Merkel: "Germany on the verge of losing control of virus"

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

Angela Merkel has warned that Germany is on the verge of losing control of its fight against the coronavirus, reportedly telling colleagues from her Christian Democratic party this morning “the situation is threatening” and “every day counts”, writes Kate Connolly, the Guardian’s Berlin correspondent.

At the internal meeting of the CDU, details of which were leaked to the media by participants, the chancellor warned of “very, very difficult months ahead” and said that “every day counts” in terms of tackling the virus’s spread.

On Friday she is due to hold a meeting with the leaders of the 16 states where it is expected they will agree on tougher nationwide restrictions than those currently in place.

Merkel used her weekly podcast at the weekend to renew her insistence that people were not powerless to control the virus, and to appeal to them to “reduce contacts” as this was the most convincing measure to tackle it.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/oct/26/coronavirus-live-news-us-sees-new-case-highs-as-spain-curfew-begins

[madaboutharry]

1. Leadership makes a difference.

Too bad she can’t come over her and help us.

[exboyfil]

2. Are their right wing morons running around in groups without masks

like ours? I thought I read about it happening.

Germany is my prime example with the right wingers about how Covid could have been managed. They go down and that weakens the case (sorry we are more like Germany than South Korea).

I do hope that Biden isn't overselling his ability to manage Covid. Something of a pivot might be necessary after the election.

We are electing Biden for the next crisis more than the current one. The current one is thoroughly baked in by the mismanagement of the current administration which will have another 2 months and 17 days to further f__k up even after the election.

[Iliyah]

3. Didn't they have a huge protest without masks . ..

and even Americans were over there too. UGH.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. The sad thing about this is

that the only thing that WORKED to halt the massive surge of cases here this past spring, was to completely "shut down". And they keep promising not to do that again but if this gets any worse, they may have to "break the promise" and do it, and it'll get ugly.

We had been "weeks behind" Europe when the pandemic blew up over there during the late winter and then spread like a wildfire here, and they had started to shut down there before we finally did so here. And we are already in WAY worse shape than they ever had been, so we may end up following that same type of imposing more and more restrictions until we go back into lockdown.

Just scanning that Guardian article summarizing what is going on overseas, this eerily feels like January/February/March again as they go through their "2nd wave", but the difference is, we are STILL going through a "1st wave" in large parts of the country (i.e., the midwest) while the parts of the country that saw the "1st wave" in spring and a smaller "2nd wave" over the summer, are going in big time with a "3rd wave" for fall.

[iluvtennis]

6. With testing, contact tracing, isolation of those exposed, some shutdown we can get CV under control

Several countries have been successful with controlling it. Here is link to an example of how South Korea handles it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/whats-south-koreas-secret/611215/

What’s Behind South Korea’s COVID-19 Exceptionalism?

On february 16, a sunday, a 61-year-old woman with a fever entered the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, South Korea. She touched her finger to a digital scanner. She passed through a pair of glass doors and proceeded downstairs, to the prayer hall, where she sat with approximately 1,000 other worshippers in a large windowless room. Hours later, she exited the building and left behind a trail of pathogens that would lead to thousands of infections, triggering one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the world.

But just as South Korea appeared to be descending into catastrophe, the country stopped the virus in its tracks.
The government demanded that the Shincheonji Church turn over its full membership list, through which the Ministry of Health identified thousands of worshippers. All were ordered to self-isolate. Within days, thousands of people in Daegu were tested for the virus. Individuals with the most serious cases were sent to hospitals, while those with milder cases checked into isolation units at converted corporate training facilities. The government used a combination of interviews and cellphone surveillance to track down the recent contacts of new patients and ordered those contacts to self-isolate as well.

Within a month, the Korean outbreak was effectively contained. In the first two weeks of March, new daily cases fell from 800 to fewer than 100. (This morning, the nation of 51 million reported zero new domestic infections for the third straight day.) On April 15, the country successfully held a national parliamentary election with the highest turnout in three decades, without triggering another wave. South Korea is not unique in its ability to bend the curve of daily cases; New Zealand, Australia, and Norway have done so, as well. But it is perhaps the largest democracy to reduce new daily cases by more than 90 percent from peak, and its density and proximity to China make the achievement particularly noteworthy. ...

