O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[MadAmster]

Latest Covid news from over here. New cases on the way up. Hospitalisations, ICU and deaths constant.

>90% of the hospitalisations are unvaccinated people.

The areas where new cases are highest are the poorer areas of the 4 large cities where most of the populace are immigrants many of whom don't speak the language and are not highly educated.... and in the bible belt. All of those areas have very low uptakes of the vaccine.

[ramAnag]

Latest Covid news from over here. New cases on the way up. Hospitalisations, ICU and deaths constant.

>90% of the hospitalisations are unvaccinated people.

The areas where new cases are highest are the poorer areas of the 4 large cities where most of the populace are immigrants many of whom don't speak the language and are not highly educated.... and in the bible belt. All of those areas have very low uptakes of the vaccine.

...and I’d imagine, MA, that those ‘poorer areas’ you speak of are also synonymous with the type of overcrowding that allows such a virus to flourish.
It was ever thus and we continually fail to learn from history, but I suspect the mantra of ‘none of us are safe until we’re all safe’ has seldom been more true.

[Geoff Parkstone]

I'm not so sure about that rA. I understand the sentiment, but if you have faith in the vaccine then it shouldn't be the case, save for new variants and vaccination expiry. Non vaxxers are an issue (whatever their reasons for opting out, be it willful or through ignorance) but if MA's figures are reflected across the globe, then the non vaxxer issue may be quite literally dying out.

Its interesting to see how the issue is being dealt with in US professional sport, where - in NBA, for example - a star player like Kyrie Irving has been sidelined for refusal to vaccinate, and similarly in the NFL Cole Beasley is largely inactive for the same reasons.

I really don't know how it should be handled, but "boycotting the non vaxxers" does seem to be a rising trend which I'm not absolutley sure I approve of.

On the subject of the value of scientific research, I note that scientists have now discovered that dolphins in waters off the west coast of Wales spek (whistle) "with a Welsh accent". Good to see that not every scientific endeavour is for a useful purpose

[ramAnag]

I'm not so sure about that rA. I understand the sentiment, but if you have faith in the vaccine then it shouldn't be the case, save for new variants and vaccination expiry. Non vaxxers are an issue (whatever their reasons for opting out, be it willful or through ignorance) but if MA's figures are reflected across the globe, then the non vaxxer issue may be quite literally dying out.

Its interesting to see how the issue is being dealt with in US professional sport, where - in NBA, for example - a star player like Kyrie Irving has been sidelined for refusal to vaccinate, and similarly in the NFL Cole Beasley is largely inactive for the same reasons.

I really don't know how it should be handled, but "boycotting the non vaxxers" does seem to be a rising trend which I'm not absolutley sure I approve of.

On the subject of the value of scientific research, I note that scientists have now discovered that dolphins in waters off the west coast of Wales spek (whistle) "with a Welsh accent". Good to see that not every scientific endeavour is for a useful purpose

Sorry GP...I obviously didn’t make myself clear.
I wasn’t talking about the ‘non vaxxers’ who, as a group, I have little time for except in the most exceptional of circumstances.
My point was that MA describes the ‘areas where new cases are highest are the poorest areas of the 4 large cities...’
He goes on to suggest additional factors, but I am just saying that poverty and overcrowding are frequently synonymous all around the world from inner cities to shanty towns.
Overcrowding provides precisely the conditions that the virus thrives in and at the moment the air of complacency, which I sense all around us at present, needs to be replaced by one of urgency to ensure the poorest in society have access to and receive their vaccines.

[Geoff Parkstone]

You appear to be suggesting that we need to alleviate global poverty and inequality in order to win the war on COVID - please correct me if I'm wrong. I understand that your objective is not merely to wrd off COVID, but is far more deep rooted, but... Anyway, good luck with that one. Idealistic thinking at best. Castles in the air at worst.

COVID may be a global problem, but this god forsaken planet has many more problems to face in the future which align with extinction. The climate and environmental issues would I fear be made far worse by resolving these poverty and inequality issues - levelling everyone up will simply lead to more extremes of energy consumption and raping of he world's limited resources.

