Covid-19 Megathread

[Keith Houchen]

I’ve had tuberculosis twice, including last year. I’m currently laid up with what feels like a real heavy cold and my breathing is as laboured as Loki’s butler. I’m  dead already, aren’t I. 

[tiger_rick]

Greggs winning again.

 

[Guest]

My mum's gone into panic buying mode (toilet rolls, tinned food), and feels dirty for it because she doesn't believe the virus itself will disrupt the supply chain, but doesn't want to be the one caught out when every other numpty's cleared the shelves. Which is hard to argue with, really. Fears of shortages become a self-fulfilling prophecy after a point.

[Chris B]

38 minutes ago, Undefeated Steak said:

What about SARS, with a mortality rate of about 10% or Ebola which had an even higher mortality rate?

Absolutely not claiming to be any expert, but my understanding is that it's not the mortality rate - it's the transmission rate that's the scary bit here. SARS, Ebola... high mortality rates, but you were fairly unlikely to get it. Think closer to the common cold here, in terms of the chances of you catching it. 2% of the people catching it dying would likely be a far higher number than 10% of those with SARS.

Basically, the risk of passing it onto someone vulnerable to it is far higher than with most things like this.

[cobra_gordo]

I work for a massive global company and some posters appeared around our building yesterday morning reminding people to wash their hands to stop the spread of viruses. Whilst not specifically referencing Coronavirus/ Covid it wouldn't take a genius to work out that's what they were referring to. The image on the poster? A sneezing Chinese man. The posters had all sadly been taken down by the time I went back to take a picture.

Edited March 3, 2020 by cobra_gordo

[quote the raven]

The country will go into melt down in a few weeks, the panic will see to that. 
 

Part of me wants to be sensible and not add to it and start buying and hoarding but then I don’t want to run out if shit roll. 
 

[The Gaffer]

I'd imagine the actual mortality rate is lower than 2% when you factor in that they've gotten that figure from diagnosed cases. The high figures in Wuhan were also whilst hospitals could not meet the huge sudden influx of those presenting with symptoms. Apparently since February the death rate there is just 0.7%. You've got lord knows how many unreported cases out there that came and went as a common cold. 

1 out of every 1,000 people in Hubei contracted this. Containment response should be taken as seriously as possible, but the reporting does seem incredibly alarmist. Social media was in its infancy when swine flu hit in 2009. This is the first proper big boy of the dad's-got-a-Twitter-too age, and it ain't pretty. 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Gay as FOOK

[SuperBacon]

1 hour ago, Keith Houchen said:

I’ve had tuberculosis twice, including last year. I’m currently laid up with what feels like a real heavy cold and my breathing is as laboured as Loki’s butler. I’m  dead already, aren’t I. 

If you do, I’ll score an amazing own goal header at 7 a side in your memory mate.

Is anyone else having massive anxiety issues with all this? I don’t know why but I am constantly reading everything about it and it’s really doing my head in. I wish I’d home schooled my kids to be honest. 

Every school drop and pick up I’m eyeing up all this filthy little bastards and guessing which ones are just plain dirty feckers.

And that’s just the parents.

[DavidB6937]

Add me to the list of people having ridiculous anxiety about this. My mum has had breathing issues for years. My wife had pneumonia last year. I don't really give a shit about me but I'm definitely worried about it getting anywhere near them.

I've taken to switching off news alerts etc as I can't be dealing with constant notifications of another person having it. It's too much.

[Loki]

57 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said:

the reporting does seem incredibly alarmist.

I think it's been super restrained.  Nobody should be having panic attacks about this, but this is the most serious virus this country has seen in a century and we need to start taking it seriously.  I'm surprised we're not taking more measures to limit large crowds etc, that would just seem like a sensible move at this stage.  But I guess they're trying to balance the response against disruption.

PM's statement:
 

Quote

 

From the Chinese study of Covid-19 so far

Risk of dying if you get it per age group

AGE DEATH RATE*

80+ years old 14.8%

70-79 years old 8.0%

60-69 years old 3.6%

50-59 years old 1.3%

40-49 years old 0.4%

30-39 years old 0.2%

20-29 years old 0.2%

10-19 years old 0.2%

0-9 years old no fatalities

Risk of death from pre existing conditions combined with covid-19

PRE-EXISTING CONDITION DEATH RATE*

Cardiovascular disease 10.5%

Diabetes 7.3%

Chronic respiratory disease 6.3%

Hypertension 6.0%

Cancer 5.6%

no pre-existing conditions 0.9%

 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Loki

[Chris B]

38 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Add me to the list of people having ridiculous anxiety about this. My mum has had breathing issues for years. My wife had pneumonia last year. I don't really give a shit about me but I'm definitely worried about it getting anywhere near them.

I've taken to switching off news alerts etc as I can't be dealing with constant notifications of another person having it. It's too much.

There's a middle ground somewhere, I think. Too many people coming out with 'pfft, nothing to worry about - it's only people with immunity issues and the elderly that are at risk' are really minimising the risk to those people. It's like with vaccination - it's not just about YOU catching it, it's about protecting those with immunity issues.

However, if you're taking it seriously, and helping them be sensibly preventative, then you're doing more than most already.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Chris B

[Carbomb]

I have to admit to being worried too. My parents are in their early 70s, and they're getting back from a cruise in Scandinavia tomorrow. Chances are we'd have heard something by now if they had been exposed to it, as there are a load of people on that ship, but still can't help worrying.

[The British Bushwacker]

We have an isolation cabin at the hospital i work at, just in case, but its making people panic just seeing it.

Having had Whooping Cough October-December (which i thought was just some old victorian disease) i don't really fancy picking this up, that literally knocked my immune system to shit, the only plus side being i lost a ton of excess weight whilst having it

[Guest]

1 hour ago, quote the raven said:

Part of me wants to be sensible and not add to it and start buying and hoarding but then I don’t want to run out if shit roll.

That's exactly it. It's all very well sitting at home laughing at the lunatics, but if their insanity's going to leave you without the basics, then it might be time to put pants on your head and join them.

[JNLister]

Good piece from Sky running through all the stats and forecasts:

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-reality-check-how-worried-should-we-be-11948003