Novel Coronavirus – China

[Summer Sun]

2 hours ago, DAVID SNOW said:

This is getting daft now!  If not then all their parents/siblings/friends/teachers, etc etc must 'self quarantine' too,

This virus isn't the problem, social media and its associated hysteria is.

All those sent home in Darlington are now told to turn up as normal tomorrow unless they start to develop symptoms similar to the virus.

They no longer need to self isolate for 2 weeks unless told to do so by the NHS.

[alexisj9]

5 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

i agree i'm going to stick my neck out and say mortality rates will be probably be no more than 0.5% which would equate to the bad flu season of 1999-2000..when an extra 50k people died as result between Dec-Mar in the UK alone...dont remember there being a panic on the streets back then

Your memory is different to mine, my kids had to have the tammy flu stuff, and they had run out of liquid so I had too put the powder from the capsules in yogurt, everyone I know was panicked. 

[Cheshire Freeze]

1 hour ago, nick sussex said:

It’s a bit unclear though . What legal certainty do people have they’ll be paid . Wouldn’t the government need to rush through some legislation . Because advise isn’t really sufficient I wouldn’t have thought .

Not very good for PR if you're a big company and refuse to pay your staff for government advised sick days during a global pandemic.

[alexisj9]

1 hour ago, Astral Goat Juice said:

But they are entitled to full pay. Its statutory,the Government has advised you to self isolate for 14 days.

Those on zero hour contracts, you'll all be getting new ones come April anyways, so you will be entitled to a lot more. 

Can you tell me more about the change to zero hour contracts in April, haven't heard anything. 

[DAVID SNOW]

6 hours ago, Summer Sun said:

All those sent home in Darlington are now told to turn up as normal tomorrow unless they start to develop symptoms similar to the virus.

They no longer need to self isolate for 2 weeks unless told to do so by the NHS.

This highlights my problem with knee jerk breaking news stories on social media...........

Misinformation/half truths/ gossip spread faster than any virus could.

Turn off your facebook or whatever it is and WAIT for official government advice.

[Selliso]

7 hours ago, nick sussex said:

It’s a bit unclear though . What legal certainty do people have they’ll be paid . Wouldn’t the government need to rush through some legislation . Because advise isn’t really sufficient I wouldn’t have thought .

 

7 hours ago, Astral Goat Juice said:

But they are entitled to full pay. Its statutory,the Government has advised you to self isolate for 14 days.

Those on zero hour contracts, you'll all be getting new ones come April anyways, so you will be entitled to a lot more. 

I agree that it's unclear. Statutory sick pay doesn't equate to full pay, I think it's less than £100 per week and you have to earn a minimum per week to even be eligible.

It would also come down to how the employer / employee choose to treat the absence.

Those who can work from home should obvs be paid in full. If treated as sickness leave, it depends on your company's enhanced sick pay policy - you might only be entitled to statutory sick pay. Not to mention those who rely on regular overtime who would clearly see a reduction in pay. 

[Snipper]

Another big question is will your travel insurance pay up if you decide not go on a journey if there is no government announcement  that you should not visit a country and or not travel?

[Bristawl Si]

18 minutes ago, Snipper said:

Another big question is will your travel insurance pay up if you decide not go on a journey if there is no government announcement  that you should not visit a country and or not travel?

No it wont. Until govt says "Dont travel to xyz country".

The other issue is where people purchase travel insurance v close to holiday departure (but bought holiday months before), but govt already said dont travel to particular country, and expect cancellation policy to kick in. Most travel ins co.s would say you bought after you knew govt said dont travel there, so policy invalid for cancellation of holiday.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Bristle boy

[Snipper]

2 hours ago, DAVID SNOW said:

This highlights my problem with knee jerk breaking news stories on social media...........

Misinformation/half truths/ gossip spread faster than any virus could.

Turn off your facebook or whatever it is and WAIT for official government advice.

BBC is a prime example. This has been brewing for weeks (I started this thread on the 14th January)  but their coverage has on the whole been pretty useless. Today however they have been giving it the whole works and I am sure scared an awful lot of people. Let’s hope a lot of people are now woke to the problem but with at least a little good information. 
 

Sure makes a change from the endless stories about which second rate personality has come out to further their career or whether Megan has emasculated Harry. 
 

Apart from looking at a local area web page on Facebook, where the main topic seems to be who has lost their dog or cat I  don’t use it or Twitter. Too much misinformation and downright rudeness. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Snipper

[ciel]

With regard to the actions some schools have taken in closure or temporary closure, the head teachers were surely acting responsibly towards their students and the wider public, at least until they clarified the rather confusing advice given by Hancock yesterday, ascertained whether or not any children/staff/ family members were showing signs of illness and felt sufficiently informed to provide official advice to those concerned.

