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The Coronavirus Dis...
 

The Coronavirus Discussion Thread.

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Is it just me

It is, to an extent.

The constant news feed and 'score board' isn't helping our thinking. And yes, some folk are overreacting.

But the guy next door to our office, just returned from Italy and felt unwell, yet wandered around business park for two days before telling his boss, highlights how this thing could spread.

What that guy doesn't know is the CEO next door has compromised immunity following cancer treatment, my wife has primary immunodeficiency and our secretary cares for an 80yr old father with a heart issue.

So potentially infecting the rest of the corridor may lead to serious, life threatening issues for three people.

So no, we're not overreacting.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:10 am
 Drac
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Lastly, is anyone not incredulous about the zero discussion on how these viruses (SARS, etc.) begin and spread? Because basically certain countries want to eat cheap meat products

Seems you know the source of the virus you best contact the authorities as it’s unknown where it originated.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:11 am
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If 1/2 have no symptoms and death rate is less than 4% of those infected

If half the country get it, then that’s over a million dead, based on those figures. 140 million globally.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:14 am
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80yr old father with a heart issue.

Me too - plus another member of the family who would likely die as a result and she's in her 30's.

But that said, closing all travel between the US/EU - I mean, that's unprecedented in recent times right?

Seems you know the source of the virus you best contact the authorities as it’s unknown where it originated.

It's part of the SARS 'family' of viruses like Swine Flu that originated from close contact with animals kept in filthy, inhumane conditions. Correct me if I'm wrong!


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:18 am
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Must admit, I am feeling very anxious about this, more so than a couple of weeks ago when the signs where going up in bright lights...

Job security and welfare of immediate family is at the forefront of my mind today. I feel almost certain a global recession is just around the corner, too.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:19 am
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But that said, closing all travel between the US/EU – I mean, that’s unprecedented in recent times right?

There's certainly no logic to that, I'll grant you, given that Covid-19 seems pretty established in the US already.

It’s part of the SARS ‘family’ of viruses like Swine Flu that originated from close contact with animals kept in filthy, inhumane conditions.

It's part of the coronavirus family, alongside the 'common cold', SARS and MERS. Swine flu is something completely different. So, nope.

Me too – plus another member of the family who would likely die as a result and she’s in her 30’s.

Everything that is and will be done is aimed at protecting people like this.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:21 am
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death rate is less than 4% of those infected

Est. 80% infection rate.

66.5 million people in this country

That's about 2,124,800 dead, if my maths is right.

Are they going to stay at home and die quietly?

Maybe a few more * might * need hospitalisation, eh?

The NHS "winter" crisis means about 100,000 more hospitalisations (NHS figure).

Here, to help: 2,124,800 vs 100,000 over a similar time period.

Where do these 2 million extra hospital beds come from fatmountain?

Do you really imagine that the "normal" NHS functions are going to still be functioning?


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:24 am
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That’s everything shutting down here in Denmark!

Sweden has announced some measures with regard to COVID, currently banning large gatherings for things like sports event with over 500 people.

I fully expect us to go the same way as Denmark in a couple of days, maybe even limiting travel within the country, which will mess up the plans for the Indoor SM in Göteborg...


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:27 am
 Drac
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It’s part of the SARS ‘family’ of viruses like Swine Flu that originated from close contact with animals kept in filthy, inhumane conditions. Correct me if I’m wrong!

You’re wrong. Wrong virus and they’re still unsure how it transmitted.

Yes there is some overreaction but there’s also a real threat of humans lives and of course the economy.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:29 am
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Has anyone else seen the Twitter reaction to Raab's appearance in Parliament yesterday?


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:33 am
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His brother works in the “nuclear police” (whateverTF that is)

Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Armed Police Force for looking after Nuclear power plants and transport of Nuclear materials.

Like a glow in the dark Transport Police.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:35 am
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But with guns!

There used to be a bunch of them at BNFL in Risley.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:38 am
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Where do these 2 million extra hospital beds come from fatmountain?

Do you really think we'll have 80% of the population sick at the same time? No, there will be a spike in the coming weeks into the thousands/low 10s of thousands and then that will most likely attenuate as additional government measures kick in and social behaviour changes as people realise it's not 'just like flu'. Not saying it's going to be easy, but there won't be 2 million people all waiting for a bed and this sort of sloppy thinking and scaremongering doesn't help anyone.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:45 am
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But that said, closing all travel between the US/EU – I mean, that’s unprecedented in recent times right?

