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Comparing different approaches to Covid-19 containment | 56 comments (56 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
The politicisation of death (4.00 / 3)
Yes the systematic undercounting of deaths by the inclusion only of hospital deaths in the headline figures has been one of the big scandals of this crisis and I have been amazed at the supine way in which the mass media have continued to report UK data as in any way comparable to any other.

This has gone long past the stage of initial teething problems in data collation and appears to be a deliberate PR strategy to make the UK performance look less bad than it actually is. Right wing sources have also tried to confuse the issue by comparing with deaths that would/might have occurred due to seasonal flu or other factors in any case as if this mitigated the extent of the public health failure.

Other right wing sources have sought to confuse the issue by referring to the age and number of underlying conditions of the deceased as if having a co-morbidity was a disqualifying factor for being considered a Covid-19 fatality.

At least some countries, such as France, have sought to remedy the initial exclusion of non-hospital based deaths by including them in more recent daily totals. It is extraordinary in this day and age of online data collection that we may never know the true death toll in some allegedly advanced societies with comprehensive health care systems such as the UK.

I know there have been various data collection issues in other countries as well some of which can be attributed to regional authorities simply being overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster in their areas. It is understandable that data collection is not a primary concern when you are struggling to deal with the afflicted.

But the politicisation of death, the fact that for some people deaths matter less if they are among the aged, otherwise ill, otherwise marginalised communities, and outside the formal hospital system, and thus more hidden or deniable is the scandal of the age.

We see it in the anti-lockdown protests in the US and Brazil, supported by their Presidents which place the economic interests of the majority above the lives of minorities.

In Ireland, too, a couple of headbanger right-wing journalists, who have received less than 1% of the vote whenever they have stod for election, have brought a legal challenge against the constitutionality of emergency legislation unanimously passed by parliament on the grounds that it infringes their unalienable right to infect others.

Crises bring out the best in people, but they also bring out the very worst.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Apr 22nd, 2020 at 11:02:29 AM EST
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Re: The politicisation of death (4.00 / 3)
Pushed by media reports about increasing death tolls in nursing homes around the country, the French government has been providing two mortality figures during its daily briefing for the past two weeks now: deaths in hospitals and deaths in nursing homes.

As of tonight, April 22, the figures are:

  • Deaths in hospitals: 13,236 (+336 in the last 24 hours)
  • Deaths in nursing homes: 8,104 (+208 in the last 24 hours)

A total of 21,340 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Today's fatalities number for the UK is: 18,100 (+759), but these are only the deaths in NHS hospitals; nursing homes deaths are still not tallied.

In international comparisons, France is always shown ahead of the UK because of the higher "total" figures. However, counting only the hospital deaths in the UK is skewing the comparison as you point out: by that figure (deaths in hospitals) the UK has been well ahead of France for over a week now.

The other extreme is Belgium where just about any death that can be attributed to C-19 is counted, which gives the country one of the highest rates of deaths per million of total population.

As you pointed out, counting, undercounting, not counting, all these follow different political motives; mostly trying to hide the lack of preparation and slow responses under the carpet.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Apr 22nd, 2020 at 08:32:29 PM EST
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Re: The politicisation of death (none / 1)
That's why I keep posting the ONS stats, because they're far more likely to be reliable. Although they're still underreporting the true picture, because they don't include figures for Scotland or Ni.

At a minimum the UK is well over 30,000 deaths by now, and the true total could easily be twice that - which puts it second only to the US, with around a fifth of the population.

Scandal doesn't begin to cover it. But here we are - with a far-right political culture that thinks PR, flag-waving bullshit, and impression management are the hallmarks of effective government.

As long as they're in place practical details will look after themselves. And if they don't it doesn't matter - as long as you control the narrative.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Apr 23rd, 2020 at 12:21:37 AM EST
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Comparing different approaches to Covid-19 containment | 56 comments (56 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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