Coronavirus

[JeMeSouviens]

There is possibly encouraging news from a German study:

https://www.thelocal.de/20200402/how...worst-hit-spot

Initial surveys and investigations in homes in Heinsberg have already provided some indications of how the virus works.

Streeck, who is director of the Institute of Virology at Bonn University, said he was able to detect coronavirus by swabbing remote controls, washbasins, mobile phones, toilets or door handles.

However, it has not been possible to cultivate the virus in the laboratory on the basis of these swabs. "This means that we have detected the RNA (or ribonucleic acid, which carries the virus’s genetic information) of 'dead' viruses," Streeck said.

According to his previous research results, he believes "that a door handle can only be infectious if someone has actually coughed in their hand and then reached for it.

"After that, you have to reach for the door handle yourself and touch your face," he said. It is not yet possible to say how long the virus can remain on a door handle because not enough studies have been carried out.

Streeck added: "We were in a household where many highly infectious people lived, and yet we did not manage to detect a living virus from any surface."

[K-Zazu]

My neighbours keep having there family up everyday who then sit outside the house drinking tea on those throw away chairs u used to take t in the park

[HappyAsHellas]

At work I was told by someone who's sister works at Wishart hospital that they had 17 deaths between Thursday and Saturday and none of them count in official figures. They apparently have another 60 with covid 19, but no tests for patients or staff. It would appear they are using scans to determine lung capacity to try and find out who is infected. Whether all this is true or not I have no idea, but if it is then things may be decidedly worse than we think.

[Hibby Bairn]

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How can things ever return to normal? Any positive news at all?

I know it’s difficult but try and not just accept every headline as “true”. Media are trained to sensationalise.

An example.

“SCOTLAND DEATHS RISE BY 74”.

Read this and you get down. A new record number in one day. But the last two days have been 2 and 2 due to under-reporting at the weekend. So over the last 3 days the total has been 78. An average of 26 per day which shows a gradual easing off in the numbers. But you are unlikely to see that explained fully by BBC or Sky.

Today’s “RECORD HIGH” for England and U.K. will probably be skewed due to catch up also.

[Hibby Bairn]

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There is possibly encouraging news from a German study:

https://www.thelocal.de/20200402/how...worst-hit-spot

Thanks for that. Encouraging. This is the sort of thing I’d like to hear about being researched in the UK too.

[Smartie]

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At work I was told by someone who's sister works at Wishart hospital that they had 17 deaths between Thursday and Saturday and none of them count in official figures. They apparently have another 60 with covid 19, but no tests for patients or staff. It would appear they are using scans to determine lung capacity to try and find out who is infected. Whether all this is true or not I have no idea, but if it is then things may be decidedly worse than we think.

I have also heard a story from a Scottish island that there are people there who have tested negative when all the other - considerable - clinical evidence points to them having been positive. Seemingly all the testing had to go to Glasgow and the time taken to get a sample off to Glasgow for analysis would lead to much of the live virus dying off within the sample and so the test would be more likely to be a "false negative". As the testing method has changed I don't think this is so likely to be a problem going forward but it has been an issue in the very recent past.

This pandemic must be a nightmare for the OCD amongst us who like black and white definitive results. There seems to be error upon error and consistent inconsistency. Whilst there will still undoubtedly be useful data generated, a great deal of discretion will need to be used regarding how we interpret our data.

My main concern right now is the state of PPE being provided to NHS staff and the cross infection protocols being followed, some of which are mind-bogglingly awful and frighteningly close to home.

[EH6 Hibby]

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China just confirmed no deaths, remember they are around 3 months ahead of us

I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I did read something on Facebook earlier that made me think. The virus is now affecting almost every country in the world, how has it managed to spread everywhere else but hasn’t spread through the rest of China?

[lapsedhibee]

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I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I did read something on Facebook earlier that made me think. The virus is now affecting almost every country in the world, how has it managed to spread everywhere else but hasn’t spread through the rest of China?

