SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

There's a doctor who has made a Facebook post saying that Covid-19 is coming and it's not much to worry about. It's been shared 200k times.

While he makes a valid point that panic buying supplies is wrong, I can't help but feel his message is irresponsible in other ways.

What do you guys think?



He says he's scared that travel restrictions will ruin people's weddings, family reunions and the Olympics.

Just seems like a weird post. And of course it's been picked up by the "nothing to worry about" lot to propogate that Covid-19 is business as usual.


@Arruda
@Pogue Mahone

I gave my opinion above, just unsure if it tagged you as it was an edited post.
 


Some people are just born to be cnuts.
 
Over 800 infections in Germany (going up by 200+ per day now) already and still it seems that no one cares. "It's just a flu."

A school 5 minutes away from the Kindergarden of my daughter had one confirmed case 2 days ago.
 
During hospitalisation, how are the patients actually helped ?
It will involve, for the "need to hospitalize" patients (20% ?), just out of my head:
- symptomatic control for comfort, pain, minor breathing difficulties (bronchodilators, oxygen mask)
- correcting unbalances while the body naturally fights the infection (hydration, better control of temperature)
- controlling risk factors and treating comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, co-infections with bacteria that will need antibiotics)

The above are patients whom are almost all stable, many with pneumonia, but at a risk of developing serious complications. The goal of hospitalization is to reduce this risk down.
Hospitalization itself is probably a risk factor for very mildly ill patients so this should ideally be decided on a case by case scenario... If time and resources allow.

If these patients deteriorate (imminent or established organ failure) then you are talking about intermediate or intensive care. A relatively stable patient with just renal failure may be treated in an intermediate unit with dialysis, but as more organs are threatened ICU is the only option. Here you are under intensive care, with very specialized professionals whose goal is to directly save your life. Sometimes working at a ratio of 1 patient per nurse for example, who is working all time. Temperature checks, precise urine measurements, permanent blood pressure vigillance, x-rays, etc. Doctors here work with drugs that many other doctors are untrained in, are experts at ressuscitation and advanced life support, etc...

Now add to it, that all this needs to be done with unordinary and extreme protection measures for professionals to diminish transmission, which make everything far far slower and tiring.

Imagine how quicly some of these systems can be overwhelmed in an epodemic. A large ICU with a significant number of doctors and nurses needing quarantine at the same time will have difficulty replacing them with doctors who are ready to provide the same standard of care, for example.

I have friends involved on this, who are working in hospitals with zero or one cases, and are tired just of the preparation.
 
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It honestly feels like some people in this thread want this to wreak havoc, so they can say "I told you so".
 
I gave my opinion above, just unsure if it tagged you as it was an edited post.

Ah yes, thanks. Appreciate it.

I don't know about supermarket supply chains, but I think you're right - it would take something monumentally crippling, or huge governmental incompetence for developed countries to start running out of consumables any time soon.

I just found the wording of his post to be really strange that with too much fear mongering "we'll all miss out on a big party at the Olympics this summer" - like WTF? Priorities man! It just seemed so flippant and irresponsible, and what annoys me most is that it is now approaching 400k shares, and (some) people will read it and decide there's no need to be vigilant with regards to basic precautions.

I'm not suggesting a doomsday scenario myself, he's right that we do need a calm, balanced rational approach - but we also need to take appropriate steps, and take the outbreak seriously rather than just 'business as usual'.

I think a big part of the problem is that the public is somewhat desensitised to major outbreaks because of media hype. I mentioned above, and again, I don't claim to be an authority on these things, but from 2004-2011 I worked for a microbiological research and testing company and we carried out disease tests on behalf on veterinarians; these included assays for both genetic and infectious afflictions, viral and bacterial. During both bird flu (2006) and swine flu (2009) - some of the tabloids printed front page stories about 'millions dying' in the United Kingdom, and since this didn't come to pass, people now automatically assume that the media are overhyping any new outbreak; but I think the reaction to Covid-19 needs to be much more robust and serious.

Again, I'm not part of the doomsday brigade, we've seen Singapore get their daily increase figures down to ~5% without the need for the extreme shutdown measures seen in China. This thing *can* be got on top of, but not if we don't take it seriously.

The agitation you see so far seems perfectly controlable and proportional (or less then proportional) when compared with the dimmension of what is happening.

