COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[Tim of the Oak]

People trot out the tired cliche of how many people die of cancer, heart disease and even seasonal flu each day to play this situation down. They are clearing the decks in the nhs for coronavirus, people who need surgery for cancer or a vital organ transplant, they will be affected by this. All those deaths that happen every day but people shrug their shoulders too will see a spike over the coming months due to what’s unfolding.

True to a point but many hospitals are effectively splitting themselves in 2 with half dealing with the Virus and the other half dealing with A&E, essential operations etc. It’s the routine ops and appointments that are being cancelled in the main but this can of course have negative consequences for those patients health.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Agreed.

Today I hear that the train operating companies are from Monday cutting back on services "to prevent the spread of the virus". SURELY, for the love of God, that is the government's responsibility to be making such policy decisions, not leaving it up to the whims of the train companies?

For me there is a very simple moral point here. This virus kills people, full stop. We can debate how many and whether some might be old and might have died from something else soon anyway etc. But the fact is, it kills people. The more people who get infected, the more people die. It's as simple as that.

And we are allowing more people than necessary to be infected, more people to die, simply because we are not clamping down as much as we could. Perhaps this is in the name of "freedoms"? if so, I say that is bollocks. This is a time of crisis and at such times we have to temporarily sacrifice our "freedoms". Like when people get conscripted, for example! Or even like making people wear a crash helmet! Sometimes you have to require people to do things, to save lives. If ever there was a time, it is now.

And I’m now seeing people bemoaning the “only 5 people max in wedding congregations” rule. Like that’s even important. It’s just baffling.

I was relying on an earlier post, trusting that Italy were indeed in a better position 2 weeks ago than we are now. Just checked the exact data:

UK:
3,269 confirmed cases, 144 deaths

Italy on 5th March, 15 days ago:
3,858 confirmed cases, 148 deaths

Pretty similar 15 days ago. The confirmed cases is unreliable as it depends on each country’s testing, but deaths are deaths.

Now they have an average of 400 deaths per day over the last 5 days as capacity is breached. And it may yet get much worse. It’s terrifying.

 

[Marvin]

8.3% is mind boggling. I just hope we don’t end up with the same numbers in Britain. That sounds a bit cold seeing as we’re all humans, but it’s scarier when it’s closer to home.

Same virus, same species. What at this late hour can we do differently? Testing? Realistically that requires huge resources and it was much easier to do a month ago when the virus was moving slowly than now when it is gaining traction. We just watch and wait and hope the Italian new cases show some sign of a dip. They haven't yet.

It's going to hit us soon in a wave. I hope the Oxford Uni vaccine trials work. It's probably a month too late but it's way way ahead of what we were being told was possible but as others commented we do not even yet know it will work.

 

[George Hannah]

And imo imo some of the advice or interpretation of it has been wrong. And still is. I don't think it is "pathetic" to have said so, especially when it looks like what people like me were saying was right and that there has been a marked U-turn in strategy.

This forum exists to provide a platform for your opinions and mine. If you choose to use it to applaud descriptions of the scientists advising our government as 'inept' I choose to call you pathetic.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Same virus, same species. What at this late hour can we do differently? Testing? Realistically that requires huge resources and it was much easier to do a month ago when the virus was moving slowly than now when it is gaining traction. We just watch and wait and hope the Italian new cases show some sign of a dip. They haven't yet.

It's going to hit us soon in a wave. I hope the Oxford Uni vaccine trials work. It's probably a month too late but it's way way ahead of what we were being told was possible but as others commented we do not even yet know it will work.

It’s nice to see ‘experts’ becoming de rigueur once again.

 

[M18CTID]

And I’m now seeing people bemoaning the “only 5 people max in wedding congregations” rule. Like that’s even important. It’s just baffling.

I was relying on an earlier post, trusting that Italy were indeed in a better position 2 weeks ago than we are now. Just checked the exact data:

UK:
3,269 confirmed cases, 144 deaths

Italy on 5th March, 15 days ago:
3,858 confirmed cases, 148 deaths

Pretty similar 15 days ago. The confirmed cases is unreliable as it depends on each country’s testing, but deaths are deaths.

Now they have an average of 400 deaths per day over the last 5 days as capacity is breached. And it may yet get much worse. It’s terrifying.

