How would you rate the UK's handling of this pandemic?

[D_W]

Not to make light of the situation, but I knew a woman who lived to her mid 90s, no health issues at all....and you're expecting me to say she fell over dead from covid in three minutes...

....she wishes .

she outlived both of her kids, didn't wait quite long enough for covid (but with her luck and health, probably would've had a mild case - an unusually fit older lady with good flexibility and no obesity, etc).

When the natural process didn't work fast enough, she turned her oven on for a few hours and lit it. She'd have loved covid. The local police report said that maybe she got confused because she left behind evidence that she turned her oven on, went to her bedroom and then came back and lit

Life expectancy for those born now is 83, for those dying now at 83 life expectancy was a lot younger when they were born, they have done well to get this far.

EDIT: Life expectancy for someone born in 1931 was under 60 for a male.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...owhaslifeexpectancychangedovertime/2015-09-09

What was life expectancy for someone aged 5?

 

[Jacob]

We could have been the world leader. In 1990. I worked for a company which was designing and manufacturing a fibre multiplexing system for BT. It was part of a system to provide fibre in every home in the UK. It was called the Common System Architecture (C.S.A.).
BTs fibre roll out was stopped by Thatcher and her government. I couldn't believe how stupid it was to stop it.
What happened in the 30 years since, telecoms businesses have teased out bandwidth to maximise their profits. We were all shafted mega style.

quote from article
"""
At that time, the UK, Japan and the United States were leading the way in fibre optic technology and roll-out. Indeed, the first wide area fibre optic network was set up in Hastings, UK. But, in 1990, then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, decided that BT's rapid and extensive rollout of fibre optic broadband was anti-competitive and held a monopoly on a technology and service that no other telecom company could do.

"Unfortunately, the Thatcher government decided that it wanted the American cable companies providing the same service to increase competition. So the decision was made to close down the local loop roll out and in 1991 that roll out was stopped. The two factories that BT had built to build fibre related components were sold to Fujitsu and HP, the assets were stripped and the expertise was shipped out to South East Asia.""""

Thanks for that. Very interesting. Next question has to be; why didn't Bliar pick it up?

 

[Jake]

Poor pipper, died at 95 had his whole life ahead of him ...................

At least he might get to die in a nicely named Nightingale hospital to warm the heartstrings of his (great)(grand)children right Bob?

 

[Jacob]

Handy calculator here. I've got 11 years apparently. What is my life expectancy? And how might it change? - Office for National Statistics

 

[Rorschach]

You may not like the truth, but lockdowns are the only option to minimise Covid deaths.

I am fully aware that lockdowns will lower C19 deaths for as long as the lockdown is in effect. You obviously haven't been reading my posts.
My problem is how much do they reduce deaths and how much other damage do they cause? Is the damage caused worth it? In my opinion, no.

 

[doctor Bob]

At least he might get to die in a nicely named Nightingale hospital to warm the heartstrings of his (great)(grand)children right Bob?

Depends how he died, I imagined he overdosed on crack cocaine and loose women ................... or bored to death by internet warriors.

 

[doctor Bob]

I am fully aware that lockdowns will lower C19 deaths for as long as the lockdown is in effect. You obviously haven't been reading my posts.
My problem is how much do they reduce deaths and how much other damage do they cause? Is the damage caused worth it? In my opinion, no.

The problem is if your hobby is "having an arguement on a forum" then some people won't even have noticed the lockdown.

 

[Lons]

My apologies for not checking my predictive text.

Well predictive is one word for you I guess the words I'd use would be deleted

 

[Droogs]

As to how well the UK has handled this pandemic, i think the following fraction says it all

1 out of every 660 of the human beings in the UK alive working, playing and loving their families at the start of 2019, has now officially been classed as having died of Covid-19. that is how well I think we have done.

 

[Lons]

Your claims were misleading and wrong the first time and they are still wrong now.

