Is the situation about the Coronavirus worrying?

[timewarp]

35 minutes ago, iff said:

I don't get it. Wouldn't people just be buying hand-wash on a regular basis (I have 3 open ones at homes and 5 unopened ones, basically I buy them at regular intervals. Actually thinking of selling 3 of the 5 unopened ones at a big markup  not really)

See, I already piled up a few months ago, being the great prophet that I am. In fact I always buy large refill packs because (a) it is much cheaper and (b) I produce less packaging waste that way.

[timewarp]

10 hours ago, Skycaptain said:

Well, I have never used sanitiser. To me low-level exposure to pathogens stimulates the immune system, which is why I rarely get more than a sniffles 

There's also the additional problem that if you don't disinfect *thoroughly* - which 99% of untrained people don't - then you're effectively making things worse. So it is better not to disinfect at all.

 

(Edited to make the post clearer)

[Blaiddmelyn]

I can understand people panic buying hand sanitiser but I wish they'd left the hand soap. I need to buy a new one for non-coronavirus related reasons...

 

(Hand sanitiser is terrible for my skin and I feel like if I get coronavirus, I get coronavirus. Hand sanitiser is unlikely to have been the big difference between the two.)

[Homer]

I heard that people are gargling bleach to prevent catching Cortana. Serves them right.

[Zagadka]

So in America, we have a large population that has no sick days required, can't afford a trip to the hospital or a test, and can't afford any medication if they could. We stopped reporting on cases, we defunded the institutions that research vaccines... it is like we're trying to start a problem. IF the virus breaks out into the general population, people are going to continue to be social and not get treatment. None of this makes sense, and this isn't an imminent threat on its own.

 

Glad we already have an earthquake preparedness kit.

[Tanwen]

7 hours ago, timewarp said:

There's also the additional problem that if you don't disinfect thoroughly - which 99% of untrained people don't - then you're effectively making things worse.

Have to disagree - there are many in the medical world who also hold the view that the immune system needs to be challenged to remain robust. Children brought up with animals tend to have fewer problems than those raised in households where anti bac products are used on a regular basis - and bacteria are pesky little things; keep mutating and overcoming the products we've come to rely on. What happens if you don't put oil in a car's engine? It siezes up.

There are times and places where higher standards are required, but generally I go by the old saying 'You have to eat a peck o' muck afore you die'. I sledom have colds, only ever had flu once (have I cursed myself now?) so I think that at 70+ my immune system is still pretty good. It gets challenged on a daily basis, at least when I'm working checkouts. Customers don't think twice about coughing or sneezing over me, and I handle cash - which has more bacteria on its surface than a toilet seat.

[Sally]

My state -- Washington -- and my city, Seattle, are being hit with Covid-19, the disease caused by this particular coronavirus.  So far 9 people have died in the state, all in the Seattle area.   This virus is more dangerous than the flu, because 1) the death rate is higher, 2) the latency period is longer, so it can be spread more thoroughly since people may be infected and spread it before they have symptoms, and 3) the virus can live up to 10 days on surfaces, and of course can't be detected.   The national medical research/policy agency, the Centers for Disease Control, has had its emplloyees cut by Trump, and Trump does not allow national health experts release information without his administration approving it.   Thus we know what's going on locally, but not nationally.   

[timewarp]

2 hours ago, Tanwen said:

Have to disagree - there are many in the medical world who also hold the view that the immune system needs to be challenged to remain robust. Children brought up with animals tend to have fewer problems than those raised in households where anti bac products are used on a regular basis - and bacteria are pesky little things; keep mutating and overcoming the products we've come to rely on. What happens if you don't put oil in a car's engine? It siezes up.

There are times and places where higher standards are required, but generally I go by the old saying 'You have to eat a peck o' muck afore you die'. I sledom have colds, only ever had flu once (have I cursed myself now?) so I think that at 70+ my immune system is still pretty good. It gets challenged on a daily basis, at least when I'm working checkouts. Customers don't think twice about coughing or sneezing over me, and I handle cash - which has more bacteria on its surface than a toilet seat.

