Coronavirus - are we all doomed?

[ColinEssex]

Apparently this didn't last...

Yes, apologies for that but I was intrigued by the president passing the buck on some issues and taking credit for others.

Anyway, back to the topic. I think it's interesting how various countries are dealing with the pandemic, like easing lockdown. The tricky bit is to avoid a second spike of cases whilst trying to keep the populace from getting frustrated and ignoring advice and at the same time trying to restart the economy. The U.K. Is expected to have racked up a 700 billion pound bill by October, it's phenomenal if it's true.
Col

 

[AccessBlaster]

What they should have done is quarantined those who are ill, and let the rest of us put on PPE and go about our business. But they needed to tank the economy for some reason.

 

[deletedT]

We had a news last night saying : W.H.O. Finally Endorses Masks to Prevent Coronavirus Transmission.
The announcer who was reading the news couldn’t help smiling. Everybody could see what she was thinking while reading the lines : How long did it take for them to understand?

WHO finally endorses masks to prevent coronavirus transmission

[NEW YORK] Long after most nations urged their citizens to wear masks, and after months of hand-wringing about the quality of the evidence available, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday endorsed the use of face masks by the public to reduce transmission of the coronavirus. Read more at...

www.businesstimes.com.sg

 

[Jon]

The WHO are a bit of a laughing stock in my eyes. I've been banging on about face masks for months, calling the WHO disingenuous and our own government (the UK) lacking any common sense. All my predictions have come true regarding Covid and I don't have access to all the data that the government has. I don't have a team of highly educated scientific advisors, debating every part of things. Yet how can I arrive at the correct conclusions without all that? Simple. Common sense! It seems the scientific advisors, who claim they are all following the science, have lost the plot and just cannot see the big picture. The cost of all this is a lot more lives lost. The whole face masks fiasco was a disingenuous plot to keep them for the medical workers, by lying to the public that they are unnecessary for general use. The reality is that they do work at reducing the coefficient of viral spread, and they finally admit that, now that supply of face masks has improved. Couldn't they have just told us all that we should create our own face coverings, like they eventually did in the USA? To say they don't work on the one hand, yet these things that don't work should be saved for the medics on the other, is quite frankly ludicrous! Makes me angry!

 

[Cronk]

World Health Organization has official figures here. Mortality rates range from over 16% in UK, 14% in Italy to nearly 6% in USA to much lower rates in Australia and New Zealand which closed their borders early and enforced isolation. Mortality is slanted to older age demographics.

 

[deletedT]

World Health Organization has official figures here. Mortality rates range from over 16% in UK, 14% in Italy to nearly 6% in USA to much lower rates in Australia and New Zealand which closed their borders early and enforced isolation. Mortality is slanted to older age demographics.

I'm sorry to say this, but I don't rely on WHO's data or figures while they are under China's influence. I think I'll stick to local news.

 

[Jon]

I used to think the WHO was doing admirable work. But it appears that like all large organisations, they can become corrupted with political influence raising its ugly head. It seems to run through everything, from governments to football (fifa fiasco), to people of influence and so on.

 

[Deleted member 147267]

Jon, would that include the United Nations? I am beginning to think that is an organization that needs to be replaced or at least, its rules changed. Any country belonging to an elite class that on its own can veto everyone else has, IMO, outlived its usefulness. Unless I'm wrong, every country can be for implementing a response but it only takes one dissenting vote by a privileged member to quash it. That is just WRONG.

 

[deletedT]

Jon, would that include the United Nations?

United Nations has been under US's influence for God-knows-how-many-years. Just think how many times countries under US's sanctions have tried to do something and nobody listened.

 

[Jon]

@Micron To be honest, I know very little about the United Nations, so it is hard for me to comment. I only know a little more about WHO because of their ridiculous stance on mask wearing. I also include the ridiculous stance of the UK Conservative government on this too, and I am a Conservative!

I heard Trump going on about them being corrupt etc. So I did a little bit of digging on the subject. There appeared to be considerable merit to some of the claims. The leader of the WHO organisation worked for a communist junta or something like that, my memory fails me. He was lobbied for the position heavily by China and other shenanigans. While I do not own the headspace of the leader of WHO, some of the policies were way off the mark in my view, the siding with China and the criticism of Trump's closing of borders too. To me, it smacks of politicking.

