International News Covid-19 .....

[RyanioBirdio]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

 

[Wallop]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

They are also culturally more ready to adhere to rules.

On a Clinical call I attended yesterday, there was a clear message from the medics that whilst the new C19 strain is more infectious than the original, this has been exaggerated in the press. The real issue - no-one is behaving themselves. Boris sought to rely on the nation's common sense, admirable as a concept but it turns out he was wrong.

 

[bazzer9461]

Shutting the borders is an option but you can keep them open with a 14 day quarantine programme for those who really, really need to travel. The 14 day quarantine acts as both a safety mechanism for the home population and a deterrent for any traveller who just fancies a holiday.

I understand but it’s having no regular checks in those who have flown in to see if they are sticking to the 14 day quarantine.

 

[bazzer9461]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

The Japanese are a very organised country I’ve seen and read things that shows how far most western countries are in comparison.

 

[carefreeoufc]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

You will no doubt receive a response at some point suggesting that the Japanese people are more compliant/subservient and have a history of wearing masks etc. which I don't necessarily disagree with (although i've never spent any real time there to have a completely informed opinion). But from my own personal experience and i'd imagine a lot on this forum would agree is that during that first national lockdown the British public were compliant and there was a spirit to see this through.

As i've said before the complete shambles has eroded public faith and people can no longer see a light/point in continuing to comply. Cummings didn't help but I think people were already looking at other countries and our situation questioning it. Lockdown fatigue was caused by an inadequate initial response and the ongoing mismanagement of the crisis in my opinion.

Give people orders/actions that they believe in, communicated by people they trust and have some respect for added with your light at the end of the tunnel and it goes a long way. Not that it would ever happen but i'd even have respect for Boris if he stood up and said "look it's been a bit of a shambles and we know that, look at countries like Aus, NZ and Japan, this is where we aspire to be regardless of the vaccine which we know is coming soon. With that in mind I urge everyone to give this a proper shot for 12 weeks. It's going to be tough but we can see it has worked in other countries. We'll fix track and trace, close our borders and focus on an effective vaccination programme and you stay at home. We're sorry for the poor performance so far but it's not over".

Instead it's billy bullshit, and bluster "If things go well and with a fair wind"........

 

[windmill]

You will no doubt receive a response at some point suggesting that the Japanese people are more compliant/subservient and have a history of wearing masks etc. which I don't necessarily disagree with (although i've never spent any real time there to have a completely informed opinion). But from my own personal experience and i'd imagine a lot on this forum would agree is that during that first national lockdown the British public were compliant and there was a spirit to see this through.

As i've said before the complete shambles has eroded public faith and people can no longer see a light/point in continuing to comply. Cummings didn't help but I think people were already looking at other countries and our situation questioning it. Lockdown fatigue was caused by an inadequate initial response and the ongoing mismanagement of the crisis in my opinion.

Give people orders/actions that they believe in, communicated by people they trust and have some respect for added with your light at the end of the tunnel and it goes a long way. Not that it would ever happen but i'd even have respect for Boris if he stood up and said "look it's been a bit of a shambles and we know that, look at countries like Aus, NZ and Japan, this is where we aspire to be regardless of the vaccine which we know is coming soon. With that in mind I urge everyone to give this a proper shot for 12 weeks. It's going to be tough but we can see it has worked in other countries. We'll fix track and trace, close our borders and focus on an effective vaccination programme and you stay at home. We're sorry for the poor performance so far but it's not over".

Instead it's billy bullshit, and bluster "If things go well and with a fair wind"........

It is quite windy today........a definite chill in the air.

 

[Followtheox1]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

Actually if you look at most countries in that region they are doing well in terms of Covid. Whether its richer countries like Japan or poorer ones like Vietnam, it doesn’t seem to matter. There are no definite answers to why but some theories are around genetics, climate, overall population health, previous exposure to other Coronaviruses and even BCG vaccination history. We also know that most of Africa seems to be doing better than the West. There are simply a lot of unknowns and as such your comparison between the UK and Japan while interesting may not be valid.

 

[Marked Ox]

You have to laugh in a way. “It isn’t that schools are dangerous for children, it’s just that they’re a hub for kids to get infected in large numbers and then take the virus home with them!” I’m glad they just learned that today, presumably, given Hancock was literally on television this morning telling people to get their kids to school. Three weeks ago Gavin Williamson was threatening schools with legal action if they shut even one day early as infections and reported cases were soaring. How many people were saying months ago that schools would inevitably become Petri dishes, because logically there was simply no way on earth that they couldn’t?

It’s that bloody common sense again, ruining everything because nobody has it! I’m going to get that common sense if it’s the last thing I do! *angrily shakes fist*

That is just hindsight obviously and most definitely not a recurring theme with this Govt either....

 

[Marked Ox]

How the hell do the likes of Robert Preston seem to be able to break the news of what's going to happen in new restrictions hours ahead of the government?

This Govt decides policy by how popular it is so leak it first to see what the response is.

 

[boogaloo]

Boris sought to rely on the nation's common sense, admirable as a concept but it turns out he was wrong.

All the way back in March, the government pleaded with people not to go to Snowdonia or the beached of Bournemouth. The following day the places were absolutely rammed with visitors who seemed to think they know better.

You'd have thought by now the government would have learnt that asking the public to be sensible just doesn't work. But they clearly haven't, and that's why we have more cases than anyone else in Europe. The government need to give direct orders and dish out heavy fines to those who transgress. Sure it might upset a few Daily Mail readers, Covid-deniers, Flat-Earthers, but they need to what's right for the country.

