Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
There are so many levels of context required it's hard to wrap your head around them all. If it transpires the number of "excess deaths" is in line with those expected from annual influenza then that's still a big problem but it's a far smaller one than anticipated, in this country at least. And what's happening to patients with non-related conditions? Has the excess mortality rate for those diseases increased or is it being handled? We could end up with more deaths from non-related diseases and the wider effects of the damage being done to the economy.
So sure, the media wankfest on the death toll is expected, that's what those slime do best. But what about the information that's far more important, such as the current status of the NHS's ability to deal with the influx of patients? Can anyone pick those figures off the top of their heads like they can with the daily updated death toll? This peak, where are we along the line and how does that cross reference with the increased facilities and supplies being brought to bear? Far more useful in determining what's actually happening rather than sitting in the dark listening to 100, 200, 500, 1000 dead. Especially if the latter includes cases that would have occurred anyway without anyone bar the immediate friends and families noticing.
And these are just a few considerations from a growing list. A stream of questions, no answers other than a league table of death. Which might be acceptable for anyone who is happy to do as they are told, when they are told and for as long as they are told. But for those who want to know what's going on so they can make informed decisions it's not at all useful.