I follow news about Covid only loosely, but I once somewhere [citation needed] saw a graph that showed mortality over years, where the annual flue was a light bump, and Covid was a slightly bigger bump.Originally Posted by francois
50 years ago, without current analytical methods, Covid would have gone unnoticed by the general population. Only statisticians would have noticed that there is an increased mortality above natural fluctuations.
DoubleDutch (December 30th, 2021), goji (December 30th, 2021)
Such data exists.
Also, our life expectancy is better than 20 years ago, possibly better than 10 years ago. We're living in one of the best periods ever for life expectancy. COVID is just some minor noise overlaid on the graph showing good long term trends.
All this talk of statistics, and long-term trends, ignores the practical fact that the current Covid surge is causing huge problems for health systems in many countries.
For example, in my own country,Ireland, the hospital closest to my parents has 10 ICU beds. I am informed that at a certain point last week, the 10 of them were occupied by Covid patients. My mother asked asked a nurse who had worked for many years in the hospital would it be normal for a lot of pneumonia and flu sufferers take up many ICU beds during seasonal flu epidemics.
She was told that during the height of flu season, in normal years, maybe three or four beds would be taken up by flu patients.
But, as I said, the ICU is full now.
This has a knock-on effect as people who are due to come in for operations, where Intensive Care would be needed for 24 hours after the surgery, are being told to stay away, and these are being postponed.
This is creating a huge problem health service. This is in a country have many people are still working from home etc.
Perhaps the way countries have reacted to Covid was over-the-top, but anybody who claims is just a really bad flu that countries have mysteriously lost their heads over, just doesn’t understand the situation, imho.
Last edited by RonanTheBarbarian; December 30th, 2021 at 03:10. Reason: spelling
Absolutely Ronan - the collateral damage to the health of millions is already resulting in oncology patients, for example, unable to get treatment or have an operation scheduled, let alone those unable even to have their condition diagnosed
vnman (December 30th, 2021)
In the USA, Covid was the third leading cause of death in 2020 accounting for 350,831 deaths while Influenza/Pneumonia was the ninth leading cause at 53,544 deaths.That is a six fold difference. Admittedly, most of the deaths were those over 50 years of age, which if one is younger, it might just be a bump but, to me, it is a human life lost.
”lost”? I do hope they find it again. An American evangelist once asked me if I had found the Lord. I replied that I didn’t know he was lost
Wonder no more Stevie, lost is an euphemism for someone who died,as if you didn't know.
Lower middle class euphemismWonder no more Stevie, lost is an euphemism for someone who died,as if you didn't know.
As someone who turns 81 years old this January I have dealt with fears of Covid-19 for the past 2 years.
Here in the USA it is real!! Over 800,000 deaths.
I just am trying to not be one of them!!!
Ruthrieston (January 1st, 2022), Surfcrest (January 1st, 2022)
You're double vaccinated and boostered? A friend of mine in his mid-80s is fearful of having the Pfizer or other mRNA vaccination because "we don't know the long term effects"! At 85!! How long does he think he's got to start worrying about "long-term effects"??
christianpfc (January 1st, 2022), vnman (January 5th, 2022)
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