Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Barnfred 55]

I’m impressed with the Greeks handling of the situation. I suppose everyone had to pull together seeing as they only have something like 500 ICU beds!!

But it appears that whatever they’re doing is working. Maybe that’s what happens when you’ve lived through such financial and economic hardship, if anything it seems to have brought the nation together.

Greeks doing as they're told for a change. Whatever next?

 

[Tubey]

Sweden saying that they could`ve achieved optimum herd immunity by sometime in May

It's possible. Sort of.

Assuming this virus has a fatality rate of around 0.3%, then they'd need around 70-80% of their 10,000,000 ish population to catch it to achieve it, which would mean a total death rate of 21,000 to 24,000 people. It also means the disease will spread quicker throughout their population simply because there's fewer to infect yet the rate in which the virus spreads exponentially stays the same. So they'd get a relative small big "hit" to their health system.

It's sort of doable with that low of a population to be honest. The difference here is we have more than six times the population, so for us it'd be a death rate of around 160,000, done via a massive spike in deaths over a longer period of time.

It's why it's difficult to compare country to country, because Sweden will look "good" compared to us on the surface no matter what happened. We in the UK simply couldn't have done what Sweden have done.

 

[BlueToff]

It's the most Tory thing ever when you think about it isn't it?

Let's not give the NHS what it needs - let's just give them a good ol' clap instead.

... its like giving soldiers a pat on the back as they went over the top in WW1 ffs.

It is but also it's obviously a nice sentiment. Obviously the government should be doing more but having a clap for workers is something that's been done in loads of countries tbf - just feels like a token gesture.

As with nearly like anything these days though, it just all seems to go OTT really quickly.

Sounds miserable I know but when you see those videos of hundreds of people in a gathering but it's alright cause they're clapping, it just riles you.

 

[COYBL25]

Surely that's pure guesswork though. As far as I'm aware they aren't doing excessive testing and a reliable antibodies test isn't available yet

Come from one of their government ministers.

 

[BlueToff]

It's possible. Sort of.

Assuming this virus has a fatality rate of around 0.3%, then they'd need around 70-80% of their 10,000,000 ish population to catch it to achieve it, which would mean a total death rate of 21,000 to 24,000 people. It also means the disease will spread quicker throughout their population simply because there's fewer to infect yet the rate in which the virus spreads exponentially stays the same. So they'd get a relative small big "hit" to their health system.

It's sort of doable with that low of a population to be honest. The difference here is we have more than six times the population, so for us it'd be a death rate of around 160,000, done via a massive spike in deaths over a longer period of time.

It's why it's difficult to compare country to country, because Sweden will look "good" compared to us on the surface no matter what happened. We in the UK simply couldn't have done what Sweden have done.

Suppose they'll be hopeful that their health care system (which is in a better place than ours though a big part of that is obviously down to less strain due to a lower population) will keep that number down.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I looked into this yesterday. Heathrow bloke said pretty much all passenger arrivals are at very low passenger numbers, with pretty much all the passengers being repatriated. Able to cope with social distancing easily on board.

Might be BS, dunno, but he also said that no one is travelling to the UK for holiday or business.

Thats just a bloke from Heathrow looking after the interests of his employer. There 15000 flying per day with no health checks or quarantine periods, that came from Mr Hancock the health secretary the other day. Even the US has imposed a ban and other countries have enforced health checks...

 

[Ollie d]

I think the police are really feeling the pinch here... I saw 3 cars and 6 polis called the scene of somebody grassing their neighbours up for having visitors yesterday.

Poor sods have nothing to do.

During my daily exercise Friday I noticed a speed camera van at work, on the duel carriageway 150m from the hospital. Now speeding is still a crime I know but thought that takes the biscuit right now. Is that essential work?

 

[BlueToff]

They are bascially sacrificing the old and the weak (and nearly Howlin' Pelle Almqvist) to do it, however.

Well they are relying on their welfare/healthcare system to keep people alive mate.

It's one of the best in Europe by all accounts.

Again whether it works out we won't know until after the fact, I suppose.

 

[Tubey]

Suppose they'll be hopeful that their health care system (which is in a better place than ours though a big part of that is obviously down to less strain due to a lower population) will keep that number down.

To be honest mate I'm guessing that with the benefit of hindsight the lockdown will be viewed as largely unnecessary. I'm hopeful it will be anyway. What I mean by that is that our "curves" will be largely the same and the asymptomatic infection rate has been grossly underestimated simply due to community testing limitations (I actually believe this virus has been in the UK since November/December - here's an interesting article for you that highlights the flu was hospitalising eight times as many people this year; I think there's a massive chance a lot of those where COVID-19 before we were testing for it - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7810129/Flu-cases-EIGHT-TIMES-higher-point-UK-winter.html)

But there's no doubt in my mind that it was the correct decision to enforce it. Sweden might have got this right but it's a ridiculous gamble that they shouldn't have played with their own populace IMO.

 

[Barnfred 55]

If you were lucky enough to have sold and gone into rented before this kicked off, then you are in a very good position. House prices are expected to take a 20% dip in value.

We did that and decided to rent down here.

However we had problems selling our house. It was on the market for a year and we wanted to get down here before the winter so we auctioned it in the end. We took the best part of a 20% hit on our original asking price so I guess we haven't really benefited as such. However at least it confirms that we made the right decision to auction it.

 

[roydo]

Thats just a bloke from Heathrow looking after the interests of his employer. There 15000 flying per day with no health checks or quarantine periods, that came from Mr Hancock the health secretary the other day. Even the US has imposed a ban and other countries have enforced health checks...

Oh, we are all believing Hancock now? Ok.

It was a CAA bloke.

 

[marnie]

I’m impressed with the Greeks handling of the situation. I suppose everyone had to pull together seeing as they only have something like 500 ICU beds!!

But it appears that whatever they’re doing is working. Maybe that’s what happens when you’ve lived through such financial and economic hardship, if anything it seems to have brought the nation together.

Very true.They also managed to nearly double the ICU beds in a month,up to 980.

 

[ramacca]

Thats just a bloke from Heathrow looking after the interests of his employer. There 15000 flying per day with no health checks or quarantine periods, that came from Mr Hancock the health secretary the other day. Even the US has imposed a ban and other countries have enforced health checks...

Spot on. This from ITV news.

Exclusive: 'Test passengers now!' Plea from Heathrow Border ...
www.itv.com › news › london › 2020-04-16 › exclusiv...

Morale is I’d say very, very low. Because we’ve lost two colleagues, a lot are self isolating. They’ve got the symptoms but we don’t know if they’ve actually got Covid-19 or not. It’s just panic because there are so many self-isolating.

I’ve got family to look after. I’ve got colleagues I see, they’re pretty much like family I’m panicking about them. This is more important than my career now.
If they want to keep the airport open that’s fine I’m more than happy to keep doing the job. But we’ve got to start testing people at the airport as soon as they land.
We could easily get to the plane and just do temperature checks. We could easily do it, just give us the equipment and we’ll do it.
Our job is to protect the border and we’re not doing that.

– BORDER FORCE OFFICER, SPEAKING ANONYMOUSLY

We're told you have to stay local but thousands of people are still flying into the country for thousands of miles away. And not getting tested or the workers having PPE.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Oh, we are all believing Hancock now? Ok.

It was a CAA bloke.

CAA even worse have the teeth of a marshmallow, kowtow as most UK regulators.
And maybe Hancock got his figures from experts like the CAA...

 

[Paris]

Branson saying that VA will collapse without a bailout.

Use your own money then you farking twunt.