Do people actually realise how few are dying from coronavirus now?

[Mrschickpeabody]

It’s all still doom and gloom on the news as normal regarding coronavirus. Loads about cases going up, local lockdowns, negativity regarding schools going back but nothing about the fact that hardly anyone is actually dying from coronavirus or being admitted to hospital. Can we not hear about positive things for once?

Do any people on mumsnet who think we are all overreacting to covid, have parents and grandparents who are at risk of dying if they catch it? No? How lucky you are

Yes I have a 88 year old grandmother who had three pneumonia bouts last year. This would probably kill her. She is out and about but wears her mask and gloves.

We both are following the statistics instead of the news. Neither of us are deniers. The second the hospital admissions/ deaths start to rise we will go back to to her staying in and me dropping off shopping for her.

She feels the virus will probably never go away and is happy to wear a mask forever whilst outside.

Well isn’t it great then that lock down helped? People wearing masks, sanitising hands, social distancing has helped reduced transmission and keeping levels catching it/dying low?

What’s your point op? Throw caution to the wind and go back to March and April numbers?

It’s low here but it’s not low around the world. Care is needed to keep numbers low until this burns out or vaccine found.

I think it really does depend on overreacting though? What exactly do you mean by that.

I believe that we need to enter winter with caution and keep up with mask usage/SD and definitely reduce the number of people in our house.

But we do have to keep going with this in the winter as well - schools need to be back and as close normal as they can be for the children. Restaurants need to be open.

But we need a good testing system (and I dont think it is overreacting to say it still an absolute mess) and track and trace system (again a mess) or to say that are Government are clueless.

But it is an overreaction to say it is a death sentence (it isnt to anyone) or that we still need to stay inside and hide. That can be as dangerous as denying that it exists.

A measured cautious approach taking into account the risks and balancing those against the need to move forward is the only way through this.

@ChanceEncounter I agree online seems to be either get over it vs total fear as you say. Neither of which is a correct or good approach to this.

There were military helicopters doing exercises today. Just saying ..

ChanceEncounter I agree online seems to be either get over it vs total fear as you say. Neither of which is a correct or good approach to this.

When discussing with either extreme it's easy to seem like we're arguing for the other extreme.
It takes some work to counter extreme arguments while putting forward a balanced view.

For example, one one thread I may easily be arguing that covid is a lot worse than pps are saying. And on another that it's not the end of the world and that not everyone dies from it. I have to make an effort to keep saying on both that it's a serious problem, but that we can take steps to lead close to normal lives and don't need to be shut at home.

@Alex50

I don’t know anyone who has had long lasting health problems from Covid, most people know had mild symptoms and recovered with no side effects, I know because I see them every day and they tell me they are perfectly healthy. Yes some people will have long lasting health problems but what % is 0.1? No one knows, but I bet most people recover.

Really? There have been many cases reported in the more reputable papers & on the longer TV news reports. The Prime Minister is one example right in front of you. He's reported to still be suffering the after affects of Covid-19, and if you saw him at PMQs on Weds you will, as we did, notice how washed out & unwell he looks. Don't get me wrong - I have no sympathy for the man, given how he boasted before contracting it of shaking hands with people wherever he went - but he's one example of "long Covid". Some people are in a much worse state, but, as they're no longer in hospital, they don't receive any trash/gutter news attention.

Agree there are a lot of concerns around long lasting effects of Covid especially long damage. But obviously if Alex50 doesn’t personally know anyone with long lasting effects then the medical profession must take note

I don’t personally know anyone, Boris is not one of my acquaintances😊 No I don’t know anyone, I know people who have had it mildly and they are fine now, considering the medical profession are saying most people will recover within 2 weeks, but what is most people I have no idea. There are no figures on either side of the argument.

One we all know Kate Garraway's husband

@Mrschickpeabody

In the meantime many more businesses will fail, people will loose jobs, homes will be repossessed and other medical conditions will go untreated because we’re all so scared of dying from coronavirus.

I am really scared of catching Coronavirus. I am likely to be very ill. My children are at school, and I am working (largely from home). For some people the threar dying of coronavirus is real and looming over the winter. I am very happy that death rates are currently so low though.

@Alex50

I don’t personally know anyone, Boris is not one of my acquaintances😊 No I don’t know anyone, I know people who have had it mildly and they are fine now, considering the medical profession are saying most people will recover within 2 weeks, but what is most people I have no idea. There are no figures on either side of the argument.

