Is the corona virus becoming a pandemic

[dbboy]

Is the corona virus becoming a pandemic? Discuss

[seenbeen]

Well, it's worldwide and people are not immune to it so yes it is already one- unfortunately.

[dbboy]

Watched this last night, https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p059y0p1/contagion-the-bbc-four-pandemic

It was so canny that this was broadcast based on what is happening right now. It was scary to see how quickly the pandemic can spread amongst a population, scary, really scary.

[JohnL]

Call me cynical but I expect an announcement to state it's everywhere sooner or later.

coughs, fever and breathing difficulties - Lots of mild versions of this around - Is the general population being tested ?.

[Spartacus]

I've watched various documentary films on the spread of viruses including the modern version of Planet of the Apes and World War Z and based on how quickly a virus spreads because of air travel I can honestly conclude we're all doomed !

 

[JohnL]

This super spreader got well real fast.

As with all viruses if you're old, young, ill or immune compromised you find it much more difficult - so we owe it to them to be careful.

[TheCat]

JohnL Wrote:

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> This super spreader got well real fast.

>

> As with all viruses if you're old, young, ill or

> immune compromised you find it much more difficult

> - so we owe it to them to be careful.

Agreed. I'd also prefer if the media gave a little more information on what the range of severity of symptoms are, and speed of recovery that has been seen in the 95 percent of those who don't die after contracting it....

Some decent stats here for those interested....

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/

[Blah Blah]

The real issue with any new virus is mutation. What previous pandemics have taught us is that it is often not the first wave that does the worst damage, but the second wave after the virus learns how to do what it lives to do, better.

[JohnL]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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> The real issue with any new virus is mutation.

> What previous pandemics have taught us is that it

> is often not the first wave that does the worst

> damage, but the second wave after the virus learns

> how to do what it lives to do, better.

I did read that mutations to a more dangerous type often happen in war zones (as really ill soldiers are moved out of the front) where as if the population behaves 'normally' the less dangerous mutations predominate (as really ill people don't go out).

The "Superspreader" for instance may have been spreading a milder variant.

[diable rouge]

JohnL Wrote:

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> (as really ill people don't go out).

It's the two week period before symptoms show and people become ill that's the big problem with this virus...

[Blah Blah]

War may have been the perfect scenario for a pandemic to spread in the past because it was the one time in which there was mass migration of people. That is not the case to day where millions of people travel across continents every day. We also have other things in play now, like better understanding of pandemic spread, better medical technology to fight infection and better protocols for contagion. Ebola is a case in point. Very deadly and quickly spread but defeated in the end by education, process and medical knowledge. More than that, we now have an army of experts constantly scanning the globe for the first signs of any new virus. None of this existed when Spanish Flu took hold.

[TE44]

There a global spreading each year of flu, that is what determines the ingredients for the yearly vaccine. Flu is constantly mutating. I agree with poster above, information given is not clear, maybe thats because the institutional systems/groups monitoring the flu are constantly struggling to understand the figures themselves.

[dbboy]

From The Guardian

"The first person diagnosed with coronavirus in London turned up unannounced at a hospital in an Uber taxi after falling ill, the Guardian has been told.

Two staff from Lewisham hospital in south London are now in isolation at home after coming into contact with the woman, a Chinese national who had recently arrived in the capital from China.

Lewisham hospital on Thursday confirmed the unnamed patient had not followed public health officials? advice and had simply ?self-presented? at its A&E unit last Sunday afternoon.

She did not arrive by ambulance or her ownprivate vehicle and went straight to the A&E reception desk to report her symptoms ? both clear breaches of guidance aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

No other patients were exposed to the risk of infection by the manner of her arrival, the hospital said.

The woman was then sent home pending the results of her tests. On Wednesday she was taken to another London hospital, St Thomas?, for treatment.

In a message to staff, Ben Travis, the chief executive of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS trust, said : ?We wanted to let you know that we have had a confirmed case of coronavirus from a patient who self-presented at the A&E department of University hospital Lewisham (UHL) last Sunday (9 February).

?The test result was confirmed as positive yesterday (Wednesday 12 February) and we have been in touch with all staff who came into contact with the patient. The patient went to [a specialist unit at] St Thomas? yesterday evening, so we are now able to update all staff.?

