Forum Topic

Upside of covid 19

1. Less planes. Good for climate change.2. General health (ex virus) will improve due to lack of readily   avaivable food. Our forebears went through all of this with bombs raining down.3. A wake up call that homo sapiens are not infallible and can be laid low by a microscopic organism.Of course downside. What precisely has our mayor done? Aside from a few tweets sweet FA as far as I'm aware.Listening to LBC this morning an ad' proclaimed that if Londoners made one less car journey a week the air quality would improve. Perhaps, but air quality isn't the pressing issue ATM.Perhaps Khan should stick his head above the parapet and take decisive action a la a de Blasio.He must be so relieved elections have been cancelled!

Simon Knight ● 2431d28 Comments

It really isn't up to the Mayor of London to decide what is in the best interests of the  population at large - that's the job of national Government ie Johnson (or Cummings as he holds the puppet strings). Even in France (quelle horreur) Macron and his Government  decide what is best not the  Mayor of Paris same in Germany - Merkel and her Government not the Mayor of Berlin ...

Lucille Grant ● 2430d

Simon. First three points good. Final comment cheap. Postponing the elections was a sensible move, they'll be winners and losers across the parties. Just hope you pension fund's in private health care not airlines ... 🙂

Michael Ixer ● 2430d

"... your pension fund ..."

Michael Ixer ● 2430d

I think everyone needs to stop these jabs, watch the BBC 24 News and get a grip.  Get over the complaints and think about what you can do for your community.

Bunny Payne ● 2430d

I have to say our PM has stepped up and the press conference today with the medical and scientific guys was exactly what the country needs and expects from its leaders.  Keep the cheap politics out of it. Sadiq Khan in my view was equally cogent and factual at his PQT last week. I don’t get the constant sniping at him.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2430d

Latest polls had SK on 49% and next nearest Shaun Bailey on 24%.So i guess SK is doing something right.Incidentally I heard the speech from Boris tonight, all I heard was what we need to do, didnt hear anything about what the government is doing....

Matt Palmer ● 2430d

oh really? So what did Boris announce that the government was doing? Asking us politely not to go to the pub, ignoring the WHO and stopping testing people. anything else?

Matt Palmer ● 2430d

Catch CV-19, do your duty, be one of the herd. Hope that there is long-term immunity and his experiment works.

Michael Winstanley ● 2430d

What is the PM and the govt doing?  Working on getting more ventilators, fast forwarding research into a vaccine, liaising with leaders around the world, making sure scientific cooperation across borders was being fully supported, daily press conferences to keep the public informed. Explaining why schools have not been closed yet, assuring businesses that will struggle that they will get cash flow support.  Quite a lot really.  It may have been a slow start but it’s more impressive than what we’ve seen in Washington. No more talk about herd immunity by the way. There was also no mention of the other elephant in the wings if not in the room - Brexit.  But, again to be positive, this may have been the first time he’s taken open questions from the press since before the election. Pity none of them thought Brexit in 9 months time was worth raising. Maybe at tomorrow‘s press conference?

Jonathan Callaway ● 2430d

Jonathan. I would agree that Johnson's Oxford Union debating skill means that he presents the scripts prepared for him well. It's useful having the medical officers backing him up but they're obviously covering for a seriously under resourced NHS (both staff and money) when they hedge around things like the lack of testing and the measures to address that. Without the metrics from rigorous, consistent testing metrics the NHS is in the dark. I'm not sure how viable it is to swap car factories to manufacture ventilators in these days of specialist manufacturing and what is in most cases plants assembling parts made abroad, plus it would appear we have limited experience in their design as all are made abroad at present (if the news reports are correct). It's obviously possible given time and money but it's not like 1939 when heavy engineering companies made a range of less complex goods and subcontracted locally so swapping the item produced was more straightforward. Still, Johnson does better than Trump's semi-coherent monologues that say how good his administration is doing while people entering the US queue up at airport arrivals, no doubt passing on the disease. However, if one looks at the paper Richard posted under my Flattening the Curve topic the reaction from the EU, UK and aspects the US is probably too little, too late. I found this amusing, although in a way it isn't ...https://www.huffpost.com/entry/norway-students-us-collective-infrastructure_n_5e6ec485c5b6dda30fcbba2a

Michael Ixer ● 2430d

I agree there’s an element of catch up here and there are plenty of medics out there who will tell you, off camera, that the NHS is woefully short of qualified staff and specialist equipment to deal with the wave of cases they expect. But in terms of how things are being handled I think Johnson has got in right in terms of a) being visible (unlike when the floods were at their worst) and b) having his chief medical and scientific advisers help deliver the message. A lot more credible than the appalling Trump. Of course you could argue that he’s just using his advisers as human shields but I’m not sure there’s a better way than he is currently adopting. Until now it had been left to Hancock who looked very lonely out there when this all kicked off. How is day 2 of the self-isolation going?  I’m getting fidgety already!