It is, in the West for sure, but global pandemics are real, just think of Spanish Flu which killed millions and that was when people were far less mobile than they are now both within their own country and abroad.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:46 am
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Ah, just worked it out. He has golf courses in the UK and Ireland.

More likely we're predominantly a white English speaking country so it can't be our fault.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:47 am
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No, but Italy has only had 10000 cases, and their (much bigger than ours) health service is completely overrun.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:52 am
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Isn't someone on here a recruiter for the CNC?
I might be looking for a new job soon too - sounds interesting!


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 9:52 am
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Trumps travel band seems to have "spooked" the markets even more. down 6.5%


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:09 am
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China reporting they have peaked and are considering reopening schools etc. Why does it seem like that is a bad idea? Surely the virus could just spread again just as before? Do we know about what happens to the immune system with COVID19 after you have had it?


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:17 am
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Loving shapps' face in that tweet

https://twitter.com/OllyVanGaal/status/1237762057329672192?s=19


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:19 am
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That document @Mefty linked to had a minimum timeframe for an available vaccine as 4-6 months.

Is the longer time frames suggested for Covid19 (rather and Influenza) due to added difficulties in creating a vaccine that works? Or down to Flu vaccines being a well established annual process? Or something else?


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:20 am
 tomd
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They had a clip of trump on R4 this morning. Mind picklingly bizarre.

Nasty foreign, very foreign and un-American virus doing bad things. Very bad. Bad. I will protect the American people from this foreign thing. Bad, bad thing.

Just pandering to his base. He now has two possible successes to use on his re-election trail:
- It doesn't get so bad in the US, thanks to his decisive and bold steps. Yaay.
- It goes to shit. But only due to nasty, nasty foreign things. I have done more than any president to keep America safe but these foreign countries didn't get their problem under control and sent it to us. I'm tougher than you can believe on these miscreants. Keep America great. yaay.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:21 am
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Nasty foreign, very foreign and un-American virus doing bad things. Very bad. Bad. I will protect the American people from this foreign thing. Bad, bad thing.

I was saying to my girlfriend last night, it's like listening to a child.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:25 am
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There is a member of the cabinet in isolation awaiting test results, I wonder if it is Raab.

I'm not sure re the vaccine. I was reading somme interesting work on antivirals and the structure of this type of virus but vaccines were only mentioned in passing.

Influenza is a different type of virus. They've been doing vaccines for ages and all of them are slight variations on the last. There haven't been many reasons to investigate Corona viruses as most were either relatively harmless or very rare. There are little economic reasons to do anything. The way research is funded means there needs to be someone prepared to pay - either a government/organisation for health care or private companies for profit. No one's been interested so not much work has been done.

There are a few ways of making a vaccine (thinking back to my first year at uni). Once you find a way that works and can be scaled/produced you need to trial. This takes time. I think they are at phase one now which will take a few months. Making sure it isn't going to do more harm than good given to healthy people. There are a couple more stages to ensure it is safe before it is more widely administered.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:32 am
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there will be a spike in the coming weeks into the thousands/low 10s of thousands

We have 800 spare ICU beds supposedly. If infection rates hit tens of thousands, and we'd potentially only need 20-30,000 infected to fill so let's hope no one we know and love is number 801


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:36 am
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That document @Mefty linked to had a minimum timeframe for an available vaccine as 4-6 months

Not sure but so many variables in vaccine making & testing, especially if new strains have appeared

Meftys document also based on NHS capacity from 2013, which was considerably higher than we have now, bed & staffing shortages wore after a decade of austerity.

On the plus side it's been a mild winter so NHS has had a lucky escape already


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:36 am
 tomd
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Yeah the vocabulary is quite child like, but I don't think he's child like at all. He has a huge ego, and it's completely transparent in how he talks and what he talks about. You just don't get that with kids, there's a sincerity and directness that he is completely lacking.

The fact that he is still completely inwardly focused at a time like this is worrying. The terrifying bit is he has completed hollowed out all the competent technocrats in the US government. The sort of people that you need to turn pronouncements into effective action on the ground. So I'm not sure he could do a lot even if he wanted to.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:39 am
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Making sure it isn’t going to do more harm than good given to healthy people

As per Aspirin and Spanish Flu I guess then

Is there any info on Remdesivir effectiveness? I seen stuff about it being tried in Italy/China and I think Iran, but nothing more.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:49 am
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Peston on "Herd Immunity"

This is a reasonably good explanation of the "delay" phase.

Essentially, most of us will get it but we need to slow the spread, but avoid widespread disruption. Hence schools will likely remain open.

