Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[Triggaaar]

Strange then that you already know the outcome of human trials, how it works and its effectiveness.

Eh? What are you talking about?

 

[The Wizard]

Strange then that you already know the outcome of human trials, how it works and its effectiveness.

A vaccine is simply impossible in at least the next 6 months, you can’t rush vaccines into place because long term testing has to be done no matter how much it is needed, if you don’t test it long term you could end up saving people initially and making them even more ill down the line.

 

[Beach Hut]

I can't speak for other parts but from my pretty good vantage point here it has all be very well respected. Indeed the only ones that were ignoring the advice were quite obviously tourists and most of those are Brits.

Since going into lockdown the streets have been all but deserted. We are allowed out (1 person per household) for food shopping and pharmacy. The shelves have been well stocked since the beginning, they let a few in at a time where hands are sanitsed and disposable gloves given. Everyone keeps their distance

The numbers are still going up at similar rates to elsewhere which shows how virilant it is and how there is a good lag between contracting it and the symptons (if any) emerging

We have a flight home booked for Tuesday and I am really unsure ... but Mrs Rat feels anxious about being stuck here for 3/4+ months by which time the Island economy will be in shreds and local people (mostly low paid in tourism) really feeling the pinch.

I understand her anxiety ... we're between a rock and a hard place

According to BBC news Spanish lock down extended for an additional two weeks

 

[Wozza]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0322/1124657-who-coronavirus/
WHO: Lockdowns not enough to beat virus

I mean, we know this. China has not 'beaten' Covid-19.

Amazing and depressing that the UK is still not even at lockdown stage.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Pictures of packed car parks and cars parked in roads, in and around beaches and beauty spots down here.
People enjoying a nice but of sunshine or having an extended Easter holiday thinking that we are free of it.
Comment on local news website saying " if I want to go to the beach I will, and nobody can stop me"
There is something seriously wrong with a large number of British people.

 

[Guinness Boy]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0322/1124657-who-coronavirus/
WHO: Lockdowns not enough to beat virus

I mean, we know this. China has not 'beaten' Covid-19.

Amazing and depressing that the UK is still not even at lockdown stage.

Lockdown, isolate and test is what worked in East Asia. But.....

Pictures of packed car parks and cars parked in roads, in and around beaches and beauty spots down here.
People enjoying a nice but of sunshine or having an extended Easter holiday thinking that we are free of it.
Comment on local news website saying " if I want to go to the beach I will, and nobody can stop me"
There is something seriously wrong with a large number of British people.

You have to contend with this. I am now going to play devils advocate - if "we" as a species are this obstinate then "we" as a species deserve everything we get.

I completely include myself in this BTW. I must have spent a good 2 weeks with my head in the "only sniffles" sand because I couldn't face the alternative. And that's what this is, right? A mix of inability to lose freedom and inability to face the death toll.

 

[Rugrat]

According to BBC news Spanish lock down extended for an additional two weeks

Totally expected.

I could be entirely wrong but I think there is something in their constitution that this sort of emergency measure can only run for 15 days at a time.

Much of what I hear (on forums and chat groups) is that the lockdown will run well into May. New cases in the islands are running at +20% daily and increasing

Edit ... although I can't talk about the mainland these increases are in a very compliant population. Make of that what you will

 

[Poojah]

In terms of how we tread water whilst we wait for the ultimate exit strategy (which presumably means either a vaccine or an incredibly effective and easily administered treatment), is there any reason we couldn’t adopt an on / off approach whereby we alternate between periods of tight restriction and reasonable levels of freedom?

Given where we are now, I appreciate we’d need a much longer initial period. But if we were to enter lockdown again at an earlier stage, say when official case numbers are in the hundreds rather than the thousands, would it not be possible to ‘get away’ with just two or three weeks before we resume normality for a short time and repeat the cycle?

Or is that just naive?

 

[Guinness Boy]

In terms of how we tread water whilst we wait for the ultimate exit strategy (which presumably means either a vaccine or an incredibly effective and easily administered treatment), is there any reason we couldn’t adopt an on / off approach whereby we alternate between periods of tight restriction and reasonable levels of freedom?

Given where we are now, I appreciate we’d need a much longer initial period. But if we were to enter lockdown again at an earlier stage, say when official case numbers are in the hundreds rather than the thousands, would it not be possible to ‘get away’ with just two or three weeks before we resume normality for a short time and repeat the cycle?

Or is that just naive?

We've got a crystal ball in China, and also warmer weather coming up. I can see it being on/off IF China manages to either prevent or contain a second wave and the summer reduces infection rates and ICU occupancy. I would expect international travel to be locked down for a very long time though. If this goes pandemic in Africa we're in a whole new world of pain.

