How are people catching it?

[Buzzfrightyears]

Sorry if it’s a dumb question - currently off work sick with severe anxiety (which I had prior to this) please be kind to me.

If people are adhering to lockdown and only making essential journeys such as to get shopping how are so many people still catching this as ‘new cases’? Are they getting it from the supermarket? From their shopping being delivered? Or are these new cases the ones breaking lockdown?

I have developed agoraphobia and panic disorder so knowing where it’s being caught will help me a little bit.

I believe most new cases are happening in care home settings.

Thank you so much for replying. Why is that? Is it because care workers don’t have adequate PPE, the elderly have impaired immune systems?

The majority of cases are being caught in care homes and hospitals now and infection rate in the community is very low in london (sorry I dont know about the rest of the uk). I'm so sorry to hear of your agoraphobia xx

Care homes are like schools and prisons in that any illness spreads rapidly once its in. The majority of people who have recovered from coronavirus are also in hospital or a care home but that doesnt make for good headlines. Xxx

Hundreds of thousands of people are still, and always have been, going to work.

Thank you so much. Is this because they have cases existing in the hospital, new people get admitted (presumably for other reasons?) and they catch it whilst they’re an inpatient?

ilikethemushypeas thanks so much for that. Here’s your reminder to be kind - I’m a nurse in the nhs and suffering from agoraphobia and panic disorder. I wish I could tell you how bad I feel and how scared I have been.

Most hospitals are now split into clean and coronavirus sections so hopefully we will see a big drop in coronavirus cases caught in hospitals xx

Is there any evidence that the cases are in care h9mes and hospitals or is that just a theory?

@buzzfriggyears as you're a nurse, imagine when norovirus or flu breaks out on a ward, however times the infection rate by 2 at least, and consider that patients show 2 weeks to show symptoms mostly, that's why it's spreading like wild fire in hospitals!
Most places have clean and covid wards separately but someone could have a test on day 1 and be negative, therefore admitted to the clean ward, but on day 5 shows symptoms and then is positive, and will have spread it to others in their bay.

Don't feel guilty about being off, you are legitimately unwell and once recovered hopefully will be back working and will be an amazing help. Xxx

I'm really sorry but no I dont have any evidence. The man who works in Tesco express told me about it being low in the community xx

Thanks so much @Ginfilledcats - I think honestly I am used to seeing such awful things at work but when I come home I can turn off and almost ‘forget’ about it - whereas with this it’s everywhere, in the news, radio, everywhere and on my last night shift (which I spent most of crying, in private I need add) I went for a much needed break in the rest room, several other staff were watching the news and I literally felt like I couldn’t escape it. Thank you so much

According to today's briefing, the experts don't know either.
Don't they ask what your job is when you get a test?

My Nan caught it in Hospital she ended up back in on oxygen but is home today with the all clear not bad for an 83 year old in failing health. I have anxiety too OP specifically health anxiety but knowing my Nan beat it pretty easily has made me feel a whole lot more secure.

Wasn't this one of the questions at today's briefing, only half listening but I think it was and the answer was that it's something that'll being looked into.

It can't be that hard to find out the answer, it's obvious if it's someone in a care home or hospital.

At present, approximately 8,000 new cases per day community spread, away from carehomes and hospitals, so yes, OP sadly people are picking it up out and about. This was on R4 earlier today.

If it helps at all, OP, re shops and supermarkets and 'germs on shopping deliveries'...I work in a supermarket. If shops and shopping were real hot beds of infection spread then you would expect shop workers to be disproportionately affected, and we're not.

I know an agency care worker. She says all the homes she has been in ( the midlands) have had covid cases. She has had symptoms twice and its taken over 10 days to get her ( negative) results back. She said all the permanent staff are off self isolating so its mostly agency in the homes she has been in. PPE totally inadequate and she believes that she has unwittingly spread it around because of poor quality tests and the disease being rampant where ever she goes. Whats the solution? Maybe move all the care home residents to the nightingale hospitals? What about the ones with dementia who like to roam around? Its a nightmare!

Unfortunately OP some of the answers you've received are not evidence based YET AGAIN.
If the science community cannot answer your question I'm sure people on here can't.

I spoke to someone in M and S food earlier and they haven’t had one person go off sick or have to isolate in the 10 weeks or whatever it is. They are coming into contact with hundreds of people a day.

A small proportion of people are not social distancing and so that will mean some new cases amongst their close contacts. If you are social distancing yourself you are very unlikely to pick it up from those people.