tresir2012
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France's ex-PM faces probe into Covid-19 response
News from France.
Catalonia renews strict Covid controls on 210,000
News from Spain
What do global death patterns reveal about the UK?
Europe roundup and comparisons.
"The mortality data are pretty robust, and now that we have a good period of at least 11 weeks over which we can make these comparisons, they are really worth making, and it's also very timely", says Professor John Muellbauer, an Oxford University economist and co-author of a paper surveying many different types of comparison.
The most fundamental question about the number of UK deaths, specifically from the coronavirus, and more broadly during the pandemic period, is whether it was inevitable there would be more than 50,000 registered deaths, and 65,000 more deaths than normal during the first wave of this pandemic, up until mid-June.
While it could have been worse, the level of deaths in the UK - adjusted for population and for the normal level of deaths - stands out compared with its G7 counterparts.
Within Europe, Spain - on these measures - has fared worse than the UK as a whole so far, but England and Spain have had similar hits, with England marginally worse on the more sophisticated measure. It is unarguable that the UK - and England in particular - is at the rough end of international comparisons of similar countries during the pandemic. The question is why?
Some of this might be down to population structure, and the general health of the population. A London effect, of having a densely populated global mega-city, is clearly important, but these comparisons factor some of that in. Even when you take into account the fact that both England and the UK have younger populations than Spain, our death figures still come out as bad or worse, according to the independent charity, the Health Foundation.
The speed and effectiveness of the initial government response can clearly be questioned, particularly as regards care homes. Another factor is the immediate geographical spread to all corners of the UK. The UK did not have the testing or tracing capacity to deal with a novel virus such as this. But if the virus was introduced to the UK en masse by the return of February half term holidaymakers from Italy and Spain, that simultaneous introduction of the virus in hundreds of towns, cities and villages, might have overwhelmed even the feted German system.
UK and Italy
A fundamental question is how the UK - and England in particular - has had a worse outbreak than Italy so far, despite having had two or three weeks extra notice of Covid-19 arriving from Italy.
For example, there have been 65 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 population in the UK, compared with 58 in Italy.
Furthermore, when it comes to excess deaths, the UK has recorded 97 per 100,000 population, while Italy has seen 75.
More at link.
News from France.
Catalonia renews strict Covid controls on 210,000
News from Spain
What do global death patterns reveal about the UK?
Europe roundup and comparisons.
"The mortality data are pretty robust, and now that we have a good period of at least 11 weeks over which we can make these comparisons, they are really worth making, and it's also very timely", says Professor John Muellbauer, an Oxford University economist and co-author of a paper surveying many different types of comparison.
The most fundamental question about the number of UK deaths, specifically from the coronavirus, and more broadly during the pandemic period, is whether it was inevitable there would be more than 50,000 registered deaths, and 65,000 more deaths than normal during the first wave of this pandemic, up until mid-June.
While it could have been worse, the level of deaths in the UK - adjusted for population and for the normal level of deaths - stands out compared with its G7 counterparts.
Within Europe, Spain - on these measures - has fared worse than the UK as a whole so far, but England and Spain have had similar hits, with England marginally worse on the more sophisticated measure. It is unarguable that the UK - and England in particular - is at the rough end of international comparisons of similar countries during the pandemic. The question is why?
Some of this might be down to population structure, and the general health of the population. A London effect, of having a densely populated global mega-city, is clearly important, but these comparisons factor some of that in. Even when you take into account the fact that both England and the UK have younger populations than Spain, our death figures still come out as bad or worse, according to the independent charity, the Health Foundation.
The speed and effectiveness of the initial government response can clearly be questioned, particularly as regards care homes. Another factor is the immediate geographical spread to all corners of the UK. The UK did not have the testing or tracing capacity to deal with a novel virus such as this. But if the virus was introduced to the UK en masse by the return of February half term holidaymakers from Italy and Spain, that simultaneous introduction of the virus in hundreds of towns, cities and villages, might have overwhelmed even the feted German system.
UK and Italy
A fundamental question is how the UK - and England in particular - has had a worse outbreak than Italy so far, despite having had two or three weeks extra notice of Covid-19 arriving from Italy.
For example, there have been 65 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 population in the UK, compared with 58 in Italy.
Furthermore, when it comes to excess deaths, the UK has recorded 97 per 100,000 population, while Italy has seen 75.
More at link.
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