Covid-19 discussion thread

[Lencoboy]

With the unrest in the US at the moment, I expect the cases and subsequent fatalities to spike.

FMP

And those UK BLM'ers who were demonstrating 'by proxy' in Trafalgar Square today. Totally beyond me how they were prepared to risk spreading and/or catching the virus over an incident across the Atlantic. Yes it's appalling what happened to that poor guy over in America, and I deplore racism and injustice in the extreme, but we would really be wasting our time and energy by attempting to desecrate our own communities here in the UK in protest against events across the pond that our govt/ authorities aren't even responsible for and have no control over whatsoever.

[Pamplemousse]

With the unrest in the US at the moment, I expect the cases and subsequent fatalities to spike.

FMP

This was posted on Twitter; if we set aside the social distancing issues, it gives me a small amount of hope that this world can be a better place.

https://twitter.com/NickTaBlur/statu...46767901761537

[Noivous]

I'm with you Pulisa. The first restaurant that opens I'm there...and my waitress is getting a $100 tip!

N

[dorabella]

I wasn't referring to loneliness caused by social isolation. There is a clear distinction between being alone and being lonely - although there are plenty of studies showing that depression suppresses the immune system.

My point is that long periods of self-isolating in sterile conditions and no human contact will mean the immune system weakening due to not being challenged by the many natural germs/antigens in our environment. This means that when we do finally come into contact with others - or leave our homes - we will be more prone to picking up infections etc that a normal/healthy immune system would easily fight off.

There is also the well-established fact that allergies are more common in kids who are shielded from natural bacteria/germs in the environment, meaning their immune systems overreact to otherwise harmless antigens.

I totally agree - what you're saying is particularly pertinent. There has been too much obsession over the last few years with disinfecting bodies and objects from everyday life and a healthy existence - sic everything you see advertised (even before current crisis) shouts 'anti-bacterial', 'anti-microbial' ... I suspect very convenient buzz terms for selling cleaning products more than anything else. Bacteria, germs, pathogens etc are part of human existence and if we cut ourselves off from exposure we don't stand a chance of building up any natural tolerance or immunity to the slightest thing that comes our way. Kids these days are way too clean ... I was brought up getting grubby in the garden, not exactly eating worms but having a healthy outdoor existence. Didn't even catch chickenpox as a child (caught it from a child when I was just turned 30 and it was rotten).

With any of the viruses - flu and common cold being good examples (and NO I am not comparing them to CV) - general public exposure to even the meanest whiff of them helps build up that other buzz word 'herd' immunity in population, as well as a measure of personal immunity for the individual. Otherwise they would rip through the population like a dose of salts. If the media hadn't decided to glorify pandemic central and scare the hell out of everyone - including BoJo who was persuaded by Ferguson's now discredited modelling - we should most likely have followed the Swedish model and allowed the virus to take its natural course. There is some opinion among the Oxford group of scientists that it had already spread much more widely through the population during the latter half of January and February and gone mostly unnoticed since it affected the majority with mildest or no symptoms. Natural immunity build-up in other words.

By shutting everyone in like this, carriers are spreading the virus with worse effect in enclosed environments instead of it being allowed to dissipate more naturally in the outdoors.

John Campbell's videos may be a little pedestrian to some, but he talks a lot of sense, and he takes the trouble to research his statistics from medical resources and contacts across the spectrum. You are given access and made aware of far more information and a wider range of scientific opinion than the government and the BBC care to acknowledge. The latter would prefer to treat the public as children and frighten them with apocalyptic visions, rather than encourage us to question anything.

[Noivous]

George Carlin Germs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSbT7JVNEU4

[AntsyVee]

It's all a balancing act. We're damned if we do and damned if we don't at this point. I just hope that we as a society learn from this and make some changes to our systems as a whole.

[WiseMonkey]

I just hope that we as a society learn from this and make some changes to our systems as a whole.

As a result of the Covid19 crisis, the govt. down here is spending a lot on revamping the health system, so yes changes are happening for the better.

[MyNameIsTerry]

As a result of the Covid19 crisis, the govt. down here is spending a lot on revamping the health system, so yes changes are happening for the better.

In business too. When I was preparing disaster plans for my teams some years ago the focus was on things like terrorism, power cuts, etc. They will now be adding this scenario in if they hadn't had it, and it's pretty unlikely most did, to allow for additional hygiene, social distancing, furlough and home working.

I know at my GF's company they have had to set up a virtual call centre. These have been discussed by businesses for many years but they've always been problematic. I expect the next learning curve will be how to pay employees properly for their utility usage.

My GF works from home anyway so she gets the usual laptop, phone, travel allowance, etc. Those who don't need to question their employers over electricity usage for a start.

[WiseMonkey]

A lot of older workers who are over 65, are now working from home and their employers seem to be quite happy with this. My partner is saving at least $70 (35.25 UK) per week on petrol (he doesn't get reimbursed for expenses) not to mention the travel time, so he's happy

[Hollow]

Attempted suicides by elderly have dramatically increased, says royal college

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...ld-says-royal/

Suicide attempts by elderly people may have increased sharply during the coronavirus crisis because of depression and anxiety from their social isolation, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In one acute trust, there was a potential six-fold rise during the lockdown.



This doctor won't be appearing in Youtube's recommended list anytime soon:

Coronavirus: How they deliberately terrified us

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