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Covid

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170 workers at a factory in Cornwall test positive for Covid. Most totally unaware and had no symptoms.

97 replies

Treesofwood · 30/09/2020 21:48

What is going on? Do these tests even work? How can that any people have a deadly disease that kills 1% of people it infects and not even know?

OP posts:
Treesofwood · 30/09/2020 22:22

But 75% of flu cases are asymptomatic. Its not unique in that way.

OP posts:
bumblingbovine49 · 30/09/2020 22:27

@Treesofwood

Perhaps they should all wear masks?
Masks don't stop infections they reduce the risk .

As to why the symptoms seem very mild/ non existent in most of the cases in the op,:

Maybe they did wear masks and that is why they mostly have mild cases. There has been some suggestion that even if masks don't stop you getting infected they may reduce the amount of virus you are infected with which in turn gives your immune system more time to kick in before your viral load gets too high , leading to milder illness.

Alternatively as Covid is not a quick illness, some of those infected may still develop worse symptoms and get more ill.

Maybe those infected are mostly young and healthy

MaxNormal · 30/09/2020 22:32

So could one solution be everyone becomes vegetarian - even if just temporarily?

Yes, let's fuck a few more industries, I'm sure farming wants its turn.
Ridiculous.

SheepandCow · 30/09/2020 22:36

@MaxNormal

So could one solution be everyone becomes vegetarian - even if just temporarily?

Yes, let's fuck a few more industries, I'm sure farming wants its turn.
Ridiculous.

I wasn't being serious. I don't believe it would be sufficient to contain the spread. But...if yours was the only reason not to, well then it would be a question of competing priorities. The pub, bar, restaurant, shop, gym, entertainment and sporting venue industry (plus schools, universities, offices, and hospitals)... versus the meat industry.
PicsInRed · 30/09/2020 23:03

@SheepandCow

So could one solution be everyone becomes vegetarian - even if just temporarily?
Nah, I'm good.
CrunchyCarrot · 30/09/2020 23:11

It's not just meat-packing factories, there was an outbreak at a Hereford vegetable farm - 73 people were positive. Many were asymptomatic. They were housed in mobile homes onsite.

Unsure33 · 30/09/2020 23:14

Covid loves cold humid atmospheres. It survives in sub zero temperatures.

I guess time will tell whether these people will have long term affects . Early days yet .,

MissPoldark · 30/09/2020 23:22

Cold and humid? I thought it liked cold and dry?

One idea is that moisture surrounding the virus completely evaporates in dry conditions, meaning it can float more easily in the air rather than falling to the ground/nearest surface as it would in a droplet.

bombaychef · 30/09/2020 23:33

Meat factories are generally damp wet and cold. Staff may work close together and may well share accommodation

onedayinthefuture · 30/09/2020 23:33

If I were to overthink this on a biblical sense, the virus most likely came from animals and it seems to be most infectious in meat packing factories of all places.... nature is telling us something. We need to look after animals. End of.

Keepdistance · 30/09/2020 23:37

Were the % asymptomatic in the nirthern factory outbreaks as high?

Wondering if higher vit d levels in the south help.
As i think swindon there were also high numbers

VillageGreenTree · 30/09/2020 23:38

You can test positive before your symptoms develop.

YourWinter · 30/09/2020 23:44

@AfterSchoolWorry

The explanation given for meat plants here in Ireland has 'oh they are all non-nationals who tend to share accommodation' , but then why not fruit pickers, other food industries?

What is it about meat processing plants?

Meat and poultry processors are working indoors, in close proximity, in noisy, cold and moist conditions (though actually there were outbreaks on fruit farms in the summer, shared accommodation likely to be a factor). Dozens of food plants have had outbreaks, from abattoirs, meat and poultry cutting and packing plants, sandwich and ready meal factories.

