The World Health Organisation ha announced

[local]

Our masked Professor does I suppose unwittingly highlight some interesting anomalies in the pandemic.

[Albion102]

Walter Mitty is also a virologist.

The definition of a "Covid death" is just a standard measure of deaths and is the best indicator of how bad the pandemic is that we have.

A serious presentation of covid requires specialised equipment and medical staff of which there are a limited supply. This pool of resources is being stretched to critical with a risk of overwhelming our health systems. Therefore we need to manage down the pandemic to avoid this and Covid death's is a consistent and measurable target for us to work against.

Interestingly, the excess deaths figure is almost exactly the same as the covid deaths figure - so the ball park is OK. There will be people dying because they can't access health services, but equally, infectious diseases such as 'flu will be lower.

[local]

It would be better if we had a settled international definition.

Blithely putting out that x amount of people died within 28 days of a positive covid test isn't good enough.

The Government needs to do better.

What actually killed them on a balance of probability might be a little more accurate.

Death certificates are often just lists of maybe's.

Many are "surviving" in a dreadful state and others are dying from unrelated causes but just within the time frame.

[Hamble]

If you think about it an ill person (should) come into contact with more than a few people including family and neighbours before the point of poorly enough to see professionals.

I do not deny the figures just assume the testing positive for Covid is unsurprising and could be coincidental or hasten death from other causes.

[Alikado]

Walter Mitty is also a virologist.

The definition of a "Covid death" is just a standard measure of deaths and is the best indicator of how bad the pandemic is that we have.

A serious presentation of covid requires specialised equipment and medical staff of which there are a limited supply. This pool of resources is being stretched to critical with a risk of overwhelming our health systems. Therefore we need to manage down the pandemic to avoid this and Covid death's is a consistent and measurable target for us to work against.

Interestingly, the excess deaths figure is almost exactly the same as the covid deaths figure - so the ball park is OK. There will be people dying because they can't access health services, but equally, infectious diseases such as 'flu will be lower.

Expected Deaths should be below the 5 year average for the last 12 months due to less activity going on leading to less road deaths etc.

[Alikado]

It would be better if we had a settled international definition.

Blithely putting out that x amount of people died within 28 days of a positive covid test isn't good enough.

The Government needs to do better.

What actually killed them on a balance of probability might be a little more accurate.

Death certificates are often just lists of maybe's.

Many are "surviving" in a dreadful state and others are dying from unrelated causes but just within the time frame.

Every Country collects stats in different ways, similarly they will have different ways of registering and recording death details. Publishing a deaths number has to be a balance between reality and the need to frighten people into doing 'What is Right' i.e. what the Guvamunt want.
All the Stats and numbers being published are getting a bit tiring, more and more are switching off to them as they can see that they are being manipulated and are not balanced, they don't say the number in hospital is xx down / up on yesterday and compared with 12 months ago is...... Everybody knows the Hospital figures are meaningless as they have different / better tratments and policies to 12 months ago.

Yes they should be doing better.