After easing draconian COVID lockdown measures that were imposed in many countries across Europe this past winter and spring, with virus cases on the rise again, a number of countries are re-locking down.
As noted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the virus cases are overwhelmingly mild and hospitalizations and deaths linked to COVID-19 are at low levels. As noted by the Wall Street Journal on 10 September, “One bright spot: Rates of hospitalization and death in Europe for COVID-19 remain low, suggesting most new cases are mild.”
TRENDPOST: As we have long noted, the media and politicians, on a daily basis, continue to report the amount of new cases each day from nations across the globe. What they frequently omit, or have buried deep in an article when they report it, is that most new cases are mild, and COVID-19 death rates are at low levels.
The primary reason for reporting of increased virus cases is the proliferation of testing: the five largest countries in Europe are conducting more than 1,000 tests every day, more than twice the testing done last April when the COVID-19 death rate was at its highest peak.
As of this past weekend, about 41,600 have died from COVID-19 in the U.K., a country of some 66.65 million people (0.06 percent).
TRENDPOST: In the U.K, as with most nations, some 50 percent of the virus fatalities were from elderly people in nursing homes with pre-existing chronic conditions, as detailed in the Journals of Gerontology:
“The majority of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are older and have underlying medical conditions with increased age being associated with clinical severity, including case fatality.
The most frequent comorbidities reported in Chinese COVID-19 patient cohorts were hypertension (21.1%), diabetes (9.7%), cardiovascular disease (8.4%), and respiratory system disease (1.5%,), whereas in a large US cohort common comorbidities were hypertension (56.6%), obesity (41.7%), and diabetes (33.8%).”
Despite these facts, and that, as proven with data from the CDC, only 6 percent of those who have died from the virus did not have pre-exiting chronic illnesses. Yet, the lockdown measures are inflicted on those least vulnerable to the virus, such young people who are now forbidden to party/socialize in college and who are being blamed for spreading the virus by going to bars and hanging out with groups of friends.
U.K. Makes Up (Yet Another) New Rule
Regardless of relatively low hospitalization and death rates, on 9 September, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced it now will be illegal for more than six people to gather anywhere, indoors or outside.
“In England from Monday, we are introducing the rule of six.”
“You must not meet socially in groups of more than six. And, if you do, you will be breaking the law,” Prime Minister Johnson said.
COVID-secure venues, such as places of worship, gyms, restaurants, and hospitality venues can still hold more than six in total, but within those venues, there must not be individual groups larger than six, and groups must not mix socially or form larger groups.
“Education and work settings are unaffected. COVID-secure weddings and funerals can go ahead up to a limit of 30 people and organized sport will still be able to proceed.”
Despite Mr. Johnson admitting rules “have become quite complicated and confusing,” the country’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, declared the edict would remain for “the foreseeable future.” Police can fine anyone £100 for breaking the rules, and the fine doubles up to £3,200 if they continue breaking them.
Real European Data
In Spain, a rise in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks is generating headlines, such as this one from the 8 September Voice of America: “Despite Strict Lockdown, Spain Sees Sharp COVID-19 Spike.”
As the headline notes, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez imposed one of the harshest lockdowns in all of Europe, yet Spain, according to the European Centre for Disease Control, has, by far, the highest rate of infection in Europe. It should be noted that despite the high rates of infection across Europe, the death rate has slowed considerably since April.
This doesn’t stop one of the county’s top health experts, Ildefonso Hernández, a Heath Professor at Alicante’s Miguel Hernandez University, from calling for continued shutdown tactics: “We had a very strict lockdown then relaxed this too quickly in a country with a high propensity to socialize and for family networks to stay very close.”
In regard to Spain, as the BBC reported on 20 August, “Most of the transmission is now between young people, and around three-quarters of positives are in patients who show no symptoms. Only around 3% of current cases require hospital treatment, less than 0.5% need intensive care.”
TRENDPOST: It is factually evident that while Spain is recognized as having imposed among the strictest lockdown rules in Europe, it has not stopped the virus from spreading.
Yet, many cities allow only ten people to gather inside or outdoors; limit capacity in bars, restaurants, weddings and funerals; and closed down nightclubs and gyms.
TRENDPOST: To date, some 30,000 have died from COVID-19 out of the Spanish population of 47,000,000 or 0.06 percent.
This compares to New York State, with a population of 19.5 million and a COVID-19 fatality of some 33,100, which also forced its citizens to lockdown and “shelter-in-place.”
The media, however, has promoted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for successfully battling the virus, and he now is being promoted as a favorite candidate to run in the 2024 Presidential race.