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Original poster

Dad, 27 dies days after discharging himself from A&E over fear he’d catch covid

117 replies

OrangesAndLemons2 · 21/01/2021 10:26

metro.co.uk/2021/01/21/dad-27-dies-after-discharging-himself-from-ae-over-covid-fears-13940963/

I really think the media needs to be held accountable for this. The complete blanket reporting on covid and the constant doom stories are keeping people terrified. Yes, awareness needs to be raised so that people follow the rules and guidelines. But when it comes to something like this, somebody, a young person, too scared to get help for another potentially life threatening issue, then it becomes a big problem.

OP posts:
Original poster
OrangesAndLemons2 · 21/01/2021 10:28

The title is meant to read ‘over fear he would catch covid’

OP posts:
Fallox · 21/01/2021 10:29

I don't know what the alternative is really.
People have always left a+e when they shouldn't, because they want rest or because the wait is too long.

I don't think the media can be held to account for reporting what's happening in hospitals. One of my local wards for mental health patients for example has a 100% covid rate, which is just the truth

Nousernamesleftatall · 21/01/2021 10:30

I agree the excess deaths due to only focussing on Covid will kill far more young people with years and years of life left in them than it ever saved. But Covid scare mongering sells newspapers.

People don’t care. If they have not lost their job, are not suffering domestic abuse, mental health issues, poverty and lack of cancer treatment all they see is Covid.

TheUndoingProject · 21/01/2021 10:31

1,820 people died yesterday. It is a doom story.

Fallox · 21/01/2021 10:35

@Nousernamesleftatall

Lots of that effect isn't from over reporting of covid issues though. For example in my local mh service, staff have been redeployed to areas with high sickness rates, the appropriate changes because of covid have reduced capacity, recruitment is down and the local ward has a 100% covid rate (with now physically ill people that require more support than usual)

It isn't that they've stopped focusing on mental health, but that the way things function is significantly changed by factors related to covid

feelingverylazytoday · 21/01/2021 10:35

@TheUndoingProject

1,820 people died yesterday. It is a doom story.
You mean 1,820 deaths were reported yesterday, not that 1,820 people died yesterday.
Imiss2019 · 21/01/2021 10:36

@TheUndoingProject

1,820 people died yesterday. It is a doom story.
Quite! Although the article is confusing as it says discharged himself from a&e but also says he was placed on a COVID ward?

I think it reflects the fact that people don’t have the knowledge they need to assess their own health risks. With things as they are they wouldn’t have placed him on a ward if they weren’t concerned it’s so sad he was too afraid to trust the doctors judgement about where it was best for him to be

Bythemillpond · 21/01/2021 10:44

Why the hell was he placed on a Covid Ward whilst awaiting his test results

I think I would have walked out too.
Who even thinks to do this sort of thing.
It is no good doctors and nurses crying about Covid and for people to be careful if they then go and put someone who hasn’t tested positive for Covid on a ward full of people with Covid.
That is another level of stupidity. Even if he had tested negative he could still have caught it in the time he was on the ward so his negative test meant nothing

feelingquitehopeful · 21/01/2021 10:45

Some hospitals are mixing covid patients with no covid patients, some have been unable to guarantee any 'green' areas now. So his fears were actually well founded, however at his age his chances of full recovery from covid were high, so this should have been made clear to him (and to everyone).

feelingquitehopeful · 21/01/2021 10:46

It is not about being stupid, there is no more space left on wards to put patients.

TriggersBroom · 21/01/2021 10:48

My DH caught covid in hospital and died.

secretllama · 21/01/2021 10:48

I agree OP. I remember months ago when there were wildfires in California , and the news report was saying they had to convince a number of people to leave their houses as they were too scared because of covid. They felt the approaching forest fire was less of a risk?!

Toddlerteaplease · 21/01/2021 10:48

@Imiss2019 is quite right it does show an inability to assess risk. Covid patients are kept well away from possible covids. And that has been well publicised.

Fallox · 21/01/2021 10:49

@Bythemillpond

I would presume what It meant is he was on a holding ward until negative.

Certainly our local hospital is split into red and green areas. Green you can only go to after a negative test (to stop for example you being on a green ward, then testing positive quickly after and the green ward being compromised).

My experience is that you don't wait on a covid ward, where everyone has tested positive or like that where people are being actively treated for covid. You wait on a ward with other people like you who are in the "unknown" category. Some of which will turn out to be positive, some will turn out to be negative.

Its not a covid specific ward

Imiss2019 · 21/01/2021 10:49

It’s just so bloody tragic. I’ve been fairly resilient up until now but I must admit it feels pretty hopeless right now far worse than March last year.
Whilst I don’t understand the logic of putting him on a COVID ward I suspect it’s resources and availability that forced that situation. Hospitals are over run the chances of you being on any ward without COVID is probably non existent

Toddlerteaplease · 21/01/2021 10:49

I very much doubt he'd have been put on a Covid ward.

Avondklok · 21/01/2021 10:51

My aunt caught Covid on a non-Covid ward, and died at the weekend.

Toddlerteaplease · 21/01/2021 10:51

My hospital has red, yellow and purple. Red is Covid. Yellow is non shielded and purple is shielded.

bumblingbovine49 · 21/01/2021 10:52

@Bythemillpond

Why the hell was he placed on a Covid Ward whilst awaiting his test results

I think I would have walked out too.
Who even thinks to do this sort of thing.
It is no good doctors and nurses crying about Covid and for people to be careful if they then go and put someone who hasn’t tested positive for Covid on a ward full of people with Covid.
That is another level of stupidity. Even if he had tested negative he could still have caught it in the time he was on the ward so his negative test meant nothing

It isn't stupidity,.it is because they don't have Covid free wards to place him in
Imiss2019 · 21/01/2021 10:52

Yes makes more sense that he was on on a holding ward with people who had not confirmed results. Again newspapers reporting in accurate information which will feed people’s fears that if they go to a&e with a non COVID complaint they will be placed on a COVID ward.

Fallox · 21/01/2021 10:52

Obviously what happened when I was admitted might not be the same.

But I was admitted to a red ward but it wasn't a covid specific ward, because I wasn't proven green . The holding ward is still classed as in the red zone as ppe is the same as confirmed covid.

BonnesVacances · 21/01/2021 10:53

This isn't a problem of media scaremongering. It's a problem of hospitals being so overwhelmed that people without Covid are being placed on a ward with people with Covid. Papers playing down the effects of the pandemic isn’t going to resolve that. If anything, focussing on it should be making people behave more responsibly and not contribute to making it worse. But there are always people who think they're cleverer and ignore it. That's the problem.

TriggersBroom · 21/01/2021 10:54

Sorry to hear that Avon. My DH was also on a non covid ward. This was back in November so I imagine it would be much more prevalent now.

thecatfromjapan · 21/01/2021 10:54

But 'the media' are also carrying stories like this one - with its implication that you really need to balance risk.

And I've seen very clear statements in the media telling people to continue to use the NHS.

And 'the media' also carry very detailed data on coronavirus and risk.

Fallox · 21/01/2021 10:57

@thecatfromjapan

I guess it depends on how younread this story

You could either see it as a story that encourages people to seek medical attention when needed and is a good reminder the risks of leaving concerns

Or you could read it (as some have mentioned above) that you'll be left on a covid ward and its dangerous

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