I don't like that, an extremely dense urban area is a bad place for a pandemic.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I don't like that, an extremely dense urban area is a bad place for a pandemic.Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
It isn't pointless, it's critical in contact tracing which will be what is required to suppress this over a longer period of time. Most Asian countries put people into two week quarantine post arrival into the country now, which is the right approach in managing the case load.Me neither mate, was just making the point that it's pointless now testing new arrivals.
They also have very little clean water and electricity for only 4 hours a day.I don't like that, an extremely dense urban area is a bad place for a pandemic.
Add in the poverty and it’s extremely frightening. I’m really worried about the Indian cities too.I don't like that, an extremely dense urban area is a bad place for a pandemic.
You've gotten completely confused here @Kentonio mate. No-one thinks we aren't going to be affected, absolutely no-one, we already massively are. My point was that we won't become an Italy because of many reasons, not least the density of population, but even our culture compared to Italien culture.Would you like to think a little more carefully about what you just said? My entire point was that having people congregated in small parts of the country isn't helpful. So how does dividing the total landmass of the country by the population help your case in any way?
You certainly have advantages in a number of regards over Italy, but it would be a very bad mistake to assume that you're somehow just not going to be effected by this and life can go on as normal. It's not going to help having people living alone if people are still free to meet up in bars and restaurants.
Bang on the money.well this is where all the modelling comes into play. if the health services aren't stretched at all, and you lock everything down, sure, you stopped the risk of them being overwhelmed. but what then? just stay locked down forever? at some point you then have to ease off the restrictions - and with that the same risk will be back (hence the 'second wave'), which takes us straight back to the beginning again.
the UK's numbers saw that without restrictions, the health services would be overwhelmed. so lockdown was the right thing to do. you can't just assume that's also the case for every other country in the world. every country is different, and it's a given we can't stay locked down forever. when you start and finish each lockdown (and there may be more of these, I'm sure) has to be based on the modelling. if Sweden think their numbers show that its health services won't be overwhelmed (and they are modelling into the future), then it makes no sense to lockdown too early.
The majority of epidemiologists and experts in pandemics will say you need to act first, then assess later. Modelling is useful but almost impossible in a crisis like this with incomplete data, and no knowledge of how incomplete the data is. The costs for acting later is much, much higher than for acting earlier. A lockdown + overrun medical system is much worse than lockdown only. And with such high uncertainty, you have to go for the lower risk option.Because if it is nowhere overwhelmed it is in risk of being. And it will happen without warning or time to stop it. You have to act one month before things happen. That's how it has been everywhere, without exceptions.
Sweden is substantially more urbanised than Italy Reg. I think that your cities are relatively less dense though.You've gotten completely confused here @Kentonio mate. No-one thinks we aren't going to be affected, absolutely no-one, we already massively are. My point was that we won't become an Italy because of many reasons, not least the density of population, but even our culture compared to Italien culture.
And my point wasn't regarding land mass, my entire point is that compared to Italy we have much less people and massively more spread out. Put the same map you did of Sweden side by side with the Italien one and you'll laugh at your own point.
For example, Sweden has 9 "cities" over 100,000 people. Italy has 47 cities/towns with over 100,000 people.
It's frankly a ridiculous retort to my original post.
lolzSweden is substantially more urbanised than Italy Reg.
Bang on the money.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...g-tsunami-of-coronavirus-patients-overwhelmedLondon hospitals are facing a “continuous tsunami” of coronavirus patients and some are likely to be overwhelmed in a few days, according to Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers – which represents hospital bosses.
Hopson said hospitals had expanded critical care capacity between five and sevenfold in the last weeks, but chief executives have been alarmed by the speed at which beds are filling up in the capital.
He said the problems had been exacerbated by medical staff off sick with suspected coronavirus or in vulnerable groups, with 30% to 50% not at work in some trusts.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “They are struggling with the explosion of demand in seriously ill patients. They are saying it’s the number arriving and the speed with which they are arriving and how ill they are. They talk about wave after wave after wave. The words that are used to me are that it’s a continuous tsunami. As one said to me, it’s much bigger and large numbers with a greater degree of stretch than you can ever have possibly imagined.