I'd say so yes, we haven't seen looting yet at least!
 
Over 800 infections in Germany (going up by 200+ per day now) already and still it seems that no one cares. "It's just a flu."

A school 5 minutes away from the Kindergarden of my daughter had one confirmed case 2 days ago.


will you still drop her off on monday ?

we are really debating atm to stay home with our daughter come monday
 
Why are so many people still calling this a flu? It's closer to viral pneumonia isn't it? It's also why stocking up on ibuprofen means feck all if you're buying it because you think it'll do more than just relieve your fever a little bit.
 
Ah yes, thanks. Appreciate it.

I don't know about supermarket supply chains, but I think you're right - it would take something monumentally crippling, or huge governmental incompetence for developed countries to start running out of consumables any time soon.

I just found the wording of his post to be really strange that with too much fear mongering "we'll all miss out on a big party at the Olympics this summer" - like WTF? Priorities man! It just seemed so flippant and irresponsible, and what annoys me most is that it is now approaching 400k shares, and (some) people will read it and decide there's no need to be vigilant with regards to basic precautions.

I'm not suggesting a doomsday scenario myself, he's right that we do need a calm, balanced rational approach - but we also need to take appropriate steps, and take the outbreak seriously rather than just 'business as usual'.

I think a big part of the problem is that the public is somewhat desensitised to major outbreaks because of media hype. I mentioned above, and again, I don't claim to be an authority on these things, but from 2004-2011 I worked for a microbiological research and testing company and we carried out disease tests on behalf on veterinarians; these included assays for both genetic and infectious afflictions, viral and bacterial. During both bird flu (2006) and swine flu (2009) - some of the tabloids printed front page stories about 'millions dying' in the United Kingdom, and since this didn't come to pass, people now automatically assume that the media are overhyping any new outbreak; but I think the reaction to Covid-19 needs to be much more robust and serious.

Again, I'm not part of the doomsday brigade, we've seen Singapore get their daily increase figures down to ~5% without the need for the extreme shutdown measures seen in China. This thing *can* be got on top of, but not if we don't take it seriously.



I'd say so yes, we haven't seen looting yet at least!
On the plus side, these Muppets who read it and think everything is fine won't be mad rushing to the shops and that means I can grab all the half price Freddos.
 
First case in my country (Slovenia) was thursday evening. Today we were already at 12 cases and 3 of those were doctors (from 2 different hospitals) who if believe the news got it in Italy. One of them worked part time in eldery house.
My opinion is that the virus is everywhere now and number of cases are just a matter how much testing is done.
 
On the plus side, these Muppets who read it and think everything is fine won't be mad rushing to the shops and that means I can grab all the half price Freddos.
Once Mr P hoards enough bars beyond his eating needs & starts flogging them, there'll be a tv series called Narcos: Freddos from Fife.
VOICEOVER: "Who is the mysterious Mr Big behind the Fife Freddos empire of crime?!?"
 
First case in my country (Slovenia) was thursday evening. Today we were already at 12 cases and 3 of those were doctors (from 2 different hospitals) who if believe the news got it in Italy. One of them worked part time in eldery house.
My opinion is that the virus is everywhere now and number of cases are just a matter how much testing is done.
It seems an innordinate ammount of first cases in Europe are from millenial doctors who caught it not on their job but on vacations in Italy.

Earlier in the thread I expressed concern about the travel patterns of these instagram loving doctors who go on holidays 6 times per year 3 or 4 days each time. It was said in jest, but there may have been something to it :lol:
 
If you’ve got a better tracking and recording method than the government you should really let them know.

Silly to keep it reserved for a Manchester United fan forum.

I got a notification saying 5 new cases - mustn't have been the daily update. No idea why your knickers are in a twist.
 
Can somebody point me in the direction of an online percentage change calculator that has the following fields:

[Starting number] - [Number of intervals] - [Percentage increase per interval]

I've been trying to work out potential Covid-19 growth numbers per day based on certain percentage increases, but it's tiresome doing it manually. Thanks.
 
Once Mr P hoards enough bars beyond his eating needs & starts flogging them, there'll be a tv series called Narcos: Freddos from Fife.
VOICEOVER: "Who is the mysterious Mr Big behind the Fife Freddos empire of crime?!?"
You can be my counterpart from South of the border and beyond. Like the Colombian guy in Scarface who he betrays. And then one day you phone me to say I shouldn't have betrayed you and your men come to kill me when I'm sitting beside a table covered in granulated sugar.

