News Coronavirus Thread

[Roogal]

If we accept that Trump has made a bit of a meal of the COVID-19 response - and, it would appear he has - what does that say about France, Italy, Spain and the UK? What’s their excuse(s)?


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Just as bad, I suspect that our population being more spread out and taking steps to close public gathering places much earlier during our outbreak has spared us. It has been said the with the US, their pivotal moment was during the Super bowl when they traditionally gather together at BBQs, parties and of course at the host host city. It could just have easily been us during the Australian Open, the footy finals or the Spring Racing Carnival. Not to mention ANZAC Day.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

Equating compliance with lockdowns (after a couple of weeks) with tacit approval of future suicides is an interesting position.

If this is in reference to my comments, and I infer that it is, then you have misread what I wrote.

 

[Sillygit]

You might want to get used to it because the 'six months' thing could easily turn into two years.

Especially if almost nobody is willing to step up and say 'wait a minute, this lockdown thing is getting silly now'.

and you even think yourself as a hero for taking this stand, jesus christ.

 

[7577969923]

It's fascinating to see people who provide no rational basis for their opinions, and then turn around and demand it from others.

Why not step forward and apply this to yourself first?

1) What are the underlying factors, if any, that formulated Trump's response?
2) How did you deduce the conclusion that this has been a failure?
3) Do you have any relative comparisons that you can table, because you must have this in order to make your call?

Do you even know why you have taken this position?

I have plenty of rational basis for my opinion. It is based on evidence and outcome.

At a very simple level, I can point to the following facts:

The USA currently has 84 times the confirmed infections than Australia.

In the last 7 days, the USA has had 291 times the new confirmed infections than Australia.

The USA has 354 times the confirmed deaths resulting from Covid19 than Australia

The USA has 12.7 times the population of Australia.

I can do a similar analysis for SouthcKorea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada, and several European countries.

We know that Trump has ignored and downplayed intelligence and expert advice. We know that he consistently downplayed the threat of the virus and claimed that those saying it was serious were perpetrating a hoax. He has consistently lied to the US people about the status of the virus and the response. The administration monumentally butchered their testing program meaning that the virus was already widespread in the community before it got started. They have botched the management of the national stockpile.etc, etc, etc

 

[7577969923]

im more concerned about reading the same posts from you day after day after day for 6 months tbh

Without once answering a straight forward question or providing a shred of evidence for his ridiculous claims.

 

[Snake_Baker]

I have plenty of rational basis for my opinion. It is based on evidence and outcome.

At a very simple level, I can point to the following facts:

The USA currently has 84 times the confirmed infections than Australia.

In the last 7 days, the USA has had 291 times the new confirmed infections than Australia.

The USA has 354 times the confirmed deaths resulting from Covid19 than Australia

The USA has 12.7 times the population of Australia.

On what rational basis is any of this relevant?

I can do a similar analysis for SouthcKorea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada, and several European countries.

On what rational basis is any of this relevant?

We know that Trump has ignored and downplayed intelligence and expert advice.

Really? Who are these "experts" and in what way do they apply as an advisory factor in Trumps decision making?

Are you correlating every critique with a credential attached to it as "expert"?

If so, which "experts" have been correct and which ones have been incorrect, and which are the ones who are on the advisory panel for the POTA, so that it can be PROVEN that he has ignored expert advice?

We know that he consistently downplayed the threat of the virus and claimed that those saying it was serious were perpetrating a hoax.

He has consistently lied to the US people about the status of the virus and the response.
The administration monumentally butchered their testing program meaning that the virus was already widespread in the community before it got started. They have botched the management of the national stockpile.etc, etc, etc

How do you know that any of this was not consistent with the reports of his expert advisory consultants?

Do you seriously believe that Donald Trump, or any other politician on the planet, has an adequate oversight of microbiology, immunology and viral epidemiology? Seriously?

These people are charlatans with arts degrees. They're intellectual bottom feeders, all of them.

Singling one out for special blame with regard to something as unique and specialized as this, is the text book definition of disingenuous.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

France, Italy and Spain have the excuse of being affected earlier. The UK and the US have been able to view what was unfolding in Italy and still didn't prepare well. Australia, on the other hand, appears to have responded very well despite our peak being earlier than the UK and the US.

We also get a lot more news from the UK and US, so have more of an insight into their responses.

That being said, Trump has absolutely cost lives. The absolute worst person to have in charge of a crisis as he is unable to see or care about anything that doesn't directly impact or affect him, and most of his advisors are sycophants rather than field matter experts. I suspect he still genuinely believes he can gamble his way through this by trusting his own instincts.

He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus (Published 2020)

An examination reveals the president was warned about the potential for a pandemic but that internal divisions, lack of planning and his faith in his own instincts led to a halting response.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Scottroo]

No new cases in South Australia today. Only one yesterday.

 

[DesertRoo]

Read the comments...

 

[DesertRoo]

No new cases in South Australia today. Only one yesterday.

Call me skeptical but are these good numbers because the labs are shut over Easter?

 

[Scottroo]

Apparently testing has remained steady this weekend

 

[Snake_Baker]

Read the comments...

What is this fascination with Australian baby formula's?

