So with all this talk of doom & gloom, what are Germany doing right? Death rates are really low; abnormally low compared with other EU countries. Their lockdown & social distancing doesn’t seem to be much different to ours & in some ways other EU’s.
I couldn't agree more. These people, paid pretty much min wage, are having to deal with angry, distressed and rude people while being exposed to more risky contact than they should. They really display considerable skills in the face of some provocation. Give them heartfelt thanks when you have the opportunity. In contrast to the teachers leader on radio 4 last week suggesting they should be paid extra 'danger money' for continuing to attend their work place. I normally support teachers but they already have a wage structure paying more at all levels than nurses working in intensive care or A&E. I know who deserves 'danger money'. My job in the NHS has pretty much been frozen so I'm offering to go anywhere/do anything from monday. I let my nurse registration lapse on retirement 6yrs ago so unlikely I'll be offered a re-instatement but I'll offer to fill in at lower levels, or tell my boss I'm staying at home as there's no need for me to roboticlly attend a NHS facility, do no work, and increase risks to others.
Listen to what Nigel says in the Saints thread...all the phrases about football that we lovingly mocked him for when he was our manager have a resonance today. Amongst the good advice, he says we should remember to laugh. A wise man indeed.
It's probably what you meant, but the death rate will appear higher if you mainly test the seriously ill (as the UK have chosen to do for the moment) rather than test a lot of people who have self-isolated with mild symptoms. Numbers are useful indicators of the situation but will not be totally accurate unless you test everyone with symptoms (and that is probably impractical). I also read an article which points out that the number of deaths may be exaggerated (sadly not by enough) because some deaths will be due to other causes with the COVID19 infection being unrelated.
The editor of the FT on Marr saying that Cummings was instrumental in delaying lockdown measures. He will have been responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths. We need to be seeing his head on a spike.
I doubt the decision was made maliciously...it was made based on the opinion of experts talking about a rapidly changing and unknown situation. And each country has different problems. The thing about governments is that they sometimes have to make unpopular decisions....and they don't always get it right. I regard this as one of those decisions made in good faith...which will be judged after the event. And I can guarantee that experts will have mixed views on it even after all the data is crunched fifty years down the line.
I am using a wet sponge on a stick although it is looking less like a sponge and more like a mars bar now. The very lovely Mrs Godders thinks I am disgusting. It does mean the small amount of toilet paper we have left is available for her to use as I believe women need it more than men. I don't think her wiggling her bum over the toilet works in quite the same way as a few shakes of the old todger does for us men.