Firstly, it was not my chart, was posted here by another and is provided by the CDC - so if you believe its wrong, feel free to contact Minister Chen and ask him for clarification.
I wont bother taking this head banging any further, but i do feel that the lives of 400 people a week should not be ignored by the powers that be, when they make so much drama about Covid.
Speaking of costs, I could write a paper about the social, psychological, economic and developmental costs that indefinite shutdowns have caused children and small businesses in the USA. That’s why many of us hope Taiwan doesn’t go down that same wrongheaded route when/if Omicron spreads like wildfire here.
As for @yinggeaussie ‘s claim about influenza deaths, even if the real number is a quarter of that the mortality impact would still be far greater than that of COVID was at its peak here last summer. So his point stands imo.
My apologies for not being clear enough, I wasn’t claiming it was your chart.
I don’t believe it’s wrong. I just don’t think it helps support your point.
Well… If you divide 400 a week by the amount of causes… Then you get a much lower number.
Notice the trend in the chart I posted. In 2021, when all these measures started, you can see a clear trend downwards. There have been many articles showing that COVID measures also hurt other respiratory viruses.
Sure, we’re dealing with a more mild variant than before and I hope our measures include easing into it.
The numbers are misleading to begin with, because Influenza deaths don’t happen in a vacuum. A number of these measures, including masking and social distancing and crowd reduction all have contributed to lower counts of other respiratory infections as well. What are 2019’s flu numbers? Are we saying that the flu is somehow unaffected and these numbers haven’t changed since 2019?
Like I’ve said before, I agree with opening up, but I don’t agree with abrupt openings. I think we should ease into it and use our ability to watch other countries in relative safety to make the best decisions.
Regarding Influenza deaths, some months back the Australian Government stated that 'Flu had all but been eliminated in Australia in the past couple of years. I wonder whether they are treating 'Flu deaths as Covid deaths and bulking them in there. And if they reckon that 'Flu has been eliminated, then why continue encouraging people to get 'Flu shots!!
This is the interesting point here.
Influenza and pneumonia cause damage as endemic conditions.
The “let 'er rip” crowd is banging the drum to also make COVID endemic.
Uncontrolled spread will add on trouble, not reduce it.
Guy
Taipei Deputy Mayor is talking about loosening of restrictions…
Saying that the whole point of vaccines is so we don’t need restrictions.
Most importantly, though, did she specifically use the phrase “let 'er rip”, or was the wording a bit more subdued?
Taipei City authorities talk about a lot of things.
Ko and his deputy Huang have rarely been on the same page as the national health authorities, who have consistently stated that vaccines alone are not adequate as mitigation. The national health authorities may change their position as they learn more about omicron, but that’s basically where they have stood for as long as I can remember.
Guy
Some good news!
Apparently CSZ is considering lowering quarantine time to 10 days.
Before you guys get too euphoric, keep in mind that the linked article is from TVBS—not known for being super tight with the current national government. Perhaps changes will be announced, but I’d wait for other sources before popping open the champagne.
Guy
All the news channels are talking about it
Here’s another article
They need to allow that 10 to be done in the home (subject to the bedroom/bathroom rule) as well - or have they lost their trust in Citizens and Residents who are able to meet that requirement.
Basically only single people can quarantine at home other than the mega rich and people in the country side with multiple bathrooms if they keep that rule. It’s pointless because obviously if two people quarantine in the same house they are obviously going to interact.
I wonder how much of that is due to pressure from other countries and foreign companies. In any event, I’m happy if this is true.
I think it’s also connected to the health authorities watching what happens with omicron, including its shorter period of transmissability.
But yes pressure has been coming from different directions. Here’s one example:
Guy
I gather then that whatever the Vaccination rate climbs to, that Quarantine will remain?
Vaccination certainly isn’t an ironclad protection against Omicron, so I guess results on the ground will be more important.
I would invert it. As soon as quarantine goes, the virus will be all over the community. I doubt the health authorities will do this willingly.
Guy