NationStates

Fartsniffage wrote:

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Fartsniffage wrote:

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Glorious Hong Kong wrote:How utterly obnoxious. If I was American, I would be absolutely incensed.

The Huskar Social Union wrote:

Fartsniffage wrote:

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*come out ye black and tans stops*

The Rich Port wrote:

Glorious Hong Kong wrote:How utterly obnoxious. If I was American, I would be absolutely incensed.

Pro-Mask Americans are plenty incensed for everybody, don't you fucking worry.

Ya know, I partly get it. I forgot my mask a couple times. But unlike most people I guess, I evolved a self-preservation instinct and a desire to avoid being a hypocrite.

Stellar Colonies wrote:The number of known active cases in my county has apparently gone below 1,000 again, which is nice. Although the graph I am looking at is showing a tendency of it going up, then dropping down to a point higher than the previous spike, then going up again, etc. etc. since late May, so the number of positive tests showing new cases may have a large spike again soon if that pattern continues.

Fartsniffage wrote:

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Sweden has often been considered a leader when it comes to global humanitarian issues, regarded as a beacon of light in areas such as accepting refugees and working against global warming. In the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden has also created interest around the world by following its own path of using a “soft” approach — not locking down, introducing mostly voluntary restrictions and spurning the use of masks.

This approach has been perceived as more liberal and has shown up in “Be Like Sweden” signs and chants at U.S. protests. Wherever measures have been lenient, though, death rates have peaked. In the United States, areas that are coming out of lockdown early are suffering, and we are seeing the same in other countries as well.

The motives for the Swedish Public Health Agency's light-touch approach are somewhat of a mystery. Some other countries that initially used this strategy swiftly abandoned it as the death toll began to increase, opting instead for delayed lockdowns. But Sweden has been faithful to its approach.

Why? Gaining herd immunity, where large numbers of the population (preferably younger) are infected and thereby develop immunity, has not been an official goal of the Swedish Public Health Agency. But it has said immunity in the population could help suppress the spread of the disease, and some agency statements suggest it is the secret goal.

An unnerving death rate

Further evidence of this is that the agency insists on mandatory schooling for young children, the importance of testing has been played down for a long time, the agency refused to acknowledge the importance of asymptomatic spread of the virus (concerningly, it has encouraged those in households with COVID-19 infected individuals to go to work and school) and still refuses to recommend masks in public, despite the overwhelming evidence of their effectiveness. In addition, the stated goal of the Swedish authorities was always not to minimize the epidemic, but rather slow it down, so that the health care system wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

Several authorities, including the World Health Organization, have condemned herd immunity as a strategy. "It can lead to a very brutal arithmetic that does not put people and life and suffering at the center of that equation,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said at a press conference in May.

With COVID-19, don’t only focus on death: Too many Americans are alive and in misery.

Regardless of whether herd immunity is a goal or a side effect of the Swedish strategy, how has it worked out? Not so well, according to the agency’s own test results. The proportion of Swedes carrying antibodies is estimated to be under 10%, thus nowhere near herd immunity. And yet, the Swedish death rate is unnerving. Sweden has a death toll greater than the United States: 556 deaths per million inhabitants, compared with 425, as of July 20.

Sweden also has a death toll more than four and a half times greater than that of the other four Nordic countries combined — more than seven times greater per million inhabitants. For a number of weeks, Sweden has been among the top in the world when it comes to current reported deaths per capita. And despite this, the strategy in essence remains the same.

Learn from Sweden's mistakes

It is possible that the Public Health Authority actually believed that the Swedish approach was the most appropriate and sustainable one, and that the other countries, many of which went into lockdown, would do worse. Perhaps this, and not herd immunity, is the main reason the authorities are desperately clinging to their strategy. Or perhaps an unwillingness to admit early mistakes and take responsibility for thousands of unnecessary deaths plays into this resistance to change. Nevertheless, the result at this stage is unequivocal.

Adopting the Swedish model: Coronavirus doesn't care about public opinion and it still kills

We do believe Sweden can be used as a model, but not in the way it was thought of initially. It can instead serve as a control group and answer the question of how efficient the voluntary distancing and loose measures in Sweden are compared to lockdowns, aggressive testing, tracing and the use of masks.

In Sweden, the strategy has led to death, grief and suffering and on top of that there are no indications that the Swedish economy has fared better than in many other countries. At the moment, we have set an example for the rest of the world on how not to deal with a deadly infectious disease.

In the end, this too shall pass and life will eventually return to normal. New medical treatments will come and improve the prognosis. Hopefully there will be a vaccine. Stick it out until then. And don’t do it the Swedish way.

Shanghai industrial complex wrote:From the beginning, all scientists have said that group immunity won't work to oppose the scientist in England.But Sweden actually tested the idea.I don't know how to evaluate their behavior.Just hope most people are OK

Fartsniffage wrote:

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The Black Forrest wrote:4) Fauci’s previous statements about masks show he really doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Page wrote:

The Black Forrest wrote:4) Fauci’s previous statements about masks show he really doesn’t know what he is talking about.

To be fair, Fauci did fuck up by saying that masks didn't work and it was not cool at all to hear him later say basically, we knew masks worked but we were afraid of running out of them so we lied about it.

The MAGA corona denialist crowd is mostly full of shit when it comes to their vendetta against Fauci and unlike Trump, Fauci does actually give a shit and isn't a moron. But still, Fauci made a grave mistake that cost lives and he shouldn't be sainted.

Fartsniffage wrote:Anyone who complains about wearing a mask due to health problems should probably be linked to this video.

https://imgur.com/gallery/KsTzHd4

Dominioan wrote:Most of the places where I am are now just mandating masks. I forgot mine when I went to a store, but they had a few that had not been used in storage, so I could use that.

San Lumen wrote:https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/22/894049653/one-third-of-u-s-museums-may-not-survive-the-year-survey-finds?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr

One third of all museums in the United States might close due to shutdowns

San Lumen wrote:https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/22/894049653/one-third-of-u-s-museums-may-not-survive-the-year-survey-finds?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr

One third of all museums in the United States might close due to shutdowns

Fartsniffage wrote:

San Lumen wrote:https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/22/894049653/one-third-of-u-s-museums-may-not-survive-the-year-survey-finds?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr

One third of all museums in the United States might close due to shutdowns

That sucks. Maybe the federal government should have given them some cash....