British death toll highest in Europe

[SistemaAddict]

Covid-19: British death toll now highest in Europe
via The Irish Times
www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/covid-19-british-death-toll-now-highest-in-europe-1.4245336

This has made me so sad and angry. Why are we the worst? Why did we not learn from other countries and why do so many people (on here at least) think that we can get back to relative normal now?

[WatcherintheRye]

I haven't seen any myself, but is it the case that the SAGE documents now available for scrutiny have been heavily redacted?

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Some have. Names etc. But I've only just started reading through.

Maybe that could be the first informed complaint?

[RancidOldHag]

Why has the mainstream British media, for the most part, been so uncritical of the handling of the crisis?

Because science reporting is not done well. Science journalists get elbowed out and we get the bigger names whondin'r kniw what they're talking about, and they look to the politics of the handling and seem to expect more definitive answers that evolving science can provide.

Only occasionally are their more thoughtful pieces, such as today's Reuters piece on the UCL study into various strains.

With different variations in circulation, then with more study we might find that a) difference in death rates depends on exact strain/s in that region at the time b) a milder strain could have been in circulation for a while late last year before the more serious strain/s emerged c) a vaccine might need to cover more than one strain

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

That's true. I remember the relief all round when the New Scientist got a question.

[ToffeeYoghurt]

The media has a lot of power. When mainstream media choose to focus on an issue it gets a lot of attention and very often leads to changes and revisions being made to policies.

The media has a moral responsibility to highlight the issues. It's only going on because few of those in a position to challenge are challenging.

The media focus, on the day our shamefully high death figures topped Europe, was on somebody who has warned against premature end to lockdown being ever so coincidentally caught with their pants down.

Scientist Angela Merkel has the same message as Ferguson. So far she hasn't been found in bed with someone other than her husband. Perhaps those who think Ferguson's still valid advice is wrong just because he ignored his own advice might like to believe her instead.

Germany saved many lives, and it will have a quicker and easier economic recovery because of their excellent handling of the pandemic.

Media attention should be on the failure to treat patients in time, the refusal to give drugs to save lives unlike other countries, oxygen often given too late because patients are admitted too late, and the ongoing lack of PPE - with the devastating consequence of many HCP dying.

The government wants to start ending lockdown on Monday. But still continues to do very little to protect lives or the economy. We could've safely eased lockdown on Monday had our government sorted out the mess at the start of lockdown.

[effingterrified]

Germany has done very well.

Meanwhile, our government is the laughing stock of the world for how badly it's dealt with this.

Absolutely shameful that Boris has caused the highest death rates in Europe.

[MinkowskisButterfly]

Because we’re not admitting people to hospital until they’re at death’s door so we can ‘protect the NHS, which I’m getting sick of hearing to be honest - we should be protecting our people too!

^^This, along with a few other things.

[GoatyGoatyMingeMinge]

I'm baffled why this thread is still going! Isn't it a bit early to declare the full-time score? We're five minutes into the first half.

[The80sweregreat]

I know the NHS has more ppe and more capacity ( so we're told) but I'm wondering why we have to still protect it? They even came out the other weeks to say ' come in if your poorly' ! If we all do the right things then they should be able to get the people in that are ill.
We've all done our bit now and I hope they have the right equipment etc now but the message shouldn't be protect it now it should be ' we can cope' ( unless we're told otherwise)
I'm a big supporter of them and grateful and i know it's been shit for them.

[effingterrified]

You're baffled why this thread is still going?

You don't think Britain having more deaths than anywhere in the world apart from a country with 6 times our population size is like...something to worry about?

If you don't think this is important, what precisely DO you think is important?!

[GoatyGoatyMingeMinge]

Hi @effingterrified (I like the name!),

Maybe my footballing metaphor wasn't very clear, but if you want to compile a league table of deaths by country you need to wait until all the results are in.

And really the only way to assess it is by excess mortality - in other words how many more people die over the next few years than we would expect. That will account not just for those who die in hospital with covid19, but those who die of it at home and those who die from secondary effects (eg other illnesses that have gone untreated and because of the upcoming recession). It also strips out those who would have died anyway.

(Some of us also think a higher rate of death would be acceptable if we can limit the economic damage, and that won't be a calculation that could be made for a long time.)