The undermining of the serious nature of Covid-19 or containment precautions may be more of a problem than sending a few children home.

[Gray-Wolf]

12 hours ago, emax said:

Thats a joke isnt it? You're not actually being serious now?

Whadya think????

[Gray-Wolf]

15 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

i agree i'm going to stick my neck out and say mortality rates will be probably be no more than 0.5% which would equate to the bad flu season of 1999-2000..when an extra 50k people died as result between Dec-Mar in the UK alone...dont remember there being a panic on the streets back then

Are you 'here' or 'there' C.M.?

If you're 'here' then you'll know that 25% of patients rocking up at A&E this winter have waited over 4 hrs on trolleys..... so come 'peak infection' you think you'll see a CFR of 0.5% (Flu normally 0.05) do you?

And what of that RTA that needs a bed? That asthmatic with breathing issues unrelated to Covid-19? The woman with birthing complications?

I'm not following where you are plucking your numbers from as ,to the best of our knowledge ,the CFR lies somewhere between 2% and 10% ( or is it 'hopecasting'?) a.t.m. ( But looking at Iran's numbers it's scarily higher than 10%.....if we believe them that is!)

EDIT: So we have govt. info saying our NHS is 'well prepared' for Coronavirus and the NHS telling us it's barely coping BEFORE and Covid-19 cases begin emerging?...... who to believe eh? The Great Blond Fridge Magnet or the Drs?

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Gray-Wolf

[Snipper]

As so much of our fruit and veg comes from abroad should we be eating it if it comes from an area where coronavirus is known to occur or be suspected because of a lack of upfront information?  As time between picking and packing and potentially eating is only a few days in theory the virus could be live on fruit/veg and it’s container. 
 

Would just a good wash be enough? Just looked in the fridge.  Grapes from South Africa, tomatoes from a Morocco  and mushrooms from Norfolk. 

[Gray-Wolf]

I thought we were told that things were 'improving' in Wuhan?

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30065-6/fulltext

[Bristawl Si]

13 minutes ago, Gray-Wolf said:

I thought we were told that things were 'improving' in Wuhan?

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30065-6/fulltext

GW - although it was only published the other day it does say on "24th January 2020 we came to Wuhan....", so it depends whether their account is based on, say, a one week stay there at end of Jan OR is it referring to a month stay until, say, last w/e?

[Gray-Wolf]

My coffee has obviously not kicked in this morning B.B.!

Thanks for the 'heads up'!

[Summer Sun]

First cases confirmed in Brazil and Greece

[Bristawl Si]

Sensible approach by the NHS England:

Tests for coronavirus are being increased to include people displaying flu-like symptoms at 11 hospitals and 100 GP surgeries across the UK.

The tests will provide an "early warning" if the virus is spreading, Public Health England medical director Prof Paul Cosford said.

Up to now, people were tested only if they displayed symptoms having recently returned from one of the countries where there has been an outbreak, including China, South Korea and northern Italy.

However, Prof Cosford said Public Health England was now working with hospitals and GP surgeries to conduct tests on some patients with coughs, fevers or shortness of breath - regardless of whether they have travelled to a place where the virus is spreading.

"If we do get to the position of a more widespread infection across the country, then it will give us early warning that's happening," said Prof Cosford.

This is a pre-emptive move by Public Health England in case the virus starts spreading on a bigger scale.

Using existing software and checklists, it will allow doctors to identify patients coming in to selected sites with the most serious flu-like symptoms - mainly the elderly - and then test them.

The aim is to discover whether coronavirus is spreading in communities.

In effect, it's a fact-finding mission to gather data to better understand the spread of the virus - if that is what is occurring.

Source: BBC news website, this morning 26 Feb

Edited February 26, 2020 by Bristle boy

[Gray-Wolf]

6 minutes ago, Summer Sun said:

First cases confirmed in Brazil and Greece

Brazil just had its 'Mardi Gras' festival which attracts folk from all over the world........ not good!

[fujita5]

9 minutes ago, Bristle boy said:

GW - although it was only published the other day it does say on "24th January 2020 we came to Wuhan....", so it depends whether their account is based on, say, a one week stay there at end of Jan OR is it referring to a month stay until, say, last w/e?

