Covid-19 discussion thread

[Lencoboy]

Of course it does..I was just concerned about you in particular because I don't want you to make yourself ill with worry.

So far this morning I have been fine and quite chilled out, and have also walked the dog as per usual. Like you already mentioned upthread, I equally hope this sandwich factory outbreak thing doesn't evolve into yet another press-fuelled moral panic in the name of 'Sandwich-gate'!!

As you know, the press really have a lot to answer for whenever it comes to many people's mental health being up the creek. And this was already a major cause for concern long before Corona became a thing.

What I do find rather funny (ha-ha) and amusing, however, is the modern-day tendency to suffix potential scandals with the word 'gate'!!

On the more positive side, I am seeing solace and comfort in the fact that the overall UK-wide CV death rate is now fortunately at very low levels, with barely any deaths at all in both Scotland and NI over the past month or so, a far cry from back in April when the daily deaths brushed with 1k across the UK as a whole on a couple of occasions.

Also that England's daily death count (and overall death toll) was significantly revised down from last Wednesday onwards with the introduction of the set time limits between officially testing positive and dying, and is another significant breakthrough IMO.

[Pamplemousse]

What I do find rather funny (ha-ha) and amusing, however, is the modern-day tendency to suffix potential scandals with the word 'gate'!!

It's a very lazy shorthand by journalists after the Watergate Hotel affair that saw Tricky Dickie's fall from grace. Back in 1972.

[Lencoboy]

It's a very lazy shorthand by journalists after the Watergate Hotel affair that saw Tricky Dickie's fall from grace. Back in 1972.

Wow, I didn't know that it has its origins in the early 70s fuelled by the infamous 'Watergate' scandal, hence the attendant wordplay since becoming more commonplace in reference to many other scandals ever since, though my earliest recollection of the use of the 'gate' suffix in reference to a major scandal was the 'Plebgate' thing in Downing Street in 2012, and all previous references somehow passed me by.

BTW, today's cases are 1,012 (quite a bit less than yesterday's highly 1,441, albeit still within the 1k territory) and just 3 UK-wide deaths today (the least since early-mid March). Still no confirmed CV deaths in Scotland today, and if none are confirmed tomorrow either (touch wood) it will be exactly bob on one month since Scotland's last CV fatality, which will be a pretty extraordinary feat, considering there have been (and still ongoing) high-profile spikes there from the last two weeks of July onwards, though of course, something will probably have to give eventually. But still remarkable nonetheless.

[BigOldDrive]

I have seen reports on reddit of people losing a lot of hair and having strokes a month after covid-19

Anyone know if there is any truth behind this as it sounds very scary..

[fishman65]

Lockdown is looking almost inevitable now. Not that surprising as we have always been a crossroads between larger population centres. In the last 20 years or so the county has become 'warehouse city'.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...eekly-22525452

[AntsyVee]

I've been living lockdown for a long time. It's not too bad. It could always be worse.

[AntsyVee]

I thought this was a great opinion article on how to encourage the younger generation to becareful of Covid. She says it's like promoting abstinence; that usually doesn't work--young people are going to have sex. So instead you have to give them alternatives and teach them safe sex. She said the Covid thing works the same way.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/13/opini...ion/index.html

[MyNameIsTerry]

I thought this was a great opinion article on how to encourage the younger generation to becareful of Covid. She says it's like promoting abstinence; that usually doesn't work--young people are going to have sex. So instead you have to give them alternatives and teach them safe sex. She said the Covid thing works the same way.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/13/opini...ion/index.html

'Wear a mask...and a rubber'

Perhaps one question is who are those ignoring advice? Are they a mixture of people, including those who will listen and modify their behaviour, or a hard-core group of deniers, anti 'the man' types, CTers and WGAF types? I doubt anything is going to get through to some of the latter groups other than a short sharp shock (like the 30 year old mentioned in the article). But if it's about peer pressure and they are more reasonable (or rational in some case) maybe they will listen?

It's worth a try. Young people tend to feel disenfranchised from politics unless they are interested such as you find in student unions. They perhaps need someone closer to them than a stuffy old suit on the box? I tend to laugh at that because it reminds me of young people who vote because their pop idol tells them too (seriously I can't remember that when I was younger nor anyone else doing it ) but maybe there is a case for special education to groups that need targeting?

[AntsyVee]

'Wear a mask...and a rubber'

Perhaps one question is who are those ignoring advice? Are they a mixture of people, including those who will listen and modify their behaviour, or a hard-core group of deniers, anti 'the man' types, CTers and WGAF types? I doubt anything is going to get through to some of the latter groups other than a short sharp shock (like the 30 year old mentioned in the article). But if it's about peer pressure and they are more reasonable (or rational in some case) maybe they will listen?

It's worth a try. Young people tend to feel disenfranchised from politics unless they are interested such as you find in student unions. They perhaps need someone closer to them than a stuffy old suit on the box? I tend to laugh at that because it reminds me of young people who vote because their pop idol tells them too (seriously I can't remember that when I was younger nor anyone else doing it ) but maybe there is a case for special education to groups that need targeting?

I think the peer pressure and social media are a big thing. They see others posting on what they're doing on social media and think it's okay or "oh look, they went out and they were fine." I have some younger cousins, and I know they've gotten talked into going out when they were planning on staying home. One caused a huge fight with one of my aunts over this. I think they need to be told what activities are safer, versus "just don't go out", like the article said, and then how to encourage each other to be safe.

[pulisa]

I think it will take someone like Bieber or Brooklyn Beckham to get really ill from Covid to make some young people realise that they are not all invincible.