No Link. Just An Observation.

[Bigbad]

Considering that most TV journalists have spent the last few months asking ministers (stupid) questions designed to score points, why does nobody challenge them on things such as more people appear to be dying from flu than Corona, so why have we never taken such drastic measures for flu?

Or how many people will die/have their lives irrevocably damaged because of not being treated for existing or screened for new medical conditions?

And aside from all the people who have lost/will lose their jobs, which is terrible in itself, these people may now be entitled to Council Tax benefits, meaning a lot less revenue for local councils, and free prescriptions which presumably means less for the NHS?

Or that the reason for more cases being diagnosed, could be because of more tests being done, and does this necessarily mean that more people are contracting Corona?

Or how can masks be effective when so many people poke, prod and fiddle with theirs, and stuff it in a bag or pocket to be used again later.

It would make a pleasant change if someone asked a pertinent question

[jim360]

That does leave two of your questions unaddressed, but -- at the risk of being flippant -- long-term consequences of Covid-19 and containment measures are almost inevitably going to be viewed as less important (or less urgent) than the immediate threat.

[Bigbad]

1. As I’ve pointed out….. the start of a sentence written by someone who thinks their opinion is the only one worth considering.
2. No. Not a novel question, but one I have yet to see answered by a politician.
3. How do we know about lasting impacts yet? If someone had it 6 months ago, how do we know what the impacts will be in 6 months time?
If someone has a serious illness now, we can at least predict how they would be without treatment in 6 months time.

[pixie374]

The problem with comparing with flu... is that we still have flu as well. This is extra, not instead of.
However, I personally know of two people who have died in the last month, not with covid (one had it and recovered), but because their treatments were stopped in March.
One of our clients actually had, was treated in hospital and recovered from covid, but died later from kidney failure, as her dialysis had been stopped.
So, there have been deliberate- or at least, knowing and not treating, deaths as well. Is it better to die from cancer or kidney failure than covid?
Whichever way you look at it, we are allowing people to die, in the prevention of possibly saving others.

[jim360]

There's no opinion expressed in noting that testing volume has increased by around 50% in the last month, whereas positive tests have increased by 400%. Look at the data and you will reach the same conclusion.

[Bigbad]

…dialysis had been stopped.
That’s appalling, Pixie.
Is it better to die of kidney failure than Covid? I don’t know, but to deliberately stop someones treatment knowing they would die is beyond belief.

[jim360]

As a further comment, the reason statistics and data analysis is so useful is because it's impersonal. The interpretation of the discrepancy I've noted may be under dispute -- I cannot, for example, completely discount the possibility that in the last months or so we've been "lucky" in that we're testing the right people -- but the discrepancy itself is not; and, whether or not true cases are rising, what is certainly true is that you cannot account for the rise in observed cases solely by citing the rise in performed tests. In that, I am offering no opinion whatsoever.

[pixie374]

Sadly, not beyond belief, BB. You would think so... but I know two, just within my own personal circle.

[cassa333]

My only question at this time, with a resurgence of the virus and a possible new lockdown.....

What if it never goes away or lessens? What are we supposed to do then? We cannot and should not be in permanent or even partial lockdown and distancing. At some point we should and must get back to a semblance of normality.

That for me is the crux of the issue now. A few more months and we MIGHT have a vaccine or therapeutic that works quickly. We might, but we might not.

But the press are complicit in the panic porn of Covid. So they not going to ask those questions too loudly if at all.

[Zacs-Master]

Point 3 in Bigbad’s 12:41 post shoots his own foot. We don’t know the lasting impacts, therefore it’s important to proceed with caution.

[Bigbad]

My point 3 was addressing Jim’s point 3 where he said “it seems to have longer lasting impacts.”

And it’s HER own foot, not HIS!

[jim360]

Obviously there's a limit to understanding the longer-term impacts because we haven't had enough time yet. But presumably it's not too much of a stretch to say that, for example, severe lung damage/tissue scarring isn't going to heal itself overnight, and therefore is a "longer-term impact".