Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[Palacefinder General]

Even the BBC is going more ‘Daily Mail’ these days with its click bait inflammatory homepage Coronavirus headlines. All becoming a bit tedious, and that’s not getting started on high profile sports people and celebs trying to stay ‘relevant’ with their narcissistic online updates, or the now not so funny jokey photos and memes your phone gets bombarded with.

Advance apologies for the moan up

 

[Poojah]

Even the BBC is going more ‘Daily Mail’ these days with its click bait inflammatory homepage Coronavirus headlines. All becoming a bit tedious, and that’s not getting started on high profile sports people and celebs trying to stay ‘relevant’ with their narcissistic online updates, or the now not so funny jokey photos and memes your phone gets bombarded with.

Advance apologies for the moan up

I’m getting a bit tired of all of the negative hyperbole in the media. Yes, of course this is a serious situation but you get the feeling that publishers are simply preying on people’s anxieties in the race for clicks. This piece is particularly dystopian in its outlook:

https://www.esquire.com/uk/life/a31915611/coronavirus-timeline/

We don’t really know exactly how this will play out and what it will mean in the long-term. Stop peddling ‘it’s the end of the world as we know it’ as fact.

 

[atomised]

I'm getting really fed up with seeing the same old things popping up on social media like the 'if your child goes to hospital they will be alone' it's the worst kind of scaremongering and people are buying into it time after time

 

[middletoenail]

I’m getting a bit tired of all of the negative hyperbole in the media. Yes, of course this is a serious situation but you get the feeling that publishers are simply preying on people’s anxieties in the race for clicks. This piece is particularly dystopian in its outlook:

https://www.esquire.com/uk/life/a31915611/coronavirus-timeline/

We don’t really know exactly how this will play out and what it will mean in the long-term. Stop peddling ‘it’s the end of the world as we know it’ as fact.

The sad fact of the matter is that even with all of this hyperbole, you still have divs not respecting social distancing and gaming the 'rules'. Imagine what things would be like if the media DIDN'T hype this situation!

 

[Machiavelli]

No I didn't know that's what you meant.

Answer here:

A somewhat more reliable source is Prof Neil Ferguson, who invoked the 2/3 figure when quizzed by a Select Committee (can't remember which one) in the House of Commons this week

 

[Mellotron]

http://jdmichel.blog.tdg.ch/archive/2020/03/24/covid-19-the-game-is-over-305275.html

Long, but a fascinating read.

 

[Motogull]

Any of us could, sadly, have a ticking time bomb or undiagnosed underlying medical condition in us. This virus could therefore be the tipping point from carry on in blissful ignorance or snuffing it.

 

[A1X]

So a thought which occurred to me last night (because there was **** all else to do), how long can they make this last do we think? I mean sure, right now, everyone's going along with it and getting through it. Three months in, are people still going to be happy to be sat at home doing nothing? How long before we start to see people starting to flout the restrictions?

 

[RossyG]

Any of us could, sadly, have a ticking time bomb or undiagnosed underlying medical condition in us. This virus could therefore be the tipping point from carry on in blissful ignorance or snuffing it.

Yes, like those seemingly fit young professional footballers who suddenly keel over and die and an autopsy reveals an undiagnosed heart condition.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

So a thought which occurred to me last night (because there was **** all else to do), how long can they make this last do we think? I mean sure, right now, everyone's going along with it and getting through it. Three months in, are people still going to be happy to be sat at home doing nothing? How long before we start to see people starting to flout the restrictions?

I think this was a major factor in Johnson's Plan A i.e. the behavioural scientists steered him with this in mind, that punters would get fed up with lock-down and it would be subject to the law of diminishing returns. I didn't really buy-in to this (I'm not sure how 'scientific' it is) as I am of the view that the more we see folk dying around us - as they will for a long time yet - the more compliant we become. After we reach the peak it (compliance) might become more of a problem perhaps. But given that the thrust of government policy was to reach the peak as slowly as possible*, then I was of the view that an earlier lock-down was preferable.
There's no play-book on this though; everyone is making it up as they go along and (Trump aside) trying their best.

* some confusion here, as in the strategy for 'herd immunity' it looked as if he wanted to get to the peak ASAP!

 

[The Wizard]

Is it me or does 33 cases in Brighton & Hove seem extremely low considering we were one of the first places to have an outbreak in the UK?

 

[Hu_Camus]

One to mull over...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think

 

[Thunder Bolt]

[tweet]1243854699754934277[/tweet]

 

[Bozza]

http://jdmichel.blog.tdg.ch/archive/2020/03/24/covid-19-the-game-is-over-305275.html

Long, but a fascinating read.

I read most of it, then started skimming a bit.

I think it's a good summary of what I think is going on in terms of the balance between most people being OK, and how to deal with those who aren't due to overwhelmed health services.

I guess the main point of interest is the trials for the drug treatment, and that's certainly worth following closely.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

http://jdmichel.blog.tdg.ch/archive/2020/03/24/covid-19-the-game-is-over-305275.html

Long, but a fascinating read.

Yes, it was thanks.

I thought this sentence displayed the problem we face very well, assuming that his assertions are correct:

'It is in this complicated paradox between the great harmlessness of the virus for the vast majority of people and its extreme dangerousness in some cases that we found ourselves stuck.'

 

[Triggaaar]

One to mull over...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think

Yep, interesting article. The intention to look at deaths as a whole is difficult, because the lockdowns around the world will have reduced road traffic deaths while also increasing deaths from patients being kicked out of hospital early. Hopefully they'll do some general sampling with the new 'have you had it' tests to help us get a picture of how many people around the country have had it already. Maybe we'll all be able to carry on with life soon.

 

[Mr Banana]

Spectator publishing the "train approaching at speed but hasn't hit us yet so let's stand still on the track" argument. What a shock.

 

[jabba]

So a thought which occurred to me last night (because there was **** all else to do), how long can they make this last do we think? I mean sure, right now, everyone's going along with it and getting through it. Three months in, are people still going to be happy to be sat at home doing nothing? How long before we start to see people starting to flout the restrictions?

After (say) a month and with testing for those that have had the infection, there will be a relaxing of of restrictions for some. Only problem is how to prove that you are clear, maybe a hand-stamp?

 

[RossyG]

Yes, some sort of henna thing that will last a few weeks then fade to nothing.

(Although you know some will fake one just to get out)

 

[The grove]

260 new deaths in the UK. 1019, in total. Rising rapidly.