Coronavirus - worldwide spread and control

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I would imagine the UK authorities have consulted 'experts' in event management and come to their conclusion, based on the answers to simple questions like;

"Mr Party planner, have you ever personally observed the rapid spread of viruses at any of your parties, and if so what testing and studies did you do to establish how serious it was?"

'expert' 'evidence', etc. all depend on who's asking, who's asked, and what the intent/motivation of the person asking actually is.
 
I have a box of masks that I bought years ago but never know if I am wearing them the right way round. Is the blue side meant to be worn on the outside or is it the white side?

I notice when watching the news some seem to wear it with the blue side facing and others not. Unless they are different types of masks.
 


Videos like this are popping up on social media where Wuhan sounds like a zombie movie. Don't know if it's fake news but if it's real it looks like regular people are losing it from being housebound for what must seem like an eternity for people who don't have ME/CFS.
 
lunarainbows said:
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....-schools-if-there-was-uk-coronavirus-outbreak

According to the Guardian, the UK govt may potentially close schools if needed but would *not* close travel routes or cut towns off like Italy did, as “Shutting down movement within the UK is seen as counterproductive, according to the official plan being followed by the department.“

Also..”Public gatherings are also unlikely to be restricted because there is “very limited evidence that restrictions on mass gatherings will have any significant effect on influenza virus transmission”. Crowded places “are an important indicator of ‘normality’ and may help maintain public morale during a pandemic”.” :banghead:

So.. yeah..:(
I’m pretty much terrified. So crowds and mass gatherings don’t have an effect on virus transmission? Are they joking? :/

According to the WHO’s own recommendations on coronavirus:
https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1269109/retrieve

Introduction
Mass gatherings are highly visible events with the potential for serious public health consequences if they are not planned and managed carefully. There is ample evidence that mass gatherings can amplify the spread of infectious diseases. The transmission of respiratory infections, including influenza, has been frequently associated with mass gatherings.1 Such infections can be transmitted during a mass gathering, during transit to and from the event, and in participants’ home communities upon their return.

.... So what “evidence” is the UK govt basing this on? According to the WHO, it’s not “very limited evidence”, there is “ample evidence”. It’s not cool for the UK to say something is based on evidence when it’s basically based on the opposite of that.. Judging by this, I don’t feel like the UK govt is going to take steps needed to keep people safe or infact do any of the measures other countries are doing. I’m horrified and it’s worrying.
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In South Korea it just needed one woman at a mega church to infect hundereds of people. Same on the cruise ship.

I don't see how not having mass gatherings and changing behaviour for at least a couple of weeks would hurt anyone.
 
Leila said:
In South Korea it just needed one woman at a mega church to infect hundereds of people. Same on the cruise ship.

I don't see how not having mass gatherings and changing behaviour for at least a couple of weeks would hurt anyone.
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Agree, it’s so easily spread. It seems to me that for the UK, economics seems to be important than human lives.

Looking at the morning news, it says the UK has now issued travel advice that anyone returning from those hit areas in Italy has to self isolate for 14 days. This is all the official “advice” ever is. Anyone returning from China (who has symptoms, by which point it’s too late anyway I feel) has to self isolate. Anyone returning from certain areas of Italy should self isolate. What if they don’t? In all likelihood most won’t. Are people even temperature checked or given any advice as they actually come into the country? From reports I’ve heard, no one from anywhere is.

Official nhs guidance (there are Nhs Facebook ads for it now), now is that the UK has raised its thread level to moderate, but says risk to public is still “low”. And that coughs and colds and fever are all symptoms of cold and flu anyway (so.. the message is don’t worry). You only have to worry if you’ve been in China or you’ve been in close contact with someone confirmed to have it. Aren’t we past that stage now? Since it’s spread worldwide and travellers from Italy and Iran to other countries have already been found to have it? IMO it’s very irresponsible of the NHS as they are pretty much lying about the situation by this point.

I also saw that once the UK get to 100 confirmed cases they will stop testing everyone and just tell people to self isolate. This is contrasted with South Korea who are now testing 200,000 people for it. I know I keep talking about this but every time I see the news I’m literally sitting here feeling like.. it’s so confusing how the govt is behaving compared to other countries...and I don’t fully understand what’s going on....I feel like I’m some alternate reality...and feeling scared as heck..do the vulnerable and elderly people in this country not matter? It “only” affects people who are sick and old so it doesn’t matter?
 
Rosie said:
I have a box of masks that I bought years ago but never know if I am wearing them the right way round. Is the blue side meant to be worn on the outside or is it the white side?

I notice when watching the news some seem to wear it with the blue side facing and others not. Unless they are different types of masks.
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I think the blue masks (or 'respirators') additionally have fluid resistance. (You don't need this specification for protection against respiratory viruses.)

Alongside “regular” respirators, there are also what are often referred to as “surgical” or “surgically approved” respirators. These carry the aforementioned ratings such as N95/FFP2, but are also approved for fluid resistance. A qualification governed by ASTM F1862 – which covers the edge case in which an artery is punctured, and high pressure blood is sprayed directly at the respirator. To pass the test, the mask has to withstand this spray without leaking fluid inside the mask.

You can see why this type of mask if important for surgery, but it’s not clear outside of that setting how much extra benefit it would provide. Regular N95/FFP2 masks will block things like coughs and sneezes.
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An Italian biologist said that in southern China the population has a high prevalence (over 60%) of a HLA B27 variant that increases susceptibility to the coronavirus. In Europe this variant is uncommon (about 1%).
 
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lunarainbows said:
Agree, it’s so easily spread. It seems to me that for the UK, economics seems to be important than human lives.

