How the Coronavirus Could Take Over Your Body ....

[bindeweede]

...(Before You Ever Feel It).

A vivid and terrifying description of how Corona virus can kill. A lesson on why social distancing is so important. A horror story, but intended to shock, I'm guessing.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03 ... ction.html

[Tony.Williams]

There seems to be a huge variation in the severity of the symptoms, even among older people. I heard one middle-aged lady say that she had caught the disease and recovered from it. She had also passed it on to her elderly mother - who was less affected than she was.

[chaggle]

I've got a slight tickly cough and I feel a bit shit - but no temperature.

I'll keep you posted.

[bindeweede]

I've got a slight tickly cough and I feel a bit shit - but no temperature.

I'll keep you posted.

Hopefully, after a whisky or two, and some paracetamol, you'll feel better in a day or two.

[Ketchup]

I've got a slight tickly cough and I feel a bit shit - but no temperature.

I'll keep you posted.

Hopefully, after a whisky or two, and some paracetamol, you'll feel better in a day or two.

Strepsils help too.
Hope you're on the mend now, chaggle(?) This is when we could so do with testing in this country. (I'm not sure of the real reason why it's not currently available to all ...).
I had the temperature, sore throat, couple of days with bit of dry cough, and real debilitating fatigue. (No respiratory problems). Self-isolated for 3 weeks from day one - 2nd March (when it was just the fever). Worst day was the 15th. Did all the right [common sense] things, and thankfully, just fine now.
Keep well and safe - everyone.

[chaggle]

Yes I'm fine now thanks Ketchup.

I wonder if you had it? Wonder if I did? If I did it was only bad for a day and not classic symptoms so I doubt it.

I went out early on Monday before I felt bad and haven't been out since except with the dogs and I can guarantee I won't meet anyone.

Won't go to the shops until next weekend.

[chaggle]

https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/ ... IafoxYdlC0

Here's an interesting article from someone who should know what's she's talking about.

If I understand it correctly...

You are only infectious for 72 hours.

I take great umbrage at the lengths of time you are meant to be infectious for because it is just not true. Nine days is nonsense. You don’t excrete a live virus that long.

Those studies are not checking for live virus, they are checking for genome. They do something called a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction), which is the test we are using to diagnose patients. It doesn’t tell you that you have live virus in your nose, it tells you have had it. For about 72 hours of a viral infection you have a live virus.

The likelihood is up to 48 hours before [symptoms appear]

...and therefore I conclude only 24 hours after. (maybe I'll go shopping soon - I've been better for days)

It's probably not been in the UK for long (many people think it has).

Was it already here? No. Why would we then see it breaking out in China? The way it has spread would indicate that is where it has originated. We have had other infections over the winter that people may be confusing with it and the most persistent was a productive cough that people couldn’t shake, but that’s not the same thing.

Contrary to what some think, the data from China is good

Yes, there is very good data. The studies that have been done are excellent and so rapidly produced,

[Tony.Williams]

Thinking about an epidemic like this involves a lot of juggling with numbers - infection rates, death rates, and the economic cost of the virus compared with the cost of countermeasures.

I have some sympathy with one viewpoint I have read: that the enormous costs involved in trying to keep society intact while preventing the spread of the disease will wreck our economy for the foreseeable future, and it's mostly to keep elderly people like me living for a few years longer. Does that make sense? Even before Covid-19 the younger generations were rightly complaining that the "boomers" enjoyed (and still enjoy) considerable financial advantages while leaving their successors to cope with global warming against a background of a lower standard of living (housing, pensions etc). So saddling the youngsters with the massive debt burden caused by the present lavish government spending will just add to the inequity.

The traditional approach to medical care is to concentrate on the most sick (mostly the old, in this case). If the NHS can't keep up with demand, we might well see a change, in line with some other countries: focus on the ones with the best chance of recovery, who will mainly be the young. I couldn't argue with that.

However, I can't blame the politicians for the decisions they are making. There are no right answers, only a choice of bad ones.

[bindeweede]

Talking of bad ones........I wasn't actually considering moving to Belarus.


"Belarus president refuses to cancel anything - and says vodka and saunas will ward off COVID-19 ."

When asked if there was anything that would stop him playing ice hockey, Mr Lukashenko replied: "It is possible, but why? I don't understand. There are no viruses here.

"Did you see any of them flying around? I don't see them too. This is a fridge."

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus- ... s-11965396

[Tony.Williams]

The traditional approach to medical care is to concentrate on the most sick (mostly the old, in this case). If the NHS can't keep up with demand, we might well see a change, in line with some other countries: focus on the ones with the best chance of recovery, who will mainly be the young. I couldn't argue with that.

I see from the newspapers that this is already happening.

[chaggle]

Yes - the TV docs have been saying for some time that they might have to prioritise those more likely to survive

[Ketchup]

The traditional approach to medical care is to concentrate on the most sick (mostly the old, in this case). If the NHS can't keep up with demand, we might well see a change, in line with some other countries: focus on the ones with the best chance of recovery, who will mainly be the young. I couldn't argue with that.

I see from the newspapers that this is already happening.

It is indeed - certainly in London.
I had an appointment for a scan tomorrow (made just under 3 weeks ago) at a London hospital within the same health authority as Northwick Park Hospital ( 'Hospital’s critical care unit overwhelmed by coronavirus patients' ) -
and from 4 days ago: https://www.hsj.co.uk/news/hospitals-c ... 89.article.
I telephoned this morning to confirm whether or not I should still attend, and was told that my appointment (along with many others) has been cancelled, as the hospital is concentrating solely on Covid-19. They said a letter had been sent out, but as of today I had not received anything in the post.

[Tony.Williams]

Now is not a good time to get injured or fall ill - from any cause.

It isn't just the hospitals and GP surgeries which are affected - I'm hoping I don't need any dental work in the next few months. Urgent cases will supposedly receive attention, but it seems at a few specialist centres rather than your local.

[chaggle]

Here's a very interesting article from El Pais on the spread of coronavirus in three different real-life scenarios. Lots of lessons to be learnt.

https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news ... oided.html

I won't be venturing indoors in our pub when it opens but I'm looking forward to a pint in the garden (such as it is - it's a car park).

[Tony.Williams]

Interesting. It all seems fairly obvious when it's spelled out like this.