Every government in the world has chosen to use non medical interventions to reduce the infection spread.....but you and the other anti lockdowners still think you know better.


Anybody who still thinks it's "no worse than flu" should go and volunteer in an ICU Covid ward

Even better that they should catch it and discover the possibility that due to complications even if they survive they may have sustained damage which has effectively knocked years off their lives.

Is it any wonder that people died in care homes? They are generally just a big house or hotel if a posh one, residents in close proximity for meals and activities, staff and visitors in and out so a fertile breeding ground for infection. My MiL is still pretty fit at 93 and when her home got a couple of cases they confined all to their rooms, after 4 weeks the home was clear.
On the other hand my BiL very fit and reasonably healthy caught it and after 3 weeks on a ventilator died, they said even had he made it the damage done would make him an invalid.. my daughter's friend died last week no health issues whatsoever before Covid - aged 36.

 

[harryc]

Yup amazing effort by Boris and his Eton chums hoorah.

 

[RobinBHM]

I am fully aware that lockdowns will lower C19 deaths for as long as the lockdown is in effect. You obviously haven't been reading my posts.
My problem is how much do they reduce deaths and how much other damage do they cause? Is the damage caused worth it? In my opinion, no.

What is your alternative to lockdown?.....you seem to think there is an alternative.

Why would you think if there was no lockdown that the damage caused by lockdown wouldn't still happen?


The common argument is " more people are dying from other acute health problems, like heart issues and cancer"

But that is not logical. No lockdown would mean hospitals are more overloaded, how would that help capacity for non Covid treatments in hospitals?


And your argument the Covid only kills people on average over 83 or whatever is false.

Without lockdown, far more younger vulnerable people would die

 

[Rorschach]

What is your alternative to lockdown?.....you seem to think there is an alternative.

Why would you think if there was no lockdown that the damage caused by lockdown wouldn't still happen?


The common argument is " more people are dying from other acute health problems, like heart issues and cancer"

But that is not logical. No lockdown would mean hospitals are more overloaded, how would that help capacity for non Covid treatments in hospitals?


And your argument the Covid only kills people on average over 83 or whatever is false.

Without lockdown, far more younger vulnerable people would die

We'll never know because we never tried any alternatives.

 

[NormanB]

We'll never know because we never tried any alternatives.

Sweden did

 

[RobinBHM]

We'll never know because we never tried any alternatives.

Thank you for admitting your whole argument for non lockdown is built on guesswork and unknowns.


So your argument is this:

Lockdowns aren't worth it because of all the economic damage and other health problems it creates but you can't contrast it with your preferred alternative of no lockdown, as that can't be quantified.

Mmm, it's not a strong argument is it?

 

[RobinBHM]

Sweden did

Which wasn't successful.....and they now have lockdowns

 

[Rorschach]

Sweden did

They did but they themselves admit that their protection of their care homes was inadequate and a lot of lives were lost there at the beginning.
They have certainly had a lot more freedom in the last 10 months however and were never overwhelmed as some said they would be. Some here though don't put a lot of value in freedom which is very disturbing, it's lucky they aren't in charge as things could be even worse than they are now.

 

[Rorschach]

Thank you for admitting your whole argument for non lockdown is built on guesswork and unknowns.


So your argument is this:

Lockdowns aren't worth it because of all the economic damage and other health problems it creates but you can't contrast it with your preferred alternative of no lockdown, as that can't be quantified.

Mmm, it's not a strong argument is it?

Yeah that's ok, no-one can ever suggest a path is wrong because we didn't know where the other path would lead, that's a sensible argument for government. What you have just said is "what we have done must be the best option because we didn't try anything else"

You are almost as entertaining as rafezetter sometimes

 

[RobinBHM]

We'll never know because we never tried any alternatives.

Your argument is based on wishful thinking....."lockdown is horrible, the alternative must've been better."

 

[RobinBHM]

, it's lucky they aren't in charge as things could be even worse than they are now

No

That applies to you and other anti lockdowners.