 

[Poojah]

Death rate now increasing faster than China and Italy at the same stage. That cannot be a good thing. Grim.

 

[Swansman]

You have to contend with this. I am now going to play devils advocate - if "we" as a species are this obstinate then "we" as a species deserve everything we get.

True words.

Governments all over Europe gave us the opportunity to do the right thing and we didnt, so now they have to lock us up. One of the very, very few things I'm going to enjoy with the upcoming lockdown is seeing the response from the idiots who didnt bother to take interest in the situation and thought "nah its fine, things will just go on as always". The move from "nothing is happening" to "the military are going to ****ing carry you inside if you go out" will be a wake-up call.

To the ones who understand whats coming, like most people here at NSC, it will feel a lot less dramatic. As I see it the day Swedish PM says "either you stay inside or we make you stay inside" will not be a day of terror but one of relief.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

Pictures of packed car parks and cars parked in roads, in and around beaches and beauty spots down here.
People enjoying a nice but of sunshine or having an extended Easter holiday thinking that we are free of it.
Comment on local news website saying " if I want to go to the beach I will, and nobody can stop me"
There is something seriously wrong with a large number of British people.

Sorry, but this has largely been caused by bad advice by the authorities - its not the people. They have closed the bars and restaurants and encouraged us to get out and enjoy open spaces. The National Trust threw open the gates of its parks for free (they have now rapidly back-pedalled on that). People were following bad advice.

 

[bhafc99]

UK death total up to 281, a rise of 47.

In the scheme of things, and especially comparing our tracking against Italy and Spain, that's a note of encouragement. If it's sustained for the next two or three days, then that's a ray of hope.

Not, of course, for those who have lost loved ones in that 47, but compared to the 150+ or so we feared today...

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

UK death total up to 281, a rise of 47.

In the scheme of things, and especially comparing our tracking against Italy and Spain, that's a note of encouragement. If it's sustained for the next two or three days, then that's a ray of hope.

Not, of course, for those who have lost loved ones in that 47, but compared to the 150+ or so we feared today...

I am going to grasp every crumb of comfort I can ATM. Even bitter crumbs.

 

[The Wizard]

UK death total up to 281, a rise of 47.

In the scheme of things, and especially comparing our tracking against Italy and Spain, that's a note of encouragement. If it's sustained for the next two or three days, then that's a ray of hope.

Not, of course, for those who have lost loved ones in that 47, but compared to the 150+ or so we feared today...

Indeed, still another 47 people who have lost a loved one though hopefully somehow we can avoid what’s happening in Italy, who themselves have a slight decrease in cases/deaths today, albeit still horrible numbers.

 

[Bodian]

Death rate now increasing faster than China and Italy at the same stage. That cannot be a good thing. Grim.

UK death total up to 281, a rise of 47.

In the scheme of things, and especially comparing our tracking against Italy and Spain, that's a note of encouragement. If it's sustained for the next two or three days, then that's a ray of hope.

Not, of course, for those who have lost loved ones in that 47, but compared to the 150+ or so we feared today...

I am going to grasp every crumb of comfort I can ATM. Even bitter crumbs.

Considerably lower than Italy at same stage (one day further than the highlighting). Let's hope it continues that way.

 

[clarkey]

In terms of how we tread water whilst we wait for the ultimate exit strategy (which presumably means either a vaccine or an incredibly effective and easily administered treatment), is there any reason we couldn’t adopt an on / off approach whereby we alternate between periods of tight restriction and reasonable levels of freedom?

Given where we are now, I appreciate we’d need a much longer initial period. But if we were to enter lockdown again at an earlier stage, say when official case numbers are in the hundreds rather than the thousands, would it not be possible to ‘get away’ with just two or three weeks before we resume normality for a short time and repeat the cycle?

Or is that just naive?

I think I read a few days ago that that is exactly what we should expect. I think the vague estimate was 12 months of some sort of restrictions, with around 6 months (on and off) of our current state, with 6 months where just those with symptoms etc self-isolate.

 

[The Wizard]

Staggering increase in numbers in the USA. Nearly 13k cases today, obviously higher populations but still, perhaps this is also because more testing is done in the US?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Staggering increase in numbers in the USA. Nearly 13k cases today, obviously higher populations but still, perhaps this is also because more testing is done in the US?

You can get a test in the US if you can afford it.

 

[Poojah]

Considerably lower than Italy at same stage (one day further than the highlighting). Let's hope it continues that way.

View attachment 121352

This is a quote I took directly from Sky News, rightly or wrongly, with a graph that appeared to back the claim. I guess it depends on what you interpret to be day one.