont know if I am classed as vulnerable and what would happen if I did catch Corona virus. I was hospitalised a couple months ago. Worst illness ever and all the symptoms were just like coronavirus but I was only sick for under a week. I know the Covid 19 lasts longer.However I was rushed to hospital from the gp surgery in an ambulance. My heart rate was pumping nine to the dozen, I was struggling to breathe, hot and cold and shaken up, incredibly weak and a bad cough and headache from a cold. I was faint and had numb tingly legs as there was no oxygen getting to them. I didn't have much oxygen either and so the doctor immediately called 999 for me. Mums from the school run were saying maybe it was coronavirus but my husband said if it was, you would have been much worse. And trust me , I was pretty unwell, so unwell that my eldest son had to feed me, as I was too weak to lift up toast and even just walking to the bathroom was like climbing Mount Everest without stopping.

But, I am wondering what would happen if I caught it. Both myself and my eldest daughter have weak immune systems plus I am asthmatic. And it was in fact a common cold that led me to being very poorly and put in hospital. So I wonder how I stand up against the dreaded covid 19. I also have a son who is asthmatic and has another health issue, and he was classed as vulnerable by the school. I was even emailed to say he could leave school early, before the lockdown began.

I worry about getting it too and was very anxious about going out. But tto be honest, we are only going out twice a week. I have wanted to get out more for exercise but we are doing fine indoors. Its all just about staying positive and optimistic and hoping for the best and keeping the social distancing rules

@nuitdesetoiles... it's crazy that I cant remember the swine flu.....do you remember what it was like for the UK, where we in lockdown and how fast was it spreading etc
....

When 3 friends have died, another has lost her parents and FIL, and my best friend (50) is currently in hospital on oxygen, it's pretty difficult not to be scared. Add to that my husband's underlying chest problems and my immunosuppression from previous chemo and I'd be a fool to think all's well in the world.

No lockdown when swine flu was about, I never had it, it seemed to disappear very quickly.

No lockdown and very contagious. Can't remember who the vulnerable groups were. I'll check.

Sounds like you had it, Hanamuslim and quite badly too.

www.nhs.uk/news/medication/vulnerable-urged-to-have-swine-flu-vaccine/

I can’t find one report of someone being hospitalised a second time with coronvirus? You would think all the medical staff around the world dealing with coronvirus and viral load, we would have heard of one instant reported by now? Surely that means we must build up some immunity?

Agree re social media. I was pregnant in 2009 during the swine flu pandemic and social media was just starting out. Worked in frontline healthcare. We just cracked on, I don't remember it being like this, even for the vulnerable sub groups.

You don't remember it because swine flu was no where near as deadly. I got it and it was like a heavy cold for many.

Some info re swine flu. I was pregnant and already had a 3 year old dd so we were both in a vulnerable group. I was doing frontline clinical work with children and no special considerations were put in place whatsoever!

I remember contacting occupational health about it and basically being told to just suck it up.

I'm aware it wasn't as serious, I'm just wondering if it would have been perceived as more deadly with a greater social media presence? Would there have been shouts for lockdown if it emerged now?

The thing that non-vulnerable people who are scared aren’t getting their head around is that COVID19 is usually not dangerous on an individual level but at the same time is catastrophic on a population level.
I’m not looking forward to catching it and having to continue to look after two babies, but I’m not scared of it.

Undoubtedly. The risk to a typical under 40 year old is basically non existent, it makes me so sad to read about people who fit into that category living in fear - hiding at home in case someone breathes within line of sight of them, freaking out when they get post, refusing to let their kids go to school or their older children go to university, horrified at the thought of going back to work. Awful.

No scientist is going to stand up and say they can guarantee an effective vaccine will be developed but it seems vastly more likely than not that there will be. Thousands of scientists with unlimited resources working collaboratively towards the same goal mean that I think we can be quite hopeful.

it’s like a serial killer walking the streets with a machete ready to get us all

Oh I read this, “if you knew a serial killer was walking the streets would you want to go outside” comparing it to corona, I just thought how stupid it sounded. There are loads of people who have gotten away with murder and horrible crimes but we don’t all stay locked up in fear of coming across them.

I feel like I've found my people on this thread.

I work on the frontline and I think going out to work really helps you keep some perspective. Especially when, like me, you work in a&e and can see first hand that it doesn't look quite as bad as we were expected.

I'm following the rules of course, I understand why they're in place, but people that will refuse to go out until there is a vaccine despite no risk factors...? Well they could find themselves locked inside for a very long time.

I think the thought of what it's like out there is worse than the reality and those not working/wfh or not leaving the house probably think it's apocalyptic out there... when really it's not.

@nuitdestoilles - what are the statistics for people who die of suicide and at the hands of abusive partners in the UK? I doubt it's 11,000 per month, is it?? That's our virus figure with social distancing and strict measures. Probably higher than that in fact.
Obviously virus deaths would be higher if no measures taken.
Can you come back and qualify your statement please.

Don't be silly! Of course I do not think Sarah Gilbert is wrong, but I do think the way some of what she has actually said has been very badly reported, especially when explanations of what are normal assumptions are portrayed as if breaking news.

"Surely that means we must build up some immunity?"

"To be clear, most experts do think an initial infection from the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, will grant people immunity to the virus for some amount of time. That is generally the case with acute infections from other viruses, including other coronaviruses."
www.statnews.com/2020/04/20/everything-we-know-about-coronavirus-immunity-and-antibodies-and-plenty-we-still-dont/

@Ponoka7 I’ve googled Sarah Gilbert and I can’t see anywhere what you’ve said. She has speculated that we may not have total immunity once we’ve had it but I can’t see anything about on going health issues and shorter life expectancy? She also thinks a vaccine is possible.
I think both me and DS plus DH now have had it so I’d like to see this as evidence rather than speculation?

@Ponoka7 Also not all disabled people are vulnerable to this. I have a disability myself but it doesn’t make me more susceptible than anyone else so I think that’s a generalisation about disabled people and working. For those in the vulnerable health group, yes but that doesn’t include all disabled people.

"The problem is that we now know you don't become immune. Those working on the vaccine, Sarah Gilbert being one has now said this."

That's not quite what she said though, she said we don't know but based on other coronaviruses it may not be long lasting and that it's expected vaccine induced immunity will last longer than infection induced immunity. She did not say "we now know you don't become immune."
mobile.twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1251816551709278209

Thank you @buttermilkwaffles