Yep, that's an important point. The main thing is that neither scale should be used to come to firm conclusions about the other. In other words, you can't use the macro scale to come to conclusions about any individual city or region, and you can't use any individual city or region to come to conclusions about the wider scale. For example, looking at a global percentage of infection or mortality and determining that some city's figures must be vastly overinflated, or looking at a city with relatively large numbers and concluding that it will inevitably be the same everywhere.
Yep, that's an important point. The main thing is that neither scale should be used to come to firm conclusions about the other. In other words, you can't use the macro scale to come to conclusions about any individual city or region, and you can't use any individual city or region to come to conclusions about the wider scale. For example, looking at a global percentage of infection or mortality and determining that some city's figures must be vastly overinflated, or looking at a city with relatively large numbers and concluding that it will inevitably be the same everywhere.
This occurred to me after reading the above posts from AI and Joe.
In the Canadian Arctic, namely Nunavut, they have no confirmed cases nor any deaths, yes it's a remote area and a population of just over 39000. But they closed there borders early on notification of the pandemic.
Here is the Wikki page for Nunavut
en.wikipedia.org
Nunavut COVID-19 Case Update
Apr 22/20
Confirmed cases | Probable cases | PUI cumulative total | PUI currently under investigation | PUIs now no longer under investigation |
0 | 0 | 485 | 235 | 250 |
*PUI (Persons Under Investigation) includes all individuals that meet the national PUI definition as well as some others self-monitoring or self-isolating.
www.gov.nu.ca
This article from Nunavut National News from the start from March 17th, some concerns are raised during a meeting with the health minister in Iqaluit (capital of Nunavut)
Nunavut still does not have a case of COVID-19 as of publishing time. But questions from the public are on the rise. That's why Premier Savikataaq and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson are now holding briefings daily.
aptnnews.ca
Iqaluit’s taxis are the de facto public transport for the Nunavut capital. Traditionally, cabbies could pick up another fare while there was still someone else in the cab, because it is a set $8 fee to anywhere in the city.
Iqaluit’s Caribou Cabs announced today that they are no longer making multiple pick-ups on one trip to limit close contact with others.
This is what Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq is hoping for: for Nunavummiut to slow the spread of the pandemic so that Nunavut’s limited healthcare services can keep up with the rate of infection.
Nunavut has notoriously crowded housing. According to the Nunavut Housing Corporation, it would take $2-billion in immediate spending to build enough homes just to break even. Iqaluit’s men’s shelter alone houses more than 50 homeless people nightly in a four-bedroom house.
One near constant question from Nunavut residents is “why not just test everyone and then we’ll know who to isolate?”
According to Dr. Patterson, that is bad science and could pose even more risk.
“If you were exposed on Thursday and swabbed on Saturday, the test will probably come back negative,” explained Patterson. “Four days later when the symptoms appear, people tend to think they don’t have to worry about COVID, and then will spend several days out of isolation, spreading the infection.”
Nunavut’s Baffin Correctional Centre – Iqaluit’s catch all jail and remand centre – was called one of the worst prisons in Canada by the federal auditor general in 2015.
It is over crowded and aging and currently being renovated.
If COVID-19 hit that jail, it would have a captive audience.
“I’ve met with them,” said Dr. Patterson. “We’ve met with them about cleaning and contingency plans should COVID-19 get into a correctional facility.”
Dr. Patterson let the assembled reporters know that the number of outstanding tests is not going to be updated daily anymore, rather every other day to reduce workload on Health Department staff.
This brings up an interesting question from me, we read about some prisons becoming infected with the virus. But when thinks about this, a prison population is essentially on lockdown. So the only way it could have entered the prison is through the prison staff and those with visitation rights.
This from a more recent report concerning the virus dated April 9th from the National Post, couldn't find anything more up to date. When there are no cases and no deaths, it's not newsworthy.
Nunavut still does not have a case of COVID-19 as of publishing time. But questions from the public are on the rise. That's why Premier Savikataaq and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson are now holding briefings daily.
aptnnews.ca
Hickes said Nunavut does have some advantages with a generally young population, but there is also a vulnerable population, such as a high number of people with tuberculosis, which affects lung function.
There’s one hospital in Iqaluit, the territorial capital, and there is no ICU capacity in the province. While Qaqqaq wrote that there are seven ventilators in the territory, Hickes said that most COVID-19 cases needing ventilation or intubation would need to be evacuated.
Nunavut has more or less shut its borders to the rest of Canada. Air travel is the only way to get there. This, in part, made it easier for a travel ban to be put in place and maintained.
Residents who have been in the south must self-isolate at government-designated quarantine sites in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa or Yellowknife before they are allowed to return to the territory. As of April 7, Nunavut said, 431 people were isolated — 246 of them out-of-territory on medical travel.
By contrast Zambia with a population of 18+ million people according to John Hopkins Worldwide Mortality Analysis from yesterdays figures is
74 Confirmed cases and 3 deaths
How does mortality differ across countries? Examining the number of deaths per confirmed case and per 100,000 population. A global comparison.
coronavirus.jhu.edu
This is a listing by each country, and from my perspective, does not warrant a lock down of the world population, the pain and suffering from the social isolation, crashing the world economy, many, many people and families will be suffering economic hardships, a new era of serfdom. Unpredictable food resources to feed nations. Face to face for most medical appoints to see a GP, I suspect will become a thing of the past, online consultations will be utilized. And further dumbing down of children having to make do with virtual classrooms,
Is this is the new reality they are foisting on us, the only way to fight this is by rejecting this reality created by a bunch of pathological s and create our own reality using our minds, networking, loving and caring for one another, and giving help and assistance (if possible) when asked.
for virus
.