Errrmmm... but you don't disagree with me at all? Maybe I should have expressed myself clearer. My point was that people who do not know how and when to use disinfectants should absolutely *not* use them, because if you only do it 99% you're making things worse (because of what survives - the multiresistant stuff).

[Gatto]

I make sure to thoroughly autoclave my hands after going outside or coming in contact with others who have.

[Whore*of*Mensa]

At the hospital where I work, several coronavirus pods have sprung up in preparation- but staffing them appears to be difficult. They’ve had to offer enhanced pay to try to get more volunteers.

[Skycaptain]

Britain's are doing what we do best - panic buying. Shelves are being stripped of rice, pasta and other staples, along with soap, cleaners etc. 

[Tanwen]

They've put one of those pods outside the A&E department of our local hospital.

People are panic buying (at a rate normally reserved for impending snowfall), hand wash is scarce, as I said previously  gel hand sanitiser is not to be found anywhere - as others have said (on Fb), makes you wonder why the sudden urge to wash their hands; didn't they do it before.

THe advice we're being given is handwashing, if you sneeze use a tissue - and bin it and if you can't wash your hands, use sanitiser (which we can't find let alone buy. so I'm drinking plenty of water and will pop over to Boots (the chemist) for some Sambucol capsules and hope my hyperactive immune system carries on the way it has in the past 

[Skycaptain]

There's one positive out of this. Soapophobes are now caring about hygiene, so I'm getting less stinky passengers 😋😋

[daveb]

Trump asked if they couldn't just use the flu vaccine to combat the coronavirus. 😷

[Whore*of*Mensa]

I can't help wondering how many carbon emissions have been saved by all the cancellations of international meetings. 

[Skycaptain]

Just now, Whore*of*Mensa said:

I can't help wondering how many carbon emissions have been saved by all the cancellations of international meetings. 

Unfortunately they have been replaced by politicians spouting meaningless platitudes and deciding that policy by social media is better than policy by fact 

[Gloomy]

As someone who loathes crowded places, I think it would actually be quite nice if less people left their houses because of all this. Maybe I’ll actually be able to find a parking spot when I go to the beach. 😁

[Myssterry]

I don't generally bother with hand sanitisers, but I am getting all pupils to use some before touching the pianos now.  

[Zagadka]

Thanks to all this, I've been hyper aware of how much I touch my face, and I don't like it.

 

19 minutes ago, Gloomy said:

As someone who loathes crowded places, I think it would actually be quite nice if less people left their houses because of all this. Maybe I’ll actually be able to find a parking spot when I go to the beach. 😁

Many companies are expanding remote work and work from home programs, too. It is kinda nice. People are much more willing to do things remotely.

[Tanwen]

An airline (Flybe) is going into liquidation becuse of fewer passengers due to the virus. It was in trouble prior to this, just pushed it over the edge  

On the 'plus' side, NASA is reporting reduced atmospheric pollution in China.

 

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146362/airborne-nitrogen-dioxide-plummets-over-china

 

Sorry if this has been brought up before - no longer have broadband, and relying on 4g modem, so time is limited

[Whore*of*Mensa]

I had a work trip to Dubai next week, which has now been cancelled and a video conference  will take place instead.

 

I mean, I was quite excited to be going to Dubai for an international conference but it clearly wasn’t necessary. In this day and age we should be able to have virtual meetings, it’s not like we don’t have the technology!

[Skycaptain]

One thought I've had. It seems that secondary infections are the prime cause of death, such as pneumonia. I'm surprised that governments haven't suggested that people make sure that their pneumonia vaccination is up to date. One of those small steps that may (not necessarily will) help 

[daveb]

Pneumonia isn't a single cause disease. Some forms are caused by viruses, some by bacteria, and some even by fungi.

 

(by the way, Trump did suggest fighting the coronavirus by having people get the flu vaccine)  

[Nick2]

I am no longer worried.  The government seems to have a handle on it.  They recently said it would go away on its own.  Kind of like wishing it away.  And then there is always prayer.

