If we hadn't been told..

[ginandbearit]

Just thinking aloud here.. if we hadnt had wall to wall warnings and massive publicity ..would we have seen much difference in the death rates over winter? Would we have all just thought that's another bad fluey virus going around like the one before Christmas, had a few sick days and just got on with it ? Is Covid dramatically different than anything we usually get ?

We ain't seen nothing yet!!!

Is Covid dramatically different than anything we usually get ?
Yes.
Have you seen the stories from Italian hospitals?

I certainly don't think we would have had all the panic buying and every one self isolating. IMO there are a lot of worried well needlessly taking up time and resources that could be diverted to those who actually need it.

Not yet no. However, I did some very rough number crunching earlier. I found an article in the NY Times saying the average person knows 600 people. If 80% catch it and 1% of them die, you will know 5 people that will die. This number will go up or down depending on your age (and therefore the age of people you know).

Really? Really really?

I mean, really?

I’ve known since the first of feb when the victims arrived at arrow park hospital

We're expecting it will double the usual annual number of deaths.

Many areas struggle to get a funeral booked within 6 weeks already.

I think we'd have noticed.

Erm...my local hospital has tents outside the main building as they are running at over capacity. Doctors in hazmat suits paid a home visit to my neighbour I think I might have noticed.

The Italian hospitals are overwhelmed with people needing ventilators. I think we'd have noticed.

Did Boris literally send you here to ask this? Either way, no, anyone working anywhere near frontline healthcare would have noticed the KPIs shooting through the roof.
Send him our regards on the arrival of his 6th child though.

Ok just asking ..because for many it seems that the scare is worse than the reality ..I'm not suggesting its not serious for some or there would not have been visible consequences, but the economic costs seem out of all proportion ..anyway will watch with interest...my local hospital has gone full emergency mode but has not yet had a confirmed Covid case .

We'll soon see one way or another

The infection rate lags two weeks behind the death rate. Be glad your hospital has time to prepare- others were full of Covid patients before they knew it.

Exponential means that you will see this soon. Lagging behind London and some other hotspots but soon.