While the figures are indeed similar, it doesn't necessarily mean that in 2 weeks time we'll be where Italy are now. While I accept that things could've been done better and quicker, you could just as easily ask the question of Germany and why they haven't gone into total lockdown yet either. Their deaths may be lower but they have a far higher number of confirmed cases and Germany is a country many of us look at as being a bit of a standard bearer and well organised, etc. Are the German people asking the same questions of Merkel that many of ours are of Johnson?

 

[Ban-jani]

Everyone’s got sob story around this. I’m most likely using the money I’d saved for a house deposit to live on in the months ahead. I actually consider myself lucky that I’m in a position to do that. She should consider herself lucky that she’s got a healthy child (assuming that’s the case). My son is a type 1 diabetic, so I’m worried about him, obviously. He was due to sit his finals at Bath in a few months, and I picked him up yesterday and took him to his mum’s, university having been cancelled. Didn’t hear him moan once btw. He gets that sometimes, shit happens.

Her words, and the way she’s delivered them, accord with the sense of entitlement in society that’s developed over time, as living standards have risen, culminating in the scenes we’ve recently witnessed in supermarkets. She seriously needs to get over herself and get her priorities right, as she sounds like a complete ****.

Absolutely mate, I’ve lost money now. Maybe a few hundred quid, will likely be a few thousand by 12 weeks but at the end of the day I am getting my basic salary still when others are losing their jobs and therefore I feel really lucky to be in that position, especially when both me and my Mrs can work from home.

I’ve got mates who run their own small businesses and they will need this loan to survive and will still likely have to lay people off.

My Mrs’s nephew has just got his first flat and a new job, with a lot to look forward to and has been made redundant because of this.

I worry we’re going to enter the Great Depression MKII

 

[SWP's back]

 

[Ban-jani]

lol

 

[SWP's back]

I worry we’re going to enter the Great Depression MKII

On the plus side. All world governments are introducing huge stimulus packages and everyone’s going all in. Central banks are acting much much faster than 2008 as they know what works.

It will be a sharp decline and a hard and fast rebound in my opinion.

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

I think the waiting time on devilroo could be 4 or 5 hours tonight as people treat themselves to a takeaway and a bottle of wine before the tuition of the kids start next week!

 

[inbetween]

Agreed.

Today I hear that the train operating companies are from Monday cutting back on services "to prevent the spread of the virus". SURELY, for the love of God, that is the government's responsibility to be making such policy decisions, not leaving it up to the whims of the train companies?

For me there is a very simple moral point here. This virus kills people, full stop. We can debate how many and whether some might be old and might have died from something else soon anyway etc. But the fact is, it kills people. The more people who get infected, the more people die. It's as simple as that.

And we are allowing more people than necessary to be infected, more people to die, simply because we are not clamping down as much as we could. Perhaps this is in the name of "freedoms"? if so, I say that is bollocks. This is a time of crisis and at such times we have to temporarily sacrifice our "freedoms". Like when people get conscripted, for example! Or even like making people wear a crash helmet! Sometimes you have to require people to do things, to save lives. If ever there was a time, it is now.

I agree but for different reasons.

The greatest killer from this will not be the government, it will be people themselves who are too stupid to comprehend what this virus is doing and how it spreads. I still maintain that the virus is regional and can be dealt with best regionally but people still need to take action but they aren't.

I've started limiting my movements because my risk of spread to others is higher as I'm still at work in a big office on a big site. My mum has asthma and my gran is 84 so I've started ringing them instead of going a few times a week. Mothers day is basically cancelled.

As I'm doing this though I'm reading of people on social media who are saying things like I'm not bothered about it. There was even a monumental waste on the news last night out shopping saying no-one in my house has symptoms so I'm not staying inside....

We unfortunately have a society that is full of d*ckheads, ignorants and people who are just as thick as pigsh*t. So yes that is a great enough reason to lockdown the country for a month and get the army on the streets if only to start saving people from themselves...

 

[Renneronline]

Never looked at so many graphs in my life...Germany seems to be head and shoulders above everybody else in Europe in way of managing this thing. However their health system has been brought together certainly needs a dose of looking at.

