Social distancing, .. what's that?

[lurker]

Well whatever will be will be.

I would just like our politicians to get it into their thick skulls that there is no special relationship. Well nothing that benefits us anyway.

 

[FatmanG]

Given that we may have a no deal or might as well be no deal Brexit shortly, not taking an interest in the US may be unwise. Based on trump era figures that are pre covid, our two largest trading partners in the UK, for goods and services combined, are the US and Germany. Our trade balance with the US is positive (ie we sell more to them than they buy from us) and they are by far the largest trading partner. Germany is next and there the UK has a trade deficit (cash outflow).

The UK economy is very services focussed, particularly financial services, and our trading links with the US in that area are fundamental to the UK economy. Given the massive sums we are borrowing to pay for furlough schemes etc, we need to be very mindful of protecting trading relationships.

Hence the health of the US economy is quite important to us, and so it seems to me politics matters.

Couldn't agree more. Ignorance is no defense in any way

 

[artie]

Well whatever will be will be.

I would just like our politicians to get it into their thick skulls that there is no special relationship. Well nothing that benefits us anyway.

Only when they need our help.

 

[RobinBHM]

So the 635k people who apparently had covid all had a hard time getting over it did they? Or can you just accept that a small select view of people get very ill, an even small amount die and of the amount of survivors the vast majority have no symptoms after 2-3 weeks.

And everyone who had flu got over it without a problem and all their attendant health issues which they carried with them before that magically improved as well?

The bigger picture is 99.9+% of people who get covid get over it without an issue even if they didn't know they had it. Those who get seriously ill with Covid still have an extremely good chance of surviving it. Those who die are majorly well over the average age of death and are overwhelmingly likely to have serious attendent comorbidities. And you think the Government can stop this!!

I am sorry but you are avoiding answering the question, your post is engaging in some whataboutery, not direct comparison

We need to be totally clear on this.

You claim Covid Is not much worse than flu?

For COVID-19, data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation

The new scientist:

People infected with the coronavirus may be left with permanent lung damage. Doctors are reporting growing numbers of people who still have breathlessness and coughing months after falling ill with covid-19, and whose chest scans show evidence of irreversible lung scarring.

The numbers of people affected aren’t yet known, but estimates are as high as one in five of those who needed intensive care treatment for covid-19. Permanent damage is sometimes seen after other kinds of chest infections that can cause similar lung inflammation to the coronavirus, such as flu and pneumonia.

“We have always seen this before – what’s different is the scale of this,” says James Chalmers, a chest physician and adviser to the British Lung Foundation. Previously, his clinic in Scotland would have seen post-infection scarring of the lungs just once or twice a year, he says. “Now we are seeing dozens of patients coming through.”



Read more: The coronavirus is leaving some people with permanent lung damage


So Covid cause much worse long term damage than flu and to a higher percentage of people.

 

[RobinBHM]

If you believe msm you may be led astray

Good advice
A few pages back you linked a video that tried to refute the PCR test.
It was by an Australian journalist who is a known conspiracist and the video made a number of dishonest claims.

I would advise you to consider your own advice....maybe you should fact check.

 

[RobinBHM]

ut it is clear from some previous years statistics that more people died from all causes than this year during a supposed pandemic

No they did not.

Look at excess deaths.

Or are you going to argue the nethodology used by the ONS is wrong because it refutes your argument.

 

[RobinBHM]

I do believe that both sides of the no worse than flu debate have exhausted the point and until new data is released its old news. The response to the virus in terms of measures and proportion etc that's the main focus now and the powers that have advocated policy and why. This is where the focus is now imo

It is not exhausted until those that claim "no worse than flu" stop making dishonest comparisons.

Back in mid March, many vulnerable and old people started to shield, most have done so ever since.
Since then social distancing has been in place extensively.

So Very many people vulnerable people have eliminated or significantly reduced chance of Covid infection.

So it is simply not possible to compare Covid 2020 to flu of any previous year.
And it's not possible to compare with flu this year as cases have been low and the stats include pneumonia.


So when will the "no worse than flu" conspiracists peddling misinformation stand up and admit they are wrong?
Then we can move on.

 

[selly]

I am sorry but you are avoiding answering the question, your post is engaging in some whataboutery, not direct comparison

We need to be totally clear on this.

You claim Covid Is not much worse than flu?

For COVID-19, data to date suggest that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe infection, requiring oxygen and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation

The new scientist:

People infected with the coronavirus may be left with permanent lung damage. Doctors are reporting growing numbers of people who still have breathlessness and coughing months after falling ill with covid-19, and whose chest scans show evidence of irreversible lung scarring.

The numbers of people affected aren’t yet known, but estimates are as high as one in five of those who needed intensive care treatment for covid-19. Permanent damage is sometimes seen after other kinds of chest infections that can cause similar lung inflammation to the coronavirus, such as flu and pneumonia.

“We have always seen this before – what’s different is the scale of this,” says James Chalmers, a chest physician and adviser to the British Lung Foundation. Previously, his clinic in Scotland would have seen post-infection scarring of the lungs just once or twice a year, he says. “Now we are seeing dozens of patients coming through.”



Read more: The coronavirus is leaving some people with permanent lung damage


So Covid cause much worse long term damage than flu and to a higher percentage of people.

But you have no data. Just an article. Perhaps it's a result of the ventilation which we know is hugely intrusive.

 

[RobinBHM]

Is the 3 tier system better or worse than a circuit break 2 week lockdown?

Interestingly Ive heard some business argue a total lockdown of 2 or 3 weeks is better because it gives businesses opportunity to plan - use up beer, food etc....then re stock.

I see the 3 tier option confusing as it means a tier 1 follows tier 1 rules in the tier 1 region, but if visiting a tier 3 region then must obey tier 3 rules.

 

[RobinBHM]

But you have no data. Just an article. Perhaps it's a result of the ventilation which we know is hugely intrusive.

Perhaps you need to read at the beginning: "data to date....."

Article in the the new scientist is valid evidence even without any data.....it isn't some conspiracist from a YouTube clip.

Where is your evidence that Covid is no worse than flu........thus far you've produced nothing.
Nothing at all.

All you have is some weak argument around ONS methodology.

 

[Noel]

With that Robin you have timed it well, you have the last word.