Coronavirus: what your country is doing, how you feel & general discussion

[rainbowbluebells]

Rory Steward was on CNN last night saying similar things but in a stronger manner. He completely disagrees with our Government position and is shocked by it. I watch CNN every evening between 7 and 8 even though I live in the UK. How sad am I!

Pam

Oh I need to watch that! I feel sad though as none of these people seem to be able to influence with our PM and his two advisers are doing. Even the WHO can’t get through to them

 

[AnnieT]

Here in the UK the Government and their advisers actually WANT 60% of the population to have the virus so that herd immunity will occur.

I have watched many of the different opinions of the experts but find it illogical that you actually are going full speed ahead in the hope the population will get sick but the majority will get over it. It feels to me that people who are unable to fight this very nasty virus are being just thrown under a bus.

I know!! People in other countries are just as shocked at our government as we are.

 

[nsdn]

SPAIN MARCH 8

PRESIDENT:

 

[bertiedog]

Just watching Rory Stewart again on Sky News 10.12 am thoroughly recommend a watch if possible. He definitely is speaking out and called the Government response as "defeatist and passive".

Pam

 

[rainbowbluebells]

I know!! People in other countries are just as shocked at our government as we are.

Just watching Rory Stewart again on Sky News 10.12 am thoroughly recommend a watch if possible. He definitely is speaking out and called the Government response as "defeatist and passive".

Pam

I just watched an interview with him on twitter. (Trying to find on YouTube but there isn’t one.) He was really good. We need more to speak out. If every single MP spoke out, we may be in a different situation. Also not sure why no opposition party politician is saying or doing anything, they’re usually the ones who do.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1238092742770733056

 

[rainbowbluebells]

I still can’t believe it. I had a bit of a breakdown yesterday, crying, I still don’t understand how this has been allowed to happen? Do you think this can be over turned?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1238426772888313856

 

[bertiedog]

still can’t believe it. I had a bit of a breakdown yesterday, crying, I still don’t understand how this has been allowed to happen? Do you think this can be over turn

I am sorry to hear that this has upset you so much and it is perfectly understandable but try and maybe try to take some protective measures for yourself and loved ones. If you get too upset and stressed out you are going to make your condition worse. I know its easier said than done.

TBH it really annoys me because I have worked so hard to improve I don't want this Government because of their inaction put me at real risk as I am 72. Today I have a recurring virus from a few weeks ago rear its ugly head again and I haven't a clue what it is and why it keeps recurring so feel rubbish whereas I had picked up at the end of last week and felt much better.

Maybe try not to follow all the news and concentrate on something you do like. I love Cheltenham races so am going to concentrate on that this afternoon, otherwise I watch a good murder mystery programme or do a jigsaw and all these can take my mind away from what is going on.

Hope you will soon feel better in yourself.

Pam

 

[andyguitar]

A fraction of the intensive care beds that other countries in Europe have. Only 15 (I think) respiratory care beds in the whole country.

Thers are over 4,000 critical care beds in the UK @rainbowbluebells and I am fairly sure they are equipped with ventilators. There are also other critical care beds (with ventilators) in hospitals that carry out surgery. These are used to look after patients who are recovering from surgery. And dont forget about private hospitals. They also have critical care facilities and those numbers are NOT included in the headlines about there being a bed shortage.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

Thers are over 4,000 critical care beds in the UK @rainbowbluebells and I am fairly sure they are equipped with ventilators. There are also other critical care beds (with ventilators) in hospitals that carry out surgery. These are used to look after patients who are recovering from surgery. And dont forget about private hospitals. They also have critical care facilities and those numbers are NOT included in the headlines about there being a bed shortage.

It’s not critical care beds I’m speaking about. There are some very special type of respiratory beds which come equipped with some sort of an artificial lung that can breathe outside the body and other things. I’m sorry I cannot remember the name of what these beds are, but I remember that the number of these beds are very small - somewhere between 15 to 20, and China also had very little but had to buy lots in from Europe, from what I remember, over 3000.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

I am sorry to hear that this has upset you so much and it is perfectly understandable but try and maybe try to take some protective measures for yourself and loved ones. If you get too upset and stressed out you are going to make your condition worse. I know its easier said than done.

TBH it really annoys me because I have worked so hard to improve I don't want this Government because of their inaction put me at real risk as I am 72. Today I have a recurring virus from a few weeks ago rear its ugly head again and I haven't a clue what it is and why it keeps recurring so feel rubbish whereas I had picked up at the end of last week and felt much better.

Maybe try not to follow all the news and concentrate on something you do like. I love Cheltenham races so am going to concentrate on that this afternoon, otherwise I watch a good murder mystery programme or do a jigsaw and all these can take my mind away from what is going on.

Hope you will soon feel better in yourself.

Pam

Thank you <3 <3
Ive found it very difficult to switch off. The way I am; when I feel upset by something, I get quite obsessed about it, because finding out everything makes me feel calmer or I get agitated. But then finding out things when it’s an upsetting thing, can be bad too. But I found some good things this afternoon:

LSE and other London universities are closing their doors and bringing all classes online and exams online. This is such good news

premier football is going to be cancelled or played indoors(can’t remember which now),

so I’m really happy that companies and universities themselves are taking the initiative to protect themselves and to protect wider society I hope one by one everyone does this, even schools, regardless of what the govt says.

will try to listen to an audiobook this afternoon too.

 

[Inara]

I have heard about people with coronavirus in other countries who are ill for 2 weeks and even a few months in some cases.