Following science and prescribed procedures we can get this virus under control. We're getting a late start, so it'll take longer, but it can be done.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. With testing, contact tracing...we can get CV under control"

Here in Philly, we are lucky to get a 60% "response" from contact tracing. There are too many who either - refuse to tell the tracer who they had contact with or refuse to answer a call from one.

The article that you are citing is from May. Since then, South Korea went through a summer spike, so their haughty declaration of their "exceptionalism" was premature, just like Sweden's and Germany's - https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/08/20/south-korea-warns-covid-19-back-in-full-swing-after-week-long-case-spike/

The "problem" (if you look at it from a comparative aspect) with the U.S. is that we are not a "homogeneous, ethnically-monolithic" country like those around the rest of the world. There are cultural expectations in Asia, including the expectation and acceptance of "mask wearing" when generally sick, that has been emphasized and promoted over many many years, and it is something that has yet to be considered something one might do here. Additionally, South Korea went through hell with SARS and paid a price, so they were better prepared for this.

And this is something that will be extremely difficult to do here -

South Korea Eases Coronavirus Restrictions, Touts 'Exceptional' Success

October 19, 202012:44 PM ET


[snip]

Despite South Korea's quickly flattening the curve of cases, the second wave of infections that peaked in late August dampened the national economy and public sentiment. In September, the unemployment rate climbed back up to 3.6% after inching down for three months. The Bank of Korea's consumer confidence index plunged to May levels.

"The level of fatigue rose quite high during the two months of second-level social distancing," Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said on Oct. 11, referring to tougher restrictions enforced in mid-August to tackle second-wave infections. Announcing an easing of those restrictions, Park added, "If this state continues, social receptiveness [to pandemic measures] is expected to drop significantly, hindering efficacy."

To ensure its pandemic response is effective and sustainable, he said, South Korea will "minimize extreme measures," such as shutting down businesses, and will reinforce "precision prevention" tailored to individual risks. South Korea lifted its assembly ban on large groups, reopened buffet restaurants, nightclubs and karaokes — venues categorized as high risk — and expanded in-person attendance at schools while upgrading detailed disease prevention guidelines for each facility.

The South Korean government can now enforce mask-wearing in public transportation, hospitals and rallies, and more quickly punish business owners and citizens who flout the rules, thanks to the revised disease control laws that took effect on Tuesday.

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/10/19/925341006/south-korea-eases-coronavirus-restrictions-touts-exceptional-success

Every country who has "touted success" has fallen right back into the thick of it. By reopening those "high risk" activities, it's only a matter of time for the infection to start right back up again, resulting in another shutdown there.

[iluvtennis]

10. Thanks for the additional info - much appreciated. My only point was to say it's not too late to

put in place mechanisms to get a handle on the virus. Trying to counter trump's false narrative that there is no way to handle the virus.

Again, thanks for the clarifying info - I agree with it.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Well what this administration is doing is idiotic

and certainly, Fauci is really sounding the alarm now and getting louder about it, despite being knee-capped and neutered by the people he works for.

It will be difficult for anyone to try to get a handle on it at the moment although I have been following the outbreak in TX and what is going on in El Paso and it seems that there are tiny tiny cracks in the veneers of people like Greg Abbott (moreso than DiSantis in FL) enough to realize that this ain't no game. And especially when you have all those rural areas that only have a handful of ICU beds but dozens and dozens of people needing one of them, meaning they are forced to shop around in the "lawless, riot-prone, run-by-savages blue cities" to find a place to put their overflow patients.

We are seeing what happens, in real time, in all its full ugly glory, when someone cuts off their nose to spite their face, leaving them with only 2 choices - toss the nose to the ground and laugh while they bleed to death, or eat some of that humble pie and ask someone NICELY to help sew it back on again.

