Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #53

[10ofRods]

Sweden and Norway are connected to mainland Europe as well as Denmark.

Daily border crossings into Denmark are much higher. Norway and Sweden share a nearly unused border with Finland yes. Have you looked at maps that show population density? No one is worried about CoVid in the far north of either Sweden or Norway and virtually no one comes or goes into Norway or Sweden from Finland.

Neither Norway nor Sweden has many or any cases in those latitudes and near the border of Finland (which itself has very limited movement across its borders expect transit through airports by Aeroflot and a few others). Take a look at the map below - look where the population in Sweden actually lives.

That's why I also included St Petersburg in the discussion. Finland hooks up to Russia and Russia only. Russia does not have open borders into Europe and many geographers would not call Russia "Europe" (and Russians themselves would agree - they like the term Eurasia for their continental situation).

Europe is a cultural construct, not a geographical one. Unlike all the other continental designation, there are no firm geological boundaries to Europe and Asia. And Finland is closed off from the rest of Europe (if it's Europe and not Eurasia) by Russia and always will be. Finns also do not speak an Indo-European language - and do not consider themselves "European" by that standard.

Population density map of Sweden : europe

As you can probably guess, the deaths are mostly occurring in the red areas.

Interestingly, Finland is the least densely populated nation in Europe and so far only about 210 deaths there (no where near its border with Norway).

What I was trying to refer to is that trucks, trains, etc go from the rest of Europe (which has been hit very hard by this pandemic) to Denmark, so we'd expect (and do find) more cases than in Norway. Having water between the major CoVid pumps and one's own land is helpful. So Sweden thought it would have a different course.

It did not. So, since we've now established that there's no high CoVid rate in Northern Sweden - again, the question, is why is it so much higher?

They didn't shut schools, businesses or have any travel restrictions. We await antibody testing for their population, but I'm guessing we'll find that cryptic transmission occurred all over the place and that as many as 40% of Swedes will test positive for CoVid Ab by August. Including the children.

 

[Tillicum]

Good afternoon you all. Just got back from getting a truckload of manure for the garden. It's a warm, beautiful sunny day here. We only drove about 10 miles to get the manure and all were on winding country roads. People were out mowing their yards and planting their gardens. We saw horses, cattle and goats on the way. It seemed so normal that I had to remind myself of the 6 foot distancing when we got to our friend's house. I got to visit the week old goat kids and the Brown Swiss milk cows. (I really miss my goats and milk cow.) I enjoyed the smell of fresh cut hay and the vibrant colors of perennial flowers. Who would've thought it would be so much fun to get a load of . Finding peace during a world pandemic. Stay safe you all.

 

[The Night Watchman]

Being able to choose remains to be seen. I am not elderly but have high risk from covid due to pre-existing condition. Would people like me be able to not return to work if an employer tells people to return to work? We've seen already that people who kept working in supermarkets or factories, with pre-existing condition, paying the price. But it doesn't appear their employers let them stay home and be paid.

This is single biggest step that can be taken. The government must pay to keep at-risk people home while others go back to work. It's pretty simple.

Yesterday, I posted the story of a 70 year woman with a lung condition. She worked as a Walmart cashier and died of COVID-19, as did her husband. She never should have died, and it happened because nobody stood up and said that there was something wrong with the picture. Are we spending trillions of dollars in the right places?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

If you look at the number of Covid-19 deaths, you will notice that more than 50% have happened in the Stockholm Region, even if they only have about 35% of confirmed cases, and about 22% of the Swedish population. Senaste nytt om coronaviruset
Isn't one of the reasons there are lots of protests in the US that the entire country is in lockdown, when the number of cases is high only in some areas?
Maybe Sweden should have put only Stockholm in lockdown, the way Finland did with the Helsinki area.
When you say that the demographics of Sweden an Norway are similar, you forgot that Norway have fewer immigrants, 725,000 persons, 13,8% in 2017, https://nordicwelfare.org/integration-norden/fakta-och-forskning/landfakta/norge/ while Sweden had 2,019,733 persons born outside Sweden on December 31, 2019, making it 19,6%. Utrikes födda i Sverige (I'm one of those.)

