Putting the covid deaths in perspective

[Mike J]

13 hours ago, hk blues said:

in fact she will ask what's wrong if I'm not having  a beer. 

You are married to a very sweet, understanding, and remarkable woman.  Good for you. 

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Mike J said:

You are married to a very sweet, understanding, and remarkable woman.  Good for you. 

Alternatively, Mike, she's been putting something in my beer to bump me off and is worried I'm foiling her cunning plan! 

[Heeb]

My feeling is that most people here in the Philippines that have co-morbidities severe enough to succumb to Covid are most likely dead already due to low life expectancy and lack of health care, not all but most. I don’t believe the low death numbers are related to the draconian measures in-place here at all. I included a short video I took 3 weeks ago in San Pedro Laguna riding in my brother in-law’s new three wheeler that he borrowed money for the down payment to buy. The video is about 5 minutes but I edited it down to one, there are two people wearing masks, one guy in the street and me inside the tricycle, everywhere I go that’s outside of business districts and main arterials this is what I see, IMO the Philippines is unwittingly taking the Swedish approach. A few days after this video I started coughing again, I don’t know if it’s possible to get Covid twice but I had the same symptoms as early last year, I could stick my nose in a jar of tiger balm and not smell it, bad chest congestion and muscle pain, good to go now, self quarantined 14 days.

[hk blues]

35 minutes ago, Heeb said:

My feeling is that most people here in the Philippines that have co-morbidities severe enough to succumb to Covid are most likely dead already due to low life expectancy and lack of health care, not all but most. I don’t believe the low death numbers are related to the draconian measures in-place here at all. I included a short video I took 3 weeks ago in San Pedro Laguna riding in my brother in-law’s new three wheeler that he borrowed money for the down payment to buy. The video is about 5 minutes but I edited it down to one, there are two people wearing masks, one guy in the street and me inside the tricycle, everywhere I go that’s outside of business districts and main arterials this is what I see, IMO the Philippines is unwittingly taking the Swedish approach. A few days after this video I started coughing again, I don’t know if it’s possible to get Covid twice but I had the same symptoms as early last year, I could stick my nose in a jar of tiger balm and not smell it, bad chest congestion and muscle pain, good to go now, self quarantined 14 days.

IMG_4053.MOV

I tend to agree that the measures are being strictly followed in some areas but not all - I went to a semi-rural place for new year's eve and I'd say about 10% or less of people were wearing a mask.  I agree with the measures being taken but don't believe that suddenly the population have changed their attitude and are following rules to such an extent that the numbers are better than in many other countries (not when compared to Asia though).

[Jack Peterson]

6 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I agree with the measures being taken but don't believe that suddenly the population have changed their attitude and are following rules to such an extent that the numbers are better than in many other countries (not when compared to Asia though).

 The now 3.000 peso fine may have something to do with it 

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Jack Peterson said:

 The now 3.000 peso fine may have something to do with it 

Surely not Jack!

That said, the 12,000php+ fine in the UK doesn't seem to have had as much of an effect. 

Edit to Add - to be fair, I'm basing that last comment on media reports/pictures which may/may not be a true reflection of how it really is.  

Edited January 21, 2021 by hk blues

[GeoffH]

4 hours ago, Heeb said:

I don’t know if it’s possible to get Covid twice but I had the same symptoms as early last year

There are confirmed cases where people who had a 'mild' case of Covid have been reinfected (as distinct from so called long Covid and virus shedding).

It has been suggested that in some patients a mild case of Covid may not confer long term immunity. 

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, GeoffH said:

There are confirmed cases where people who had a 'mild' case of Covid have been reinfected (as distinct from so called long Covid and virus shedding).

It has been suggested that in some patients a mild case of Covid may not confer long term immunity. 

Would that be on the basis that the infection was so mild that the body's immune system did not have to put up much of  a fight to defeat it so didn't build up the level of antibodies which would help fight any re-infection?

[GeoffH]

11 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Would that be on the basis that the infection was so mild that the body's immune system did not have to put up much of  a fight to defeat it so didn't build up the level of antibodies which would help fight any re-infection?

The body has several different types of immune responses and it is theorized that a mild Covid infection might not generate a strong (and persistant) immune response but honestly it's still early days and there is a lot to learn about reinfection.

It has also been suggested that some of the new more infectious varients are also more likely to cause reinfection which is somewhat of a concern.

[Terry P]

Just found a report in the straits times

They have found 16 cases of the UK variant in the Philippines. Some are not imported. Who knows how many more there are especially with the poor testing and analysis.