 

[MC Yellow]

I am amazed to read that Sunak said Boris acted decisively in the face of new info.

I wonder what new info came to light between Sunday and Monday ? Clearly the rest of us new what was required.

 

[Wallop]

I am amazed to read that Sunak said Boris acted decisively in the face of new info.

I wonder what new info came to light between Sunday and Monday ? Clearly the rest of us new what was required.

Perhaps he meant decisively for Boris - only flip-flopped twice rather than the usual four times?

 

[MalaysiaYellow]

Well, as people have seen on here, I have lived in Asia for close to 20 years and travelled extensively across Asia. My brother has lived in Japan for 27 years.

You can't really compare UK to Japan, very different countries whether work, society or life. Some points, yes in Japan, at the slightest hint of a illness you wear a mask. But culturally, Japanese also like their physical space, example instead of a handshake, bowing is the norm.

Cleanliness is huge is Japan as well, bordering on things being sterile.

If I was going to compare the UK to other countries regarding Covid, I would properly use the US, Australia, and maybe Germany.

Each country is facing their own challenges, here in Malaysia we are having record numbers which are predominately coming from dormitories houses low cost workers, prisons and other places of close proximity.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

You can't really compare UK to Japan, very different countries whether work, society or life. Some points, yes in Japan, at the slightest hint of a illness you wear a mask. But culturally, Japanese also like their physical space, example instead of a handshake, bowing is the norm.

So what you’re saying is that if we were willing to change our behaviour and improve our hygiene, and adjust our mentality so it’s not all about ourselves and things we believe that we’re losing, but rather things we’re collectively gaining, we would have a better shot at being comparable.

Sounds a lot simpler, quicker, easier and cheaper than anything we’ve done or had to do as a result of constant failure. Presumably we just need clear and concise guidance from trustworthy people and we’re away! Oh...

We’re all just people sitting on islands the same as them, so the basic principle of, “Can or could it be done?” is clearly a resounding, “Yes!” They’ve proved it. Even if it only halved our numbers, which would still be ten times those of Japan, that would be an enormous comparative success. We simply have no willingness to change, which has been fuelled by an unwillingness to be honest and communicate clearly from those apparently in charge. The overwhelming majority of the nation complied for the first two months - we were where we needed to be. We wanted to get it right. Then it got thrown back in our faces and the country was increasingly lost.

It is how it is - virtually any ‘comparable’ country stomps us into the ground. Not just in terms of numbers but also basic protocols and ongoing controls and methods, because we essentially don’t have any. I don’t know why so many people are so accepting of it after so long.

Eyes on the vaccine rollout.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I am amazed to read that Sunak said Boris acted decisively in the face of new info.

I wonder what new info came to light between Sunday and Monday ? Clearly the rest of us new what was required.

Maybe Boris started reading Yellowsforum....

 

[Marked Ox]

Maybe Boris started reading Yellowsforum....

He was getting embarrassed by Nicola Sturgeon again and tried to nick her limelight.

 

[uptheus]

The interesting comparison nobody wants to tackle is Japan. A lot of people are keen to use New Zealand as an example of something we can’t replicate or compare with, because it’s unreasonable and mismatched, but what about Japan?

- Island(s) nation? Tick.
- Higher population density than UK? Tick.
- Bigger global economy than UK? Tick.
- Busier airport than any in the UK? Tick.
- Continental gateway / hub? Tick.

So how are they a million miles ahead of us? Ah, yes, experience in dealing with pandemics and transmittable diseases and infections. Of course. They’ve got the systems in place. That’s fair - no worries. They should be better. So I assume we’ve therefore been working closely with them to learn how best to combat this, and modelling our methods on what it is that they do and recommend? I assume that seeing as we have a hugely comparable nation in them, almost absolutely perfect in fact, that there’s a raft of evidence that we’re honing in on their methods?

They’ve had less than a quarter of a million cases and 3,500 deaths full stop. We’re currently matching those figures every four or five days.

You have to really try hard to turn an island nation into a hive of disease and infection to the extent that we’ve managed. It’s really quite impressive.

Completely different mentality of the people compared to the UK!

 

[QR]

Least we forget. How the fvck is Johnson still PM? Some of the things he said on here are simply unbelievable.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1346208301571317761

 

[bashamwonderland]

Least we forget. How the fvck is Johnson still PM? Some of the things he said on here are simply unbelievable.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1346208301571317761

This is a worrying piece of video which raises one particular "fake news" concern.

Let's take his first statement:

"Perhaps you could take in on the chin, allow the disease as it were to move through the population"

People grabbed on to this quote and clipped it into this format to take it out of context and present Johnson as advocating for us to "take it on the chin".

FullFact debunked this edited clip.

Johnson actually goes on to say within the full quote: "But I think it would be better if we take all the measures that we can now to stop the peak of the disease being as difficult for the NHS as it might be, I think there are things that we may be able to do."

Please check your sources in future to avoid spreading further misinformation.

 

[SteMerritt]

This is a worrying piece of video which raises one particular "fake news" concern.

Let's take his first statement:

"Perhaps you could take in on the chin, allow the disease as it were to move through the population"

People grabbed on to this quote and clipped it into this format to take it out of context and present Johnson as advocating for us to "take it on the chin".

FullFact debunked this edited clip.

Johnson actually goes on to say within the full quote: "But I think it would be better if we take all the measures that we can now to stop the peak of the disease being as difficult for the NHS as it might be, I think there are things that we may be able to do."

Please check your sources in future to avoid spreading further misinformation.

To be fair, the fact it was on Twitter was a pretty good indication that it was likely to be nonsense anyway...