Is it possible that their policy of rigorously testing, isolating (in fever hospitals, not at home) and tracing has worked pretty well?

[-Jonesy-]

3634 new infections 786 deaths In last 24 hours in the UK

[Ozyhibby]

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3634 new infections 786 deaths In last 24 hours in the UK

Uk figures are for hospital deaths only. Scottish figures are hospital and community deaths. Not sure why the two govts are doing it differently.
On the whole, SG and SNHS are handling this a lot better than rUK.


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[Hibby Bairn]

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I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I did read something on Facebook earlier that made me think. The virus is now affecting almost every country in the world, how has it managed to spread everywhere else but hasn’t spread through the rest of China?

The Chinese miracle? Hardly any spreading of disease outside Wuhan. Only 8 deaths in Beijing and 587 cases 😎

[Pretty Boy]

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Is it possible that their policy of rigorously testing, isolating (in fever hospitals, not at home) and tracing has worked pretty well?

I think there has to be some caution about the information coming out of China. There is probably a balance to be had between the China = bad at one end of the spectrum and the enemy of my enemy mentality at the other.

China is regularly suspected of misreporting data such as GDP, indeed there have been cases of local officials being 'removed' from their position for overstating figures to meet targets that China itself has acknowledged. With that in mind I think healthy scepticism of their figures should be encouraged; the same level of sceptism some are displaying towards the figures the UK and other Western countries would seem fair

From mid January onwards, when the Wuhan lockdown was put in place, I think China appears to have handled this well. I'm still sceptical of their reporting of figures though.

[EH6 Hibby]

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Is it possible that their policy of rigorously testing, isolating (in fever hospitals, not at home) and tracing has worked pretty well?

Could well be right, just seems strange that in such a densely populated country, they’ve managed to pretty much contain it to Wuhan, and the rest of the country seems fairly unaffected.

[JeMeSouviens]

This virologist believes that a Coronavirus vaccine will work and that we will not have as much trouble dealing with mutations as we do with flu strains:

https://www.city-journal.org/coronavirus-vaccine

Rest assured: a vaccine is coming, it will work, and it will continue to work for as long as humanity must contend with Covid-19. Until then, we must maintain our social distancing so that our strained health-care system can keep up with the infections that we can’t seem to prevent.

[Pretty Boy]

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This virologist believes that a Coronavirus vaccine will work and that we will not have as much trouble dealing with mutations as we do with flu strains:

https://www.city-journal.org/coronavirus-vaccine

Thanks for that.

Really interesting and I wasn't aware of how fundamentally different a virus we were dealing with compared to the flu (in terms of the virus itself rather than the symptoms and mortality rate which are well documented).

It certainly reads like good news albeit good news for the medium to long term.

[Smartie]

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Could well be right, just seems strange that in such a densely populated country, they’ve managed to pretty much contain it to Wuhan, and the rest of the country seems fairly unaffected.

A country with a questionable attitude towards human rights will have extra tools at their disposal to contain the virus (!!) as well as enjoying an increased level of compliance from citizens towards their liberties being restricted.

For all I'd expect them to be able to jump on the virus and defeat it quicker than us, I'm glad I don't live in China.

[Billy Whizz]

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A country with a questionable attitude towards human rights will have extra tools at their disposal to contain the virus (!!) as well as enjoying an increased level of compliance from citizens towards their liberties being restricted.

For all I'd expect them to be able to jump on the virus and defeat it quicker than us, I'm glad I don't live in China.

And importantly going forward, sort out these markets with a mixture of dead and live animals

[Scouse Hibee]

Just spoke to a mate in Liverpool who said the total disregard for social distancing he is witnessing is unbelievable, kids out playing together in the streets, parks full of people sunbathing and playing games in groups and people shopping and stopping talking to folk in the street like it’s a normal day. What the hell is wrong with people, what does it take to make folk comply, madness.

[Billy Whizz]

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...sures-11969857

[-Jonesy-]

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And importantly going forward, sort out these markets with a mixture of dead and live animals

Apprently China banned wet markets after the SARS outbreak for a good few years but there is a minority of wealthy elite with a great influence who forced them back open again.

