Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Elixir]

10 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

The SG has made mistakes over the handling of the pandemic, including some significant ones.

That said the pandemic is unprecedented and the SG has handled it more effectively than any other of the U.K. nations.

An Independent Scotland would, in my opinion, have been far better placed to handle it.

The Scottish Government was in lockstep with the clowns in London until they realised there was political capital to be made out of it.

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

That's simply not true. Vaccines have a % efficiency and not everyone is vaccinated. Obviously removing restrictions means we let the virus spread at natural R so if that was high enough eg like measles it would permeate through to enough people through sheer volume to have a worrying effect.

That said at the rate of between 2 and 4 it's simply not going to happen but it's far from irrelevant if it was say double that.

I mean it is true. The covid vaccine has an efficacy the flu vaccine can only dream of.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[Elixir]

2 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

That's simply not true. Vaccines have a % efficiency and not everyone is vaccinated. Obviously removing restrictions means we let the virus spread at natural R so if that was high enough eg like measles it would permeate through to enough people through sheer volume to have a worrying effect.

That said at the rate of between 2 and 4 it's simply not going to happen but it's far from irrelevant if it was say double that.

But as vaccines majorly cut transmission that helps to keep R at bay.

[Distant Doonhamer]

5 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

Like I say unprecedented.  Making relative comparisons in such situations seems the only practical benchmark.

So by the benchmark of deaths per head of population Northern Ireland more effective than Scotland. 

[Burnieman]

I share your hopes for this.
I just don't think I believe it will happen as quickly as it should. Certainly not in 2021.

Remains to be seen, but as vaccinations peak and deaths/hospitalisations/infections plunge during the spring/early summer, they will have to change their tune particularly if England signals it's getting on with things, and no furlough of course.

[Todd_is_God]

Leitch's local in Autumn...

[Burnieman]

The SG has made mistakes over the handling of the pandemic, including some significant ones.
That said the pandemic is unprecedented and the SG has handled it more effectively than any other of the U.K. nations.
An Independent Scotland would, in my opinion, have been far better placed to handle it.

Pretty much.

[Elixir]

2 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

Leitch's local in Autumn...

That is absolutely tragic.

Edit: thought that was Paul Chuckle on the right.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Elixir

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Like I say unprecedented.  Making relative comparisons in such situations seems the only practical benchmark.

Here's a relative comparison for you.

[Billy Jean King]

I have family in Perth, WA. They're going about their business absolutely normally. They have normality. They go to football, cricket and will go to the AFL when it starts. Now of course their external borders are closed, and they jump on outbreaks with a rod of iron, but they have normality.

Once they are all vaccinated, likely by end of the year, they have no reason to suspect that will not continue to be the case, but with international travel added. They will have more cases of course when borders open, but they hope the vaccine will do its job as expected.

That's why I'm hopeful the pish spouted by Swinney, Leitch, Sridhar etc will be in the bin as soon as the last second jag is in the arm of the last person in Scotland/UK.

Perth WA are just exiting their latest lockdown installed after 1 case. The exit will lead to restrictions on most of the aspects of life you mention.

Australia isn't the land if milk and honey it's portrayed to be despite their border closures

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/covid-communications/covid-19-coronavirus-out-of-lockdown

[Granny Danger]

8 minutes ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

So by the benchmark of deaths per head of population Northern Ireland more effective than Scotland. 

Trying to find comparable figures.

[Granny Danger]

3 minutes ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

Here's a relative comparison for you.

Nothing comparable between Scotland and any of those countries.  I also very much doubt the Palestine figures.

[Elixir]

More deaths per capita in Scotland than big, bad, holistically pandemic mitigating Sweden. 

Damning.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Nothing comparable between Scotland and any of those countries.  I also very much doubt the Palestine figures.

Population is the comparison.

[vikingTON]

21 minutes ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

Depends on your definition of more effectively.

Death rate is lower in N Ireland than in Scotland.

Scotland's GDP drop in 2020 was also the largest of all four nations, in no small part due to the SG dragging out lockdown last June to no net benefit. And Scotland's vaccination rollout has been the lowest of all four nations in January as well.

It is not of course wall to wall failure from the SG, but the idea that they have done a better job overall than all other home nations is bollocks. 

[Elixir]

1 minute ago, Granny Danger said:

Nothing comparable between Scotland and any of those countries.  I also very much doubt the Palestine figures.

What can't be compared? Surely not 'bOrDeR mEaSuReZzZzZzZ', which err, the Scottish Government have always had the authority to mitigate against on public health grounds, as their current mewling proves.

The Scottish Government's response to Covid is a complete disaster. Accept it. Just because Sturgeon goes on tele every lunchtime and repeats the same 'consistunt messaginggg' doesn't mean that's not a fact.

[Burnieman]

Perth WA are just exiting their latest lockdown installed after 1 case. The exit will lead to restrictions on most of the aspects of life you mention.

Australia isn't the land if milk and honey it's portrayed to be despite their border closures

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/covid-communications/covid-19-coronavirus-out-of-lockdown

That was their first WA lockdown since this started. They had to go out and buy masks as they didn't have any. It lasted 5 days.

They have normality in WA, and once vaccinated they expect that to continue once international borders open. Some other parts of Australia have had harsh lockdowns, particularly Melbourne, but they expect similar once vaccinated.

[Elixir]

2 minutes ago, virginton said:

Scotland's GDP drop in 2020 was also the largest of all four nations, in no small part due to the SG dragging out lockdown last June to no net benefit. And Scotland's vaccination rollout has been the lowest of all four nations in January as well.

It is not of course wall to wall failure from the SG, but the idea that they have done a better job overall than all other home nations is bollocks. 

And of course, there is a direct link between GDP per capita and life expectancy:

[Burnieman]

What can't be compared? Surely not 'bOrDeR mEaSuReZzZzZzZ', which err, the Scottish Government have always had the authority to mitigate against on public health grounds, as their current mewling proves.
The Scottish Government's response to Covid is a complete disaster. Accept it. Just because Sturgeon goes on tele every lunchtime and repeats the same 'consistunt messaginggg' doesn't mean that's not a fact.

"Complete disaster" oh c'mon. I'm critical over their ongoing cautious approach to this but it's nowhere near a complete disaster.

[Todd_is_God]

Thought it was established already that it's only allowed to compare a country's success to those who did worse? Comparisons to neighbouring countries are only prioritised when said comparisons are favourable to the point you want to make.

Certainly that seems to be the accepted standard for Sweden. Is it different for Scotland?

Edited February 6, 2021 by Todd_is_God