As my Dad used to say!

As my Dad used to say, there is a lot more people dying now than used too. Well I do not underplay the current COVOID19 issues that are reeking havoc around the world and it will no doubt continue for quite some time to come. The daily death count is morbid and fascinating at the time as statistics never tell the complete story. For every death in the family many other people suffer for  a long time after having lost a loved one and often the breadwinner so the death not only causes grief and loss but could put that person in financial difficulty as well.
I have been watching the daily figures issued by the UK and other Governments around the world and beginning to think that nobody dies of of the usual things any more end so I did a quick investigation to discover what the figures would like over the past few years
In 2017 the number of registered deaths in the UK was 607K or 11.6K per week whilst in 2018 the number of deaths was 616K or 11.8K per week. The number of daily deaths report for COVID19 is misleading and it is the day the death is registered rather than the day of death. See following chart for 8th April 2020 for reported deaths where the total is 818, however these also include deaths from March as well as other days in April
Table of the date of COVID19 828 deaths reported for the 8th April.
Date
Number of Deaths
07-April 2020     135
06-April 2020     306
05-April 2020     162
04-April 2020       93
03-April 2020      63
02- April 2020    23
01-April 2020     17
31-March 2020   1
04-March 2020   1
Total
828
The population of the UK is estimated to be 67 million people out of 7.8 Billion worldwide. The UK death count for COVID19 is as of 12 April 2020 10.5 K since commencement and recognition of the disease which started being noticed I think in early March and so since the first registered death in March it is now approximately  six weeks since that event and based on the usual death rate nearly 70000 people would have died anyway based on normal statistics. So on top, or is it, that another 10.5 K people have died so we have start worrying are the figures being misrepresented by people having the Covid19 virus but died actually died of the flu. In the winter of 2017/2018 over 50000 people died from flu, but did we close down the country?
In the USA there is a chance that figures are being manipulated by hospitals for purely financial reasons. It is alleged that MEDICARE would pay a hospital US$ 13K to deal with a case of FLU but call it it COVID19 and let them sit next to a ventilator the cost would be US$ 39 K and so there is a view that perhaps the figures are not entirely accurate. Already questions are being raised as to the professionalism of the Dr Fauci the senior specialist for the USA Government seeking for alleged political reasons to grow the matter , who knows whether this is true or not. Governments are known to control the country by using the ‘fear factor’ as was the conspiracy theories for the 9/11 attacks, scare the people and they will do what you say. An American Doctor reported on TV that it was alleged that a person knocked over by a bus with bad chest injuries and when arriving at the hospital was found to have the COVID bug was classed as a COVID death and not due to the accident, ow often does this happen.
We should take a close look at the German COVID reporting figures as they seem low by comparison to other countries worldwide, surely it cannot be just down to testing? there is a chance they are not the usual deaths from FLU.
So we have stayed at home and following the strict guidelines issued by the UK Government with neighbours attending to our shopping needs but also this is having an affect on our intended house sale and potential move with Solicitors furloughing staff and most working from home and so lets seen what happens this week as we hope to be informed of the Contract exchange dates although its most difficult to agree a Completion date with the the current UK Lock-down. Ah well lets hope this is just a distant memory next year at this time and also wish that the world economy pull through, we shall see.

Its so much easier to criticize than actually do something useful

Over the last few weeks since we returned home we have spent some time looking at all the reports coming in from around the world and appalled at what this Virus is doing to our world. YES the virus appears to have started in China but that is no reason to blame the Chinese as they did not DO IT ON PURPOSE as it has also killed many people in their own Country. China many tears ago when we first lived in Hong was seen from a hill overlooking the border to a small town called Shenzhen where locals risked great danger in reaching the safety of Hong Kong. Apart from the army patrolling the border there were numerous sharks patrolling along the shores looking for swimmers and many Chinese lost their lives this way. And when they did finally ‘touch base’ in Hong Kong they lived in the most appalling conditions on hillsides with shelter from the elements only being tarpaulins or bit of plastic but they were glad to get away from the so called secretive Society. My early business travels to China were also very interesting as we were always warned be careful what you say and do as you are being watched.
In the 2004 Jennifer and I did a two week tour of the most interesting parts of China on a tour organised by The China Travel Company and the tour leaders were very careful to ensure that our holiday was being monitored. On one occasion we wanted to avoid yet another nice garden but just go for a walk and they looked at very suspiciously and made us promise to be back in 30 minutes or else. On two other occasions on this trip we left the tour group to go with some of my ex business colleagues to visit other interesting important tourist sites and again the tour leaders panicked as we were leaving???
Today you can fly to Beijing then rent a car and drive just about anywhere and do just about anything and Shenzhen has changed from random old wooden sheds in to an amazing metropolis of skyscrapers and on the outskirts factories producing the stuff we all buy in shops all over the world. Of course China does have some secrets just like any other country but what I do not like is the blame being attached to a secretive China that told no one about the growing problem of a virus, they did tell everybody once they had established it was a growing problem. This virus perhaps could have started anywhere that bats live?? as the early speculation is that is started with people easting bats in China, that does not appeal to Western tastes but the Chine population have always so. When we lived in Hong Kong their was a saying that people from Chine mainland “ would eat anything with legs, except a desk or eat anything that flies, except and aeroplane”.
Other significant viruses have come from other parts of the world than China and we do not go round beating people up for starting ,say, the Black death or FLU . Another thing that gets me is always the EX… The ex Minister for Health, the Ex Prime Minister the ex this and the ex that, and then you have the so called experts who only complain and never do positive or take action themselves. In the UK they are blaming Boris for everything related like they are blaming Mr Trump, to my knowledge neither Mr Johnson or Mr Trump have a medical degree and so are called upon to listen to experts and you can bet if you put six medical experts in one  room they would all disagree with each other in the way forward in solving the COVID19 problem. If you want to blame anybody about the UK response then blame the previous Prime Minister and ex Minister for health and even the ex Chancellor of the exchequer as they all new the results of the test carried out by the NHS to see what would happen in a major virus outbreak and the final report apparently was so bad that it was put in the safe for nobody to see. Had they reacted to this report then the UK may have been better prepared for the current virus handling. Spending money on Aircraft carriers where don't have even the aircraft capable to land on them plus many other military financial mistake has cost this country a fortune over the years, many hospitals could have been built, many more Doctors, Consultants, Nurses et can have been employed for the cost of just one of the aircraft carriers. Quite frankly with so many atomic bombs around the world which people are afraid to use in case somebody tries to answer back with another atomic bomb is also another pointless exercise.
One finals point yet again directed at our famous bogus press is the publishing of reports by EXPERTS who are mostly not named and yet have strong views on how they would resolve the matter or would have handled it differently which is always very easy after the event.
remember
STAY AT HOME- PROTECT THE NHS-SAVE LIVES