Vat -
I worked for years in a job, interacting with the public health system, and this is one topic where I know whereof I speak. And I would not try to deceive or misdirect anyone on the situation for political or ideological reasons.
1.8 million dead worldwide. 1 million die every year of malaria. I guess few people die of malaria in the US so that isn’t significant?
Please remember, cancer and heart disease are not going away yet. Projections for April put total death toll at max of 3.5 million (not counting vaccine effect - probably insignificant at the that time anyway!) ... certainly a large number. This isn’t - when compared to other diseases - a particularly long lasting or persistent disease though. Yeah, covid-20 is out now in all good UK shops, but the vaccine will eventually stem the problem within the next few years whereas for heart disease and cancer many more millions will continue to die. It just looks like people are focus on the danger of a candle burning a room down whilst their clothes are already burning.
To continue with that analogy, if we protect ourselves from the candles flame at the cost of literally burning the clothes off people’s backs how are they going to survive in the elements? Yeah, you could argue that the candle may set the room aflame ... but hey, that doesn’t see likely and we’re already burning with cancer and heart disease as it is without closing down and throwing people into the streets with nothing but burnt rags to wear.
As for Heart Disease and Cancer as a ‘lifestyle’ choice ... reminds me of what people said about HIV in the 80’s - some relation, but it certainly isn’t the driving force for cancer. Do you have any idea what the percentage chance of your getting cancer is in your lifetime. And if heart disease is primarily about ‘lifestyle’ then where is the governmental intervention in the US in food standards? Why is McDonalds still open and selling sugar, salt and fat in tonnes whilst other addictive substances are banned? My point being the loss of perspective involved right now.
In the US the leading causes of death - in 2020 - were Cancer and Heart Disease. There is also a decent amount of evidence to support the claim that cancer deaths will increase due to the knock-on effects of hospitals ‘preparing’ for covid in the UK. Not to mention people scared of going to hospital for check-ups leading to more fatalities.
Also, covid-19 is a pandemic it is not localised to the US. Yeah, measures should be taken. From the outset I’ve been concerned about developing nations and their capacity to handle the economic downturn. I’m not primarily concerned for any particular country as the poorest in the world at large will suffer and moe people will fall into poverty (which effects levels of health and education).
A friend of my mothers will likely die soon due to such hospital ‘delays’. In a time period where the hospitals were NOT overrun, but merely ‘preparing’ and therefore delaying treatments and diagnosis? Cancer appointments (in the thousands) were setback by months - again, I have first and secondhand reports of this as my father was diagnosed and joined a discussion group where such incidents were reported nationally (meaning delays in treatment and diagnosis).
And simply looking at deaths will not provide you with the total numbers of people who are quite ill with covid, some of whom are long-haulers requiring repeat sessions of medical care.
No shit Sherlock! And the knock-on effects for other treatments that have been delayed? And how about the economic fallout? Are you comfy enough to pretend only covid deaths matter? Have you been completely brainwashed by hyperbole and sensationalism.
Yeah, it’s a problem. If no measures had been taken I’m sure the figures would be MUCH higher - maybe even hit 5-10 million worst case scenario. The facts are there to see. It’s bad, but it’s not doomsday. Yes, it’s pretty bad ... it is not terrible though. I am not saying nothing should be done, just saying that the fear doesn’t seem proportional to the actual risk - I believe it causes more harm than good.
Now let’s look at the figures for cancer deaths in the US .... somehow they have fallen dramatically in 2020? Why is this? Could it be that people with cancer contracted covid and died?
You can easily look at countries where their ability to deal with this disease is pretty limited to understand the extent of the risks involved. In both India and Brasil most people simply cannot afford not to work, so they continue to work (as appears to have been the main reaction in the US). True enough, the figures for both Brasil and India are likely significantly higher due to the lack of infrastructure to record all deaths accurately?
Anyway, now there is Covid 20 and next year they’ll be Covid 21 ... in a decade or so CRISPR will practically be able to eradicate all diseases.
The western world was kind of slow to react. It doesn’t make much sense to lock the gates after the horses have bolted. Plus, decades of international collaboration to combat the flu have always fallen short. There is no good reason to expect this new virus as something that is going to be contained all that easily.
My fear - which appears to have been justified - was that the economic fallout will cause greater suffering and death than the disease itself. I’ve seen lots of fear and sensationalist propaganda (due to idiots on social media) that have done little more than force governments hands to act in an irrational manner most of the time.
Note: The knock-on effects of poverty last generations and effect health and education. This whole affair could basically set back developing nations by a decade or more.
