How worried should we be about coronavirus?
I ask after waking up to email alerts from both school and nursery with official advice from Public Health England following increasing reports of coronavirus outbreaks in the UK.
It wasn’t long after the aforementioned email alert that our reception class WhatsApp group went into overdrive with – understandably – worried parents seeking reassurance and questioning whether we should even be sending the kids into school.
The question is, how worried should we be? What started on the other side of the world in China has suddenly appeared on our doorstep, and as a (quite heavily) pregnant mama, I’ll be honest: I’m worried.
Coronavirus: just how worried should we be?
According to Public Health England we should continue to treat any cold or flu-like symptoms as we usually would for seasonal flu or the common cold. And although the death rate for patients hospitalised at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak is nearly 20%, the mortality rate could be as low as 1% if all cases – not just the serious ones – are taken in account according to researchers at Imperial College, London.
Yet we’ve never had warning emails from school and nursery before. The kids have even been issued with anti-bacterial hand gel and given a special speech by their head teacher in assembly about the importance of covering their mouths when they cough and washing their hands with soap.
At the time of writing five people in our town (Brighton and Hove) have tested positive for the virus, and a GP surgery has closed because a member of staff allegedly has the virus (although it’s not clear whether they’re included in the five confirmed cases, or in addition to). Back on the reception class WhatsApp group mums are cancelling family celebrations, bulk buying anti bac hand gel and sharing increasingly alarming links to new cases of the virus.
Of course, it’s easy to get carried away and over think these things, and it’s easy to get swept up in collective concern voiced in WhatsApp groups too. Misery Guts is philosophical and reckons there’s not much we can do about it, but actually there is: we could all simply avoid other people and stay at home.
I have to say I’m glad it’s half term next week (not a sentence you’ll hear me say very often!) when we’ll be taking our three away from the city and into the country for a pre-planned visit to grandparents.
Yet the fact remains that not long after that I’m due to give birth in the very hospital where one of the cases of coronavirus was confirmed – and who knows how many cases there’ll be by then? Perhaps I’ll opt for the home birth I said I’d never have after all!
Are you worried about coronavirus? Have you had email alerts from school and nursery too? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject!
I’m generally not too worried as we’re fit and healthy. However I have just booked a night stay in a hotel where there’s a high student population in a city, and then visiting further north, so probably not the best idea if it’s spreading. Mostly I’m not too worried because we’re in the sticks. But at the moment round here there’s more worry about kids catching scarlet fever as that’s going round at one of the secondary schools.
It’s probably different in your situation, and I know I work with someone who is immune deficient and would struggle. My brother also gets knocked out hard by colds due to his CFS, so anything stronger wouldn’t be good for him either. I’m hoping it’s getting weaker as it spreads, and that people who feel bad do heed the advice to ring rather than travel to surgeries, but it’s hard to just stop life.
My main concern about the Coronavirus is the way it’s made people behave. I’ve heard awful stories of racism towards Chinese families in the wake of the disease. It’s just awful that people feel that it’s ok to be unkind to another, under any circumstances! #DreamTeam
I think it is a worry! How can it not be really. There isn’t a cure yet and it’s spreading. We are just keeping our sensible hats on, staying updated, and not going into an unnecessary (don’t touch anything) panic but being aware of what’s going on as the situation can change very very quickly. Fingers crossed that those amazing lab people will come up with a cure that will be able to reach the most affected areas soons. Thank you for joining us for the #DreamTeam xx
I’m personally not too worried, but I do understand why people are. Especially those either at risk themselves or with kids who could be at risk. Like you, I live fairly close to some of cases where people have tested positive to having the Coronavirus. thankfully the relevant authorities seem to have dealt with it well.
We haven’t heard of any cases near us but it is still a worry when you think of all the people who travel on planes every day without any way of monitoring whether anybody is carrying it.
#MMBC
I heard (inside story) that there was a Surgeon who had just returned from Malaysia performing operations without being checked. It’s probably fine but you just don’t know how and where this is happening and if it’s not fine. I do feel incredibly sorry for the Chinese community who are being targeted and for all of those in Wu Hang who are affected badly by this virus.
Bit of a tricky one this! Sadly the media will always dramatise and exaggerate the extent of this virus which makes it so tough to really know how dangerous it is in the UK. All you can really do is follow any advise from professionals and schools as nobody can hide away forever!
#KCACOLS
I work in a hospital that is close to two major casinos and a large asian immigrant population but so far we have been so flooded with cases of the regular flu that we really haven’t taken much time to worry about anything else. I’m sure a positive patient would wake us up in a hurry though, so far we haven’t had any #KCACOLS
I’m not worried at all,. We were in Norway at the time and came home to a crazy reaction so I feel I somehow missed the memo…I just got a survey on music events asking if the virus was keeping me away (NO????). #KCACOLS
Had several alerts as all three kids go to different schools and I work at a school and a college. That’s a lot of alerts! #kcacols
I am not worried at all. My local hospital is one they are using to quarantine people in but we havent had any confirmed cases here. Whilst it is good to be vigilant – I work in retail and have my anti bac on me as I have had colds/viruses on and off since early Dec I personally am not overly worried. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
Knowledge is power. I’m not too worried but will try to be practical in my actions during this time. #MMBC