The reality of it is that there are simply way too many people for the planet to sustain as currently set up. Levelling people up will simply break the camel's back sooner - even if it could be achieved, which is extremely remote. There is an argument that COVID would have done us all (humanity) a long term favour if it had wiped out a billion or two people (unless of course you happened to be one of them). But setting aside personal issues, the planet needs cleansing: medical science has quite possibly not done us any favours.

I see the future of the planet very differently to you I fear: I don't see any of the levelling up, but rather resource wars and deterioration in the environment until the human race is exterminated. I just hope that what of the wrecked planet is left has the capability to slowly recover and support whatever has survived.

On which cheery note I will return to work

[ramAnag]

You appear to be suggesting that we need to alleviate global poverty and inequality in order to win the war on COVID - please correct me if I'm wrong. I understand that your objective is not merely to wrd off COVID, but is far more deep rooted, but... Anyway, good luck with that one. Idealistic thinking at best. Castles in the air at worst.

COVID may be a global problem, but this god forsaken planet has many more problems to face in the future which align with extinction. The climate and environmental issues would I fear be made far worse by resolving these poverty and inequality issues - levelling everyone up will simply lead to more extremes of energy consumption and raping of he world's limited resources.

The reality of it is that there are simply way too many people for the planet to sustain as currently set up. Levelling people up will simply break the camel's back sooner - even if it could be achieved, which is extremely remote. There is an argument that COVID would have done us all (humanity) a long term favour if it had wiped out a billion or two people (unless of course you happened to be one of them). But setting aside personal issues, the planet needs cleansing: medical science has quite possibly not done us any favours.

I see the future of the planet very differently to you I fear: I don't see any of the levelling up, but rather resource wars and deterioration in the environment until the human race is exterminated. I just hope that what of the wrecked planet is left has the capability to slowly recover and support whatever has survived.

On which cheery note I will return to work

I was attempting to clarify...not look for an argument, and I sympathise with some of what you say.

We were however discussing Covid, not the alleviation of ‘global poverty’ which I haven’t mentioned, and - imo - nothing is more true than ‘none of us are safe until all of us are safe’. This maxim needs to be urgently applied to the poor throughout the World for the benefit of all, again imo.

[Trickytreesreds]

GP, that is well written.
I feel the same. The world population continues to spiral out of control and these "ghettos" and over crowding in cities is only getting worse, not better.
There is already a mass exodus, of those trying to grab a better life in Europe and America and how long before this turns ugly?
Fuel/water/land/air are all in decline.
Batten down the hatches, because an evening up of resources is impossible.
The costs/upward spiral of demands will be unachievable.
Predation of man was overcome milleniums ago. Diseases solved, longevity prolonged.
All I hear is more more people needed, aging population etc, so we keep moving, using more and more.
Only ends one way. Daft as it seems, if the 2 world wars hadn't occurred, how far further along would our demise be?

[Andy_Faber]

I'm with Geep ad TTR BUT think humanity will be saved by good old survival of the fittest/most affluent

[Geoff Parkstone]

I was attempting to clarify...not look for an argument, and I sympathise with some of what you say.

We were however discussing Covid, not the alleviation of ‘global poverty’ which I haven’t mentioned, and - imo - nothing is more true than ‘none of us are safe until all of us are safe’. This maxim needs to be urgently applied to the poor throughout the World for the benefit of all, again imo.

Who is arguing? But I must say that you have a tendency to close down debate with your "stick to the subject that I set" agenda rather than opening your mind, considering the wider picture and letting discussion flow. Do not take this the wrong way, but that is probably the teacher in you!!

[ramAnag]

I'm with Geep ad TTR BUT think humanity will be saved by good old survival of the fittest/most affluent

Lol...of course you are. Still, I’d be (genuinely) interested to learn how you equate the survival of the fittest ethos with Christianity.