Lolz, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_by_countrylolz
47 italien cities over 100,000. 9 in Sweden.
Our big cities are miles smaller too, so how are you working this out mate?
Yeah, our country had the same experience, I wrote a post few pages back. Considering we don't have many cases yet they aren't doing much testing because testing itself is complicated and the tests aren't reliable 100%, many times they show false negatives so they have to check every test more times.China ripping off Spain with tests that are 30% accurate while promising 80% accuracy.
https://elpais.com/sociedad/2020-03...onavirus-comprados-en-china-no-funcionan.html
87% of 9 million compared to 70% of 60 million.
Their hand dryers are good.I read that Dyson are producing vast numbers of Ventilators.
Hope the NHS staff are preparing themselves to deal with the most awkwardly designed Ventilators known to man.
It'll likely have about 6,7 needless button functions while being able to click-klank into a underwhelming hoover.
Italy has 6 times the population, but less than 6 times the number of large cities. Urbanization is relative to population.lolz
47 italien cities over 100,000. 9 in Sweden.
Our big cities are miles smaller too, so how are you working this out mate?
Their hand dryers are good.
Also Henry ventilators would probably be a bit distasteful.
Well, the rest of the world doesn't care about Yemen as long as the Saudis pays and Iran is the one that is indirectly impacted negatively. The problem is that the average person in Yemen is the one taking the direct impact.I worry about the poor people in Yemen if/when this takes hold there. Syria as well.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060302
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/or...n-face-masks-coronavirus-houthi-measures.html
In the context of what we’re talking about here, that is Sweden becoming like Italy, it’s absolute nonsense as shown by the numbers below, you’re talking 34 million more Italians living in urbanized areas than Swedes, 34 million.Italy has 6 times the population, but less than 6 times the number of large cities. Urbanization is relative to population.
You’re having a mare here, mate.
87% of 9 million compared to 70% of 60 million.
top maths.
42,000,0000 urbanized Italiens.
7,830,000 urbanized Swedes.
My god that's a dumb response.87% of 9 million compared to 70% of 60 million.
top maths.
42,000,0000 urbanized Italiens.
7,830,000 urbanized Swedes.
What was your point with it then Ekkie?My god that's a dumb response.
Anyway, my actual error was in supposing that the definition of urban was standardised. It isn't - so countries can't really be compared using that metric.
Italy has a population of over 60m people. Sweden has just over 10m, or 1/6th of the population. If you wanted to use number of cities as a comparison (which you shouldn't because its terrible), Sweden would have 54 cities over 100,000 with a comparable population.You've gotten completely confused here @Kentonio mate. No-one thinks we aren't going to be affected, absolutely no-one, we already massively are. My point was that we won't become an Italy because of many reasons, not least the density of population, but even our culture compared to Italien culture.
And my point wasn't regarding land mass, my entire point is that compared to Italy we have much less people and massively more spread out. Put the same map you did of Sweden side by side with the Italien one and you'll laugh at your own point.
For example, Sweden has 9 "cities" over 100,000 people. Italy has 47 cities/towns with over 100,000 people.
It's frankly a ridiculous retort to my original post.
So if 6 million people die in Italy but ALL of Norway’s 5,5 million die, you’d say that Italy’s situation is worse than ours?In the context of what we’re talking about here, that is Sweden becoming like Italy, it’s absolute nonsense as shown by the numbers below, you’re talking 34 million more Italians living in urbanized areas than Swedes, 34 million.
I'm going to try educate myself on diagnostic tests for viral infections but in other diagnostic fields tests are not even close to 100% accurate. Some of the most used cancer tests are woeful and can be in the 70% range depending on the population. I'm really intrigued how these tests are developed and validated. From what I can gather it must be a totally different exercise to the cancer tests. We always have to prove accuracy of the entire process (e.g. blood draw to analysis to report) versus a gold standard (e.g. surgically confirmed cancer vs benign condition). I'm almost positive none of the tests released have done that from start (swab) to finish (report). Off the top of my head I can think of many things that could interfere with test performance that couldn't possibly have been tested yet.Yeah, our country had the same experience, I wrote a post few pages back. Considering we don't have many cases yet they aren't doing much testing because testing itself is complicated and the tests aren't reliable 100%, many times they show false negatives so they have to check every test more times.
