Off Topic The SIR Kenny Dalglish Public House

I think people like her are looking for some positivity amongst all the gloom. The thing that I'm not comfortable with is that those numbers aren't just numbers, they are people. That's why I'm focusing on the recoveries - those numbers are people too but it doesn't seem cold talking about them in that way.

 

Even the fact that it's pulled indicates the original report was flawed. Plus where are all the other 21 year olds who are supposedly dying?

All we know for sure is the death rate is an overestimate due to unreported asymptomatic cases. Because the Tories completely ****ed the testing process.

I think right now in Italy there is a significant problem with Covid-19 and so no one gives a **** to actually put the effort into finding out and saying oh this death wasn't actually Covid-19 so don't count that one.

 

It could also be taken as a little fight back against the media coverage, the grim fascination with how many deaths and the slight feeling of glee that there have been so many leaves me uneasy.

I get the feeling that certain sections of the media want the death toll to be as big as possible, I find the sensational headlines very distasteful, especially as no real reporting is going on.

Edit: ghoulish is the word I was searching for when writing this.

 

I agree with you. I think the media whipped us up into a frenzy right from the get go and there's been no let up. Seemingly everybody, everywhere is talking about mortality rates as readily as they would talk about the weather and everybody is an expert much like when a conversation about club finances breaks out.

We will never have completely accurate figures based on the nature of the virus and the fact that every country is handling it differently and reporting it differently.

 

It's always the worst case scenario that is given over as irrefutable fact. I find discussing the death toll as if it's a maths problem absolutely abhorrent.

I no longer look on any news sights and have completely distanced my self from social media. In fact and I think I've said it before the only figure I pay attention to is your reporting of the recovery rate.

 

I think the government will be pushing the media to focus on deaths. They want the scare mongering because they're still trying to get people to listen to the guidelines.

Saying positive things like how many have recovered will only encourage people to ignore guidelines because they doubt think things are so bad.

 

Yep.

On the other hand 1.8% death rate is 135,540,000 people. Roughly equivalent to wiping Russia or Mexico off the planet.

Or for just the UK it would be 1,195,920, roughly the whole of Glasgow, or most of Manchester.

 

There have been mixed messages from the government but the health advice has always been that this is very serious. I think once we were put in lockdown there was no room for making your own mind up about whether you were prepared to chance it.

There's always a certain element that will ignore guidelines regardless, you're right. Speaking for myself, whilst heeding and acting on all the advice, I want all the positivity I can get I just want it presented in a respectful way if it's about the situation not being as bad as we've been led to believe.

 

For comparison:

99.999% of the population are not murdered each year. So why does the media (or the police/courts) care about the 0.001% that are?

 

The media, especially the tabloids are loving this. They were the ones who caused the panic buying with their coverage, and then flip and report how evil the panic buying is.

Those who used to watch "Drop the Dead Donkey" and laugh at the extremes they showed the media going to in order to create a story, now look back and think it is a pretty accurate picture.

 

As always people will believe what they want to believe. This virus has shown that none of the papers have the 'real' truth, in fact from the very little I have read in the online versions, there's not much difference in the factual reporting when you've come to expect better from the papers held in higher regard.

 

The issue with this approach, is some people just dont give a ****, or will happily ignore the advice when it suits them.

However the constant fear mongering will have a detrimental effect on the mental health of many people.

Two big winners out of the virus, divorce lawyers and companies that make anti depressants.

Even the most positive of person will get ground down by the constantly negative press. Its irresponsible and potentially as harmful.

 

I've long since given up on watching the news. I look at the headlines online and if there's an aspect of it that seems important then I'll follow up on that. I follow the guidelines we're given as best I can and there's nothing more I can do - I don't see the point in dwelling on it more than that.
It's no doubt a deadly serious situation, but a constant daily diet of fear and gloom is, as you say, detrimental to people's mental health.
It's complicated - I know people who are afraid that they'll be struck dead if they venture outside. They need to be given a more positive outlook for their own good, but as has been pointed out, others will then take that as a sign that the problem is exaggerated and behave irresponsibly.
We will come through this, we just have to get the right balance between caution and optimism.
I realise that some are more vulnerable than others, and some have family and friends who are of greater concern, so it's understandable that we have a range of attitudes.
Stay safe everyone, and keep as upbeat as you're able.

 

Very good post saint.

I don't want people thinking I'm being crass by posting the recovery figure every few days. I'm not ignoring what's going on or trivialising it in any way, I just need a positive to cling on to atm and thought others may need one too. Knowing that some people are coming out the other side gives me hope.

 

And that's why we don't know who to believe.

 

Or lazy Journos using stock photographs!

 

Probably not the journalist but the editor

 

That isn't a stock photo as such, it's a very recent photo from either Italy or Wuhan. If we can't trust editors to publish the right picture, why should we trust them to print the right story? That isn't aimed at you at all, just a general comment.