Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[Raleigh Chopper]

Serious Post please read.
Unbelievably, allegedly, there are people in Plymouth going to old people's houses and offering to do their shopping and asking for their debit card to pay for it, you can guess the rest.
There are some very kind people who are starting to do some great communial things, but please advise if you have elderly parents, or if you are old yourself to be very aware.
I am on to my mum and dad now.
This is NOT scaremongering.

 

[birthofanorange]

Serious Post please read.
Unbelievably, allegedly, there are people in Plymouth going to old people's houses and offering to do their shopping and asking for their debit card to pay for it, you can guess the rest.
There are some very kind people who are starting to do some great communial things, but please advise if you have elderly parents, or if you are old yourself to be very aware.
I am on to my mum and dad now.
This is NOT scaremongering.

The equally sad thing, is that it's utterly believable - scum like that thrive in these kind of situations. I'd personally have them publicly flogged.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

New Yorkers may have to hunker down and stay in their homes - decision by mayor within 48 hours

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/03/17/us/17reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-nyc.html

 

[dazzer6666]

FCO have gone official advising against ALL international travel now (may impact some in terms of insurance claims etc) .

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

 

[pastafarian]

I've been out all day, so don't know whether this has been raised, but I haven't heard it on the news. This has been sent to me by someone I know and trust.

We have just been sent a medical alert that no one is to use ant-inflammatories (eg Ibuprofen, Voltarol, Naproxen and others) for pain or high temperature. Use Paracetamol instead. There seems to be a link between severe cases of covid19 affecting young people with no underlying illnesses and taking anti-inflammatories. Initial reports started coming from French Doctors on Friday.

This has been confirmed by infectious disease consultants here. There are 4 young people in ICU in Cork with no underlying illnesses. All were taking anti-inflammatories and there are concerns this has caused a more severe illness. French TV and radio are broadcasting the same warning today.

https://fullfact.org/health/young-people-severe-coronavirus-cork/

That ‘medical alert’ about severe Covid-19 cases in Cork due to anti-inflammatories is fake


Claim

There are four young people with no underlying illnesses in an intensive care unit in Cork due to Covid-19, who had all been taking anti-inflammatory drugs.

Conclusion

This is not true. It has been denied by the clinical lead of Ireland’s public health service and the whole message branded ‘misinformation’.



Claim

A medical alert says to stop the use of anti-inflammatories for pain or high temperatures.

Conclusion

This message is fake. Current advice from health authorities in the UK and Ireland say to continue taking previously prescribed medication, including anti-inflammatories unless told otherwise by a healthcare professional. The NHS says there is no strong evidence that taking ibuprofen can make Covid-19 worse, but advises people with symptoms to take paracetamol if they can.





An image that is being shared on WhatsApp claims that it is a medical alert, sent to stop the use of anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen, voltarol and naproxen for pain or high temperature, and to use paracetamol instead.

It claims that “there seems to be a link between severe cases of Covid-19 affecting young people with no underlying illnesses and taking anti-inflammatories.” Covid-19 is the name of the infection caused by the new coronavirus.

The image also claims that there is evidence of this from Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, where four young people (with no underlying illnesses and who were taking anti-inflammatories) are in an intensive care unit.

This post is fake: it is not a real medical alert.

It is an adapted version of a message said to be from “Dr Tim”, which began circulating in Ireland a few days ago and was found to be fake by news outlets there. In one version, the message also advised readers to do physiotherapy instead.

The Infectious Disease Society of Ireland tweeted “this is a fake message, please ignore and delete. The clinical lead for Ireland’s public health service (HSE), Dr Colm Henry, has said that there are no patients in Cork University Hospital matching the description in the message.

The HSE issued a statement on Monday 16 March in response to “false information about anti-inflammatory medication and Covid-19 circulating in media and on social media over the last 24 hours“.

The HSE and the NHS advise anyone with Covid-19 to continue taking medication, including anti-inflammatories unless told otherwise by a healthcare professional.

For people with symptoms of Covid-19, the HSE says “paracetamol is usually recommended as the first-line treatment for most people”, but also says that “ibuprofen may help with symptoms such as pain or fever”.

Current guidance from the NHS is different. It says that “until we have more information” about ibuprofen, paracetamol should be used to treat symptoms of the new coronavirus (unless paracetamol is unsuitable for you).

We have written more about guidance around ibuprofen and Covid-19 in another fact check.

https://fullfact.org/health/young-people-severe-coronavirus-cork/

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

I've just got back from walking around the centre of the city. It's bloody quiet, too quiet, I don't like it one bit. V weird and eery. Still planning on having a few beers on Saturday at as many pubs as possible!

 

[Baker lite]

Or, put another way, the equivalent of £5,000 per person in the UK.

Scrapping the ridiculous HS2 would go some way to putting a dent in that figure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Driver8]

Scrapping the ridiculous HS2 would go some way to putting a dent in that figure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Good excuse too.

 

[jonnyrovers]

Spain has reportedly nationalised its private hospitals.

Way to go.

There seems to be an undercurrent of 'yeah let's take back what's ours' whenever it is mentioned that independent hospitals are to be commandeered by the DoH to contribute towards the national effort. I don't understand what fuels this animosity. The GMB Union last week started a petition to 'take back' the thousands of beds in independent hospitals 'FOR FREE' in order to help the NHS. On these two points:

The government cannot 'take back' what was never theirs in the first place.

How do the signatories on the GMB petition propose to pay salaries to the very good doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, surgeons, chefs, administrators etc in these hospitals when they 'take back' this service 'FOR FREE'?