[Nick2]

Maybe before this is all over we will see those old skull and crossbones signs on homes under quarantine.  They always say history repeats itself.

[timewarp]

12 hours ago, Tanwen said:

An airline (Flybe) is going into liquidation becuse of fewer passengers due to the virus. It was in trouble prior to this, just pushed it over the edge 

To be honest I'm very surprised it didn't happen earlier, and as a matter of fact I was surprised that the government didn't pull the trigger in January like it had done with Thomas Cook. As a former Flybe customer who gave up on the airline two years ago already, I can say that company was as dead as a dodo.

[Kasseb]

I was never worried, hell, I was skeptical of it truly being considered "an outbreak" considering how everyone, including experts, scientists, and yes, the government tend to overreact. Similarly to how they reacted to the vaping deaths, calling it an "epidemic".

[uhtred]

2 hours ago, Autumn McJavabean said:

I was never worried, hell, I was skeptical of it truly being considered "an outbreak" considering how everyone, including experts, scientists, and yes, the government tend to overreact. Similarly to how they reacted to the vaping deaths, calling it an "epidemic".

Unfortunately the government and others crying wolf too often makes it difficult for people to recognize when there is a real emergency.  

 

The frustrating thing about this one is that if people do the right thing, it won't spread to far and people's actions will seem to have been an overreaction. 

I remember the 1976 swine flu - where lots of people were vaccinated and the whole thing was declared to have been an overreaction because so few people actually got sick.  Of course it may be that it didn't spread *because* so many people were vaccinated.  (if enough are vaccinated, the exponential rate of spread drops below zero). 

 

Hopefully people will "overreact" to coronavirus and next year we will all be making fun of them.  That is an awful lot better than under reacting and facing millions dead world wide and hundreds of thousands dead in the US if we under react. 

 

There are good reasons to think this is a very dangerous disease: highly transmissible, long latency and transmissible before symptoms,  moderately high mortality rate.  Now we just have to hope it doesn't repeat the 1918 flu and come back far worse next year.  (vaccines will fix that if they are out in time). 

 

[Myssterry]

I am worried for elderly friends and others with pre-existing health conditions.  Hopefully most of us now, if we get the disease, will be able to recover at home following advice.  I hope panic buying doesn't make it hard for people to cope.  I still worry about the economic cost as failing businesses, and no real help for the self-employed, or people who don't qualify for sick pay will make things very hard for some.  I am in both those categories, with employed ( part time)and self-employed earnings.  There is still no word from my  employer about what would be done if the schools are closed over an extended period....

[Guest]

3 hours ago, uhtred said:

The frustrating thing about this one is that if people do the right thing, it won't spread to far and people's actions will seem to have been an overreaction. 

I remember the 1976 swine flu - where lots of people were vaccinated and the whole thing was declared to have been an overreaction because so few people actually got sick.  Of course it may be that it didn't spread *because* so many people were vaccinated.  (if enough are vaccinated, the exponential rate of spread drops below zero). 

 

Hopefully people will "overreact" to coronavirus and next year we will all be making fun of them.  That is an awful lot better than under reacting and facing millions dead world wide and hundreds of thousands dead in the US if we under react. 

This 100%. So long as people keep complaining about "overreaction" I'll be happy, it's when people start complaining about the government not doing enough that it's time to panic. I find it pretty funny to see people talking about how swine flu was an overreaction, Y2K was a storm in a teacup, of course Corvid-19 is an over-reaction too... As if swine -flu would have been no problem at all without vaccines and Y2K didn't take $300 billion and years of work to solve.

 

Personally I'm not worried for myself, I'm young(ish) and healthy, but my dad is old and has a heart condition so I am concerned for his sake. All the "only the elderly and ill die!" talk (as if those people.. don't matter?) isn't very reassuring when you or your loved ones are in that demographic. I am glad that it seems that infants aren't badly affected, I was  a bit worried about infecting my baby nephew.