HAIRCUTS, QUEUES & COVID BLUES

Coronavirus by the Numbers

 

Australians still do not realise the seriousness of the COVID19 pandemic and Sideshow Scott and the federal government’s fumbling, bumbling response is not helping get that crucial message across.

The insurance industry takes is seriously though.

 

TAL, which is owned by the Japanese insurance giant Dai-ichi Life and has almost 4 million Australian customers, has reportedly added an exclusion clause for the coronavirus in new insurance policies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns “You may catch COVID19 and be at risk of becoming severely ill, if you’ve a noncommunicable disease/a pre-existing condition such as: Cardiovascular disease; Chronic respiratory disease; Diabetes; Cancer.”

Global cases have surpassed 520,000, including more than 23,000 fatalities.

The USA now has the most confirmed cases in the world.

More than 122,000 patients have apparently recovered but more are contracting the disease too.

The New York Times reports: “As much of Latin America locks down, the leaders of Brazil and Mexico continue to dismiss efforts to contain the coronavirus. Experts say their approach could create an ideal breeding ground for the virus, with devastating consequences.”

A WHO update on Europe notes that “Since 17 March cases & deaths of COVID-19 tripled; 6 out of every 10 cases globally are in Europe; 1 in 10 infections are in health care workers.”

In Italy, the current epicentre of the virus. 6,153 new cases and 662 new deaths have been reported, raising the total to 80,539 cases and 8,165 deaths.

In the UK the Department of Health and Social Care reports (as of of 9am 26 March) 104,866 people have been tested, with 93,208 negative, 11,658 positive. As of 5pm on 25 March, of those hospitalised in the UK, 578 have died.

Iran has 29406 COVID19 cases, the number of deaths now 2234. Crushing US sanctions continue to make matters worse for the general public. Iranian officials accuse the Trump clown posse  of capitalising on its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran since withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May 2018.

No wonder Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has cited a conspiracy theory claiming COVID19 was cooked up by the US government.

Russia has suspended all international flights and Moscow has closed all bars, cafes, parks and non-essential food and drug stores from Saturday for nine days.

Like China, Russia initially censored reporting of the virus.

In China, where the virus originated from, numbers have apparently stabilised but restrictions remain: in Beijing only those who live in an apartment block may enter; cafe seating is limited to groups of 2/3; quarantine applies to all new arrivals; masks remain compulsory in some places.

South Korea is still among the top 10 countries with the highest totals of COVID19 cases but unlike Italy and the USA, it is “flattening the curve”.

Who the fuck knows what is happening in Kim’s workers’ paradise.

As of yesterday (26 March) total cases number 9,241; deaths 131; recoveries 4,144; total tested 64,942.

A new report on Africa warns that “social distancing is impossible in much of Africa, and its economic consequences may lead to a famine that is worse than the coronavirus pandemic.”

Here in Australia where federal and state governments have been slack and inconsistent in their responses, travelers arriving at chaotic Sydney airport last Sunday were given outdated advice about self-isolating, including that they could return to work immediately, but at least the NSW governnment has at long last introduced temperature checks for all arrivals.

Better late than never?

Today 186 new coronavirus infections have brought the number of cases in NSW to 1,405, of which another 41 cases were confirmed in people who were aboard the Ruby Princess from which passengers were allowed to swan off into the populace with scarcely a blink from the infamous Border Force or the federal and state governments.

Of NSW’s total infections 162 are from that one cruise ship alone.

We are governed by incompetent fucking useless fucking negligent fucks!

Unbelievably, in Queensland, local government elections will go still ahead across the state despite calls from the Australian Medical Association, virologists and other medical experts about the danger of spreading the virus, all while hospitals nationwide are racing to boost capacity as infections grow exponentially.

Australia is sleep walking into catastrophe.

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