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#81 |
Philosophile
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Osaka, Japan
Posts: 28,875
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Yes, some countries got onto this very quickly.
Taiwan and South Korea, for example:
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"The thief and the murderer follow nature just as much as the philanthropist. Cosmic evolution may teach us how the good and the evil tendencies of man may have come about; but, in itself, it is incompetent to furnish any better reason why what we call good is preferable to what we call evil than we had before." "Evolution and Ethics" T.H. Huxley (1893) |
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#82 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,721
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#83 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 4,001
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This is a very cool site, thank you!
Tracks for places with small numbers (so far) clearly show the effects of "small number statistics"; compare Finland to Germany for example. The track for Singapore is somewhat concerning ... after apparently getting things under control, more recently it seems to be reverting to what one might call the "normal" one. It's a pity data for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are not available (though Macau would be an extreme example of small numbers!). |
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#84 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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Maybe it's a combination of things? Or just random chance working its mysterious way?
Still very early in the piece, and I'm waiting on time to produce results in other southern hemisphere countries, but it looks right now like the weather has an impact, but it might just be early on the curve. |
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#85 |
Lackey
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: South East, UK
Posts: 95,995
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That should show up in UK deaths, as from 1953 to 2005 we had a universal BCG policy for all kids (usually around 13). Which would mean we should increases in fatalities in age groups (against countries with current universal BCG) for anyone born say before 1940 and anyone born after 1992. |
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#86 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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Well, the ages certainly coincide with the death target for Covid-19. Another problem is the number of migrants, a significant portion of the population who probably haven't had the BCG injection.
I'm wondering if getting punched on the injection site might be a factor in NZ & Aussie's low numbers, because it was pretty compulsory for 4th & 5th formers to punch as many thirds in the arm as possible the day afterwards. |
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#87 |
Quester of Doglets
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sunny South Australia
Posts: 2,928
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We would be better, and braver, to engage in enquiry, rather than indulge in the idle fancy, that we already know -- Plato. |
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#88 |
Quester of Doglets
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sunny South Australia
Posts: 2,928
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We would be better, and braver, to engage in enquiry, rather than indulge in the idle fancy, that we already know -- Plato. |
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#89 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 4,001
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#90 |
Lackey
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: South East, UK
Posts: 95,995
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I wish I knew how to quit you |
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#91 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,863
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Don't fear the REAPER, embrace it |
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#92 |
Quester of Doglets
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sunny South Australia
Posts: 2,928
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__________________
We would be better, and braver, to engage in enquiry, rather than indulge in the idle fancy, that we already know -- Plato. |
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#93 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,863
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Ouch! That's funny though
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#94 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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__________________
The point of equilibrium has passed; satire and current events are now indistinguishable. |
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#95 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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From Dr Sid in the general Covid thread:
Quote:
The combination of BCG and vitamin D looks a winner at this stage, with Aussie & NZ way under the odds for mortality rates. |
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#96 |
Maledictorian
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 14,275
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the USSR send food when its people were starving to prove how well their economy was doing.
Russia is pretty much ****** when it comes to Corona, because no one trusts what the government says, full-stop. They won't self-report, and they won't follow advise unless coerced to. |
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Ceterum autem censeo fox et amicis esse delendam. |
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#97 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,237
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They don't have as many rich people going to the alps to ski, which is how the virus got from Austria and Italy to Western Europe, so Western Europe got a head start. More tourists from other European countries go to Spain than to Portugal. And the Portuguese tend to be poorer than Spaniards. |
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/dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx |
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#98 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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I have to admit to having a chuckle when I saw their test numbers - a nice, round 500,000.
Totally not a made up number. Once the virus spreads, countries soon catch up, so the number of tourists only affects the start date. The poorer population should mean a higher mortality rate, you'd think. |
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#99 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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This might be a bit of a thorn in the side of the BCG theory.
France had compulsory vaccination between 1950 & 2007. Mortality rate 8% Norway had compulsory BCG from 1947 to 1995. MOrtality rate 1% Norway has done 6 times more testing per capita than France, which could be a reason for the difference. |
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#100 |
Muse
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Norway
Posts: 554
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I'm curious about that 104 year old man who survived hospitalization. Is there anything unusual about his lifestyle or diet? Or could it be that he got the 1918 flu and retained some resistance?
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#101 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,721
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#102 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,190
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#103 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,237
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/dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx |
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#104 |
Muse
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Norway
Posts: 554
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#105 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,237
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There's something fishy going on ...
An odd but great story from the Faroe Islands (Wikipedia): The secret to the Faroe Islands' large number of corona tests (TMF, March 25, 2020)
Quote:
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From salmon to coronavirus: Faroese food and veterinary agency joins ranks of labs changing mission - The country is testing 20 times more than Denmark. (IntraFish, April 2, 2020) Three things are important here: 1) Test as many as possible! 2) Isolate the people tested positive! 3) When isolating, don't send them home to infect the other members of your household! This is something that the Chinese have criticized Western countries for doing. On the Faroe Islands, people who test positive for the virus are taken to a hotel used exclusively for this purpose! So, The Atheist, fish are important in the fight against the coronavirus, but not because of vitamin D! ![]() |
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/dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx |
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#106 |
Show me the monkey!