Jonathan Callaway ● 2430d

Having watched Macron and Trump give their speeches it made me thoroughly grateful for the way Johnson, Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance handled the press conference after Cobra meetings.  It is appalling how many people want to politicise a health emergency.If the sun shines go out in the garden, if it’s cloudy clear the loft and let’s have some good book, film and recipe suggestions.

Robert Wheeler ● 2430d

Good suggestions, Robert. Certainly agree about Trump but how is Macron politicising the health emergency? Many health professionals think Johnson should be doing the same'Anyone flouting the restrictions, in place for at least the next two weeks, would be punished.“I know what I am asking of you is unprecedented but circumstances demand it,” Macron said.“We’re not up against another army or another nation. But the enemy is right there: invisible, elusive, but it .....'

Jane Carter ● 2430d

Perhaps some of us are just trying to be realistic. Johnson realises he needs the authority of the medics/scientists to back his message as many people like me distrust him because of his rather dubious track record; ok, that's my personal feeling, but glad he seems realise that. Agreed, Robert, a good opportunity to catch up on all those New Scientist, etc articles I've skimmed but not had time to read properly. Follow the maths and the science, particularly the Imperial College research! The positive thing is that our understanding of viruses, diseases and genetics is greater than at any time in history. In all honesty, we can't stop the pandemic but perhaps we do have a fighting chance of some mitigation of and limiting its worst effects if we follow the science? Take care, all.

Michael Ixer ● 2430d

Singapore & South Korea etc are the models that the WHO want governments to follow, hence the Test, Test, Test messages.I will measure the UK's achievements on results. Compared with the above it's very poor!It's not understanding that is lacking - it is as always action!

Ed Robinson ● 2429d

Macron's speech was lauded  bth in France and overseas. He is a leader. He doesn't deserve to be  mentioned in the same breath as Trump. Meanwhile here in the UK people are confused by various Government pronouncements. The only  one with clarity seems to be the Chancellor. The Home Secretary has disappeared completely.

Lucille Grant ● 2429d

Lucille. Macron sounded very positive and comes across as a real leader, even if one was uncomfortable with what he was saying (although my French is rather limited to ordering deux biere or me petite dejeuner). Sunak does seem to have stepped up to the mark (I have to agree Ms Hammond was right about that☺); I was quite impressed with the confident, non contentious way he responded to McDonnell's  comments yesterday. Johnson is better that Trump but I suspect because he's sticking to the medical officers' scripts but he doesn't come across as a leader; he's finding it difficult to leave his buffoon mode but at least doesn't do a Trump rambling monologue saying how great everything is when the US has no accurate metric as they've insufficient test kits.

Michael Ixer ● 2429d

We also have insufficient test kits - people aren't being  tested here unless they are taken to hospital with breathing difficulties? So we have no idea at all how many people have been/are being infected with the virus.

Lucille Grant ● 2429d

And even front line NHS staff seem to be have difficulties getting tested, if reports are accurate.

Michael Ixer ● 2429d

According to French news reports 35 million people listened to Macron's speech two days ago. Likely that a State of Emergency will be declared. Wonder when/if it will be the same here?Also they report that the first Coronavirus case in China was as long ago as November but nothing was heard about it before January. No wonder it has swept the world especially Europe as the Chinese are prolific visitors here. I rather agree with Trump, for once, calling it the Chinese Virus.

Lucille Grant ● 2429d

And you couldn't make this up:https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paula-white-coronavirus-hospital_n_5e71a3b2c5b63c3b6486dc1aTrump certainly associates with some charlatans (not to mention his KKK supporters). Makes Mr Cummings seem like the pinnacle of ethical government.Must look into setting up a virtual hospital - how about donations of €666 so the Euro Satan can drive away evil spirits and viruses☺  (Note to editor: satire.)

Michael Ixer ● 2429d

Lucille makes a good point. As I understand it, if you get the cv symptoms you have to self isolate for seven days. After that you can ring 111 but there's no guarantee you will be tested. So how can we possibly know how many cases there are?

Hugh Walton ● 2429d

If they pray hard enough then Coronavirus will go away and the money will roll in. I wonder if they sell snake oil too.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2429d

The far right evangelists have already got the "snake oil" ...https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/article240955226.html... and know it's caused by the LBGT+ community ...https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2020/03/573346/religious-figures-blame-lgbt-people-covid-19

Michael Ixer ● 2429d

Wow, that didn't take long: dolphins, swans & fish in Venice canals. Perhaps there's hope for the planet if we can keep pollution down once the pandemic effects are suppressed ...https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/dolphins-venice-canals-coronavirus-lockdown-italy-a4390686.html

Michael Ixer ● 2428d

There's a likelihood the dolphins story is fake news. It's Sardinia apparently. The video is not particularly convincing in my opinion.

Freddie Francis ● 2428d

Possibly, Freddie. I had hoped the Evening Standard would have checked its source. 

Michael Ixer ● 2428d

"Wow, that didn't take long: dolphins, swans & fish in Venice canals."I bet that they are already working on the recipes.

David Ainsworth ● 2427d