[iluvtennis]

12. Yes, it's a very sad state we are in right now. nt

[Evolve Dammit]

5. The anti-maskers and deniers are dragging us all down a very dark future. In many countries.

It's basically the same. Don't tell me what to do. Even when it might save their life or a loved one. Zero ability to understand and zero amount of caring about anyone. Wouldn't be surprised to see people behind them paying them. Same with our "militia" RWNJ's.

[Javaman]

7. I was never really a "prepper" but I have a feeling our winter is going to be nightmarish...

I've always had a fairly big garden, I have since expanded it for the winter, lots of root veggies.

and a few months back we got 25 and 50 pound bags of quinoas, beans, oatmeal and flour. All are now vacuum sealed and in sealed plastic buckets. (and if we never have to use them, fantastic.)

We drive very little now that Mrs. Javaman is on covid leave and I know work from home, but we make sure our tanks are always full in our cars.

we also have a lot of single dollar bills on hand just in the event things get horribly movie disaster bad.

Living in Texas with asshole abbott as my gov, I can never be too careful.

[Lokee11]

9. This is why I believe that ASSHOLE is responsible for more than just the 230,000+ deaths in the U.S.

Maybe I am wrong and over-estimate the amount of influence the U.S. had and to a certain extent continues to have over the rest of the world, but how much of this happening in other countries is because people in those countries see the way the "Americans" are handling it and say "we will follow their lead" ?

If the U.S. would have locked down when they actually knew, many lives would have been saved here, but how many other countries would have also taken quicker precautions that would have saved lives? If the U.S. did not have a substantial amount of Covidiots running around, would the amount of openly stupid jack asses in other countries be lower too? I believe the answer is yes.

When Obama left, the U.S. was very much still looked to for direction and as an example of "how to act" when faced with challenges? I believe now that the leadership is gone, that most countries have recognized that the U.S. is not an example to follow, but I also believe many recognized a bit too late. And in much the same way that these racist Nazi assholes where hiding under their rocks prior to that Orange piece of shit stealing the office and illegally occupying the White House, the idiocy of those in other countries were also allowed to come to the surface for air due to the U.S. example and now it is hard to shove them back below where they belong.

Long Story Short - Orange Orangutan Hitler is not just King of the U.S. Dipshit's but he is King Dipshit of all the Dipshit's in the Entire World!

The worst thing that ever happened was when we let these motherfuckers see the light from under their rocks, should have stomped the fucks back under, when they first came up for even a peek, but because we were either too confident that no one would ever seriously elect a jack ass of Agent Orange's magnitude (especially against arguably the most qualified candidate ever),or too ignorant to the fact that an election can be stolen, or just too blind to the actual amount of slimy fucks that existed among us, we gave them a chance to breathe, we allowed them to think their actions could be acceptable, that it was ok to be the terrible fucks that have previously been shamed into hiding, we allowed them to think it was okay to vote for that Orange Piece of Shit!

This Orange fucker is Hitler 2020 and when people say republican all I hear is Nazi. When dipshit first came down the escalator - anyone who was for him, I told them they need to stay the fuck away from me - and that went for family to "so-called" friends. Either stay the fuck away or stayed hidden under your rock if you are around me, because I do not want your kind here. Was told by my my mother, sister and my wife, that I could not be like, that everyone can have their opinion. Well fine, that may be true, but you better keep your racist, Nazi, fucked up opinion to yourself and under that rock then, because if you show it to me - I am showing you to the fucking door!

One of my elderly fellow employees is seriously scared of a Civil War - she said to me today she just went and stocked up so she can be ready to shelter for after the election and the Civil War - How any one would go to war to fight to have that ignorant stupid pompous trust fund baby punk in charge - is completely beyond my comprehension, but if that is what it takes to make sure my little girls do not have to live in Trumplandia, if I have to die so they can live and be free to control their own body and life - then I am a dead mutherfucker!


Sorry for rambling, sorry if this is not "on topic" just so frustrated with everything right now and living on edge - like I assume many of us!

Yes I am worried, Yes I am scared but -
FDT and all that stand with him!!!

[Tommymac]

13. Conservatism is Criminal.

Sorry but in this Reality that is the Truth.