SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

Buses gone to Sunday service for me 1 every hour. Had to be done but makes it getting to the work (hospital) harder. It would have been better to have buses every half hour between 6am-9am and 3pm - 6pm. The buses where full of keyworkers and no chance of social distancing.
 
9222 new cases and 849 new deaths in Spain in the last 24 hours. Total reaches 94,417 confirmed cases and 8,189 confirmed deaths.

So much for 'flattening the curves'.
 
The story of our ventilators is not going to go away.

This will have cost lives, and they are lying about it.



it's painfully obvious they deliberately didn't want to get involved for Brexit related reasons. which is appalling on so many levels.
 
Last edited:
I hadn't noticed that before, the spacing is bizarre, 500, similar to the 1000 above, then the top 5000 basically the same again.

It makes the graph next to useless, as it elongates and stretches the lines at varying points.

I assume this is done to fit it into a space usable on the Internet, but it looks like it's agenda driven to make some countries look worse etc...

Edit: I'm sure it does have its uses, but for general comparison of progression it makes it pretty difficult

The graph is for people that understand it. If you don’t, study the topic for an hour. I’m sure you have the time. It’s not difficult.

Educate yourself. Don’t assume everything should adapt to your level of understanding.
 
9222 new cases and 849 new deaths in Spain in the last 24 hours. Total reaches 94,417 confirmed cases and 8,189 confirmed deaths.

So much for 'flattening the curves'.

That's pretty much the 5 day average for Spain, so that does sound like they're starting to flattent the curve
 
it's painfully obviously they deliberately didn't want to get involved for Brexit related reasons. which is appalling on so many levels.

What's even more appalling is that they'll get away with it. And people will die who might otherwise have been saved.
And people will vote them in again.
 
Of course, you're both correct. I was meaning more the use of it on general circles.

It does of course have its place in proper circles, but the average layman wouldn't really understand how to process the information.

Even fairly well educated folk will take a quick glance and could easily misinterpret the lines.

But you're both right, the graph is a perfectly acceptable form of data, and most definitely has its place

Sorry, saw this post after I’d replied.

I’ll repeat my previous point though. Don’t expect to understand everything. Yes new things confuse intelligent people. But intelligent people take time to learn, rather than criticise something they can’t immediately grasp.

Your options are;

- Learn to understand something new
- Not comment

To state that data should only be used in ‘proper circles’ is daft. It’s the readers duty to learn. Not the presenters job to dumb down or explain.
 
It's a standard method in science, statistics and maths, nothing to do with the internet or agendas.

The graph's curves are used to see patterns like does one person infect one person on average or three, and what is the timeline - are cases doubling every two days or every five, and so on. It might not make a lot of instant sense to everyone outside the science audience (who use it when talking about models and trends) but it's not a trick.

In addition, if you used a linear scale you wouldn't be able to see any information early on as the lines would be too condensed, every country would look basically the same.
 
How? I don't see any reports of the UK having run out of ventilators yet.
I'm also not certain what (if any) ventilators we would have received from the EU scheme (my understanding is that many intermediarys are selling equipment they don't actually have and now having trouble getting it from suppliers or simply selling it to somebody else at a higher price) - also I might be wrong but I'd have assumes most of not all additional ventilators from the scheme would currently have gone to Italy or Spain.

That said the government could have instigated its own procurement programme far quicker and to the best of my knowledge these 10,000 Dyson/JCB units have not as yet been approved for use and actual production won't start till they are
 
I'm also not certain what (if any) ventilators we would have received from the EU scheme (my understanding is that many intermediarys are selling equipment they don't actually have and now having trouble getting it from suppliers or simply selling it to somebody else at a higher price) - also I might be wrong but I'd have assumes most of not all additional ventilators from the scheme would currently have gone to Italy or Spain.

That said the government could have instigated its own procurement programme far quicker and to the best of my knowledge these 10,000 Dyson/JCB units have not as yet been approved for use and actual production won't start till they are
Not sure why the government didn't go straight to British Aerospace. Huge capacity, the technical knowledge to build anything, and being heavily dependent on government contracts I'd have thought they would have been cooperative.
 
Aye, that’s why I called @NYAS a bigot yesterday. I didn’t have the lust to spell it out for him then but you two have done it perfectly here.
To bundle the US in with, for example Germany & Scandinavia is one of the most narrow minded and ignorant posts I’ve seen on these boards, they are World’s apart.

Does this bigot seriously think the likes of us in Sweden pay the most tax in the World because we only care about ourselves and our own liberties, and ”to hell with other people”?
Two of the most important things here in the nordics are the Law of Jante & Freedom to Roam, but a dude living a country with a history of Human Right abuse, that in 2020 still don’t see women as equal is the country that ”cares more about other people” as the West is, and I quote:

To hell with other people”.

What an utter crock of shite, the delusion of a person desperate to see the place he lives as ”better” in some way.