In a podcast about the Corona virus on the virology blog, the experts said ca. 2 weeks when mild, 4-6 when not so mild, 2-8 weeks in case of death. 2 weeks seems to cover the estimated incubation period.

 

[Inara]

At the moment, there are only around 500 SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus cases in the UK, and with a population of 66 million, that means only one person in every 132,00 is infected in the UK. So I would think that very few infected people will be present at this event, maybe only one or two.

There is barely testing, so you can't take the numbers at face value. Here, even people with symptoms don't get tested. It is to expected as experts say: The infection rate is much higher.

 

[andyguitar]

It’s not critical care beds I’m speaking about. There are some very special type of respiratory beds which come equipped with some sort of an artificial lung that can breathe outside the body and other things.

Ah yes I know what you are talking about. That type of artificial lung is not needed to treat covid 19. It's just ventilators that are needed.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

Ah yes I know what you are talking about. That type of artificial lung is not needed to treat covid 19. It's just ventilators that are needed.

In China, they did start needing them.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

In a podcast about the Corona virus on the virology blog, the experts said ca. 2 weeks when mild, 4-6 when not so mild, 2-8 weeks in case of death. 2 weeks seems to cover the estimated incubation period.

Gosh that is such a long illness.

 

[Hip]

There is barely testing, so you can't take the numbers at face value. Here, even people with symptoms don't get tested. It is to expected as experts say: The infection rate is much higher.

There's been speculation that there might be a large pool of infected people who are not recorded in the official figures, because their infection was very mild or asymptomatic, and thus they were not aware they caught the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or did not seek medical help and did not report it.

That speculation went on for some time, but the published study from the infected cruise ship the Diamond Princess — in which nearly everyone was tested — shows that there is not a large pool of unrecorded asymptomatic cases.

If you look at table 2 in the paper, you can see that the ratio of systematic to asymptomatic cases is approximately 1:1, as out of the 3711 people in the ship, there were total of 301 symptomatic cases, and 318 asymptomatic cases.

Although in younger people under 60, there were more symptomatic cases than asymptomatic, for some reason: for the under 60s I counted up on table 2 that there is a total of 101 symptomatic cases, but only 53 asymptomatic cases.

So this idea that there is a large pool of unrecorded asymptomatic cases does not seem to be correct.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

There's been speculation that there might be a large pool of infected people who are not recorded in the official figures, because their infection was very mild or asymptomatic, and thus they were not aware they caught the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or did not seek medical help and did not report it.

That speculation went on for some time, but the published study from the infected cruise ship the Diamond Princess — in which nearly everyone was tested — shows that there is not a large pool of unrecorded asymptomatic cases.

If you look at table 2 in the paper, you can see that the ratio of systematic to asymptomatic cases is approximately 1:1, as out of the 3711 people in the ship, there were total of 301 symptomatic cases, and 318 asymptomatic cases.

Although in younger people under 60, there were more symptomatic cases than asymptomatic, for some reason: for the under 60s I counted up on table 2 that there is a total of 101 symptomatic cases, but only 53 asymptomatic cases.

So this idea that there is a large pool of unrecorded asymptomatic cases does not seem to be correct.

Hip, don’t forget it is also flu season here. So perhaps many of the milder cases stayed at home and thought it was a bad flu. Like I said, I know such cases. And I’m quite an isolated individual! Then the fact that according to the independent article I posted before, people have already been to hospital in severe conditions and so would have died too from this, without being recorded. Hospitals only started testing last week.

 

[Hip]

Hip, don’t forget it is also flu season here. So perhaps many of the milder cases stayed at home and thought it was a bad flu. Like I said, I know such cases. And I’m quite an isolated individual! Then the fact that according to the independent article I posted before, people have already been to hospital in severe conditions and so would have died too from this, without being recorded. Hospitals only started testing last week.

Sure, but the point I am making is that under the "laboratory conditions" of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where most of the passengers and crew were tested, so that they knew exactly who had the virus and who did not, the number of asymptomatic cases was roughly equal to the number of symptomatic cases.

What does that mean? I think it suggests in a country like the UK, where there are currently 500 people reported to be infected, then are probably another 500 who are asymptomatically infected and not recorded in the figures.

But the Diamond Princess story suggests that there is not a vast pool of asymptomatically infected people wandering about the country.


A nice UK map of the pandemic is found here. You can actually zoom into your area, and find how many cases are present in your locale. My borough of London only has 3 cases at present, in a total population of 330,000.

So that is about one case per 100,000. When it gets to one case per 1000, that's when I am going to start being much more careful.

 

[rainbowbluebells]

Sure, but the point I am making is that under the "laboratory conditions" of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where most of the passengers and crew were tested, so that they knew exactly who had the virus and who did not, the number of asymptomatic cases was roughly equal to the number of symptomatic cases.

What does that mean? I think it suggests in a country like the UK, where there are currently 500 people reported to be infected, then are probably another 500 who are asymptomatic infected and not recorded in the figures.

But the Diamond Princess story suggests that there is not a vast pool of asymptomatic infected people wandering about the country.


A nice UK map of the pandemic is found here. You can actually zoom into your area, and find how many cases are present in your locale. My borough of London only has 3 cases at present, in a total population of 330,000.

So that is about one case per 100,000. When it gets to one case per 1000, that's when I am going to start being much more careful.

Honestly I am not sure how the government got to it’s figure of 5,000 -10,000. I wish they would release how they arrived at those figures.

 

[AnnieT]

They can only report who they have tested surely, so the numbers will be much higher. But maybe that means the severe and death rate is actually lower because these will be noted obviously.