I fear for the US. Their press conferences are notable for the questioners being more forceful (and being blanked) than ours, and their top people cow-tailing to the President, and showering him with praise. The new phrase is "Trump Time", meaning more than ASAP. They seem to be heading for a war-footing mentality but their State system doesn't seem to allow them to take a national response.
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Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread
- Thread starter GingerBeerMan
- Start date
Mtoto
Well-known member
- Sep 28, 2003
- 1,848
Do you know to what extent, if any, the much higher spending in the US as a pct of GDP is down to the hugely inflated prices they pay for drugs which the NHS gets for a fraction of the cost?
GT49er
Well-known member
Good for Cornwall. Elsewhere, is AirB&B still running, or has that been closed for the duration? Anybody know? I know many hotels have closed their doors, but is that of their own volition, or government edict?
Wrong-Direction
Well-known member
- Mar 10, 2013
- 13,451
Hopefully the virus wipes out 50% of Trump supporters, and the other 50% shoot each other.
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Airbnb closed now
Machiavelli
Well-known member
Absolutely no idea, but I'd imagine it's a factor. What I can tell you is that, despite the claim that the NHS is bureaucratic, so much more of the incoming money gets spent on healthcare, because there aren't the layers of invoicing and related costs involved.
I'm not claiming that the public sector is more efficient than the private sector (I can see no argument for the public sector running restaurants for instance), but what gets my goat is the claim that private good/efficient, public bad/inefficient which has been the dominant narrative for decades.
Yes. Healthcare for the monied is hugely expensive when treatment’s required, base costs for providers include huge insurance premiums in an ambulance chasing culture built on lawyers.
Whilst tens of millions get shite healthcare elsewhere.
Absolutely. I think as Europe starts to get over the epidemic, all eyes will turn to the States.
Extract from the new science magazine nothing earth shatteringly new but Interesting all the same I did have to check that Francois Balloux who is quoted in the article was a real person it appears he is professor of computational systems biology at University College London. He earned a master's degree and doctorate at the University of Lausanne, then completed postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh. According to Wikipedia anyway the article says.
COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, proves deadly in around 3.5 percent of confirmed cases.
While this is not the same as its mortality rate, given many people may be infected but not realise it, it is significantly higher than seasonal flu, which typically kills 0.1 percent of patients.
"There is still considerable uncertainty around the fatality rates of COVID-19 and it likely varies depending on the quality of local healthcare," said Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology at University College London.
"That said, it is around two percent on average, which is about 20 times higher than for the seasonal flu lineages currently in circulation."
Serious cases
But the true danger of coronavirus is unlikely to be the death toll. Experts say health systems could easily become overwhelmed by the number of cases requiring hospitalisation – and, often ventilation to support breathing.
An analysis of 45,000 confirmed cases in China, where the epidemic originated, show that the vast majority of deaths were among the elderly (14.8 percent mortality among over 80s).
But another Chinese study showed that 41 percent of serious cases occurred among under 50s, compared with 27 percent among over 65s.
"It's true that if you're older you're at greater risk, but serious cases can also happen in relatively young people with no prior conditions," said French deputy health minister Jerome Salomon.
COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, proves deadly in around 3.5 percent of confirmed cases.
While this is not the same as its mortality rate, given many people may be infected but not realise it, it is significantly higher than seasonal flu, which typically kills 0.1 percent of patients.
"There is still considerable uncertainty around the fatality rates of COVID-19 and it likely varies depending on the quality of local healthcare," said Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology at University College London.
"That said, it is around two percent on average, which is about 20 times higher than for the seasonal flu lineages currently in circulation."
Serious cases
But the true danger of coronavirus is unlikely to be the death toll. Experts say health systems could easily become overwhelmed by the number of cases requiring hospitalisation – and, often ventilation to support breathing.
An analysis of 45,000 confirmed cases in China, where the epidemic originated, show that the vast majority of deaths were among the elderly (14.8 percent mortality among over 80s).
But another Chinese study showed that 41 percent of serious cases occurred among under 50s, compared with 27 percent among over 65s.
"It's true that if you're older you're at greater risk, but serious cases can also happen in relatively young people with no prior conditions," said French deputy health minister Jerome Salomon.
I agree and then closely by the African continent where sadly health care can in places be almost nonexistent the death toll will be horrendous unless warmer conditions do as some predict massively reduce the virus spreading
- Apr 5, 2014
- 23,903
My concern is that we have no exit strategy. If it's still out there then ending the lockdown will only bring it back. Theoretically, a lockdown can only end when infections end. And even then we may have to keep borders closed.
BN41Albion
Well-known member
- Oct 1, 2017
- 6,469
Its not about being adherent, it's about what we're allowed to do. Spain, France and Italy have stricter lockdown measures than us.
We'll see if they prove any more effective in the long run. So far it doesn't appear so...
pastafarian
Well-known member
Dear lord
They are just people with families just like you and me. You might not agree with who they support or have voted for but wishing that is beyond nasty.
Seriously .....have a look at yourself in the mirror.
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pastafarian
Well-known member
Getting some really batcrap mental videos from my brother in law in Uganda. The police and security forces are taking the enforcement business to crackers levels of abuse.
Same for every country, no?
vegster
Sanity Clause
- May 5, 2008
- 27,933
I posted this link on another thread this morning, the US response is changing now, expect more selfishness in the next few days as the US numbers crank up.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-52161995
Got an email form my Brother in China. Streets filling up again, talk of schools opening next week. Lock down pretty much over. He’s off for a picnic with wife and daughter. First proper time out if the apartment in three months.
Here’s hoping they really have beaten it.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,405
Dr Neil Ferguson on radio this morning (the Imperial college chap):
- expects the peak mortality is this week to 10 days then plateaus
- next phase will be focus on contact testing (didnt give time for that to begin, May was mentioned by interviewer).
- distancing rules relax gradually not back to normal for while longer.
- asked why he had spoke against mass testing at HoC Committee in Feb, said there was not test kits or capacity to do so at time.
- made point mass testing is not feasible, the intended action is contact testing.
noted elsewhere there are shortages of chemical reagents (despite some journo's claim there's loads), some countries able to do more testing because they manufacture and soak up supply. 6 weeks seems to be the target for lockdown, to constrain the spread then you can apply contact testing to the few cases that pop up.
- expects the peak mortality is this week to 10 days then plateaus
- next phase will be focus on contact testing (didnt give time for that to begin, May was mentioned by interviewer).
- distancing rules relax gradually not back to normal for while longer.
- asked why he had spoke against mass testing at HoC Committee in Feb, said there was not test kits or capacity to do so at time.
- made point mass testing is not feasible, the intended action is contact testing.
noted elsewhere there are shortages of chemical reagents (despite some journo's claim there's loads), some countries able to do more testing because they manufacture and soak up supply. 6 weeks seems to be the target for lockdown, to constrain the spread then you can apply contact testing to the few cases that pop up.