Many of those Covid-19 deaths in Sweden have been among immigrants, Födda i Somalia, Turkiet och Irak får oftare covid-19 , the same way BAME in the UK, and African Americans in the US have suffered more deaths.

How are you doing re the virus @FrostOwl ?

 

[Lilibet]

Texas park ranger shoved into lake after warning group about social distancing

Austin, Texas Virus News.......moo

https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/flight-path-curses-michigan-governor-over-coronavirus-lockdown/

Michigan Virus News....moo

Ummm...Seriously? What ever happened to civil discourse?

 

[Henry2326]

Unfortunately, not as many Georgians are going for testing as we would hope, from a containment point of view. .

Commenting on this quote from your post.....I live in Fulton County.
Until last week, you could only get a test if you had symptoms, could get a doctor to recommend a test, have an appointment, and have a car to go to drive in testing....
Kid you not.....

This article dated 4/15 quotes Health Director “We recognize that we probably made it a little bit too hard for people to get in because we were requiring people to get a referral from a physician,” Toomey said as she acknowledged the state’s low testing per capita numbers Monday. “We want to make it easier for us to see patients.”

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/ne

I don't think its significantly better since the Stay at home has been lifted and people still think they need to have all those criteria to get a test.

Also the data on the website is so incomplete it's not very useful. We know the new cases yesterday were 1200+. The website says 8. I don't believe anything they say......they are in CYA mode now....IMO

COVID-19 Status Report

 

[tmar]

Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson name son after doctors who saved PM's life

Lucia Binding, news reporter
5 hrs ago



Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson have named their baby son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson - with the name Nicholas chosen in a nod to the two doctors who saved the prime minister's life.
Announcing the news on Instagram, Ms Symonds said the baby was named after the prime minister's grandfather, Wilfred, and her grandfather, Lawrie.

She said he was also named after the two doctors, Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart, who saved Mr Johnson's life when he was in intensive care with coronavirus last month.

 

[Lilibet]

Message from George W. Bush:

I found this really touching. Not political in any way. Just kindness and wisdom from a former President.

Very nice...and much needed.

 

[katydid23]

Glendora police arrest, release man 3 times in 1 day under new CA zero-bail policy

Glendora, California Virus News.....moo

ABC 7 reported:

A high-risk registered sex offender was arrested Thursday for allegedly exposing himself at a parole resource center, just two weeks after a controversial early release from the Orange County Jail.

Seven inmates who were deemed high-risk sex offenders were released early in April by a court commissioner, triggering criticism and warnings from county law enforcement officials who said the release was not necessary because the jails were not overcrowded.

One of them was Rudy William Grajeda Magdaleno, who was released April 13 after serving 71 days in jail on a 180-day minimum sentence. Officials say he has an extensive criminal history including convictions for robbery, narcotics possession, criminal threats and child annoyance.

Santa Ana police say Magdaleno was at a parole resource center on April 17 when he exposed himself to staff members there. He had also failed to charge his GPS monitor and the device had stopped tracking him the day before.

Santa Ana police say his convictions include a sexual assault on a mentally disabled person; breaking into a home while naked from the waist down and peeking into an 11-year-old girl’s room; and entering a Santa Ana law office, sitting on the floor and beginning to masturbate while staring at a woman in the office. – ABC 7 reported.

 

[tmar]

UK coronavirus patients set to trial 'promising' Japanese-made drug

Ellena Cruse
11 hrs ago
...
Some 450 UK coronavirus patients will be recruited to take part in a new trial of a "promising" Covid-19 drug.

Researchers are launching a study into a Japanese-manufactured medicine that could aid with treatment.

