COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[Blue Hefner]

 

[Chippy_boy]

Honestly, I have been completely relaxed about this over the past few weeks. However, my mood has shifted significantly over the past few days. I am now officially in the "worried" camp.

Reading up, COVID-19 has a transmission rate much higher than that of seasonal flu - perhaps twice as much. So you are much more likely to catch it. (Not great news since I often get flu) And then the mortality rate is perhaps 10x higher.

So much more likely to catch it, and much more likely to be severely ill or to die. This is not good folks, not good at all (Note to sefl, er, no shit Sherlock.) Some of my customers are banning international travel already and barring visitors from their premises.

I wonder why the BBC and others are pumping out this nonsense that face masks are ineffective protection and not to bother? Perhaps because they know there are not enough masks to go around? And/or they are being primed by the government to not cause panic? But anyway, it is bollocks. A decent N95 (P1) respirator (commonly called a face mask) will catch most airborne droplets from other peoples' coughs and sneezes as you pass by. There is a reason healthcare professionals are wearing them.

If I were you I would get some quick. I have - although I note the availability is sparse and the prices sky-rocketing. A decent 3M FFP1 mask should be a couple of quid or less. They are going for £20 to £50 on Amazon and out of stock most places.

 

[waspish]

Thing is if your young and healthy and you have cold symptoms will they go to the doctor? Can see it going from 53 to at least 5000 in the next 2 months. It is easier to catch and % wise is more fatal!

Flu in this country though stats wise over the last 10/15 years-

In the UK it is estimated that an average of 600 people a year die from complications of flu. In some years it is estimated that this can rise to over 10,000 deaths (see for example this UK study from 2013 , which estimated over 13,000 deaths resulting from flu in 2008-09).

 

[Uffa]

Honestly, I have been completely relaxed about this over the past few weeks. However, my mood has shifted significantly over the past few days. I am now officially in the "worried" camp.

Reading up, COVID-19 has a transmission rate much higher than that of seasonal flu - perhaps twice as much. So you are much more likely to catch it. (Not great news since I often get flu) And then the mortality rate is perhaps 10x higher.

So much more likely to catch it, and much more likely to be severely ill or to die. This is not good folks, not good at all (Note to sefl, er, no shit Sherlock.) Some of my customers are banning international travel already and barring visitors from their premises.

I wonder why the BBC and others are pumping out this nonsense that face masks are ineffective protection and not to bother? Perhaps because they know there are not enough masks to go around? And/or they are being primed by the government to not cause panic? But anyway, it is bollocks. A decent N95 (P1) respirator (commonly called a face mask) will catch most airborne droplets from other peoples' coughs and sneezes as you pass by. There is a reason healthcare professionals are wearing them.

If I were you I would get some quick. I have - although I note the availability is sparse and the prices sky-rocketing. A decent 3M FFP1 mask should be a couple of quid or less. They are going for £20 to £50 on Amazon and out of stock most places.

Regarding face masks: even FFP2 (those used by medics) are only useful as long as you know how to use them correctly; for example they're only effective for a few hours, so wearing one all day long doesn't protect you. As for FFP1, they're useless against virus particles.

 

[grunge]

This new CFR announced by WHO seems, to me, what is likely to happen IF the virus can take hold like it did in Wuhan, if we don't manage to contain it. There's an interesting article here using WHO statistics. Of course viruses can adapt which is probably why the experts are being cautious.

going by Italy's figures this morning they pretty much match at 3.5% of known cases stated by the WHO. 2,260 cases and 79 deaths so far. which is 3.49%

Edit: South Korea though, 5600 cases and only 28 deaths which is down in the 0.5% range

 

[aguero93:20]

Regarding face masks: even FFP2 (those used by medics) are only useful as long as you know how to use them correctly; for example they're only effective for a few hours, so wearing one all day long doesn't protect you. As for FFP1, they're useless against virus particles.

Fucking FFP >:(

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Is it just me or is anyone else thinking that there has been a huge over reaction to this virus. We don't stockpile food, close schools or talk about calling up the army for flu which appears to infect more people that this virus so why are we are talking the doomsday scenario about this? I am sure it can't be pleasant if you catch it but from what I have read flu causes far more deaths and far more people are likely to catch flu despite there being jabs available.

No, not an overreaction, because we can still contain and eradicate it. We should be taking every single measure possible to do so otherwise we will have a virus that is with us indefinitely (that’s what happens with coronaviruses - cold/flu - if they aren’t contained).

If we can contain and eradicate it, we’ll be saving between 1,300,000 (that’s double that die of flu each year) and say 5,000,000 lives a year.

So it’s not really about who gets it and that symptoms for some aren’t that bad. It’s about containment and eradication.

So if it becomes a pandemic here, getting people to isolate/closing office/schools/sporting events, until we get on top of it - is something we should definitely do.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Regarding face masks: even FFP2 (those used by medics) are only useful as long as you know how to use them correctly; for example they're only effective for a few hours, so wearing one all day long doesn't protect you. As for FFP1, they're useless against virus particles.

Indeed. You can catch viruses through your eyes and ears and any cuts you have (a spot you’ve just popped in the mirror, for example), so these masks are only protective to a certain extent.

 

[inchy14]

I find myself disagreeing with a few posters on various issues, indeed there are one or two I think are cunts, and one who I would gladly kick straight in the bollocks,

Wishing death by Coronavirus is however a bit harsh.

What with Mazarellis Swiss Cheese having booked most of the forum into Gravitas and you dispensing death by Corona there will be no fucker on here in six months.

To be fair mate i wasn't being entirely serious.......

 

[purplenose]

To be fair mate i wasn't being entirely serious.......

I know mate hence the crack about half of us being booked in to Gravitas.