Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

[Ditto]

Down to less than half a 9/11 covid deaths per day now.

 

UK has the 3rd highest deaths per day after USA and Germany

 

Is that absolute values or per capita?

[mavhc]

Absolute, per capita it's very similar for quite a few countries (Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Greece, Taiwan), so we're in the top 10% of countries, but we're twice as bad USA

[Ditto]

Absolute, per capita it's very similar for quite a few countries (Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Greece, Taiwan), so we're in the top 10% of countries, but we're twice as bad USA

From https://ourworldindata.org/ or another source?

[mavhc]

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#weekly_table

[Ditto]

I'm more confused now. Firstly, the last link is to weekly data, yet you originally stated daily with a reference to 9/11 - I presume this is continued deaths due to toxic exposure etc. You said UK behind USA and Germany. In the latest post, you say UK is twice as bad as USA? Could you clarify the data you are referencing and what your interpretation of it is.

[BOOT]

Data just isn't reliable any more. Based on my own observations, things are about as bad as they've been before; though with nothing being done to mitigate.

[mavhc]

I'm more confused now. Firstly, the last link is to weekly data, yet you originally stated daily with a reference to 9/11 - I presume this is continued deaths due to toxic exposure etc. You said UK behind USA and Germany. In the latest post, you say UK is twice as bad as USA? Could you clarify the data you are referencing and what your interpretation of it is.

 

Divide by 7 to get daily numbers.

 

My point is "the numbers are so low now" is only true if you compare it to the very high numbers from last year, in absolute terms we're pretending it's over when actually the reaction to 2 days worth of deaths if they all occurred in one event would be spending trillions starting a war that's lasted for decades.

 

UK is 3rd in absolute deaths, and twice as bad as USA in relative deaths.

[Ditto]

Absolute numbers of death aren't a good number to compare to other large countries, per capita does the job much better. The way numbers are recorded and collected across countries varies enormously. I do believe Gov hospitalisation and death numbers are more accurate and therefore useful. They clearly show "it's not over". But, they do show the impact of widespread protection through vaccination and surviving infection. They don't show the impact of long covid though. Overall, there has been a critical change in severity of infection for many, and good progress on treatments.

The excess deaths data that I've linked to before shows deaths below expectation, but it would make no sense to suggest covid has reduced mortality rates. To pull one or two pieces of data and draw a simple conclusion is naïve, far better to draw from a variety of sources and give serious consideration to all the data. To repeatedly point out how poor the UK has done based on one or two pieces of data is easy to do, and would be easy to do with many other countries, but it does nothing to reveal a truer picture which is what data should be used for.

Going back to the actual data, if I am reading the columns you are referring, per 1m for the last 7 days, it says UK is 8 (preceding week 6), USA 5 (preceding week 6). Already those figures would make me clear I couldn't draw much of use from them. Looking at another source, ourworldindata.org, it shows a rolling 7 day death figure per million as

UK - 1.42

USA - 1.03

They are so different per million from worldonmeter, I think it shows just how hard getting to the true picture it can be. However, ourworldindata.org do say the following clearly up front - "Due to varying protocols and challenges in the attribution of the cause of death, the number of confirmed deaths may notaccurately represent the true number of deaths caused by COVID-19." I think the last sentence is probably the only piece of information I would believe without challenge!

[6Foot2]

Link: Early signs that Covid may be rising in parts of the UK - BBC News

 

There are early signs of a possible increase in the number of people testing positive for Covid in England and Northern Ireland, officials from the Office for National Statistics say.

 

Their report suggests the small rise is likely to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron.

 

Studies show these variants may be able to spread slightly more easily than "older" Omicron variants.

 

The latest estimates suggest around 990,000 people in the UK have Covid.

 

That is about 1.5% of the population (roughly one in 65 people) - up from about one in 70 the week before.

 

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) covers the week ending 2 June.

 

'Mixed picture'

 

While infections have risen in some parts of the UK, the overall trends in Wales and Scotland are uncertain...

[Andrew_C]

It is starting to look that way on the Zoe data too.

 

[Danp]

Like lots of people, we are not testing anymore. But, my wife was not feeling great and said it felt different. Tested positive. No idea how she has avoided it for so long!

[Andrew_C]

We've two in my dept down. One got it while in hosp having a hernia fixed. The other? Dunno. Cover is proving difficult as they have overlapping timetables..

[BOOT]

Just another day in the coughice...

I feel like people are being very lax with isolating when sick.

[LeMarchand]

I feel like people are being very lax with isolating when sick.

 

Don't have to any more, TPTB have declared. More important that people are back at work rather than limiting the spread seems to be the order of the day.

[mavhc]

What to do if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and have not taken a COVID-19 test

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people

 

What to do if you have a positive COVID-19 test result

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19

[FN-GM]

Do you not have to isolate if you have COVID? Is it optional?

[LeMarchand]

Do you not have to isolate if you have COVID? Is it optional?

 

You only have to "try to" isolate.

 

If you have a positive COVID-19 test result, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took your test. There is different advice for children and young people aged 18 and under. During this period there are actions you can take to reduce the risk of passing COVID-19 on to others.

Try to work from home if you can. If you are unable to work from home, talk to your employer about options available to you.

 

[Seb1780]

You only have to "try to" isolate.

 

Do or do not; there is no try

[FN-GM]

A little bit behind here. You are still required to isolate. But if you’re a close contact you’re no longer required. They have raised the time frame from 15 minutes to 4 hours.

 

Not that RAT tests are accurate so half the people probably don’t know they have it!

[Andrew_C]

You only have to "try to" isolate.

Same woolly wording that got us into the mess. "Only go to work if essential" - to whom?

[mavhc]

It's pretty easy to not leave the house, I just didn't go outside and suddenly I had not left the house.

[LeMarchand]

It's pretty easy to not leave the house, I just didn't go outside and suddenly I had not left the house.

 

Try telling that to Lex Luthor Jeff Bezos*. I'm betting that he doesn't say, "Sure, take as much time off as you need. I'll make sure you don't suffer financially and that you'll be able to feed your kids and pay the bills until you're 100%".

 

*Or most employers.

[mavhc]

Being off because you're sick is a standard thing

[LeMarchand]

Being off because you're sick is a standard thing

 

Not to many employers, and probably none in the gig economy. Even if they allow it, many will remember those who take sick days come promotion or redundancy time.

Edited June 15, 2022 by LeMarchand

[HarryMonkey]

Being off because you're sick is a standard thing

 

Not in the NHS it's not with their Bradford score accumulating points and possible sanctions.