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?

@QuestionMarkNow
I don't think there are very many people actually dying at home from covid19, are there? People dying outside of hospitals are mostly in care homes, mostly because they wouldn't be considered clinically fit for heroic interventions.

Germany is reporting more success with earlier interventions, mostly oxygen I think.

Not sure I understand your question, though.

Well the percentage of over 60’s would probably go up as the most likely place to die of coronvirus is in care homes.

@Xtinalee, to answer your question.
It’s actually quite hard to tell but I can see where you are coming from

• someone who is getting all the colds around might have a weaker immune system
• they might have lung issues (eg scaring) from a previous illness such as pneumonia that makes them more susceptible.

So on paper I can see why you would expect someone who ‘never gets ill’ to be only mildly affected by the CV-19.
Whether this is the case in reality would need a proper research to be done.

“I believe we are underreacting to the poverty this will create, for decades to come IMHO”

There isn’t a way to deal with it that doesn’t create that though...

We are doing alot worse than italy for under 40s if its 200 in the uk. Unless we have way more cases than they do!

Yes I agree about the fact we don’t have the full numbers.

I think what I am getting at is

• I am assuming that whithin the closed environment of a care home, more or less everyone will have been in contact with the virus and infected.
• however, not all people in said care home die.
• all people only receive standard ‘at home care’ (paracetamol?)
• but some of them must be showing symptoms, mild or not so mild.

So, if those people (with moderate or severe symptoms) had been taken to hospital, how many would have died compare to the number of deaths with them being at home?
Ventilators are nowhere near the only option. Some hospitals are now using boxes used for patients with apnea for example with great success. This would be ok to use on an older person. But the point is they would be getting care that they aren’t getting atm.

Would that make a difference and how much?

@Jrobhatch29 maybe Italy have a much older generation? The numbers from Italy are very promising for under 40’s hardly any risk at all.

We are doing alot worse than italy for under 40s if its 200 in the uk. Unless we have way more cases than they do!

200 vs 47 is really not a great deal to work with.

Those figures are still very low, especially as the vast majority of the under 40s would have had other health conditions that make them vulnerable. It is obviously sad that anyone has died, but the risk to under 40s has been completely blown out of proportion. There is a constant message that ‘anyone is vulnerable’ but a vulnerability of ‘1 in 100,000’ is not very vulnerable and that ‘1’ will in most cases have another serious health condition, so not very representative.

im thinking here about the care homes affected by CV-19. Not all of the residents are dying despite the fact they are only receive ‘care at home’ type of support. Why is that? (It’s a very good thing btw!!)

Because even if you are over 65, the odds are still very much in your favour. Even if you have one or two health conditions, the odds are still very much in your favour. I think the mortality rate only becomes sever with three health conditions or a combernation of age, weight and health conditions.

There are people on this thread talking like if you're over 60 or have any sort of health problems, this is a death sentence. It's not. You're still much, much, much more likey to survive. Just not quite as much as someone under 60.

I think the schools were shut to stop kids spreading to relatives in the at risk group. But surely we would have been better off telling people to not let their children mix with people in the at risk group, then arrange transport, after school clubs and childcare for those that normally rely on public transport and grandparent support.

The fact is they didn't trust people to not let children and grandparents mix. Nanny state as usual. And now people are too scared to send their kids back even if they do open. Even though there is basically 0% mortality rate for kids.

A care home would have acsess to oxygen equipment. A Dr would just need to write the prescription. They would only need to go to hospital for critical care, which in most cases they wouldn't do because they are too frail and/or the family have asked for no hospital treatment.

I think people need to remember that a care home is not the same as a retirement home or assisted living. These people need medical help and/or round the clock care. They are in most cases on their way out. Covid will be doing many a favor.

Naturalbornkiller not all care homes have access to this. My gran was in a care home with nurses and they couldn't have oxygen on site. She passed away last week so very recent.

Natural So are we getting close to say that going to hospital achieves nothing at the moment?

Good point about the fact they will have access to oxygen in a care home. That makes me feel a bit better.

So are we getting close to say that going to hospital achieves nothing at the moment?

Where did I say that?

Fwiw, I have oxygen equipment at home. I'm not gonna go into the details of why. Anyway, the oxygen company called and asked to take our surplus equipment as they wanted to be ready to treat people at home. I'm not sure if that has happened but, I think alot of people would be much better off having oxygen equipment sent to their home rather than go to hospital and infect others.

I know three women, 30s and 40s who have been in hospital with covid. They were litrially in on a few ltr of oxygen through a cannula for a day or two, and then went home. That treatment could ahve very simply and easily been provided at home.

I also know a lot of well off people that bought oxygen consentrater machines when this all kicked off.

Many people will just need a bit of oxygen therepy.

That’s why I was worried because I get hit sideways with a common cold and flu

@Xtinalee That’s why I was worried because I get hit sideways with a common cold and flu

Maybe I didn't word my answer very well.

Most people get hit sideways with cold and flu.

They are not nice illnesses.

But, unless you are being hospitalised with them then the chances are you get "hit" with them in exactly the same way everyone else does.

@Xtinalee

I mean this nicely but I think you do need help for your health anxiety (I speak as someone who's had bad health anxiety in the past - strangely this outbreak has put it into perspective)

Also I was thinking earlier - and I don't mean to panic anyone - but how everyone's losing their minds over corona ....(i pray we don't but) can you imagine if we ever got a virus outbreak over here that was genuinely deadly to most people? Like Ebola ?

No one really gave a fuck about that did they? Cos it was so far away

Sorry to Clarify my last post ...I mean based on how everyone's lost their minds over corona. can you imagine how the general public would react if we ever got something far more deadly 😳

@Naturalbornkiller, that was just a question.....

As I say I never thought that care home woud have acces to oxygen and I am very happy that they do. Because oherwise, it would be leaving people dying wo care and I dont think its ok.

@NmChangry Thankyou I’m a bit more reassured. @DianneWhatcock Yeah I do, but on the flip side my anxiety ensures I don’t let my guard down and do everything meticulously. I got I’ll a lot last year with colds and a virus in December but i have A cleaning business so hoping that was something to do with it

@DianneWhatcock a deadlier virus is in some ways a blessing because they can't infect as many people.

Viruses don't really want to be deadly because their hosts die before they've had the chance to spread around.

So in some ways Covid 19 is almost the "perfect storm" of a virus.

BUT in some ways this is a "good" thing, because if we can deal with this (which we are) then we'll be better prepared to deal with any future ones.

@Xtinalee could have been! I am also a cleaning business owner. I do the work myself and as such I'm exposed to a lot of germs etc and think as a result my immune system is pretty hardy. I very rarely get ill. Could be a coincidence of course

Can I ask how are you getting on with your cleaning work - I had to stop the week before lockdown as everyone was cancelling anyway and obvs it's not essential work is it. I only do domestic houses so God knows if I'll ever be able to pick it back up again

@succedaneum

That's true I suppose

However as someone who is very interested in human behaviour, I would be intrigued to know how our society would actually react to a deadlier threat. Based on how so many have reacted so hysterically to corona.
Not wishing for it tho - it would be awful so let's hope we never have to find out 🙏

Alex50 I presume you don't think everyone over 40 is expendable? I'm guessing instead you might support an age based easing of lockdown? That was one of the ideas mooted wasn't it. They were thinking of starting with all those who don't live with more vulnerable household members. It's one way to try. They'd need to let those under 40s with underlying conditions be excluded. The only problem would be the poor souls with as yet undiagnosed conditions.