There is a grim logic to this but it also seems slightly defeatist


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:49 am
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Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Armed Police Force for looking after Nuclear power plants and transport of Nuclear materials.

With big guns, too, I've seen them practicing at Otterburn. A closish relative used to be their boss. He wasn't too pleased when the UK left Euratom against advice.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:56 am
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Nasty foreign, very foreign and un-American virus doing bad things. Very bad. Bad. I will protect the American people from this foreign thing. Bad, bad thing.

I was saying to my girlfriend last night, it’s like listening to a child.

On Channel 4 news last night they showed a clip of Trumps mad rambling, then it cut to their Washington correspondent, Siobhan Kennedy. She just stared incredulously into the camera for a couple of seconds. She didn't need to say a word. The look on her face said it all. We were all thinking the same thing...

WTAF???!! 😳


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 10:59 am
 DezB
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Is it just me or does everyone seem like they’re massively overreacting?

Directly opposing the other replies, no, it's not just you. Which makes my answer the correct one.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:07 am
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Just got off a call at work that closed with a senior member of the team going, 'yeah, the death rate is lower than the seasonal flu anyway, and any numbers are inflated by dodgy places like Iran, so no biggie'. At which point I asked him to revisit his sources.

I get that we don't need to overreact, but we need to be honest about what is happening and what this means for us as a society.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:09 am
 dazh
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Essentially, most of us will get it but we need to slow the spread, but avoid widespread disruption. Hence schools will likely remain open.

So that’s that then. They’ve decided to sacrifice the vulnerable to keep the economy going. They’ll be regretting that in a couple of weeks when doctors are deciding who lives and who dies like they are in Italy.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:17 am
 tomd
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Is it just me or does everyone seem like they’re massively overreacting?

I think if a person is starting to become overly anxious about it to the point where it's causing them sleep disruption or other health effects then that's an over reaction and counterproductive.

There are some very obvious and sensible things you could do now to limit your risk and the risk of passing it on the vulnerable people. Wash your hands, limit unnecessary travel, avoid interacting with big groups where possible. So for me I've cancelled a few trips, and 90% sure we'll be binning our Easter holiday. £600 down the drain but better than getting quarantined in a YHA for month with 3 little kids.

The other thing is to make sure you're as healthy as possible to give yourself the best chance if it comes to it. Lots of self care, exercise, good diet, reduce alcohol consumption, improve sleep hygiene.

I'm sort of using what my company is doing as a guide. We're all very used to managing very big and real risks so I'll pay attention to their advice, which broadly aligns with what I've said above.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:20 am
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Interestingly if you sort the table on this site:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

by cases per population (final column) if gives a bit more indication of the size of the impact in reference to to the countries population. Highlighting Italy's issue starkly but also highlighting why other countries such as Denmark have enacted close-downs with seemingly smaller outbreaks.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:21 am
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<nvm>


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:22 am
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Just seen this.. schools to close 20/03/2020

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1254138/coronavirus-uk-school-closures-easter-half-term-uk-coronavirus-news?fbclid=IwAR2M9hm1yKxn4xC0XfjTYpUoXzX7mSG2CvY-SSyK2bPu0gIkqI-_5EWiu-Y

I find it hard to believe as it goes against most expert advice... oh hang on. Probably will happen


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:46 am
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Where's looking relatively safe/open for 2 to 3 weeks later this/next month? I ask as I've got to use up leave and I'm a bit selfishly hacked off at prospect of potential travel bans. I'm all behind the measures but I need a break from the UK. Was looking at Norway, Spain or further afield.

Thanks


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:47 am
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Farage is out of his box saying that we should 'shut the country down'. Ground all flights and close the borders

*sigh*

I'm sure all the gammons will be praising his 'common sense' approach, with a view to it becoming permanent


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:47 am
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I find it hard to believe

Its the Daily Express!


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:49 am
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Where’s looking relatively safe/open for 2 to 3 weeks later this/next month? I ask as I’ve got to use up leave and I’m a bit selfishly hacked off at prospect of potential travel bans. I’m all behind the measures but I need a break from the UK. Was looking at Norway, Spain or further afield.

Antarctica looks safe at the minute


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:51 am
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Aren't we due some kind of meteorological armageddon style weather event or a sighting of Madeleine McCann to keep the Daily Express busy?


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:51 am
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I thought people on here wanted the schools to close? I thought we didn't believe the expert advice?

I always though this might happen as a 2 week closure gets 4 weeks of for the schools.


 
Posted : 12/03/2020 11:52 am
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