Edit: Nato! That is one for reform. Everybody agreed to contribute 2% of GDP as a requirement of membership. The UK does it. But few of the others do. Look at Germany. They were at something like 1.2% of GDP, something like that. Yet when Trump talked about this, the leaders were laughing at him. Yet the US contributes about 4% of GDP. To me, I wouldn't blame Trump for pulling out. If you set up a system with conditions of membership, then ignore them, leaving other countries to foot the bill, what do you expect?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Trump's stance on NATO has been to continually warn them that we are going to cut our contributions. I don't remember if he actually DID cut them but he has repeatedly told world leaders that they would have to shoulder their fair share if they want it to continue.

 

[Deleted member 147267]

Well, I had in mind the situations where you might get one country saying "let's condemn the actions of Russia and maybe apply some sanctions to show we won't tolerate such behaviour" and China votes against it. Because you have countries with veto power, it only takes one to over-ride all the others who have a vote. IMO that is just nuts.

 

[AccessBlaster]

The United Nations should be moved to a more neutral country, New Yorker's are sick of the traffic jams and the extra costs of security.

 

[moke123]

The United Nations should be moved to a more neutral country, New Yorker's are sick of the traffic jams and the extra costs of security.

And diplomatic immunity.

 

[ColinEssex]

Firstly, what on earth is the matter with the Orangeman lunatic? First he holds an election rally in a closed building with several thousand people bunched up together - is there no social distancing in the USA? Is Covid cured in the USA?
Then, he says that there are too many people testing positive, so he announces he wants the testing programme to "slow down"! Does he think that will reduce the numbers getting Covid?
But, the biggest joke of all, is that this mentally deranged idiot is trying for a second term, just what is wrong with you Americans? Can't you see what a complete prat he makes of himself and the USA?
The only good thing is that laughing at Americans and Orangeman does relieve the worry of Covid.
Col

 

[Isaac]

He was joking about slowing down testing ... I watched it. Anyone who actually watched him make that joke and it still went over their head, well ... I'll hold my tongue on that.
As for people bunched up together, we try to balance rules vs. personal choices here. If you go to the rally that's your choice.
The economy can't just stand still forever, that ruins people's lives just as much (or a lot more, so far) than Covid has. How does it work in the UK? Can your activities stay stopped forever? I'd be curious how that works. Maybe we can learn your secret and implement it across the world. : )

Can't you see what a complete prat he makes of himself and the USA?

I see it, and it sucks. But his administration gets certain things done and keeps certain other things from being done, and we only have him and the liberals to choose from right now. Unfortunately if you want certain conservative policies to continue being implemented, then you only have one choice.
How does it work in the UK? If you don't like any of the voting choices near the election time, can you successfully write in someone new and they get elected? That's awesome! But we don't have that here.

 

[Steve R.]

But, the biggest joke of all, is that this mentally deranged idiot is trying for a second term, just what is wrong with you Americans? Can't you see what a complete prat he makes of himself and the USA?

You are entitled to your opinion, but then there is Joe Biden. So if you think Trump is deranged, Biden is even more deranged. Biden actually acts like a Trump wannabe. That should scare you even more.

 

[ColinEssex]

The BBC and all main TV news programmes showed the idiot saying that as a serious comment. No way was it reported as a joke. Once again, only because of the fallout, Orangeman says it's a joke. That is definately not how it was reported, it came across as an idiot Yank being a prat. It was beautiful ammunition to report how stupid Americans are.
Col

 

[Steve R.]

It was beautiful ammunition to report how stupid Americans are.

The fact that Biden is ahead in the opinion poles (assuming that they are accurate) is proof of that. Also, the fake news does exist. That has poisoned the minds of many people, and is currently promoting mass hysteria in the US that is basically a repeat of the "French Revolution".

 

[isladogs]

For info:
NATO: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/nato-spending-by-country/
UN: https://factly.in/united-nations-budget-contributions-by-member-countries/
WHO: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1269519/WHO-funding-by-country-which-countries-fund-the-WHO-USA

and a few more:
Military: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
Healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healt...e:Health_Expenditure_per_capita_OECD_2013.png
Education: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_spending_on_education_(%_of_GDP)
Development aid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_development_aid_country_donors