The trial will see participants split into three groups.

A third will receive favipiravir - an anti-viral drug produced by Fujifilm Toyama Chemicals in Japan, another set will be given a combination of hydroxychloroquine, zinc and azithromycin, while a third group will be given existing standard care for coronavirus.
...

 

[Henry2326]

Note Rifles inside Michigan Capital building - this is allowed! Law Makers were wearing bullet proof vests. 12 miles from me. I could see some of the crowds while I was driving past that way to see my dad yesterday.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

• It turns out, it's legal to carry a weapon openly in public spaces in Michigan — mainly because there are no laws explicitly against doing so.

• The protesters were within their rights to carry their weapons inside the building, "as long as the person is carrying the firearm with lawful intent and the firearm is not concealed," according to Michigan State Police.

IMO.....this all is a bit much about nothing. Did they look intimidating? Sure, but looks are deceiving....

Because of Michigan's gun laws, protesters were allowed to carry their assault weapons into the state capitol — but not their protest signs

 

[tresir2012]

I've never thought of such homes as a "place of safety." They are often swept by flus and common colds (which in their residents can result in pneumonia). All of my older relatives are gone now, but there's a big difference in the ones who stayed outside the care homes and those who went in, in terms of longevity.

Indeed, it's so sad to see a wife care for her husband at home for years, then end up having to go to a care home, herself. A dear friend kept her husband out of care homes through 10 years of increasingly serious illnesses - he lived to be 88 without a care home. She had to go into a home to "convalesce" and died at age 72. I'm still sad about it. The idea was that she would get to go home after a month, but she got some bug in the home and died of pneumonia.

Same thing happened to my uncle, at 56. Pneumonia. So many others. Although I know one woman who, at 96, has been in one for 25 years! And it's not one of the nice ones, but that's what she wanted to do. Her daughter is a good friend who is now too unhealthy to make the drive to see her mom, so mom's social world has been that home for the last 5 years.

Re place of safety I am referring to the "safer at home" coronavirus message. Elderly were supposed to be safe in these homes with no visitors being allowed to help keep them safe. It did not work. In fact, if visitors had not been stopped, then it probably would have come to light sooner. Re the flu, they should all be immunized, I would think it should be a requirement. They can also get vaccinated for pneumonia too now.

 

[IceIce9]

holy crap they BAN them? why???

My son used to work in New Jersey. The reasons for banning self service stations were safety and employment.

Safety because regular people aren’t “trained” to operate a gas pump safely like employees are. Employment is obvious because self service stations eliminate pump jockey jobs.

 

[kkdj]

I am giving my daughter my log in info as well, in case, God Forbid....but I too wonder about some of the members that have suddenly gone missing.

My husband is much like yours....he does not really understand why I follow these 'ugly cases' as he calls them.

My husband is the same. But sometimes he'll call me while he's out because he heard something on the news about one of the cases I've been following.

 

[Cool Cats]

• It turns out, it's legal to carry a weapon openly in public spaces in Michigan — mainly because there are no laws explicitly against doing so.

• The protesters were within their rights to carry their weapons inside the building, "as long as the person is carrying the firearm with lawful intent and the firearm is not concealed," according to Michigan State Police.

IMO.....this all is a bit much about nothing. Did they look intimidating? Sure, but looks are deceiving....

Because of Michigan's gun laws, protesters were allowed to carry their assault weapons into the state capitol — but not their protest signs

People need their jobs....Even if it means yelling in a crowded area...$1,200 and incessant waiting for unemployment to go through is not cutting it for a lot of people. My bills are paid but many people can't pay theirs.

I understand both sides of this coin.

 

[katydid23]

Well, that's why I was comparing them to Norway and Denmark. In those three nations, there's similar weather and geography. Denmark is connected to the European mainland, so one would think they might have more cases through people coming over their border more regularly. Iceland and Finland also have similar climates (and St Petersburgh in Russia). Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland all have much lower rates than Sweden.

