Corona-virus - How worried are you?

helensbiggestfan

I don't think they have fudged things. They are merely making sure they tick all the boxes and give sensible common sense advice and guidance.

I think it's impossible to define the term "elderly" in purely  mathematical terms.  Chronological age and biological age can differ. We dont all age at the same rate.  Google Ernestine Shepherd.....sorry I can't do links.  Take a look at what 80 plus can look like.  

I find it fascinating how people can age at different rates, partly genetic but I would suggest the biggest factor is lifestyle......diet, exercise etc.  

In all honesty you can walk down any high street and see folk in their 40s and 50s who are less fit and healthy than many in the 70 to 80 age group

Pollycat

MoneySeeker1 said:

Gers said:

 Here's the official action plan from UK government.

It's clear that the elderly and ill-health compromised are at most risk.  Nothing to do with ageism, just a reality!  Same with the annual 'flu vaccine being offered to the vulnerable groups.To suggest otherwise is plain weird.

EXTRACT:

The role the public can play in supporting this response
4.34 Everyone can help support the UK’s response by:
 following public health authorities’ advice, for example on hand washing
 reducing the impact and spread of misinformation by relying on information from trusted sources, such as that on www.nhs.uk www.nhsinform.scot  www.publichealth.hscni.net https://gov.wales/coronavirus-covid-19 and www.gov.uk/
 checking and following the latest FCO travel advice when travelling and planning to travel
 ensuring you and your family’s vaccinations are up to date as this will help reduce the pressure on the NHS/HSCNI through reducing vaccine-preventable diseases
 checking on elderly or vulnerable family, friends and neighbours
 using NHS 111 (or NHS 24 in Scotland or NHS Direct Wales) (including online, where possible), pharmacies and GPs responsibly, and go to the hospital only when you really need to. This is further explained on the NHS website - www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care/when-to-go-to-ae/ and http://www.choosewellwales.org.uk/home
 being understanding of the pressures the health and social care systems may be under, and receptive to changes that may be needed to the provision of care to you and your family.
 accepting that the advice for managing COVID-19 for most people will be self-isolation at home and simple over the counter medicines
 checking for new advice as the situation changes.

They fudged that one then - as to what they class as "elderly" - with it not having been specified. We all know 80 plus agegroup are elderly. Many think 70 plus agegroup also count as elderly. Very few of us count those in their 60s as "elderly" and I certainly don't (despite being in my 60s personally).

I don't think they've fudged it either.

You've been talking about common sense up-thread - expecting people not to handle your credit card, people coughing into their hands and then handling your goods - you need to exercise common sense with deciding who is elderly.

As helensbiggestfan says, how do you define 'elderly'?

If you have a relative or friend who is 64 and the Government had classed everyone aged 65 and over as elderly, would you not bother to check on them?

I would check on my Mum who is 88 next week (but as she is in a care home, there's someone on hand to do that anyway).

But as a fairly fit 66 year old with no underlying medical conditions, I wouldn't expect my children to come checking on me simply because of my age.

MoneySeeker1

Latest info. going round as to helpful hints for protection:
- pushing buttons (eg lift buttons) with biros, rather than your fingers
- from Taiwan: do a simple self-check every morning as to whether there is fibrosis in your lungs. By taking deep breath and holding for 10 seconds. If you can do that without coughing, discomfort, stiffness, tightness then it proves there is no fibrosis in your lungs.
- from Japan - ensure your mouth and throat are moist. Take a few sips of liquid (eg water) every 15 minutes at least. If the virus gets into your mouth, then it will be washed down into your stomach (where stomach acid will kill it).

Cynics thought for the day - how to turn an honest person into someone that has to tell lies. That being that I gather those over 65 in Italy are already getting screened out of getting treatment. Funnily enough, I've just done that female trick of lopping a few years off my age (having always admitted exactly how old I am before now) #cynicssmilie

Pollycat

MoneySeeker1 said:

Latest info. going round as to helpful hints for protection:
- pushing buttons (eg lift buttons) with biros, rather than your fingers
- from Taiwan: do a simple self-check every morning as to whether there is fibrosis in your lungs. By taking deep breath and holding for 10 seconds. If you can do that without coughing, discomfort, stiffness, tightness then it proves there is no fibrosis in your lungs.
- from Japan - ensure your mouth and throat are moist. Take a few sips of liquid (eg water) every 15 minutes at least. If the virus gets into your mouth, then it will be washed down into your stomach (where stomach acid will kill it).