Describing how the patient came to seek help and the hospital?s response, Travis added: ?In this case, the patient self-presented at our A&E. As soon as the patient did this, the patient was given a mask and then escorted to be tested in the dedicated area we have assigned for coronavirus testing outside the A&E building ? while awaiting the installation of a purpose-built ?pod?.

?As further assessment was required, the patient was then taken to a dedicated isolation room in the emergency department. In line with our protocols, throughout their care the patient was escorted and did not come into contact with other patients. The patient was later discharged and taken home by London ambulance service.?

As a result of her walking straight into the A&E, rather than going to the ambulance bay to be met by trained doctors and nurses in hazmat suits, some staff may have been been exposed to a risk of infection.

Travis added: ?All staff who had direct contact with the patient have been contacted, including two members of staff who are undergoing active surveillance at home for a 14-day period as a precautionary measure ? following the advice of Public Health England.?

Media reports have said the woman rang NHS 111 before going to the hospital and the hospital was expecting a patient with suspected coronavirus. But staff there also said it was unclear why, despite apparent contact with NHS 111, she still came in by taxi, given that the NHS telephone advice line would have called her an ambulance or advised her to go in a private vehicle.

Staff at the hospital said they were worried the patient?s behaviour could have led to some of them, and some of the patients in the A&E at the time, catching coronavirus. Some are also concerned that the Uber driver who took her there may be at risk, and possibly others in his car later.

Dave Smith, the chair of the Royal College of Nursing?s Emergency Care Association, said: ?It?s worrying to hear that the public aren?t following Public Health England advice about phoning NHS 111 to seek advice, and therefore putting other members of the public and NHS staff at risk of contracting coronavirus.?

[Tractorlad]

A mate of mine had Gammon flu. It started out as Swine flu, but he got it cured!

[diable rouge]

Got to admire some people's entrepreneurial skills :)

Want to wear a face mask and still be able to use your facial recognition phone unhindered?...

[JohnL]

no - that's creepy.

Use your pin when you have COVID-19 :)

[diable rouge]

I wonder if they give 5p back for every used face mask you return...

[bsand]

Mumsnet going mental but no difference there. The trend upwards outside of China is starting to look worrying.

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3826144-to-be-worried-about-coronavirus-part-3?pg=10

[seenbeen]

Fingers crossed

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8026293/US-scientists-completed-coronavirus-vaccine.html?ico=pushly-notifcation-small

Although these zoonotics will continue to plague the globe until the market set-ups in the countries of origin are radically overhauled

[JohnL]

Stockmarkets seem to have taken fright of something related to this today - maybe it's Italy.

-900 in the US

[Blah Blah]

I think the reality now is that this virus is going to spread globally. How much it can be contained from its worst impacts is the big unknown. Some people also carry the virus and pass it on but never show any symptoms. Hard to safeguard against that.

[JohnL]

Ireland Italy rugby match cancelled unsurprisingly.

[Alan Medic]

JohnL Wrote:

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> Ireland Italy rugby match cancelled

> unsurprisingly.

That's not strictly true yet. That's what the Health Minister thought should happen. There were only 2,500 tickets sold to Italians, probably many to people in areas they can't currently leave.

Planes still flying to Dublin Airport from Milan. Doesn't seem to me to be very joined up thinking. Latest I understand is that the game might go ahead behind closed doors, which would be a shame.

[Alan Medic]

Bit of a misleading headline, which managed to mislead a work colleague:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/

300 workers sent home from Canary Wharf, when according to the article they were told not to go in to work.

[JohnL]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> JohnL Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Ireland Italy rugby match cancelled

> > unsurprisingly.

>

> That's not strictly true yet. That's what the

> Health Minister thought should happen. There were

> only 2,500 tickets sold to Italians, probably many

> to people in areas they can't currently leave.

>

> Planes still flying to Dublin Airport from Milan.

> Doesn't seem to me to be very joined up thinking.

> Latest I understand is that the game might go

> ahead behind closed doors, which would be a shame.

Think I jumped the gun a bit on that one, but seems to be off now

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/ireland-vs-italy-cancelled-coronavirus-six-nations-schedule-a4372376.html