Covid-19 Over The Top?

[jamesbutts1]

hi i was wondering why has everything got blow up after me finding out that 150,000 people a day die then when this corona comes along and its killed around 8000 people over 3 months its such a big deal?

[AuntPollyGrey]

I blame social media for the manic reactions of some people. Also so many false stories going about its incredible how gullible some people are. I got a private message today telling me to stop taking ibuprofen because young people were dying of Covid-19 because they had taken Ibuprofen what???? Chinese whispers gone mad.

[Theland]

Exactly.g

[Prudie]

Did anyone who caught the black death actually recover? I can't find any evidence yet 1000s have recovered form coronavirus, it's totally dramatic to compare the two. I get really irritated by the constant doom mongering in the media and on here. My poor neighbour was in tears about it today. There are 8 cases in my county, 8....

[rowanwitch]

I am sure people survived the black death gradually forming part of an immune population, if they hadn't it would still be killing huge numbers today instead it fizzled away as plagues have done through history.

[jim360]

Prudie: you must know that the number of reported cases is vastly dwarfed by the number of unreported cases. And the more people have it, the greater the chance that the vulnerable will catch it. And among the vulnerable -- those with heart or lung conditions -- the death rate is high.

This will kill many more people, and ruin many more lives, before it is all over. Hysteria it is not.

[lankeela]

How do we find out how many are dying of flu?

[rowanwitch]

The statistics on death rates from various causes are released yearly. They are only as good as the doctor diagnosing cause of death though.

[gness]

And while I'm in an unusual for me snappy mood...."such a big deal"
We don't know how it's going to mutate. We don't know yet how it affects pregnant women...especially those in the very early stages of pregnancy when the foetus could be affected even if the mother has a very mild dose. Think of the future problems that could bring. It's the unknown about this virus that is worrying....you may want to think about that before asking if it's such a big deal.

[zebo]

We may be going 'over the top' but I don't want to copy Spike Milligan's headstone 'I told you I was ill', so for the moment I'm being good and trying to follow official advice, probably for the first time in my life. When I was pregnant I didn't bother with all the waffle, and there's a million times more now, I simply took the view How hard can this be? Look at some of the fools who manage it!

[rowanwitch]

So far indications are it doesn't cross the placenta, as for mutations the corona viruses are similar to coryza or cold viruses so a degree of mutation is possible. After a few years of mutations and reinfections it is still likely that most people will have at least partial immunity but for now it is likely to come and go for some time. However don't quite me I wasn't that good at virology but I have tried to take what I can from the tv coverage and a few serious websites.

[ichkeria]

One piece of hopeful evidence about the virus is that the fact it spreads so easily might make it less likely to reinvent itself more aggressively in the short term at least.
Also viruses unlike bacteria rely on their hosts to be alive so ultimately it’s not in their interests to kill us

[pixie374]

It's not in their interests to kill all of us, ich... but wiping out vulnerable people is natural and normal. If that helps!

[Peter Pedant]

// I was listening on the radio to an 'expert' saying if this had happened 50 years ago, ......... high 'death count' down to it being a bad flu season. //

The Beeb cant decide whether the expert of the moment, is - -
an expert. and you know some of them are crazy - and crazed.

fifty years ago we had virus culture tecnics - your man was paid to know that sort of thing. if you think about it- you cant produce a polio vaccine of any kind without culture tecnics

you know the ball with trumpets coming out of it ( the virus ) > they are electron micrographs - Tiselius did the first one in 1939.

you know the furry barl has clag around it? that is uranyl acetate - and is used as a stain in EM

I was doing this - fifty years ago - honestly you listen to some of the experts and really they should keep their mouths shut - or admit they have no idea of what they are being asked about

far too much being famous for 15 m

[Peter Pedant]

// Also viruses unlike bacteria rely on their hosts to be alive so ultimately it’s not in their interests to kill us//

one eminent prof said to me: dont ask me why bacteria kill the host when it is not in their interests - - - no one knows

and added - and also the agent gets stronger and not weaker as an epidemic goes on - THAT is also not in its interests - no one knows why that occurs as
Prof Thornton Brum 1980

[Theland]

Do you think the virus will mutate and become more lethal?

[royfromaus]

Covid-19 is allowed to get going in the same way that the Black Death did, that will result in around 20 million deaths in the UK alone.



I can't wait to share that on Facebook and Twitter. I will sound like a true expert.

[jim360]

Anything's possible. As a general rule, though, the more lethal a virus is the slower it spreads: if nothing else because lethal viruses force people to retire to their bed etc more quickly, and in greater numbers, thus reducing the rate at which it spreads.

It's tricky because also viruses can transmit in different ways, eg Ebola requires direct contact with bodily fluids, and thus can barely spread far anyway even if it weren't so deadly. So that's also a factor.

[Theland]

I'm approaching this crisis in three ways.
1) Following the advice from the government and my family, using common sense.
2) Offering support where I can even if it's only a few quid to family suffering financially.
3) Using AB and any other opportunity to laugh it all off and use humour when and where I can.

[woofgang]

good for you Theland

[woofgang]

if its one of those virusses that can go dormant and hang around in carrion or the soil, its definitely in its interests to kill some of its hosts