 

[7577969923]

[/QUOTE]

Call me skeptical but are these good numbers because the labs are shut over Easter?

Definitely a lower number of tests. The stats are showing 3,699 tests versus a daily average of 8,000 to 10,000. There has also been some downward adjustments of previous days numbers which are making the figure look smaller than it really is. The positive rate is very good (low) though.

We are getting to the point where the daily totals are not that useful. I would like to see the data for new infections divided into expected infections and unexpected infections. Expected infections would be from those currently I quarantine or previously identified as having had contact with an infected person. Unexpected being someone that turns up for a test that was previously completely unknown to the authorities.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

What is this fascination with Australian baby formula's?

Because the formula you can buy over there is putrid.

There are baby formula cartels that exist in certain areas.

It's ****ing mental.

 

[Scottroo]

Definitely a lower number of tests. The stats are showing 3,699 tests versus a daily average of 8,000 to 10,000. There has also been some downward adjustments of previous days numbers which are making the figure look smaller than it really is. The positive rate is very good (low) though.

We are getting to the point where the daily totals are not that useful. I would like to see the data for new infections divided into expected infections and unexpected infections. Expected infections would be from those currently I quarantine or previously identified as having had contact with an infected person. Unexpected being someone that turns up for a test that was previously completely unknown to the authorities.
[/QUOTE]

south Australia did about 430 tests yesterday down from about 600 during the week. Take that two ways, less people with symptoms or people just waiting until after Easter

 

[Zondor]

it could just as easily not, whats your point

 

[Snake_Baker]

the previously linked NYT article sets out the above.

Kel, why would you or I believe that this proves anyone's incompetence?

Do you honestly believe that every politician on this planet should take note of every journalist who publishes a story with some hand picked "expert"?

Should politicians be held to account for not informing themselves of every person who claims they are an "expert" and then be held to account again because they didn't guess right?

I guarantee you, if they were left alone to have to choose which way to go then that's all it would be, a guess.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Because the formula you can buy over there is putrid.

There are baby formula cartels that exist in certain areas.

It's ******* mental.

............and the baby formula manufacturers haven't cottoned on to the absolute gold mine that awaits them in China?

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

............and the baby formula manufacturers haven't cottoned on to the absolute gold mine that awaits them in China?

I’m sure they have.

And they’d be charging an absolute fortune.

Which is why they buy it waaaaay cheaper here and ship it over.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Fair enough, I haven't seen reports of anyone here missing out on baby formula, so I don't see any huge issue.

 

[DesertRoo]

What is this fascination with Australian baby formula's?

its to do with the 2008 powered milk scandal in China.
As children are treasured in China they’ll put the $$ even ahead of their own meals.

And as no one believes what they buy in China, Chinese pay top $ for English labels being sent O/S.
At one stage there was Aussie baby formula company looking at creating baby formula attached to a blockchain.
Personally I still don’t understand why some of these guys don’t go directly to a2, I don’t think they’d have a problem selling them a pallet load.

2008 Chinese milk scandal - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[gokangas]

Isolation is driving me insane - we need footy now. Can't they play in friggin hazmat suits or something?

 

[koshari]

What is this fascination with Australian baby formula's?

its a trust issue, expat Chinese (or daigou as they are called) send it back to china at grossly inflated prices providing the supermarket receipt is attached to it, basically after the malimide disater people are hesitant to purchase the baby formula through local channels so the daigou fill that need.

'You must embrace them': Inside the billion-dollar Daigou industry

Angela Zhang earns a living by buying products from Australian retailers and selling them to customers back in China. She is among hundreds of thousands of personal shoppers cashing in on a lucrative billion-dollar industry shaking businesses across the country.

www.abc.net.au

its sort of like the reverse of the cottage industries in china selling trinkets on ebay and aliexpress for 10 times less than gerry harvey sells them.

 

[kelman]

Kel, why would you or I believe that this proves anyone's incompetence?

Do you honestly believe that every politician on this planet should take note of every journalist who publishes a story with some hand picked "expert"?

Should politicians be held to account for not informing themselves of every person who claims they are an "expert" and then be held to account again because they didn't guess right?

I guarantee you, if they were left alone to have to choose which way to go then that's all it would be, a guess.

None of us can know 100% what to believe. Not the journalists but equally not the politicians. But the references in the article appears credible (including access to emails) and timelines sync up with Trump’s very public narrative.

This has been extremely difficult for every leader. They have an unprecedented situation and have to make terrible choices. But it appears Trump could have greatly minimised the impact here if he had listened to his medical experts and moved quicker. His ego got in the way again.

Similarly, the WHO made some shocking calls. They will need to be held to account in the wash-up. But given Trump’s calls, the diversionary criticism as the US were in the eye of the storm was a disgrace IMO.

 

[7577969923]

What is this fascination with Australian baby formula's?

They had a major poisoning scandal about ten years ago.

Ten years after China’s infant milk tragedy, parents still won’t trust their babies to local formula

In late June 2008, urology doctor Zhang Wei treated four babies within 10 days—one just 10-months old—for kidney stones. It’s a condition that rarely occurs in children and can cause unbearable pain when it does. “This made me tremble as a doctor, I felt there might be a common reason behind...

qz.com