Whatever the conditions inside the plant, whatever 'rules' are set out by management or, indeed, government, a common factor is that they are largely staffed by migrant workers, either seasonal or long-term migrants. Often a large number of men (usually) will share staff accommodation, grubby caravans or houses, or they will rent privately, and to keep their costs to a minimum there are houses of overcrowded multiple occupation where they sleep several people to a room, even hot-bedding so the night shift worker goes to sleep for the day in a bed vacated by one going to work in the morning. Hygiene is an alien concept AT work, let alone out of work, and social distancing absolutely won't happen. Whilst of course these standards are not universal, large groups living in an overcrowded house, who then work together all day or night in a cool, moist food plant, are ideal for any virus to spread.

starfro · 30/09/2020 23:48

For a healthy under 50 person your chance of survival is 99.997% at worst.

Despite media over-highlighting the very rare cases, most working age people will have no problems with the virus.

People are really struggling to understand that the virus is 1000's of times more deadly for the elderly than the young.

SheepandCow · 30/09/2020 23:59

@starfro

For a healthy under 50 person your chance of survival is 99.997% at worst.

Despite media over-highlighting the very rare cases, most working age people will have no problems with the virus.

People are really struggling to understand that the virus is 1000's of times more deadly for the elderly than the young.

Do you have a link?

Access to hospital treatment will affect the figures. If hospital beds are full (i.e. if we have no containment measures), people can't get treatment. Lots of under 50s have needed hospitalisation from Covid.

Also, I thought the risk (of death) increased from 45, not 50? According to SAGE.

Talking of struggling. I think lots of people are struggling to realise that death isn't the only issue. Experts estimate Long Covid is affecting 10% of patients. That includes quite a significant proportion of the working age population.

CoffeeandCroissant · 01/10/2020 00:28

About half of the 50-year-old population of most Western countries has a comorbidity that places them at higher risk.

SophieGiroux · 01/10/2020 00:42

@onedayinthefuture

If I were to overthink this on a biblical sense, the virus most likely came from animals and it seems to be most infectious in meat packing factories of all places.... nature is telling us something. We need to look after animals. End of.
Totally agree with this!!
Treesofwood · 01/10/2020 01:41

Sheepandcow Always see your claims about Long Covid, never seen the evidence to show 10% will be impacted.

OP posts:
SeekingAnswers3 · 01/10/2020 01:53

It ant just meat processing factories. The sandwich factory in Northampton had a big outbreak. It’s cramped, colder conditions where the employees may have to shout to be heard.

PrimalLass · 01/10/2020 02:05

Plus another vegetable farm in Fife. And Amazon.

RepeatSwan · 01/10/2020 02:07

@Treesofwood

Sheepandcow Always see your claims about Long Covid, never seen the evidence to show 10% will be impacted.
10% is pretty widely stated amongst medical and scientific fields and has been reported extensively. Although Sweden recently reported 15%. Within the long covid bracket are wide-ranging impacts, from rashes to life-changing heart damage.

It isn't any poster's job to provide studies though, this is a chat forum!

If you don't want to believe it, that's your right.

Jrobhatch29 · 01/10/2020 06:49

I think half the problem is in this country we are told you can't possibly have covid unless you have one of the 3 symptoms which just isn't true. There will be loads of people with a headache or a sore throat who have covid but because our symptom list is so small they assume it's a cold

sashh · 01/10/2020 07:10

What is going on? Do these tests even work? How can that any people have a deadly disease that kills 1% of people it infects and not even know?

Polio was exactly the same, most people didn't know they had it, some people died, some were left with long term problems.

As for food factories, I'm not sure there are many migrant workers in Cornwall as it's a year round job and there are not many of those to go round.

But whether it's migrant workers or not everyone has to get changed at the start and end of their shift. It's difficult to social distance when your locker is next to someone else's.

iskwobel · 01/10/2020 07:30

Apparently it's really hard to wear a mask and goggles in some meat processing plants as the workers are using knives and sometimes electric saws etc. They need to wear the goggles but masks make them steam up which is really dangerous, so this is an added spread.

BrieAndChilli · 01/10/2020 07:30

It’s not just meat though is it, there were all those outbreaks in Leicester clothes sweat shops. Maybe we should just all go around naked and stop buying clothes going by some people’s reasoning!!

Also why are all these asymptomatic people being tested? Are the factories having private tests? I think we would all be very surprised if the whole population were tested, we would probably find a huge proportion of the country had covid with no symptoms!! It’s just that we aren’t supposed to get tested unless you do have symptoms