There's two drs who were on TV a month or so ago, one of whom is really suffering with side effects.

I don’t know Kate Garroway’s husband no. I hear it on the news but I don’t know what other health issues he had. Everyone I know are fine, it might be because they are young and healthy.

I’m not saying people don’t get health issues from it, I just don’t know what percentage of the population it will effect, most articles I have read most people will recover.

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351

Most people who have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover completely within a few weeks. But some people — even those who had mild versions of the disease — continue to experience symptoms after their initial recovery.

Older people and people with many serious medical conditions are the most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms that linger over time include:

Imo it’s time for the government to stop reporting daily case figures. The numbers in hospital are incredibly low and case numbers are an unnecessary distraction from the focus on restarting the economy and getting people back to work and school.

It really doesn’t matter whether we have 1000 cases a day or 10000, so long as the number of deaths and serious illnesses remains extremely low.

@BostonCalling

Imo it’s time for the government to stop reporting daily case figures. The numbers in hospital are incredibly low and case numbers are an unnecessary distraction from the focus on restarting the economy and getting people back to work and school.

It really doesn’t matter whether we have 1000 cases a day or 10000, so long as the number of deaths and serious illnesses remains extremely low.

And at what point should they bring back reporting?

Because if we did truely go back to normal we would have about 6weeks until we were back with cancelled cancer treatment due to overloaded NHS, stressed out nurses and panic

Reporting of cases and deaths enables the more vulnerable to make a risk assessment . Take that away and many will fear a massive cover up which will do nothing to help things

The best action at the moment is doing as much as possible without sending cases soaring.

@midgebabe

We don’t have a daily case count for cancer, heart disease, suicide or any other cause of death. The scaremongering about covid cases is completely unhelpful when have have very few in hospital and very few deaths.

We need to be putting all our energy now into the economy and getting education and treatments for other conditions back up and running.

Our young people have suffered enough and we cannot afford for them to lose anymore of their life chances.

It does seem a bit strange to be reporting on say 3 deaths of coronvirus that day, when another 1600 people would have died on the same day from other causes.

One issue is staff absences so if it was more of a free for all schools could see too much of a shortage.

Tim Spector of the Zoe app thinks 600,000 people in U.K. have persistent symptoms as a result of Covid. We know some personally - in their 40s & good health, now facing very serious & possible life limiting complications. One may never work again. Sadly we also know children impacted - again, previously healthy & at least one will have life long impacts.
I am happy for you @Alex50 if you don’t know anyone - it is very distressing to see people & their families struggling with this.

I also personally know someone previously healthy early 40s who just survived but now need kidney transplants and have organ damages to heart and lungs. I don’t need to know anyone personally to understand the uncertainty and seriousness of Covid for many. I am perfectly able to understand numbers and statistics too.

Yes and the Zoe app will put anyone with cold and flu symptoms down as having covid @mac12.

@Mrschickpeabody there isn’t any data though, that’s the problem, the Zoe app isn’t reliable as they haven’t been tested. I would love data to analysis who are being affected, hopefully in a couple of years time there will be.

Sorry I meant @MrsMcMuffins

Hi I agree too that the percentage of deaths by the Covid19 is negligible in comparison to the 65million people in this country. Denise on This Morning (today) says it all for us. I don't want to hear every day about the virus in such length. My daughter and I suffer with depression (mine managed with medication). However after having a recent bad depression attack I am now feeling that there is a light at the end of the tunnel by trying to be as positive about the future. I am making sure I go out as much as possible and seeing as many friends (still socially distanced) getting dressed properly shall I say rather than the slob I was/am at home at this time.
We all have to support our cinemas, restaurants. Some restaurants are continuing the discount menus such as The Horseshoe in Hampstead for September and The Hardrock cafe (Mon to Friday)Piccadilly. Let's hope other restaurants continue for Mon to Wednesday which are normally their quieter days. KEEP GOING OUT, BUT KEEP SAFE. XX

@Alex50

It does seem a bit strange to be reporting on say 3 deaths of coronvirus that day, when another 1600 people would have died on the same day from other causes.

It's part of the reporting. In fact the 3 deaths is reassuring in the sense that we get to know that it's not killing many at the moment. I don’t see it as scaremongering or as if they are more important than other causes. Unless you're that way inclined. The news in Europe for the modt part is that detected cases of infection are rising, but the death toll isn't so much. Which in a way is good news. But it's important to keep an eye on the deaths, because it's an important indicator.