The World-O-Meter Thread

[Elixir]

Brazil tops the deaths list for the day, but it's a Sunday, so ... pray to Trump for a miracle.
Other milestones - USA now at 300 deaths per million. Tomorrow, 100,000 US deaths.

 

[lpetrich]

Coronavirus: EU countries deny bailouts to firms linked to tax havens

• To date, France, Poland, Belgium and Denmark have all announced similar measures designed to exclude some companies from taxpayer-funded relief programs.
• The pandemic has forced world leaders to quickly deploy emergency financial measures and aggressive stimulus packages in an effort to avoid a devastating economic collapse.
• Late last month, the Tax Justice Network published a five-step “bail or bailout” test to determine whether governments should help businesses requesting pandemic relief.

Good that they are doing something about tax shelters. Here in the US, that became an issue for cruise-ship companies that wanted a bailout while being registered in tax-shelter countries to avoid paying taxes.

 

[Elixir]

Brazil is again atop the death count. But MAGA USA shows robust new case growth even on a holiday, so it's bound to regain the top spot in deaths soon. Wisconsin's 7-day rolling average is charted below the world COVID-19 chart below. IMHO it should give everyone pause. The trend had been downward for a couple of weeks, and hit its low point on 5/13 (the yellow bar). As the first State to totally throw caution to the wind, Wisconsin can be considered a harbinger showing the result of that stance.

 

[Elixir]

MAGA USA now working on our 2nd hundred thousand dead.

 

[Elixir]

New York no longer the main player in the US, numbers are coming back up elsewhere. We can expect the coming case increase to mirror Wisconsin.

 

[Elixir]

USA neck and neck with Brazil in new cases, USA still leading the way in deaths.

 

[lpetrich]

South Korea schools: Hundreds close again after reopening - CNN

More than 500 schools closed again Friday to students after briefly reopening, as South Korea moves to stamp out a resurgence of the coronavirus in the capital, Seoul, and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Several other things have been closed for the next two weeks.

The coronavirus outbreak includes a cluster in a logistics center in Bucheon. Almost 100 cases had been linked to the logistics center cluster as of Friday, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said in a briefing. So far, 3,836 people out of 4,351 workers and visitors at the center had been tested, he said.

 

[lpetrich]

How New Zealand beat the coronavirus – POLITICO - May 14

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — New Zealand, the first major country to see the sun rise every day, may also be the first to get a good look at life after COVID-19.

On Thursday, its 5 million citizens woke up to a reality both different and familiar, as relaxed rules come into effect. They can flock to the beaches and parks. They can meet in cafés and restaurants. They may even hug, because the country’s top health official, a serious-minded man called Ashley Bloomfield, said that a careful hug given to family members or close friends would be OK.

Nice article.

Still, I was surprised when Ardern announced sweeping emergency measures. I had seen how European leaders had responded to the virus, acting only once the need to take action became blatantly obvious. Going into a nationwide lockdown at such an early stage seemed bold. And the restrictions were tough: no meetings with friends, no traveling by car unless it was to go shopping for food or medicine.

“We only have 102 cases,” Ardern said in way of explanation. “But so did Italy once.” On the eve of lockdown, we drove to a popular beach, a vast stretch of white sand, eerily empty.

But NZ is gradually finding its way out of it.

Although Germany and NZ both have female leaders who have been praised for their leadership, their personalities are different.

Merkel communicated sparsely. “Take the virus seriously because it is serious,” she said in a rare speech to the nation, sounding like a good friend who has sound advice but doesn’t want to impose. Part of Merkel’s problem is a federal system that delegates a lot of authority to the regional states. Another is that the country remains bitterly divided over her response to the refugee crisis a few years ago. A vocal minority doesn’t trust her anymore.

Ardern, on the other hand, is drawing on a strong base of support for her crisis management after the Christchurch mosque shootings a year ago. This time, too, she was resolute and confident, emotional and pragmatic. The messages she reiterated in daily press conferences have turned into catchphrases. “Stay home.” “Be kind.” “We must go hard, and we must go early.”

 

[lpetrich]

New Zealand's borders: When will they reopen to international students? - May 15

International students could soon enter New Zealand again if universities are able to quarantine them safely.

...
This may look something like Canada’s similar measures, where international students are quarantined for 14 days upon arrival in separate residential quarters and had delivered meals to them.

COVID-19 Alert System in New Zealand | Unite against COVID-19

• COVID-19 Alert Level 4 came into force at 11:59pm Wednesday 25 March 2020.
• COVID-19 Alert Level 3 came into force at 11:59pm Monday 27 April 2020.
• COVID-19 Alert Level 2 came into force at 11:59pm Wednesday 13 May 2020.

New Zealand reopens schools, easing virus curbs - May 18

According to Radio New Zealand, around 800,000 students would start going back to schools which had been suspended since March 24.

The schools provided transportation services for students unable to board public buses that now only accept a certain number of passengers due to maintain social distance.

 

[ZiprHead]

These numbers are from the CDC website. Florida and Texas are trying to hide more than 3,000 Coronavirus deaths by coding them as "pneumonia."

 

[lpetrich]

Germany, Vietnam, and New Zealand reopening schools despite coronavirus - Vox - May 27

• Germany has coronavirus testing in schools
• Vietnam requires mandatory masks and temperature checks
• New Zealand has a “transition arrangement” option

New Zealand Reopens Vape Shops | Vaping Post - May 27

Coronavirus: Singapore, New Zealand to discuss gradual border reopening, Politics News & Top Stories - The Straits Times - May 28

New Zealand down to one active coronavirus case - May 29

Out of 5 million people.

Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora on Twitter: "For the seventh day in a row, there are no new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand. Read our full update at https://t.co/zeYtsMJ407" / Twitter

"The nation’s borders remain closed and staying virus-free when they reopen poses a big challenge."

They are talking about letting in international students, because they can be quarantined before being allowed to mingle with the general population. Shorter-term visitors would have to be quarantined the entire time -- not much fun.

I looked at  List of airports in New Zealand and  List of the busiest airports in New Zealand, and here are all NZ's international airports. They all top the list of NZ's busiest airports.

• Auckland - long distance
• Christchurch - long-distance
• Wellington - limited
• Queenstown - limited
• Dunedin - limited

Taiwan is about as successful as NZ, and Australia somewhat less successful.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

These numbers are from the CDC website. Florida and Texas are trying to hide more than 3,000 Coronavirus deaths by coding them as "pneumonia."

View attachment 27946

Here is a graphical representation for Florida, taken from the CDC.


This is Texas.


This is New York. So it is hard to say numbers are being hidden in Florida this way.

 

[Elixir]

^ Stark indicator of the extent of the reporting shortfall.

Nonetheless, MAGA USA is still putting up the big numbers, and is leading the body count Trumpstakes by what may be an insurmountable margin.
But Brazil, led by the only world leader in greater denial of the Trump Virus than Trump, is coming on strong with over 30,000 new cases today. They still have less than half of our rate of cases per million, so lots of "upside" potential.

 

[bilby]

On the good news front, the Queensland Government have announced that as our lockdown measures have been effective, the relaxing of restrictions originally planned for mid-June will now come into effect tomorrow.



The whole country is doing well - apart from Victoria, which is the outlier. Queensland is still closed to interstate and international visitors, so we are very much on-track to elimination of Covid-19 here, as long as we don't succumb to pressure to open the borders.



Queensland now has just five known active cases, and has suffered only seven fatalities from the pandemic to date.

 

[dannyk]

On the good news front, the Queensland Government have announced that as our lockdown measures have been effective, the relaxing of restrictions originally planned for mid-June will now come into effect tomorrow.

View attachment 27974

The whole country is doing well - apart from Victoria, which is the outlier. Queensland is still closed to interstate and international visitors, so we are very much on-track to elimination of Covid-19 here, as long as we don't succumb to pressure to open the borders.

View attachment 27975

Queensland now has just five known active cases, and has suffered only seven fatalities from the pandemic to date.

View attachment 27976

Good position to be in. We've just had another 3 cases announced today. All interstate and international travel related.

 

[Jokodo]

On the good news front, the Queensland Government have announced that as our lockdown measures have been effective, the relaxing of restrictions originally planned for mid-June will now come into effect tomorrow.

View attachment 27974

The whole country is doing well - apart from Victoria, which is the outlier. Queensland is still closed to interstate and international visitors, so we are very much on-track to elimination of Covid-19 here, as long as we don't succumb to pressure to open the borders.

View attachment 27975

Queensland now has just five known active cases, and has suffered only seven fatalities from the pandemic to date.

View attachment 27976

Good position to be in. We've just had another 3 cases announced today. All interstate and international travel related.

Well done, Australia.

Austria (population: about Queensland's and Western Australia's combined; area: negligible) is still reporting around 20-30 new cases a day (most of them related to an outbreak in a post service parcel sorting/distribution centre), and by European standards, we really contained it in its tracks. Lombardy is like 100 km from our border.

We've had just shy of 700 reported deaths, and most places have reopenened, though with some restrictions - e.g. restaurants don't allow more than 4 people per table and no service at the counter, schools have split classes, with alternatingly half of the kids continuing to homeschool, masks are obligatory in public transport and while shopping (though not out in the open).

 

[Elixir]

Queensland now has just five known active cases, and has suffered only seven fatalities from the pandemic to date.

"Just lucky - Australia is an island with low population density, not a democracy and blah blah blah. Nothing to do with management of public behavior."

- Barbos' parroted Putin line

 

[Elixir]

05-31

Sunday Reporting
MAGA USA back on top with most new cases, new deaths and totals in both categories.
Fun fact of the day: USA also now in the top ten for deaths per million people, if you don't count Sint Maarten, San Marino and Andorra (total population for all three combined around 150k).

 

[Elixir]

Since this info is saved elsewhere and (maybe) the first wave of coronavirus has peaked in the US, the graph below is more informative regarding the US situation. Will update... occasionally. Looks like a very long tail on this thing to get below 1000 new cases/day.

 

[lpetrich]

• Sweden epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says covid-19 policy allowed too many deaths - The Washington Post
• Sweden coronavirus: Expert defends strategy, but admits failing to protect the elderly - CNN
• Coronavirus: Sweden pushes for no-lockdown inquiry as deaths mount - Business Insider
• The Good and Bad Lessons From Sweden - Elemental
• Coronavirus: Sweden's Tegnell admits too many died - BBC News

From Business Insider:

Sweden's strategy largely relies on people to socially distance themselves while keeping restaurants, bars, shops, parks, and schools for younger children open.

There are only a handful of actual rules in place, including a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people and a ban on visitors to elder care homes.

...
Foreign Minister Ann Linde said at the end of May: "Transmission is slowing down, the treatment of COVID-19 patients in intensive care is decreasing significantly, and the rising death toll curve has been flattened."

But Sweden's death rate has risen to one of the highest in the world, significantly higher than its Nordic neighbours which locked down early and have similar health care, political systems, and population density.