Of course it makes absolute sense to pass a law (as happened on Monday) to support the requisitioning of these hospitals and their capacity. The hospital I manage has four operating theatres and 35 inpatient beds. We have been instructed to wind up all elective surgeries by mid April and await instructions as to the part we will play in the national effort to keep the NHS running throughout this crisis. This will be funded by NHS England in exactly the same way it funds NHS hospitals. Why is that such a troublesome fact for some to deal with?

Many seem to forget that the independent health sector reduces the burden on the NHS to the tune of 3.5 million privately funded surgeries a year, I don't have the figures for medical care but it is equally impressive. These patients all pay tax and NI but don't ever draw down on it, thus providing free funding to the NHS. But still there is a large faction of society with huge beef that 'private hospitals' exist. My question is why?

 

[Eeyore]

There seems to be an undercurrent of 'yeah let's take back what's ours' whenever it is mentioned that independent hospitals are to be commandeered by the DoH to contribute towards the national effort. I don't understand what fuels this animosity. The GMB Union last week started a petition to 'take back' the thousands of beds in independent hospitals 'FOR FREE' in order to help the NHS. On these two points:

The government cannot 'take back' what was never theirs in the first place.

How do the signatories on the GMB petition propose to pay salaries to the very good doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, surgeons, chefs, administrators etc in these hospitals when they 'take back' this service 'FOR FREE'?

Of course it makes absolute sense to pass a law (as happened on Monday) to support the requisitioning of these hospitals and their capacity. The hospital I manage has four operating theatres and 35 inpatient beds. We have been instructed to wind up all elective surgeries by mid April and await instructions as to the part we will play in the national effort to keep the NHS running throughout this crisis. This will be funded by NHS England in exactly the same way it funds NHS hospitals. Why is that such a troublesome fact for some to deal with?

Many seem to forget that the independent health sector reduces the burden on the NHS to the tune of 3.5 million privately funded surgeries a year, I don't have the figures for medical care but it is equally impressive. These patients all pay tax and NI but don't ever draw down on it, thus providing free funding to the NHS. But still there is a large faction of society with huge beef that 'private hospitals' exist. My question is why?

Fair point. Although my glee was aimed at a 'needs must' scenario. The government must step in and pay the wages of staff now.

 

[Swansman]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/...wn-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/

Interesting read. Sounds like it was bound to happen sooner or later.

 

[beorhthelm]

Fair point. Although my glee was aimed at a 'needs must' scenario. The government must step in and pay the wages of staff now.

i believe they have - thats what the cost of beds are, the staffing, equipment, building etc. an actual bed doesnt cost £300 a day.

 

[Notters]

Surprised there haven't been any public service broadcasts about the control measures yet. Loads of people don't watch the news. They were interviewing chumps on the local news shopping in Leeds who said "I don't care if I get ill", entirely unaware of the purpose of the action being taken.

 

[Triggaaar]

Might alleviate some worrying re asthma and allergies:

https://time.com/5802423/coronvirus-asthma-high-risk/

That could be really good news, thanks.

 

[Triggaaar]

But they'll be screwed when they end it won't they?

That is what the west has been assuming, but it's theoretically possible that they'll keep numbers down if they open up slowly, with hugely reduced travel, and lock down areas as soon as new infections appear.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Bruvs up in covent garden with his Mrs having a beer and a meal, all's good in the hood
regards
DF

 

[AZ Gull]

For those who are interested in actual data, the Washington Post has published an article on an analysis of the deaths to date in the US (which now number 100) - U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 100

An excerpt:-

Coronavirus has killed from coast to coast. It devastated a nursing home in Washington state and crept into the heartland. Across the United States, at least 100 people infected with the highly contagious new virus have now died — a toll that experts expect to rise quickly.

This country’s first fatal cases offer a preview of the challenges ahead, as Americans battle a disease that has killed thousands of people worldwide. The Washington Post has tracked every known U.S. death and has analyzed data provided by state and local health officials, families of the victims, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the first 100 reported fatalities, many people appear to have had underlying health conditions, making it harder for their bodies to fight off covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Some had diabetes, kidney failure, hypertension or pulmonary ailments.

Nearly all — about 85 percent — were older than 60, and about 45 percent were older than 80. It’s unclear how some of them contracted the disease, but more than a third were living in residential care facilities when they became ill.

 

[The Wizard]

I wonder how many of us have had it without even realising, had a bit of a runny nose last week and thought nothing of it but was very careful with my hygiene just in case. Lucky enough I’m in my mid twenties and fit & well. Makes you wonder though.

 

[Poojah]

Interesting video here. I’ve said before, as a significant global news event this will probably be up there for most of us in our lifetime. If it hasn’t already, it will have píssed all over 9/11 by the time we’re done. Wrap your head around for a second - if someone had told you on New Year’s Eve that we’d be about to experience an event potentially many times bigger than 9/11, well, that would’ve been profoundly scary.

The difference is, we’ve seen this coming. As horrendous as this will be, we’ve at least had time to wrap our heads around it in a way we didn’t in 2001. Unless you’ve been a Big Brother contestant for the last few months:

https://screenrant.com/big-brother-brazil-contestants-coronavirus-watch/amp/

 

[Bakero]

I wonder how many of us have had it without even realising, had a bit of a runny nose last week and thought nothing of it but was very careful with my hygiene just in case. Lucky enough I’m in my mid twenties and fit & well. Makes you wonder though.

Runny nose isn't a symptom though, is it?