Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Interesting the UKs excess deaths is remaining so low with the new record high infection rate.

Yeah though I think there a few things that are probably going on. Deaths lag by about two weeks from infections so we won't see the impact of current infections until mid-January, but even then if the numbers get as high as you'd expect it might still not be an "excess death" over the average because this is the flu season when there are more deaths and more annual variation. There are far fewer flu deaths and cases at the minute because of social distancing and also, bluntly, a lot of elderly people who would be vulnerable this time of year died earlier because of covid.

But we're also doing enough testing now to know how high the infection rate is. In the first wave we had no idea and it was probably far more widespread. Plus clinical treatment has improved a little bit based on the deaths from hospitalisations.

So it may be that the UK gets loads of cases, actually ends up with more deaths than in the first wave but it's not as bad in excess death terms.

Edit:

My partner had pop up on her Facebook an ad from the nhs looking to recruit totally untrained people to put through a crash course to be vaccinators.
Smells fishy they're doing this rather than letting retired people doctors in. Somebody is profiting.

Not sure about actually giving the vaccines but I know that they're hiring lots of project managers

And I'm sure some are necessary of course.....but....

[Admiral Yi]

First case of THE ENGLISH VIRUS discovered in the US, in Colorado.

[Zanza]

So sad to see a nation that gave us IKEA and The Brain make such a bad mistake with their Covid policy.  In Denmark and Norway Covid is resurrecting people, while in Sweden it kills at a US rate.

Sweden might do poorly compared to its direct Nordic peers, but other comparable nations, e.g. Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland are  even worse... so I don't think singling out Sweden makes much sense. If we want to see the effects of half-hearted measures, Switzerland now seems to be a better case study.

[The Brain]

First case of THE ENGLISH VIRUS discovered in the US, in Colorado.

Does the English Communist Party really have that kind of resources?

[Zanza]

Germany had its worst day so far with more than 1000 deaths reported in a single day for the first time. At the same time, R value is significantly below 1. Both could be statistical aberration from poor reporting and less testing over Christmas.

With the current trend, Germany has the highest mortality among the G7 states right now. And if you consider that the people currently dying got infected in early December on average and our harder lockdown only started on 16th December with Christmas probably boosting it further, the worst is still coming here.

Edit: And with current velocity, it would take eight years to vaccinate all... 

[Threviel]

And if you take into account current acceleration?

[Admiral Yi]

41 year old Congressman-elect from Louisiana with no risk factors has kicked the bucket.

[Iormlund]

https://twitter.com/LeChuckly/status/1314248547223691265

[Caliga]

First case of THE ENGLISH VIRUS discovered in the US, in Colorado.

Something tells me Trump won't be referring to it as 'The English Virus'

[Eddie Teach]

Trump's only got 3 weeks left, he needn't refer to it at all.

[Sheilbh]

First case of THE ENGLISH VIRUS discovered in the US, in Colorado.

Something tells me Trump won't be referring to it as 'The English Virus'

I thought the English Virus was syphilis

[Eddie Teach]

Syphilis is the French Disease.

[celedhring]

Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa to step down, they're giving him a honorable exit and he'll run in the upcoming Catalan election (oh, you're getting a thread on that).

He was pretty much a political appointment with zero experience in health care, since in regular times the Spanish Health Ministry has very little importance (most of it it's devolved to the regions). I don't think the many policy and organizational failures during the pandemic can be laid at his feet, but he certainly didn't rise to the occasion.

[Iormlund]

. I don't think the many policy and organizational failures during the pandemic can be laid at his feet, but he certainly didn't rise to the occasion.

Why not?

Even if day to day operations are devolved, dealing with a pandemic fell squarely on his lap.

[Zanza]

The German health minister strange gained a lot of approval, despite first overestimating our preparedness before the first wave and then not doing enough to prepare us for a second wave and now not being able to build up the vaccination supply and infrastructure fast...