On the way out of Thailand, they tested my temperature just before I entered airport. There was an army soldier standing nearby.Me neither mate, was just making the point that it's pointless now testing new arrivals.
Hmm...! Ventilators that later can be turned into something else, Dyson maybe on to something there.I read that Dyson are producing vast numbers of Ventilators.
Hope the NHS staff are preparing themselves to deal with the most awkwardly designed Ventilators known to man.
It'll likely have about 6,7 needless button functions while being able to click-klank into a underwhelming hoover.
Why on earth would we want to show the benefits of the EU? Surely doing so would be a fate much worse than death? I'm sure given the offer of a ventilator acquired due to out EU membership, most asphyxiating gammon would stubbornly turn it down in favour of an honourable death.
Probably some of their own citizens either working on the planes or having to use them for essential travel. Also maybe they're not total dicks who only care about their own population?Which I was surprised by, as surely most countries want non citizens to go home, so they can concentrate helping their own.
What the feck are you on about manSo if 6 million people die in Italy but ALL of Norway’s 5,5 million die, you’d say that Italy’s situation is worse than ours?
Your reasoning is weird as feck, dude.
Even in a time of global crisis, can't forget the optics
You seem to just be ignoring that with your much smaller population you have far fewer people for it to actually spread to. And the people you do have mostly live quite close together geographically.What the feck are you on about man
My reasoning is simple, that with 34 more million people living in Italy in urbanized areas than Sweden then the risk of this virus spreading as quickly as it did in Italy and as disastrously, including the culture differences is enourmous compared to Sweden.
Yeah but having 42 towns with over 100,000 people living in them is a bigger problem here. There's a reason London is the epicentre in the UK.You seem to just be ignoring that with your much smaller population you have far fewer people for it to actually spread to. And the people you do have mostly live quite close together geographically.
My point was actually made moot by the difference in definitions, not by your calculation that (wait for it) Italy has a larger population. Taking your argument to its logical conclusion would imply that even if everyone in Sweden lived in one flat they'd still not be living on top of each other as much as the Italians. That's daft.What was your point with it then Ekkie?
My original point that’s been responded to so often here was simply that Sweden is nothing like Italy in terms of how many people live on top of each other and in close populations. I even added the fact that we very rarely live at home with parents or even flat share, the statistics that even you sent show that there are 34 million more Italians living in close urbanized areas, so what was your point with that statistic?
I’ve not touched on culture, and the fact that the elder more often live in with their relatives, those are fair points, but the spread doesn’t have to be as crazy to cover fewer people. I don’t think that point is as strong as you think it is. A bigger percentage of Swedes live in cities than do Italians.What the feck are you on about man
My reasoning is simple, that with 34 more million people living in Italy in urbanized areas than Sweden then the risk of this virus spreading as quickly as it did in Italy and as disastrously, including the culture differences is enourmous compared to Sweden.
So you disagree that 42 towns with 100,000 or more are more likely to be virus hot spots than 9?You're right that the average household size is about 10-20% larger in Italy.
In much smaller towns though, that's the difference, and the towns are more spread out.I’ve not touched on culture, and the fact that the elder more often live in with their relatives, those are fair points, but the spread doesn’t have to be as crazy to cover fewer people. I don’t think that point is as strong as you think it is. A bigger percentage of Swedes live in cities than do Italians.
I’d agree that you guys aren’t in danger of going the way of Italy, so don’t get me wrong on that point. But I do think you’re overestimating just how much the spread is contained merely by it being less dense. That’s all I was speaking to.In much smaller towns though, that's the difference, and the towns are more spread out.
Italy was a ticking time bomb with the age demographic and this virus, coupled with their population and culture. That anyone is even trying to put forward and argument to my statement that Sweden will absolutely not go like Italy due to a tonne of reasons is beyond daft.