Coronavirus outbreak

[Blue Hills]

I haven't read the whole of this thread by any means but have popped in from time to time. I thought this might be interesting for people.

My wife is a very experienced retired medical professional of 40+ years. Two days before New Year she became very ill, more than I have seen in a 42 year partnership, with all the Covid-19 symptoms in the now expected order. Our immediate neighbours on either side had the same symptoms at the same time and were equally ill. Independently our neighbours have reached the same conclusion.

We had a big trip planned for late January and I distanced myself at home. Slept in the spare room for nearly three weeks as Mrs P had very disturbed sleep. My actions were what we would now call self-isolating - common sense in fact.

Mrs P is not prone to exaggeration but is convinced she had Corona virus. Her view is no one can be sure of the origin, when, if China is the source, it "escaped" and Wuhan is simply the first identified occurrence.

I'm offering no medical basis for this just my wife's opinion. I do know she was extremely ill to an extent I haven't seen in 42 years.

Interesting.
End of last year i had a bad dry cough which lasted rather a long time so have been wondering. Slight fever fatigue and aches at the beginning but i fought that off naturally after a few days. Cough lasted a lot longer. Was also aware of a breathing issue - only felt that when climbing on the bike but it was far far more noticeable than i would expect as am in tune with my body.
Wouldn't say the overall symptoms were extreme in my case.
Relates to the debate over testing. Fair to assume that if you have had it a test would show this?
If you have i assume there is no great need to isolate.
Seems to me many folk who could do something useful for themselves, their employer/business and society are isolating for no reason.

 

[Blue Hills]

Just come back from Tesco. Thought an early(ish) visit might see me beat the panic-buyers. Happy to report that half the shelves are full. Alas, the half that are already empty (assuming they were restocked overnight):

Hand-soap
Headache Tablets (sorry I can't spell paracetamol)
Baked Beans
Tins of Tomatoes
Rice
Pasta
Fresh chicken
Toilet Roll
Kitchen Roll

I will have to try earlier tomorrow...

Did buy a Hello magazine for the missus, some dog-food for the dog, and a bag of bagels for us all.

Been away so not shopped for three weeks. My local lidl last night out of all useful stuff. No shortage of green olives, anchovies or their fine vintage cider.

 

[vickster]

Seems to me many folk who could do something useful for themselves, their employer/business and society are isolating for no reason.

My business is isolating based on the advice given yesterday by the government

Not sure what you mean by the bit in bold?

 

[fossyant]

Why so? I'll be going to the pharmacy tomorrow. I have slowly built two weeks extra stock of my meds, which was intended to cover trips away but it doesn't look like that will happen now!

It's a routine blood test which can be done in the Nursing home, but they can't alway's find a blood vessel. She has advanced heart failure, AF, diabetic, knackered lungs, mid 80's and she's insisting on going out. Everything is there for her in the Nursing home . A simple 'cold' is enough to kill her as her heart can't remove fluids from her lungs as it is. She very nearly died 12 months ago with mild chest infection. All her meds are delivered to the Nursing home. She really doesn't need to be going out.

This is why we are 'shaking our heads'.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Not impressed by government so far. What is needed is decisiveness, clarity and leadership. We're not getting it.

We shouldn't be "guided" by the science, we should be "informed" by it. All the facts and data aren't in, there is no scientific consensus so they cannot give clarity. It therefore falls upon the politicians to make decisions and to lead. Instead we're getting dithering, confusion and panic.

Not impressed at all.

 

[randynewmanscat]

That was my thought. Surely they can only store so much pasta and bog roll.

It reminds me of the disgrace that Christmas has become. They buy a mountain of food and a good proportion of it enters the waste bin and not the mouth. The bog roll part of it has taken a new twist with regard to individuals revisionism, apparently they all knew that things would become serious and stocked up accordingly as they knew the country would grind to a halt. No they didn't, they just displayed the irrational decision making that comes with "I saw them buying loads of stuff so I had better buy loads too".