Our figures don't look good. Still people wiping the bloody shelves clear, still people going out to the pub...still people are driving me crazy with how they are behaving at this moment in time. Lots of people must have far larger properties than others and far more financial resources too, where are they hoarding it all and where's the money coming from to buy in such quantities?

I don't like authority at any time, and am usually full of cynicism over anything government related, no matter what colour is in power, but with all the info that is out there, there's no need to be Einstein to 'see' something is definitely wrong, seriously wrong and as much as that there is differing opinions on what advice the government is giving, it's beholding to everyone to follow it.

This country is as strong as it's weakest link, with that in mind and with what I'm seeing, it ain't looking very strong at all.

Believe me if I could find a positive I'd be out there with it...as for the singing of that song across Europe...great intentions I'm sure, I couldn't join in, 'cos some of those despicable people who are driving not just me but plenty of others to distraction will have joined in with it, even probably got over emotional too...for now I feel nothing but anger towards them.

 

[Whymewhynot]

I agree but for different reasons.

The greatest killer from this will not be the government, it will be people themselves who are too stupid to comprehend what this virus is doing and how it spreads. I still maintain that the virus is regional and can be dealt with best regionally but people still need to take action but they aren't.

I've started limiting my movements because my risk of spread to others is higher as I'm still at work in a big office on a big site. My mum has asthma and my gran is 84 so I've started ringing them instead of going a few times a week. Mothers day is basically cancelled.

As I'm doing this though I'm reading of people on social media who are saying things like I'm not bothered about it. There was even a monumental waste on the news last night out shopping saying no-one in my house has symptoms so I'm not staying inside....

We unfortunately have a society that is full of d*ckheads, ignorants and people who are just as thick as pigsh*t. So yes that is a great enough reason to lockdown the country for a month and get the army on the streets if only to start saving people from themselves...

Which is the exact reason there should be a lockdown or stricter rules. As i keep saying if the government think saying please don’t go pub is enough to stop some people then they’re thick. If they aren’t closing these places stubborn people will probably think it’s not that bad then. I agree people should listen but the government also need to be firm and stop but half arsed requests out there.

 

[George Hannah]

Everyone’s got sob story around this. I’m most likely using the money I’d saved for a house deposit to live on in the months ahead. I actually consider myself lucky that I’m in a position to do that. She should consider herself lucky that she’s got a healthy child (assuming that’s the case). My son is a type 1 diabetic, so I’m worried about him, obviously. He was due to sit his finals at Bath in a few months, and I picked him up yesterday and took him to his mum’s, university having been cancelled. Didn’t hear him moan once btw. He gets that sometimes, shit happens.

Her words, and the way she’s delivered them, accord with the sense of entitlement in society that’s developed over time, as living standards have risen, culminating in the scenes we’ve recently witnessed in supermarkets. She seriously needs to get over herself and get her priorities right, as she sounds like a complete ****.

I thought you'd be living on the proceeds of your success from years ago - those Clerks are dogged but slow ;)

 

[goatersnipple]

I think the waiting time on devilroo could be 4 or 5 hours tonight as people treat themselves to a takeaway and a bottle of wine before the tuition of the kids start next week!

Or delivaroo to the pub

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I thought you'd be living on the proceeds of your success from years ago - those Clerks are dogged but slow ;)

You clearly know very little of my story, George. Your loss :-)

 

[denislawsbackheel]

I think the waiting time on devilroo could be 4 or 5 hours tonight as people treat themselves to a takeaway and a bottle of wine before the tuition of the kids start next week!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...horities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

looking at the list of key workers you are unlucky if you aren’t one of them!

 

[kevin horlocks wand]

Or delivaroo to the pub

do you know what where I live the people who are in pubs restaurants and cafes seem to be the older vulnerable crowd - the “you have just to get on with it “ crew .

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

So our numbers are worse than Italy two weeks ago and they’ve been in lockdown for about 10 or 11 days? Yet it’s still horrific there.

Im not sure what we think makes us different. As soon as our capacity is breached, and we have half the capacity of Italy per capita, our death rate moves closer to Italy’s day by day. Yet it feels like we are sleepwalking into it. And I don’t just mean the leaders, I mean the public too.

Perhaps it's Italy's approach that is the issue, or the fact they were first which means they've only be able to be reactive.