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Original poster

Wow,look at the actual numbers on worldometer at the moment ..

425 replies

Layladylay234 · 09/09/2020 07:30

Current levels of infection: 7,007,039
Number of mild infections: 6,946,649 (99%)
Number of serious/critical cases: 60,390 (1%)

Do these numbers make anyone else think,what the fuck are we doing damaging the economy,our children's future and mental health for figures like this?

OP posts:
UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 09/09/2020 08:20

@Waxonwaxoff0

Yes. I fear we will look back and say we overreacted.
At the start, I read somewhere that if we succeeded in controlling this, it would look as if we had overreacted. If it looked as if our reaction had been justified, then it wasn't enough. That makes sense to me.
Forgone90 · 09/09/2020 08:22

The worst thing is in 10 years time we will moan that the world is over populated by about 10%

primabloodydonna · 09/09/2020 08:24

I just cannot understand the mentality that says lives lost due to covid are the ones worth saving. What about all the missed cancers?

Derbygerbil · 09/09/2020 08:25

@Layladylay234

Worldometer data taken at face value can lead to all sorts of false conclusions.... For instance, 900,000 deaths and 27 million cases implies a 3% death rate! OMG!..... Of course, that’s not the case as only tells part of the story.

It’s the same with the figures you quoted. According to this there are 2.5m active infections in the US. It’s clear from looking at the data that a very significant proportion of those are very likely to be historical but haven’t actually been moved out of that category, probably because they haven’t actually bothered to get a negative test.

Your post is the reverse of the catastrophising in March when the figures indicated places like the U.K. and Italy had a 10% death rate! That’s clearly not the case, and it’s more than likely that it’s not just 1% who are serious or critical either.... The actual position is somewhere in the middle.

I’ve had enough of this too, but selecting data in a way that validates your feelings only provides false validation if it’s not accurate.

trappedsincesundaymorn · 09/09/2020 08:27

@orangejuicer

Don't correct me, just agree with me. Ok OP. Clearly you have not lost a loved one to COVID.
Why do people insist on saying things like this? Some of us HAVE lost a loved one to covid but it doesn't make us or our opinions more valid than anybody elses's.
MaxNormal · 09/09/2020 08:28

I doubt things are low because of social distancing globally. I can almost guarantee that is not happening in developing countries.

Derbygerbil · 09/09/2020 08:29

I just cannot understand the mentality that says lives lost due to covid are the ones worth saving. What about all the missed cancers?

I can’t either... but who has that mentality? Had nothing been done back in March (and I’m not saying mistakes weren’t made) the position regarding cancers would have likely have been worse! Hospitals would have been riddled with Covid and few measures to contain infection would have shut cancer screening too, only it would have risked more essential treatment too as it would have been dangerous for those on chemo to have gone in to hospital at all.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 09/09/2020 08:29

The trouble is that if we just abandoned any attempt to control the spread of infection, we'd see key workers going down with it and serious consequences for vital infrastructure like the National Grid, telecoms, transport and so on, as well as the NHS, which would undoubtedly have been overwhelmed with cases at the same time as having huge staff shortages as its own staff got ill. Our government hasn't distinguished itself in the way it's handled this crisis (understatement), but to just ignore it and carry on as normal wasn't an option.

I don't think we'll have reliable stats on mortality rates for a long time yet. From what I understand, it's really only when we have the death rates for the year that we'll know for sure how high this year's is in comparison to an average year.

Batshitbeautycosmeticsltd · 09/09/2020 08:30

@MaxNormal

I doubt things are low because of social distancing globally. I can almost guarantee that is not happening in developing countries.
Yep.

We're all masked up, but numbers are still rising. But people will blame it on not social distancing.

SurferRona · 09/09/2020 08:30

OP, Sweden has restrictions. Everyone over 70 has been advised to stay at home. But I can see that doesn’t fit with your narrative.

Who are the 600,000 people in the UK you’re happy to see die?

Yesyoudoknowme · 09/09/2020 08:30

Tell you what - lose a loved one then see if you feel the same way.

Porcupineinwaiting · 09/09/2020 08:32

I dont know why the covid/cancer thing is always painted as such a dichotomy. Does having cancer make you immune to COVID? My FiL is esp worried about the potential for a second wave of COVID precisely because he's being treated for cancer and his immune system is fragile.

alittleprivacy · 09/09/2020 08:33

No. Obviously not. The numbers are as low as they are because of mitigation measures. If all lockdowns/social distancing ended, exponential growth means that within 2 months it would be out of control.

I know that people don't want to see that. But nobody does. It would be extremely, extremely stupid if we all ignored reality though.

ZooKeeper19 · 09/09/2020 08:33

No. 60k people are in the serious and imminent risk of dying. If it was your parents, siblings, children...you'd speak differently. Can't believe how many BJs this country has. "only the old and sick will die...". Makes me want to cry.

Loonyloo87 · 09/09/2020 08:33

You’re totally right OP

primabloodydonna · 09/09/2020 08:34

Tell you what - lose a loved one then see if you feel the same way.

I did, and I couldn't see them thanks to covid restrictions. HTH

Eyewhisker · 09/09/2020 08:34

Agree OP. For the vast vast majority of people this is not a serious illness - even for the vast majority of 80 year olds!!!!!

To the poster who said that if covid spread we would have to cancel cancer screening - have you not looked at the various NHS threads???? Cancer screening was stopped for months, and in some areas has not resumed or at a very low capacity. Many doctors are providing very limited services.

This could go on for years as the lead vaccine trial has been paused. What is the plan because I just do not know.

primabloodydonna · 09/09/2020 08:35

Does having cancer make you immune to COVID? My FiL is esp worried about the potential for a second wave of COVID precisely because he's being treated for cancer and his immune system is fragile

My point was about diagnosis of cancers being delayed, not cancers already being treated.

PotatoBasher · 09/09/2020 08:35

In Victoria Australia, we are in harsh lockdown for the foreseable future.

Doctors are saying cancer referrals have plummeted- because people are not going to their doctors to be referred as it is hard to be seen in person.
So the annual Vic cancer death rate of 10,000 people is expected to rocket next year. Ditto the 11,000 cardiology patients.

In UK 165,000 people annually die from cancer. Who knows what that figure will be next year.

The world seems to be throwing everything at Covid and every other type of illness/disease/issue is being deprioritised.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 09/09/2020 08:35

Yes

Ellsbells12 · 09/09/2020 08:35

Yes

Bookrat · 09/09/2020 08:36

Yes OP. Completely agree.

orangejuicer · 09/09/2020 08:38

trappedsinceesunday fair point but I do not personally understand how you could feel that way if you have been in that situation.

trappedsincesundaymorn · 09/09/2020 08:38

@Yesyoudoknowme

Tell you what - lose a loved one then see if you feel the same way.
I did and thanks to the restrictions she's still in a small box at home because we can't give her a final send off in the place she always said she wanted to be. We also haven't been able to have a memorial for her.
Lockdownseperation · 09/09/2020 08:40

Bare in mind it’s impossible for many people to get tests in the U.K. and if you read MN many posters are not getting their children tested because some how they just KNOW it’s not covid.