For the second time, I mean. I'm still fixing the broken door from the last one btw.
 
Why are so many people still calling this a flu? It's closer to viral pneumonia isn't it? It's also why stocking up on ibuprofen means feck all if you're buying it because you think it'll do more than just relieve your fever a little bit.

Every pandemic needs a nomenclature pedant. Now we know it’s serious.
 
just had a chat with a flight attendant friend from a major airline . he has been to iran , italy and china in the last 14 days , the company has 400 crew in quarantine
 
You can be my counterpart from South of the border and beyond. Like the Colombian guy in Scarface who he betrays. And then one day you phone me to say I shouldn't have betrayed you and your men come to kill me when I'm sitting beside a table covered in granulated sugar.
:lol: :lol:

It's a brief, violent but glorious life when you're a Freddos cartel kingpin, Don Pigeon.
 
Went to an urgent care centre this morning. My right lung has been hurting since Friday morning and been achey since Thursday night. My boss had a cough the last week. I’ve No fever, No runny nose or cough. I’ve had a collapsed lung, burst eardrum, and pneumonia as well as a number of chest infections in that right side in the past so always something I’m aware of and nervous about in the current climate.

Dr said my breathing is normal and lungs are clear which is good to hear. As these are often the signs i have a chest infection coming on dr put me on a z pack to nip it in the bud. Glad I got checked up as I was stressing out and glad to get on top of any infection.
 
Some good news:

In a past life I was a protease researcher. Often overlooked enzymes!

Someone told me there's hope with RNA polymerase inhibitors too. Will see what I can find.

Edit: duh. The RNA poly targeting drug is the Gilead drug I linked to a few days back. Since these will be repurposed the approvals should be faster.
 
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Ah yes, thanks. Appreciate it.

I don't know about supermarket supply chains, but I think you're right - it would take something monumentally crippling, or huge governmental incompetence for developed countries to start running out of consumables any time soon.

...

I think a big part of the problem is that the public is somewhat desensitised to major outbreaks because of media hype.

Partner went to Asda earlier in week. All pasta gone. All toilet paper gone. All fruit gone. We went Sainsbury's today. Most of the rice was gone, most of pasta was gone. Went Tesco later. All the pasta and oats was gone. All stores had much smaller stock for tin cans as well. Also checked in Sainsburys and all the basic painkillers were gone. These are all big stores as well, not the small convenience stores. I personally think the media hype has led to some degree of panic, as opposed to being desensitised.
 
I got a notification saying 5 new cases - mustn't have been the daily update. No idea why your knickers are in a twist.

Because you’re talking crap. AGAIN! Stop. Who gives a sh1t about your phone alerts. Deal in Facts, from the official source data. Or don’t post anything.

Here is the only link you need.Gov.uk

Stop getting your fanny in a flap and spouting inaccurate nonsense on every single page. At best it’s annoying. At worst it’s irresponsible.
 
Partner went to Asda earlier in week. All pasta gone. All toilet paper gone. All fruit gone. We went Sainsbury's today. Most of the rice was gone, most of pasta was gone. Went Tesco later. All the pasta and oats was gone. All stores had much smaller stock for tin cans as well. Also checked in Sainsburys and all the basic painkillers were gone. These are all big stores as well, not the small convenience stores. I personally think the media hype has led to some degree of panic, as opposed to being desensitised.
Hopefully this means that they will start bringing in larger quantities of stock in the coming days. At my missus' work they've started doing it after the initial panic at the end of the week.
 
The two who've died sound dodgy to me, both elderly cases who have been in and out of hospital. How have they come into contact with the virus, surely they've gotta suspect this has been picked up in the hospitals themselves.

I've had four days of ignoring this news as I feel the media have overeported it as there has been little other key world stories to discuss.
 
Insulting another member
Because you’re talking crap. AGAIN! Stop. Who gives a sh1t about your phone alerts. Deal in Facts, from the official source data. Or don’t post anything.

Here is the only link you need.Gov.uk

Stop getting your fanny in a flap and spouting inaccurate nonsense on every single page. At best it’s annoying. At worst it’s irresponsible.

Dude. feck off.