19734.jpeg
I have no desire to comment on the actual thrust of the argument but that graph is likely to be highly misleading as it relates to the highest rate of income tax that can be paid in selected countries which of itself has little to do with the average tax burden of the population.
 
12-year old girl died in Belgium yesterday. So sad to hear that on the news.
 
I have no desire to comment on the actual thrust of the argument but that graph is likely to be highly misleading as it relates to the highest rate of income tax that can be paid in selected countries which of itself has little to do with the average tax burden of the population.
And income tax is only one form of tax, there are many more.

Anyone got stats to reflect better reflect the total taxes people pay?
 
They smoke like trains in China too but their mortality rates were generally a hell of a lot lower than Italy. Apart from Wuhan. What Wuhan and Italy had in common that caused their much higher CFR wasn’t smoking. It was a health service that got completely overwhelmed.

That was the effect and not the cause.
 
My best friends' grandmother just died because of the Corona virus. She was 89 years old. I've known her for 30+ years. Only 1 person was with her during the last couple of days because of the Covid-19 restrictions. Damn...
 
Today's positive COVID-19 story comes from Stockport:



Also goats in Llandudno have come down from the hills to the town! There's a whole thread on it:

 
In the interests of not causing stress please can you use links or something. Getting tired of shock posts like this. We don't need them.
Yeah I'll include a link to a Dutch-written article every time I post an update if that really helps you. Enjoy.

And we do need shock posts because there's still people who don't understand how serious this is. It's no use trying to gloss over the hard reality out there.
 
Yeah I'll include a link to a Dutch-written article every time I post an update if that really helps you. Enjoy.

And we do need shock posts because there's still people who don't understand how serious this is. It's no use trying to gloss over the hard reality out there.
No need to get snippy, he's right.
 
My best friends' grandmother just died because of the Corona virus. She was 89 years old. I've known her for 30+ years. Only 1 person was with her during the last couple of days because of the Covid-19 restrictions. Damn...
Sorry to hear that mate, that sucks :( Keep your head up.
 
No need to get snippy, he's right.
"We don't need shock posts even though they're telling the truth and show that literally everyone dies because of this thing, not just 65+ year olds". Okay then.
 
Sorry, saw this post after I’d replied.

I’ll repeat my previous point though. Don’t expect to understand everything. Yes new things confuse intelligent people. But intelligent people take time to learn, rather than criticise something they can’t immediately grasp.

Your options are;

- Learn to understand something new
- Not comment

To state that data should only be used in ‘proper circles’ is daft. It’s the readers duty to learn. Not the presenters job to dumb down or explain.
Jumping in here. When its in a paperi think it needs to be explained for the "dumbest" reader not the "smartest".

Not just talking about this graph but anything really.
 
Yeah I'll include a link to a Dutch-written article every time I post an update if that really helps you. Enjoy.

And we do need shock posts because there's still people who don't understand how serious this is. It's no use trying to gloss over the hard reality out there.

You enjoy your scare mongering.
Was the child healthy first of all? Any previous conditions? What’s the details? Or you could just keep posting click bait shock like posts to get your point across
 
We are amazing at bringing new measures that are actually not changing anything anyway. Limit of customers in shops now set at 3 times the number of available cashiers (which seems to have been this way for a while anyway), children cannot be outside without supervision of adults. Obviously they are still talking about getting back to normal in April because elections in May absolute HAVE TO TAKE PLACE, no matter how dangerous it will be.
 
Should I put my life savings on that?

Never punt everything...But with negative interest rates on the horizon, it's an option worth considering.

How exactly do you buy this? I've never dabbled.

I've never done it before, either - owned a few shares in us before selling them to the Glazers, although that was something symbolic.rather than an investment- but I'm seriously tempted for the first time ever.

In our company, we just agree prices with different suppliers at different locations in much the same way a mortgage works - fixed price for two years ; five year price per barrell tracker, etc....In truth, there isn't much choice beyond what the suppliers are prepared to offer, but at least that takes some of the risk out of us making the wrong decision.

If I understand it correctly, you need about $ 2 million cash or guaranteed borrowing capacity and then a Futures Trader will agree to take you on board and you use them to buy and sell oil futures. Less than $ 2 million, I understand, they're reluctant. and as I haven't got $ 2 million lying around, I'm thinking of joining a syndicate like those syndicates that buy race horses but one that ' dabbles ' as you put it, in oil futures.

In retrospect, I probably should have put this in a different thread as some people might think it's a bit tasteless discussing money. Apologies to those offended....
 
You enjoy your scare mongering.
Was the child healthy first of all? Any previous conditions? What’s the details? Or you could just keep posting click bait shock like posts to get your point across

It needs to be shared as a wake-up call for the fecking idiots who still throw lock down parties and deny the fact this is a threat to us all.

As far as we know, the child didn't have any previous conditions.
 
This might seems foreign to you. But in some parts of the worlds we cling to them, more than the alternatives.

There are people that needs authoritarian leader to function.