 

[mjr]

It's a routine blood test which can be done in the Nursing home, [...]

Liked for the missing info being supplied, not the situation.

 

[Blue Hills]

My business is isolating based on the advice given yesterday by the government

Not sure what you mean by the bit in bold?

I meant that if you have had it (i may not have had) and know it, couldn't you circulate with no risk to yourself or others?
The WHO has I think criticised the uk approach to testing.

 

[Blue Hills]

Apologies if posted and can't copy the key bit.
BBC News - Coronavirus: UK changes course amid death toll fears
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51915302
If you read down that it stresses that there is no clear exit strategy from where we are. And stresses that the chinese approach seems to have created a situation where the vast majority of folk still have no resistance so the damn virus could just be "waiting" to let rip.
I stress that i am not criticising uk policy nor have any other ideas let alone solutions (i am a medical ignoramus) just stressing the appalling quandary.

 

[Pale Rider]

The Prof has been working all weekend on guidance and protocols for telephone and video GP consultations for NHSE and the Royal College of GPs. It sounds like your GP is ahead of the curve with this. The Prof suggests you take a photo of the bandage box and see if you can email or upload it to the practice’s EMIS patient access system. Do let us know how the consultation goes!!

The telephone consultation worked in that it dealt successfully with the two minor things I was inquiring about.

In that limited respect it was no different to me visiting the surgery.

However, it denied the doctor the chance to make a general assessment of me, which I'm sure the better GPs do simply by looking and listening.

The patient's presentation, I would suggest, is almost as important as the patient's inquiry.

Nothing lost in this instance, but it could be if telephone consultations become routine.

The email pic of the bandage box idea proved simple enough to adopt.

Thanks to the Prof for the suggestion, because I wouldn't have thought of it.

I will finish with one of my occasional attempts to publish the least interesting picture on the internet:

 

[marinyork]

Relates to the debate over testing. Fair to assume that if you have had it a test would show this?
If you have i assume there is no great need to isolate.
Seems to me many folk who could do something useful for themselves, their employer/business and society are isolating for no reason.

A test showing you have had it doesn't exist. The chief medical officer yesterday said it would fantastic if it did as that's enormously useful.

Some of the stuff reported yesterday elsewhere suggests progress has been made on a self test kit and this will be rolled out in June. Others are sceptical.

 

[Rocky]

The telephone consultation worked in that it dealt successfully with the two minor things I was inquiring about.

In that limited respect it was no different to me visiting the surgery.

However, it denied the doctor the chance to make a general assessment of me, which I'm sure the better GPs do simply by looking and listening.

The patient's presentation, I would suggest, is almost as important as the patient's inquiry.

Nothing lost in this instance, but it could be if telephone consultations become routine.

The email pic of the bandage box idea proved simple enough to adopt.

Thanks to the Prof for the suggestion, because I wouldn't have thought of it.

I will finish with one of my occasional attempts to publish the least interesting picture on the internet:

View attachment 508754

I'm glad all went well.....would you mind me passing on those comments about the consultation to the Prof? They are very insightful.

 

[Blue Hills]

Thanks for reply above @marinyork

 

[Pale Rider]

I'm glad all went well.....would you mind me passing on those comments about the consultation to the Prof? They are very insightful.

No, please do.

I'm bound to like being called 'insightful', but I'm also bound to give the Prof credit for her expertise.

In other words, she will already be aware of the points I raised.

 

[steve292]

London appears to have it much worse . As well as Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Glasgow (those 3 weren't mentioned).

I think it's harsh on the immunity side. I think they have tried to explain it and the 1 peakers seem to have got most of the media attention.

The bit that I think they should explain clearer and I think they are holding back on is the evidence on children. There does seem to be some evidence about children they aren't telling us. Yes, there are other obvious reasons why they don't want to close schools, but I wonder what's actually in it with children catching/passing it on.

I woudl theorise that you can control the rate of infection to targeted areas via opening or closing schools, and using the kids as a vector. You will never hear that from a politician as it would be a political sucide note.