Whatever timescale it refers to, it still highlights just why the WHO are taking the threat so seriously - at least Wuhan managed to get extra medical staff in to try to save lives.  Cities in developing parts of the world just aren't prepared for an outbreak and the resources won't be there to care for the sick.

[Gray-Wolf]

6 minutes ago, Bristle boy said:

Sensible approach by the NHS:

Tests for coronavirus are being increased to include people displaying flu-like symptoms at 11 hospitals and 100 GP surgeries across the UK.

The tests will provide an "early warning" if the virus is spreading, Public Health England medical director Prof Paul Cosford said.

Up to now, people were tested only if they displayed symptoms having recently returned from one of the countries where there has been an outbreak, including China, South Korea and northern Italy.

However, Prof Cosford said Public Health England was now working with hospitals and GP surgeries to conduct tests on some patients with coughs, fevers or shortness of breath - regardless of whether they have travelled to a place where the virus is spreading.

"If we do get to the position of a more widespread infection across the country, then it will give us early warning that's happening," said Prof Cosford.

This is a pre-emptive move by Public Health England in case the virus starts spreading on a bigger scale.

Using existing software and checklists, it will allow doctors to identify patients coming in to selected sites with the most serious flu-like symptoms - mainly the elderly - and then test them.

The aim is to discover whether coronavirus is spreading in communities.

In effect, it's a fact-finding mission to gather data to better understand the spread of the virus - if that is what is occurring.

Source: BBC news website, this morning 26 Feb

About bloody time!

They could have done this from late Jan and we'd have stood a chance of pinning it down and isolating it, as it is there are now potentially folk actively spreading it among us esp. now it's in schools? (the kids on lockdown do not have their siblings/Parents 'locked down' so they're off to spread it around their schools/families/workmates?)

Edited February 26, 2020 by Gray-Wolf

[Gray-Wolf]

BBC One to air coronavirus special in last-minute schedule change

WWW.RADIOTIMES.COM

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The news special will answer key questions about the disease outbreak

 

[Gray-Wolf]

So the big Orange Boss across the Pond is fuming at his medical heads for telling folk about Covid-19 coz his shares are sliding and the 'travel industry' (and his blessed hotels) is taking a bashing......meanwhile a flight attendant flying out of LAX has now been confirmed with it......

Trump is said to be furious at grim official warnings about coronavirus, and is trying to combat a stock market slide with relentless optimism

WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

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As the coronavirus continues to spread across Europe, and threatens the US, Trump is reportedly raging about warnings from his own government.

 

[cheeky_monkey]

3 hours ago, Gray-Wolf said:

Are you 'here' or 'there' C.M.?

If you're 'here' then you'll know that 25% of patients rocking up at A&E this winter have waited over 4 hrs on trolleys..... so come 'peak infection' you think you'll see a CFR of 0.5% (Flu normally 0.05) do you?

And what of that RTA that needs a bed? That asthmatic with breathing issues unrelated to Covid-19? The woman with birthing complications?

I'm not following where you are plucking your numbers from as ,to the best of our knowledge ,the CFR lies somewhere between 2% and 10% ( or is it 'hopecasting'?) a.t.m. ( But looking at Iran's numbers it's scarily higher than 10%.....if we believe them that is!)

EDIT: So we have govt. info saying our NHS is 'well prepared' for Coronavirus and the NHS telling us it's barely coping BEFORE and Covid-19 cases begin emerging?...... who to believe eh? The Great Blond Fridge Magnet or the Drs?

 

im a realist...not a glass half empty person always touting doom and gloom where ever they can find it

[swebby]

19 hours ago, Gael_Force said:

.....

Adding some stats and facts from Italy...

114 patients are hospitalized with symptoms, 35 are in intensive care, while 162 are in home isolation.

Higher percentage in ICU than we have seen in Chinese numbers.

"In Italy there is an elderly population and this explains the mortality rates of 2-3%. The elderly are more fragile, we see it with the flu. From the latter we can protect them with the vaccine; since there is no vaccine for Coronavirus there is mortality. The only way to protect them is to limit outbreaks as it is being done. " This was stated by Giovanni Rezza, director of the infectious diseases department of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in a press conference on Civil Protection. 

Reiterates the point about lack of vaccine increasing mortality in the elderly.
 

I can not vouch for the accuracy or quality of the reporting below, but this tied in with the above stats coming out of Italy (30% hospitalisation, 10% requiring ICU) is real cause for concern.

New China coronavirus data buttress fears about high fatality rate - STAT

WWW.STATNEWS.COM

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The WHO official's claim was quickly challenged by an expert who said it would be highly unusual for there not to be mild cases that are being missed.