Its like giving the power of choices to a 10 year olds. It might be democracy but it wont end well

Democracy would be shit for minorities. If our wellbeing is left to democracy we could be far worse.

The leader is good the leader is great
0a219ab15aa5b6a716f1ce2b8126f740.jpg
 
We are amazing at bringing new measures that are actually not changing anything anyway. Limit of customers in shops now set at 3 times the number of available cashiers (which seems to have been this way for a while anyway), children cannot be outside without supervision of adults. Obviously they are still talking about getting back to normal in April because elections in May absolute HAVE TO TAKE PLACE, no matter how dangerous it will be.
We have one cashier in our village shop in Italy. This morning she was only allowing 4 people to be inside at any one time - fair enough, I said. She was very apologetic, bless her. It's a family-run shop and they're the heart of the village right now, they're keeping everyone going.

Things are getting thin on the shelves. It's not that people are panic-buying, it's just that everyone is buying all their provisions at one small shop and the deliveries can't keep pace. This is the sort of shop where you'd pop in twice a week for milk and a few extra bits - now we all have to do all our shopping there, because the nearest big supermarket lies outside our Comune boundaries.
 
Jumping in here. When its in a paperi think it needs to be explained for the "dumbest" reader not the "smartest".

Not just talking about this graph but anything really.

They should probably take into account their readership too though. I suspect readers of the Financial Times find more value in these sort of graphs than people who just read the more standard daily newspapers might.

Plus context is important too. If you're just presenting one graph on its own then that's different to presenting a series of different graphs. Also the FT guy provides an explanation for why they're using log scales and not using per capita figures each time he posts updated charts:



Aside from having value in and of itself, those explanations give you license to go a bit deeper than just planting graphs in a paper copy newspaper would, I think.
 
The graph is for people that understand it. If you don’t, study the topic for an hour. I’m sure you have the time. It’s not difficult.

Educate yourself. Don’t assume everything should adapt to your level of understanding.

Not really any need to be so passive aggressive, it is being shared liberally across all education levels, on social media. It isn't being shared across people 'that understand it' and is misleading when glanced at, which is what 90% of people looking at it will do.

This has already been talked about above, and I've conceded that it is useful in the right place, or when explained.

Unless it's escaped your notice, we're on a football forum, where the majority of people aren't going to go away and start 'educating themselves' about every single graph or table that comes their way. If we were on a medics forum or a statistics forum then maybe.

You know nothing about me, or my background, but we're both reading this info on redcafe. Generally information is provided at the readers level, so that it is understood. Anyone sharing info above the average readers level, without explanation is either purposefully misleading the audience, or just a very poor communicator.

Obviously there are many levels of intellect or understanding on here, and on twitter, but when someone misinterprets what has been shared, why not just explain? Or indeed note that it already has been explained by posters before you, instead of flogging a dead horse, for no other reason than to stroke your own ego, and show everyone how much smarter you are than the rest of us.

The graph obviously is a very useful tool for those that know how to use it properly, the fact is though that 99% of people won't know how to use it properly, and it being shared so freely is confusing at best for the majority that see it.

I guess I'm fortunate, I've studied statistics, economics and econometrics etc so I can read up on it properly and learn how to interpret it properly. But a lot of people won't have that understanding, and certainly won't want to spend the time trying.

Edit: I've replied to your other comment. I've been a bit less defensive in that one :lol:
 
Last edited:
In norway it seems like the curves are flattening. from 382 new cases the 28th to 281 the 29th, then 251 yesterday and so far today only 39.
If this trend continues then we might be able to open up schools etc. after easter holidays. I hope this is real and not due to less testing or just a temporary downspike.
Would be a great accomplishment if we managed to wrest control over this so early.
 
Sorry, saw this post after I’d replied.

I’ll repeat my previous point though. Don’t expect to understand everything. Yes new things confuse intelligent people. But intelligent people take time to learn, rather than criticise something they can’t immediately grasp.

Your options are;

- Learn to understand something new
- Not comment

To state that data should only be used in ‘proper circles’ is daft. It’s the readers duty to learn. Not the presenters job to dumb down or explain.

I've, likewise just seen your response previous response.

I agree to a degree, when you are sharing things in public circles you do have an element of a duty of care to ensure that the message is understood.

There is no point sharing data with the masses, if it will be misconstrued (unless that is your intention).

A good informer, will provide information at the level that will be understood by the audience.

It isn't that the data should only be available in the proper circles, it's that it should be presented in an understandable fashion.

People should try to better themselves too though of course, it works both ways. But you can't expect people that scraped through school (for example) to understand log graphs all of a sudden.
 
Yeah I'll include a link to a Dutch-written article every time I post an update if that really helps you. Enjoy.

And we do need shock posts because there's still people who don't understand how serious this is. It's no use trying to gloss over the hard reality out there.
Yes but we don't need what can potentially be bullshit stories circulating on social media posted either, given people are on a state of alert anyway. Asking for reliable sources is hardly unreasonable.