Cynics thought for the day - how to turn an honest person into someone that has to tell lies. That being that I gather those over 65 in Italy are already getting screened out of getting treatment. Funnily enough, I've just done that female trick of lopping a few years off my age (having always admitted exactly how old I am before now) #cynicssmilie

I've read that one of the biggest source of germs is keypads - ATMs, card pin machines...

Gers

RomfordNavy said:

Can anyone find an accurate source for how many people have died from normal flu this flu-season?  Would alsoo be good to establish what number have suffered from the flu but as it is not a reportable disease I suspect those numbers are not available  

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-flu-levels-according-to-phe-statistics-2019-to-2020

No figures for deaths attributable for 'flu alone as it's usually a contributory factor.

helensbiggestfan

One of the biggest germ spreaders is door handles in public loos.  So I wash my hands and then use toilet tissue to grab door handles etc.  I have been doing that for years.  

I also tend to avoid buffets, carveries and self service restaurants where possible. Again, nothing to do with the coronavirus -  I've been doing this for a number of years now.  

Other people's hands delving into bowls and plates of food ......yuk, yuk, yukkety, yuk. 😱😂.  

Pollycat

helensbiggestfan said:

One of the biggest germ spreaders is door handles in public loos.  So I wash my hands and then use toilet tissue to grab door handles etc.  I have been doing that for years.  

I also tend to avoid buffets, carveries and self service restaurants where possible. Again, nothing to do with the coronavirus -  I've been doing this for a number of years now.  

Other people's hands delving into bowls and plates of food ......yuk, yuk, yukkety, yuk. 😱😂.  

Me too. I've seen too many dirty people just come out of the toilet and straight out of the door to want to risk touching handles.

I can't understand all this hysteria about needing to do things that I've been doing for years.

I always carry handwash in case I need to wash my hands and there's no water available.

I've been doing that for years too. It came from regular holidays in India where the paper currency is very dirty and lots of people want to shake your hand.

A young boy said on GMB this morning that he'd learned to put his hand over his mouth when coughing and sneezing.

Growing up in the mid 1950s that was one of the things taught by parents - along with saying 'please' and 'thank you' and using knives and forks. It comes naturally to me because I would have been chastised by an adult if i didn't do it.

When did we stop teaching basic hygiene?

Gers

Scottish test numbers

A total of 2,316 Scottish tests have concluded. Of these:

• 2,280 tests were confirmed negative
• 36 tests were positive 

Health board	Positive cases
Ayrshire and Arran	3
Borders	2
Fife	2
Forth Valley	2
Grampian	6
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	5
Lanarkshire	4
Lothian	8
Shetland	2
Tayside	2

Last updated: 2pm on 11 March 2020. The latest numbers will publish at 2pm each day.

No cases in my home county - the benefits of being remote!

ENGLAND

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/f94c3c90da5b4e9f9a0b19484dd4bb14

MoneySeeker1

The dis-benefits of being remote, on the other hand, are the risk that this virus might cause a lower level of facilities to happen and then there simply wouldn't be enough facilities there. In a city it doesnt matter if a facility, or two or a dozen vanishes and the reason is because there are "plenty more where that came from". In a remote place, even a few facilities vanishing could mean the difference between "viable to live in" and "too small to live in".

Pollycat

MoneySeeker1 said:

The dis-benefits of being remote, on the other hand, are the risk that this virus might cause a lower level of facilities to happen and then there simply wouldn't be enough facilities there. In a city it doesnt matter if a facility, or two or a dozen vanishes and the reason is because there are "plenty more where that came from". In a remote place, even a few facilities vanishing could mean the difference between "viable to live in" and "too small to live in".

If I had the choice it would be to live somewhere remote rather than in London or another big city.