Norway is the best comparison. 2669 deaths in Sweden by this morning (PDT), with only 210 deaths. Sweden does have twice as many people, so for Sweden to have similar death rates to Norway, it would have to have only 420 deaths. So it has 6.5X as many deaths as its neighbor.

Other than population size, Norway and Sweden have nearly identical demographics, roughly the same number of people, roughly the same urban/rural mix and certain similar health patterns (life expectancies, causes of deaths, number of hospitals, etc.). Having a 1000% more cases for Sweden can only be explained, IMO, by their lack of shutting down and the very high number of asymptomatic transmitters they must have. Swedes believed that "common sense" would prevail, as they are apparently used to staying home when sick. However, I think people did not realize that there would be large pools of transmitters - who were not sick.

Average age at death from CoVid is higher in both Sweden and Norway than in the US or UK, so the health of the population made a difference there. But as Sweden continues to see more cases than Norway, they are having to ask themselves some hard questions. Almost 23,000 diagnosed CoVid cases in Sweden, only 7000-ish in Norway, so again, on that stat 3X the cases.

Lastly, Sweden is now projected to peak in terms of deaths on May 23. Unlike its neighbors, who have already peaked and are starting to approach very low numbers in new daily deaths, Sweden is predicted not to peak until May 23, with 425 or more deaths at the peak and a tail of as many as 200 deaths a day for as long as another month.

So, asymptomatic transmitters have many reservoirs in Sweden. One of them is their schools. They have not closed them, nor have they closed businesses, so we get to see a comparative example pretty much controlling for weather, income, overall health, etc.

Maybe I am wrong, but I think the important thing will be what happens down the road in Sweden.

When the neighbouring countries get their 2nd wave, will Sweden have one?

I wonder, because there is a chance that Sweden will have hit the tipping point in immunity percentage by that time. If there strategy worked correctly, they should not have a large 2nd or 3rd wave, like most other countries will experience.

Waiting to see....

 

[margarita25]

'Brody' the dog interrupts Paul Dellegatto's weathercast

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[10ofRods]

It's deleted apparently so nevermind now.

Regarding total deaths 1st US 2nd Italy 3rd UK but UK are likely to overtake Italy in the next day or so.

I never go by "total deaths." That's meaningless. Divide by total population for a more meaningful number. These numbers are posted twice on this thread - in fact you posted some of them yourself.

I'm not much interested in "total deaths," so if a post doesn't make it clear that it's either a per case or, better, a per capita rate, I don't find the information useful. Comparing total US deaths (with 330 million people) to UK (with 67 million) doesn't tell us anything. We need to do per capita.

BTW, England has a huge chunk of those deaths, with only 376 deaths in Northern Ireland (pop 1.8M). If England were looked at without the rest of the UK, its rate would be about 35.

Per 100,000, US sits at around 20 deaths, UK is at 29-30. Let's remember that New York is at 123 per 100,000 of its statewide population - it must be much higher for NYC, especially the boroughs.

Per Capita CoVid

Note especially UK and Sweden - the only two dark red countries I can see.

Also note how thoroughly CoVid is entrenched in the Western Hemisphere. While some African nations are beginning report cases, in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in places where airplane flights have been few and far between (and mostly to Northern Africa or the Middle East), numbers reported are still very low. It will always be hard to know about Africa, given the difficulty of reporting. But it does seem to have been blocked by the Sahara and the already existing border issues in Africa.

And while Russia is that nice tan color, most of the reported cases are in Moscow, which would be a red zone if it were separate from the rest of Russia.

 

[tresir2012]

Texas park ranger shoved into lake after warning group about social distancing

Austin, Texas Virus News.......moo

Oops How do you find these stories Cody?

 

[cody22]

Oops How do you find these stories Cody?

I just "sleuth them"......LOL !.........moo