Uk hospital now saying covid patients don’t seem as sick as they did at beginning of epidemic

[Blueberryham]

Just saw on yahoo news

Interesting how this seems to be a pattern for a few countries

Even the medics don't seem to be sure what it means, but let's hope it's a good sign

Encouraging

I wonder if there’s a correlation with better early supportive care? At its peak there simply wasn’t the manpower to deal with everyone who had symptoms but you’re likely to get much more focussed support early on if you’re struggling now.

Because they are less deficient in vitamin D at this time of year

Good news, whatever the cause

Most people who would be badly affected by Covid are taking a lot of precautions just now. The people the hospitals are seeing are not fully shielding

Yahoo news? Have you been surfing 2003 again?

Presumably those ill now caught a much lower viral load than at the beginning where it was more prevalent.

This is going to sound morbid/uncaring, but maybe those who were most likely to catch it due to poor immunity/hygiene have either had it and died, or are convalescing and shielding? We know the over 80s are mostly likely to get very ill, and they are in relatively short supply now.

Those at highest risk will be shielding or taking precautions, so the people who catch it are more likely to be young and fit.

Unless they produce statistics re age, health, etc., such "news" is pretty meaningless.

As above, supportive treatment better and prompter. Less overall demand on emergency services, straight onto scuba masks for cpap, steroids, asprin, better understanding of fluid balance in this disease presentation.

We know the over 80s are mostly likely to get very ill, and they are in relatively short supply now.

There are a few million people in the UK over 80 and "only" 42,000 deaths in total, so they're certainly not "in short supply".

@user1497207191, I agree, not very well put - I mean out of the over 80s, those most frail may well have already suffered.

The over 80s are in short supply?? What does that mean

Residents in carehomes are less vulnerable now due to better infection control. Older people in the community are better protected due to community infection being low, also mask wearing (although this should be a lot higher imo).
Was reading something similar about Florida, a state with a high percentage of retired people. Most new infections are occurring amongst younger people. Whether it will work it's way back to elderly people remains to be seen of course.

I imagine it's helped that they are admitting more moderate cases now for the oxygen like Boris had. In early days you'd have to be more poorly, blue lips and gasping and at that point it was likely to be a poor prognosis anyway.

It took a few weeks to clock that moderate cases were dropping off a cliff with no notice, if memory serves as you could go from being unwell to suddenly in crisis, but as criteria for admission was so high people ended up dying at home. Once they allowed more people in to hospitals at an earlier stage on they could pull more people through.

Wouldn't believe anything I read on yahoo news

No one wants good news OP

I just wondered if it might mutate to something less lethal? A good virus doesn't want to kill its host.

@EnlightenedOwl

No one wants good news OP

How did you get that from this thread? People are simply speculating why medics are seeing milder cases. That doesn’t take away from it being a ‘good thing’.

On the contrary if there’s an understanding of why it hopefully means we and other countries can replicate it.

I'd think it's a combination of factors.
More vit D, lower viral load, those with underlying conditions are being ultra careful.

And yes I think some of those especially vulnerable have already bitten the dust.

... maybe the ones that could get really sick have already been wiped out?

Agree that they are now admitting more moderate cases, at the start if you didn’t look old enough or sick enough they would just let you alone for a few days to fend at home.

It could be that before people got a higher viral load from lots of infected people and noisy environments.
Vulnerable / shielding people are generally staying safer, so could be younger/ fitter people catching it.
Those who can't/ won't take precautions to at least only get a small viral load possibly already caught it.
Higher vitamin D levels.
Better treatment in myriad small ways.
All the extra booze everyone's having in lockdown is killing the virus.
Luck / coincidence.
Mutated version of the virus, the one that's causing less deaths in some countries (even though scientists don't seem to think there's a huge difference).
It caught a cluster of people who all had the same common cold quite recently giving some innate immunity.
Approaching herd immunity in Birmingham.

There doesn't seem to be enough information to know anything here, but it's nice to know there are less unwell people in Birmingham right now. I hope whatever the good effect is that it spreads.