[calumhibee1]

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Out of interest, wonder how many people in the UK die every other day?

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I'd wondered the same. As in, has there been significantly more people die in the first 3 months of this year than last year? Or, for want of a better way to word it (and apologies if this comes over insensitive) were a lot of these people of a level of poor health that they were going to die in the first 3 months of this year anyway?

[Scouse Hibee]

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I'd wondered the same. As in, has there been significantly more people die in the first 3 months of this year than last year? Or, for want of a better way to word it (and apologies if this comes over insensitive) were a lot of these people of a level of poor health that they were going to die in the first 3 months of this year anyway?

Yes have wondered this myself, you hear of someone dying and wonder if they would have died anyway.

[-Jonesy-]

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Yes have wondered this myself, you hear of someone dying and wonder if they would have died anyway.

The office of national statistics shows a weekly average over the last 5 years of 10573 deaths a week, that’s 1510 a day.

I would reckon once a few more weeks have passed and the data is available we will be looking at a significant rise in the average.

Don’t think it’s right to say people “who would’ve died anyway” because with no Sars-Cov-2 virus passing around most of those people wouldn’t be in hospital and/or dieing that day.

[Sir David Gray]

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Just spoke to a mate in Liverpool who said the total disregard for social distancing he is witnessing is unbelievable, kids out playing together in the streets, parks full of people sunbathing and playing games in groups and people shopping and stopping talking to folk in the street like it’s a normal day. What the hell is wrong with people, what does it take to make folk comply, madness.

Utter disgrace.

Do these morons think those of us who are doing the right thing and making various sacrifices to our daily lives are doing this for a laugh?

[Mon Dieu4]

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Yes have wondered this myself, you hear of someone dying and wonder if they would have died anyway.

I read on the BBC a few days back that 600k die a year normally in the UK, that's a average of 1643 a day in simplistic terms if the BBC were correct

[RyeSloan]

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I'd wondered the same. As in, has there been significantly more people die in the first 3 months of this year than last year? Or, for want of a better way to word it (and apologies if this comes over insensitive) were a lot of these people of a level of poor health that they were going to die in the first 3 months of this year anyway?

It’s impossible to tell without some sort of ‘other deaths’ stats...not something that’s commonly produced on a daily basis.

I suppose over time we’ll know the total number of deaths v the normal level and be able to work it out from there.

I think that’s how the standard flu deaths are worked out but even then you can get huge discrepancies and disagreements on methodology.

Even now we have Scotland starting to add in to the daily total deaths where C19 is ‘suspected’ as a a factor...so it’s clearly never going to be an exact science.

[lapsedhibee]

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What the hell is wrong with people, what does it take to make folk comply

Tanks. Time for Mark Francois to take over from Raab.

[Pretty Boy]

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Just spoke to a mate in Liverpool who said the total disregard for social distancing he is witnessing is unbelievable, kids out playing together in the streets, parks full of people sunbathing and playing games in groups and people shopping and stopping talking to folk in the street like it’s a normal day. What the hell is wrong with people, what does it take to make folk comply, madness.

I've come to the conclusion there is no point in getting angry about this now. Some people are idiots and others aren't but are simply choosing to play the fool.

If everyone else takes responsibility for themselves then you will still get a majority complying.

[Jim44]

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I read on the BBC a few days back that 600k die a year normally in the UK, that's a average of 1643 a day in simplistic terms if the BBC were correct

Is it not the case that these ‘normal’ deaths are still happening, running parallel to Coronavirus deaths? Some may be linked to Coronavirus, but news of deaths from other causes is low key at present. I think we’ll find that that 600k figure will be much higher at the end of the day.

[wookie70]

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Is it possible that their policy of rigorously testing, isolating (in fever hospitals, not at home) and tracing has worked pretty well?

Who would have thought that following WHO advise and even being more cautious would work. Much better to advise everyone to shake hands and take it on the chin.