Looking at the morning news, it says the UK has now issued travel advice that anyone returning from those hit areas in Italy has to self isolate for 14 days. This is all the official “advice” ever is. Anyone returning from China (who has symptoms, by which point it’s too late anyway I feel) has to self isolate. Anyone returning from certain areas of Italy should self isolate. What if they don’t? In all likelihood most won’t. Are people even temperature checked or given any advice as they actually come into the country? From reports I’ve heard, no one from anywhere is.

Official nhs guidance (there are Nhs Facebook ads for it now), now is that the UK has raised its thread level to moderate, but says risk to public is still “low”. And that coughs and colds and fever are all symptoms of cold and flu anyway (so.. the message is don’t worry). You only have to worry if you’ve been in China or you’ve been in close contact with someone confirmed to have it. Aren’t we past that stage now? Since it’s spread worldwide and travellers from Italy and Iran to other countries have already been found to have it? IMO it’s very irresponsible of the NHS as they are pretty much lying about the situation by this point.

I also saw that once the UK get to 100 confirmed cases they will stop testing everyone and just tell people to self isolate. This is contrasted with South Korea who are now testing 200,000 people for it. I know I keep talking about this but every time I see the news I’m literally sitting here feeling like.. it’s so confusing how the govt is behaving compared to other countries...and I don’t fully understand what’s going on....I feel like I’m some alternate reality...and feeling scared as heck..do the vulnerable and elderly people in this country not matter? It “only” affects people who are sick and old so it doesn’t matter?
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An impressive lack of rigour and optionality from the UK government.

More here... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...navirus-italy-self-isolate-quarantine-regions
 
strategist said:
An Italian biologist said that in southern China, the population has a high prevalence (over 60%) of a HLA B27 variant that increases susceptibility to the coronavirus. In Europe this variant is uncommon (about 1%).
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Well, I suppose that, at least, it's not the other way around and we're more vulnerable...
 
Been glued to the virus news on the CDC website, WHO, to my detriment for being able to get to sleep.

The big picture is that if containment of cases doesn't begin to curtail the spread in any specific country, then in order to continue having an effective healthcare system to save patients' lives (hospital beds, personnel, specialized hospital equipment for ICU, pharmacy), then orders will be given to close schools and public (crowded) events.

This is to slow the inevitable spread and limit the number of sick people requiring hospitalizatio all at the same time. As we are already in prime flu season, hospitals are full of sick patients. Hospitals aren't equipped for taking care of thousands of patients at once.

So, anything we can do to not catch the virus, or catch it at a much later date (should the containment fail) is of public and private benefit.

I know public health has specific plans for a pandemic, as they train for this.
 
It appears that in the UK they've been preparing for at least 30 years, by removing hospital beds from the system.

Less beds means less patients, which is obviously totally the same as less cases.

The more beds they remove the less patients, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the population, which is clearly the same thing as the country getting healthier.

A small, almost insignificant, possible statistical anomaly is that the average age of death starts to drop, but when anyone notices this just put someone on TV to deny it.

Like they did today.
 
Preparations to consider:

Asesemble these items:

Hand sanitizer, several bottles. If leaving home, take one with you and use frequently, as well as wash hands upon return, if not sooner.

Thermometer (100.4F plus lower respiratory symptoms: cough, shortness of breath==call doctor)

Mask--save for trip to doctor's office for testing (call them first-alerting them of possible Covid case) preferably not by a public vehicle

Bleach and gloves (to reuse) to disinfect (one part bleach to nine parts cold water, made daily) surfaces in a home, like toilet, or the outside door knob, anything someone could have touched who in infective or whose status is unknown

Medications taken on a regular basis---three months supply on hand, if possible

Food, drink, toilet paper, paper towels, kleenex. Aim for a month's worth

Anything else?
 
shak8 said:
Hand sanitizer, several bottles.
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If you can get it. Tried putting in local supermarket order. They had run out.

shak8 said:
Thermometer (100.4F plus lower respiratory symptoms: cough, shortness of breath==call doctor)

Mask--save for trip to doctor's office for testing (call them first-alerting them of possible Covid case) preferably not by a public vehicle
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In the UK don't go to doctor. Call 111.
 
shak8 said:
Medications taken on a regular basis---three months supply on hand, if possible
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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Sarcastic laughter from the UK.-

Levothyroxine - street value of zero, non addictive, essential for hypothyroidism and generally a medication you'll need for life. The NHS (wrongly) dictates that despite the body's demand for T4 fluctuating naturally (albeit slowly) once a year testing should be sufficient. Unless you're up for an argument. The CCG (my one at any rate) wants to just prescribe a month's worth at a time. Even though I will be on it for life.

So good luck with getting a stash of necessary pain meds in.
 
Pain meds I have, it's the rest I don't have (okay, I do have them, a whole 2 tablets of each thing - delivery didn't happen last week when it was due, it never does with this company, late deliveries, months when they just don't arrive at all, etc.). I only have those 2 doses coz I missed a day last week and today I can't get them out of the foils.

But the opiates, that are now controlled and have to be signed for, got loads of them. Just none of the diabetes, HR, or blood pressure meds.
 
No sanitizer available on my order either. I’ve got tea tree wet wipes though which are pretty good. My medication is only prescribed two months worth at a time. I’ve been stocking up on paracetamol and easy to prepare food just in case.

If anyone isn’t freaked out enough and you have S k y tv there’s a series on there called COBRA about a natural disaster and its impact.

I don’t know how I would even know if I had Coronavirus as flu type symptoms is what I get when ME flares up.
 
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