Things go wrong in other countries, too

[avenueq]

I don't think it's helpful how irate people get about the UK government's failings. Yes there are plenty but this is a whole new situation and there are plenty of other countries making mistakes.
Before you ask - I'm not from the UK, but that means I have insight what happens elsewhere,
So to start -
The Eu has been slow in vaccine acquisition

In Austria, vaccinations could not start yet in some areas as not enogh needles (!) had been ordered

Countries with the most severe lockdown did not necessarily solve the Problem (Spain)

Countries who had supposedly excellent track and trace also had a second wave (Germany)

Anyone got other examples?

@MRex

I agree, vit D3 is not the only factor.
Do you think that ventilation or age demographics causes the extreme seasonality of nearly all coronaviruses?

Ventilation matters for most coronaviruses, but airborne ones manage without. Weather always has a big impact. Demographics have nothing to do with seasonality, but more elderly people tend to die in winter; the cold and damp both have an effect with viruses surviving better to transmit and weakened body responses.

Even in nice weather (not high summer) Italians don’t tend to spend much time outdoors. Most do not have gardens, and sitting on one’s balcony is considered weird.

Btw, a large syringe consignment for Lombardy (to do vaccines) has had to be binned because they were substandard Chinese ones. And there was some outrage over left-over vaccines going to those in the know .

@IrmaFayLear

Even in nice weather (not high summer) Italians don’t tend to spend much time outdoors. Most do not have gardens, and sitting on one’s balcony is considered weird.

Btw, a large syringe consignment for Lombardy (to do vaccines) has had to be binned because they were substandard Chinese ones. And there was some outrage over left-over vaccines going to those in the know .

Yep. You get a hit of air if you go outside or open a window before 15th June or after the last week of August. And the governor of Campania was roundly slagged off for being one of the first to be vaccinated when it's supposed to be HCP, carehomes and the very elderly.

@Yohoheaveho

How can it be that Asian people have much lower death rates Did the Chinese deliberately manufacture a virus which was less deadly to Asian people

People in Australia, New Zealand, Syria, and Denmark have very low death rates too.

Their total covid deaths ever are all lower the UK's today.

It's hardly circulated in Australia and New Zealand.

@EngineeringFix

It's hardly circulated in Australia and New Zealand.

They didn't let it.

We had Matt Hancock pontificating in January 2020 in a health committee about how the U.K. is always prepared for pandemics.

And then doing...nothing.

@Yohoheaveho

How can it be that Asian people have much lower death rates Did the Chinese deliberately manufacture a virus which was less deadly to Asian people

I’m a non-Asian living in Asia. The governments here just never let it get out of control. If you think it was engineered to be less deadly to Chinese people, remind yourself of the news about mass graves in Wuhan a year ago.

But NutsNuts you were answering a point on susceptibility of different populations to a virus.

Your answers seem irrelevant and just point scoring.

Bye

Germany has now had four days with 1000+ deaths but I don't see the same shrieks of saying the government has blood on its hands there. Why? They also kept schools open and locked down late

What are the prevailing theories about why Japan has had relatively few deaths so far?

@avenueq

perhaps check your facts on Germany before posting incorrect information?

The new lockdown will run from 16 December to 10 January. Announcing the move after meeting leaders of the country's 16 states, Mrs Merkel said there was "an urgent need to take action"

I’m a non-Asian living in Asia. The governments here just never let it get out of control
The fact we have never had a scare from pandemics before (in recent memory) meant we didn't take it seriously and there was an 'it can't happen to us' attitude. A bit like the US.

@jasjas1973 I know the facts. Their lockdown was no stricter than Tier 4 and they allowed more Christmas mixing than UK

Germany has never not allowed indoor mixing

[quote avenueq]@jasjas1973 I know the facts. Their lockdown was no stricter than Tier 4 and they allowed more Christmas mixing than UK[/quote]
Do you? because thats not what you said, you said they locked down late & kept schools open.... both incorrect, in terms of infection and deaths, Germany locked down earlier.
Hospitality shut in November too.

We had 5 days of xmas until it was changed at the last minute, so no one took any notice... remember the trains and roads being packed? hence our super hi infections/deaths now..... far higher proportionately than germany.
Johnson demanding children go to school on January the 4th.....

Our current LD isn't so different from T4, its quite relaxed, i can go shopping, a bike ride, garden centre, DFS, into Homebase, have the cleaner round, the painter & the gardener.....take the kids to nursery and/or school... oh and then pop out again to my local DPD pick up and collect some parcels.

@avenueq

Germany has never not allowed indoor mixing

Neither have we...

@PuffinShop

I honestly think a huge amount of this is basically luck and that most of the restrictions in most countries have just been rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I don't believe we humans are nearly as powerful as we sometimes think we are.

sums it up ! Mumsnet is very toxic. I don't find people quite so aggressive about it all in real life.

@PrincessNutNuts

1,041 COVID deaths today. One day. More than the entire total in S. Korea (1027) Australia (909) Syria (741) Finland (576) Norway (452) Thailand (66) Vietnam (35) New Zealand (25)

Except that 1041 isn't for deaths that actually occured today (on the 6th - the date you posted). They are deaths reported on the 6th but cover a period of around 3 weeks. As of today the number of people who actually died on 6th Jan is 588.

So whilst our death rates are dire, the way they are reported currently lead to a lot of confusion and anxiety. I really wish that when the daily numbers are announced that its made clear that its reported not actual.

And before anyone jumps on me for trying to make out its not so bad, this is about accuracy in using data when making comparisons not denying that we have a high death rate.

@jasjas1973 what? Tier 2 upwards had no indoor mixing with friends/family

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55575756

Interesting article comparing EU countries vaccine roll outs

[quote avenueq]@jasjas1973 what? Tier 2 upwards had no indoor mixing with friends/family [/quote]
Again, not accurate, family and friends in your bubble can come and go, the so called bubble rule is so misunderstood, it is used to allow household mixing.
Under the latest restrictions, these bubbles are limited to a maximum of 10 people, including children, at any one time

As children can be mixing in schools, its a meaningless restriction.

Non essential workers can also come and go too.

But in Germany you don't have to pick one household, can meet different people

@avenueq

But in Germany you don't have to pick one household, can meet different people

My point is we can meet up (in our bubble) and with children involved, makes these rules a bit pointless. Who on earth can ever enforce these bubble rules?

Its why many experts don't believe the new LD will make anything like the difference the 1st one made, hence TV adverts etc.

Its very sad as the lack of belief in our Govt is going to bring many more deaths.
3 weeks in, 1.5m people vaccinated, nothing like the amount needed and yes europe is doing far worse, shameful.

So whilst our death rates are dire, the way they are reported currently lead to a lot of confusion and anxiety. I really wish that when the daily numbers are announced that its made clear that its reported not actual

Completely agree. Deaths are certainly rising, from approx. 400/day to 600/day, still a rise, and a sustained number over a longer period of time than in April. However, I do wish the media (and the scientists) didn't use this as a "new high" "record", because it doesn't reflect the actual picture. I always look at "specimin date" for cases, and "date of death" for deaths, never reported. Particularly over this xmas and new year period, all stats are all over the place. European stats also up and down like yo yo's so you can't compare and contrast there either.