Coronavirus

[duncs500]

I watched The Big Short yesterday. They quoted the stat that every additional 1% unemployment leads to 40,000 deaths in the US.

Wouldn't surprise me, it's harder to measure quickly/directly and manifests in various ways, so people tend not to think about it.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I'm not saying they should just let it collapse but the balance between protecting the markets and protecting the population seems off to me.

Boris's mad herd immunity idea (I swear someone in his office has misunderstood how it works) looks to me like they're trying to push through the epidemic as quickly as possible with a high human cost being acceptable.

The US managed to find like $1.5 trillion to prop up the markets for what, half an hour? But they can't pay people sick pay or guarantee that any vaccine that comes will be affordable to people without insurance.

Again this is almost certainly my bias but it looks like they're protecting the money at the cost of people.

You seem nailed on convinced that the CMO and GCSA are prepared to stand up in front of everyone and lie.

[ZedLeg]

Not necessarily lying but there’s not enough explanation for why they’ve decided to go down such a risky route that no one else is using.

[duncs500]

I actually don't have a problem with the way the UK government is handling this. Between press and social media they are whipping up a storm of opinion, counter opinion, and scare mongering. Some of it will be accurate and some of it not, but I'm finding it very difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. It might be the time to trust that the government are getting top advice.

The government strategy sounds plausible to me anyway, the number of cases has dropped twice in the last two days (not reported with anywhere near as much enthusiasm as when it goes up I notice) , so we're simply not at the stage that some of the other countries are at yet. You can only realistically sustain a proper lock down for a couple of weeks probably, so you don't want to blow your load early.

[McSwede]

I actually don't have a problem with the way the UK government is handling this. Between press and social media they are whipping up a storm of opinion, counter opinion, and scare mongering. Some of it will be accurate and some of it not, but I'm finding it very difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. It might be the time to trust that the government are getting top advice.

The government strategy sounds plausible to me anyway, the number of cases has dropped twice in the last two days (not reported with anywhere near as much enthusiasm as when it goes up I notice) , so we're simply not at the stage that some of the other countries are at yet. You can only realistically sustain a proper lock down for a couple of weeks probably, so you don't want to blow your load early.

This series of tweets some of you will have seen was very interesting.

[url]

[Mito Man]

Sorry this government is so fucking hopeless they waited till yesterday to order more ventilators, realised they don’t grow on trees and went to fucking JCB to ask them to build something. Yes. A new piece of critical medical equipment to be built and certified in a few weeks - something which usually takes years.
I’d laugh and be a smug git in a few months time if this wasn’t a lottery on people’s lives.

[duncs500]

I'm sure if you were in charge Mito, we would be much better off. You could just read social media for an afternoon, become an expert and solve it all.

[mik]

They should have ordered more ventilators years ago!
#greta

[RobYob]

This is a good article from the Washington Post. Watch the simulations.

That's excellent, shall show my kids, I think it'll help them understand.

[NotoriousREV]

[Barry]

So we're effectively WFH for all personnnel now, I'm back in the office first thing to see the last few out then I'm WFH until further notice. That's across the board WB too. Spent today sorting IT issues, and handing out headsets for Skype/Zoom meetings to try and keep a lid on things. Quite surreal actually, wasn't expecting this for another week or two but hey ho, keep calm and carry on (washing hands) and all that.

[Beany]

IoM TT has been cancelled apparently.

[Mito Man]

So...
"Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel," the prime minister says.

That was a quick u-turn. Fucking idiots the lot of them. 10 year old could see that was a crap call originally...

[RobYob]

Half arsed response from work, meeting rooms to be used at half capacity (dafuk) canteen now only do take away with disposable utensils and the coffee cart to switch to disposable cups. Testing sites across Europe are all shutting down, automotive industry is going to take advatage of this to massively cut the global overcapacity methinks. Time to think about retraining. What's in demand and only needs a month's retraining? Ideas anyone?

[Mito Man]

Chief medical advisor for the U.K. it seems. Actually scratch that, you’d be overqualified without training.

[NotoriousREV]

“UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance says the latest figures show the UK is three weeks behind Italy rather than four as previously thought.”

Or, maybe we’ve failed to contain it as well as Italy did and our infections are accelerating?

[Mito Man]

Hopeless.

[GG.]

“UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance says the latest figures show the UK is three weeks behind Italy rather than four as previously thought.”

Or, maybe we’ve failed to contain it as well as Italy did and our infections are accelerating?

Very possible.

I think the point Mito is missing is the impact that such measures have on certain industries. Imagine running a pub or restaurant at a time like this... That's of course not to say you shouldn't take the measures but you really shouldn't do it on a guess that 'earlier will be better', despite that being the emotional response (and that's what it is, an emotional response).

[V8Granite]

So...
"Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel," the prime minister says.

That was a quick u-turn. Fucking idiots the lot of them. 10 year old could see that was a crap call originally...

Or they are trying to get people to do what they want?

Seeing the information each day and fitting that to the plan they have and altering it where necessary.

You sound as bad as anti-Vaxers and the other mentalists on your woke understanding of the situation which is so so much more accurate and you really know the situation

Dave!

[Zonda_]

So is my teaching at a college essential or not?