Ok. but it doesn't change the facts - 17 have died from it, from a much smaller base, in the USA - nobody has died in Germany or Scandinavia from a much larger one. China is also turning the corner on this - their first concern is to protect 1.4 Billion people, with 102 cities of over a million population to protect, their measures to control epidemics are going to be robust - there is no way it could be any different.
Plain numbers don't tell the full story, there are already variants of the initial strain of the virus which have different strength, so just quoting numbers is not the truest picture. I'm sure like most things statistics can suit whatever purpose required...
A voice of common sense and reason... Doctor Abdu Sharkawy of the University of Toronto’s Division of Infectious Disease wrote on Facebook : I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared. I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19. What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess. I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even imagine? I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession. But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested. Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous. I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing. Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts. Our children will thank us for it.
If statistic's meant nothing at all then people wouldn't be bothered collecting them. Of course they should be accepted with caution because different countries are testing in different ways (the more you test the more you are likely to find). South Korea is testing 10,000 cases per day, and Italy is performing random tests. Germany is testing all with symptoms and all hospital entries (whatever the reason for entry). Also the tests may be different - with different time spans between test and result. At the other end what, exactly, does 'healed' mean - in one country it may be a case of ''Are you feeling ok'' - ''Yes'', ''Ok you can go home then''- in Germany those who no longer have symptoms are being testing twice subsequently over a two week period, and only if the second test is also negative - only then do they qualify as healed. So the statistics need to be taken with caution, because the means of getting them is not uniform. However - there is no way that China could falsify figures to this extent, with the WHO and independent observers. China is winning the battle - we may not like their methods, but they are the only country which is past the worst - and that is fact, not fantasy. I would rather look at how they have done it rather than accept the fatalist view of ''Most of us are going to get it - just accept it'' - we are very lucky that China did not have this fatalist viewpoint.
Battsby @Fred79172142 So, in case you weren't aware, this is from the government's own flu stats: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/839350/Surveillance_of_influenza_and_other_respiratory_viruses_in_the_UK_2018_to_2019-FINAL.pdf… Just for comparison, you understand. please log in to view this image
please log in to view this image Coronavirus can trigger a new industrial revolution The disease could be the shock we need to harness new technology and new ways of working Ed Conway Thursday March 05 2020, 5.00pm GMT, The Times Don’t take this the wrong way but if you were a young, hardline environmentalist looking for the ultimate weapon against climate change, you could hardly design anything better than coronavirus. Unlike most other such diseases, it kills mostly the old who, let’s face it, are more likely to be climate sceptics. It spares the young. Most of all, it stymies the forces that have been generating greenhouse gases for decades. Deadly enough to terrify; containable enough that aggressive quarantine measures can prevent it from spreading. The rational response for any country determined to prevent loss of life is to follow China’s lead and lock down their economy to stem its spread. And so airlines are cancelling flights; companies are scrapping travel. Factories in China and,
“We have started testing the vaccine in the laboratory and we’ve been very excited by the results” COVIDー19 vaccine being developed by Scottish Scientist Dr Kate Broderick ...
What's with this toilet paper fixation? The Supermarket was completely empty of it when myself and Mrs Nines went shopping earlier. And all the pasta had gone too.
