Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[ForeverBlue92]

Well you are certainly reading things that haven't been posted. If we are just going to let COVID be like the flu, to become endemic, for tens of thousands of people a day to be infected with it here, what impact do you think that would have on countries who were trying to suppress it?

The only way this thing is ever going to become less lethal is by doing just that whilst we hopefully find better treatments.

A tiny island full of built up social housing housing 70 million people, with hundreds of thousands jetting in and out the country every day, shipments of trade on our highways and on our shores in and oot every hour.

Absolutely no chance of containing this. Track and Trace is a fantasy for a country like ours.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

It's widespread across the world. Supression clearly doesn't work in the long term, that's very obvious for anyone to see. Fair play to countries like South Korea but they are outliers not the norm.

South Korea aint an international hub of trade or massive tourist destination like the UK is either.

Comparing apples and oranges.

 

[tsubaki]

It's widespread across the world. Supression clearly doesn't work in the long term, that's very obvious for anyone to see. Fair play to countries like South Korea but they are outliers not the norm.

Its widespread across the world because so many countries have helped spread it widely. If more countries had done (or more importantly had learned from) what South Korea and others have done, millions fewer people would have died.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Well you are certainly reading things that haven't been posted. If we are just going to let COVID be like the flu, to become endemic, for tens of thousands of people a day to be infected with it here, what impact do you think that would have on countries who were trying to suppress it?

I think covid is going to be here for a very long time, possibly the rest of our lives. It's probably going to become a seasonal illness we encounter every year. I don't think suppression will work in the long term. Zero covid is a policy that will never work.

 

[grandjoeblue]

Its widespread across the world because so many countries have helped spread it widely. If more countries had done (or more importantly had learned from) what South Korea and others have done, millions fewer people would have died.

Less people might have died but let's not pretend that its endemic just because of USA/UK as thats clearly not true. Mexico, Russia and Brazil for example have performed very badly as well.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

Whole thing just has become like a Black Mirror episode

 

[tsubaki]

I think covid is going to be here for a very long time, possibly the rest of our lives. It's probably going to become a seasonal illness we encounter every year. I don't think suppression will work in the long term. Zero covid is a policy that will never work.

It is kind of telling how the first few sentences are all "I think", "possibly", "probably" etc but the last one is a definite "will never work".

Why won't it work? What does "work" even mean in that context?

I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that having an effective test, track, trace and isolate system for COVID would save more lives, cost less, prevent more economic damage and prevent more governmental overreach than the current policies will.

 

[tsubaki]

South Korea aint an international hub of trade or massive tourist destination like the UK is either.

Comparing apples and oranges.

6th biggest economy vs 12th biggest

142 million passenger arrivals pa vs 92 million passenger arrivals pa

we are not that different to them

 

[ToffeeTim]

It is kind of telling how the first few sentences are all "I think", "possibly", "probably" etc but the last one is a definite "will never work".

Why won't it work? What does "work" even mean in that context?

I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that having an effective test, track, trace and isolate system for COVID would save more lives, cost less, prevent more economic damage and prevent more governmental overreach than the current policies will.

All the evidence is that zero covid is impossible. You need a long term full lockdown and then when you eventually open up there will still be cases.

The negatives of full lockdowns outweigh the health benefits for society as well.

 

[degsy]

Track and trace relies on the public always coming forward with any hint of symptoms, and then requires total 100% adherence to self-isolating. It also needs everyone to remember all their contacts, and for these people to be contacted quickly.

The other question is should a contact (i.e. not someone who has tested positive) who is vaccinated and feels fine have to isolate - I would say no.

It's not realistic to think it will work well in this country.

From what I've seen here in Australia track and trace only works on low numbers of Infected say under 10.
Once it goes expotential, even if they can find them all, they can't keep up...and that's before you get to the 'it doesn't really apply to me' tossers - then you have to go to lockdown and in the end it be kkmes the dedault choice.

 

[tsubaki]

All the evidence is that zero covid is impossible. You need a long term full lockdown and then when you eventually open up there will still be cases.

The negatives of full lockdowns outweigh the health benefits for society as well.

"all the evidence"

Defying expectations: how New South Wales kept Covid cases low after reopening

When restrictions were lifted, experts said a surge in Covid cases was inevitable. Instead, one month on, cases continue to fall

www.theguardian.com

 

[ToffeeTim]

From what I've seen here in Australia track and trace only works on low numbers of Infected say under 10.
Once it goes expotential, even if they can find them all, they can't keep up...and that's before you get to the 'it doesn't really apply to me' tossers - then you have to go to lockdown and in the end it be kkmes the dedault choice.

Any system which relies heavily on human behaviour will be fallible and have its limits.

 

[ToffeeTim]

"all the evidence"

Defying expectations: how New South Wales kept Covid cases low after reopening

When restrictions were lifted, experts said a surge in Covid cases was inevitable. Instead, one month on, cases continue to fall

www.theguardian.com

Is there any evidence in the UK?

We had a long term lockdown and cases remained relatively high. What evidence is there that certain measures would totally remove covid?

 

[grandjoeblue]

Is there any evidence in the UK?

We had a long term lockdown and cases remained relatively high. What evidence is there that certain measures would totally remove covid?

The cases there will go up eventually. One very specific example isn't the norm.

 

[tsubaki]

Is there any evidence in the UK?

We had a long term lockdown and cases remained relatively high. What evidence is there that certain measures would totally remove covid?

Who said "would totally remove covid"?

What NSW shows (just like South Korea shows, Taiwan shows and several other examples show) is that it is possible to keep case rates, hospitalizations and deaths low by using all the tools available to public health experts.