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 25,728
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Bigfoot believers and Bigfoot skeptics are both plumb crazy. Each spends more than one minute per year thinking about Bigfoot. |
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#107 |
Adrift on an uncharted sea
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,405
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#108 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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__________________
The point of equilibrium has passed; satire and current events are now indistinguishable. |
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#109 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,237
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__________________
/dann "Stupidity renders itself invisible by assuming very large proportions. Completely unreasonable claims are irrefutable. Ni-en-leh pointed out that a philosopher might get into trouble by claiming that two times two makes five, but he does not risk much by claiming that two times two makes shoe polish." B. Brecht "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness. The demand to give up the illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusions." K. Marx |
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#110 |
Adrift on an uncharted sea
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,405
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Yes, I think this sort of thing goes on in hospitals every year, and have reams of articles from years past proving that it does. I'm happy to post links to dozens of them, if you'd like. Every year, worldwide, hospitals overwhelmed by flu patients, deaths, etc, resources maxed out, tents set up to accommodate the massive flow, etc. No, I don't think medical staff are actors. Yes, I think they've been fooled by hype and hysteria. Yes, I think this happens every year and we pay little attention. If the media started obsessively reporting every car crash in the world the same frenzy could be whipped up. Or if they began obsessively reporting and tracking all flu cases and deaths worldwide on an hourly basis. I do not think there is a conspiracy. I do think there is opportunism, as there always is. Medical orgs, as all orgs, love acquiring power, money, publicity, resourcea, attention and influence so it is in their interests to hype this up as much as possible.
Most of them believe it, too, so it's a feedback loop. Easy to believe what aligns with one's interests. |
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#111 |
Adrift on an uncharted sea
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,405
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Here are just a handful to start with. I can go on all day.
January 16, 2018, Los Angeles Times California hospitals face a ‘war zone’ of flu patients — and are setting up tents to treat them https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...htmlstory.html Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, February 15, 2018 Overwhelmed' by flu patients, Columbus hospital opens portable clinic in parking lot https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news...200218759.html CBS News, January 5, 2018 Overwhelmed by flu cases, some ERs turn ambulances away https://www.cbsnews.com/news/overwhe...ay-california/ January 18, 2018, Time Magazine Hospitals Overwhelmed by Flu Patients Are Treating Them in Tents https://time.com/5107984/hospitals-h...-flu-patients/ UPI, January 4, 2018 Hospitals overwhelmed by influx of flu patients https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2018...8171516800130/ Combine the fact that this happens every year with the hysteria causing everyone to prepare for an absolute disaster and you get what we're seeing. Mass effort to set up, in advance, all kinds of temporary/portable clinics, etc. |
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#112 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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The point of equilibrium has passed; satire and current events are now indistinguishable. |
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#113 |
Adrift on an uncharted sea
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,405
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It was a direct answer to a question asked of me. If you have a problem with the question, why didn't you address that to the asker of the question? Probably because you agree with the implicit assumptions of the questions but not my answer. I agree that the question was somewhat off topic though. I shall try to be more conscientious about advising askers of questions to address me in a more appropriate thread.
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#114 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,863
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So now hawaii is at 350 cases, four deaths and at least 20 hospitalizations. Seems about the same rate as anywhere else regarding deaths and crits right?
Killing me that taiwan has 23 TIMES the population, same number of cases and their daily new cases are going down not up |
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#115 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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I figured that quoting the answer would mean the question was OT as well, but anyway, thanks.
Not yet, no. There are only a couple of other states with a 1% mortality rate, and they were at least several weeks later getting started than Hawaii. It still could go south very quickly. They had a couple of huge advantages: Not a popular choice for Chinese tourists. Experience with SARS. A largely compliant and sensible population. |
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#116 |
Quester of Doglets
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sunny South Australia
Posts: 2,928
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We would be better, and braver, to engage in enquiry, rather than indulge in the idle fancy, that we already know -- Plato. |
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#117 |
Graduate Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Disneyland
Posts: 1,977
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#118 |
In the Peanut Gallery
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 46,836
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I’m now confident that the downward trend in new infections in Australia is locked in. Recoveries are now outpacing new infections as well.
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#119 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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Agree entirely, although I'm not sure how. We seem - hopefully - to be in the same position, with new cases flat already, so I hope it continues for both of us!
I just wish I could say why, because whatever it is, the rest of the world could do with a piece of it. I notice some US states seem to be doing much better than expected, too. |
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#120 |
The Grammar Tyrant
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 27,835
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Something else to keep an eye on - there are two rest homes in Christchurch with cases, but they're all quite mild.
With at least 12 infections, they're comparing pretty favourably with the Life Care, Seattle facility which had a 50% death rate. I'll keep watch, but none of the cases become severe it will raise the question of what the hell's going on here. And Aussie, because I'm sure they've had rest home infections, but no death clusters in them so far. |
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