https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_South

It's basically the accepted term in academic and policy circles for what we used the call the "3rd world" (which is vaguely insulting, and doesn't really make sense since the fall of European Communism anyway).

I thought I was missing something thanks

And?

It does not at all follow that comparison should be done in a vacuum. So this point has no bearing on expecting the USA to do better than the countries listed.

Ole Brian Kemp and Georgia back in the news again....

Bless his heart.

Oh damn Texans are fat. Oh wait, that’s Houston, oh wait that’s where I live.

I’m confused about the point you and JinX11 are trying to make then.

It is true US right now has a lot more per capita cases and deaths than almost every country in the global south.

But covid has a pattern of starting as a disease of affluence before spreading down the economic spectrum.
It has just started exploding in the global south in the last few weeks, not because countries like Brazil and Pakistan have done a good job containing it, just because that is the pattern of this virus.

So I’m just saying that we can’t yet conclude that the US has done a better or worse job than the most populous countries in the global south, because we don’t really have any clue about the shape of the epidemic in those countries yet.

Its not hard, you cant hold the countries to the same standard reutcomes.

If Indian and Yanklandia have the same DPM that is damning for Yanklandia.

Surely this does not need to be explained.

O.A.F.K.1.1 has got my point exactly right. USA#1 isn't supposed to be on the same tier as many of the countries you listed or the "Global South", right?

I agree, Nick, that this thing has a long road ahead for many countries. Again, however, by the numbers, for the world to catch up to USA#1's deaths as a function of its % world population, there'll have to be roughly another 2M deaths coming worldwide (roughly 5.8 times the current death number). I guess we'll see....

With that in mind, I find it funny when a person claims both "this ain't so bad" and "USA is handling this well" (not accusing you of this, Nick). By the numbers, these statements cannot both be true.

But the US has way fewer deaths per capita than Belgium, UK, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, or Ireland? I'm not sure what point you guys are making.

Those countries are further down their growth curve though so most of their deaths have already happened. The US has over 1M active cases. Give us a month then check in on our deaths per capita. Also California doing the right thing so far has taken 60M people largely out of the equation.

The point was raised that USA has a high total deaths number, someone says K, but India and Brazil might have bigger. So its said well sure but you would expect them too.

Your point actually speaks to our point. That in comparisons are about qualities of what you are comparing not just numbers.

So If yanklandia has better DPM than UK etc, developed nations, that reflects favourably, if it has worse DPM than second world India, not so much. Thats it really.

So, there are other countries that have also handled it poorly? Sure. Agreed. Including Italy on that list seems a bit disingenuous as this whole thing kinda got started there, but okay. Sweden declared "**** it" a while back, so not seeing that apples to apples.

My point was that USA #1 is a **** show and it ranks very highly on a list we wouldn't want to rank highly. I think that my point was pretty clear, though you may disagree with it. Is your point that because USA#1 isn't #1 on the per capita deaths list and, accordingly, that we're doing well?

We'll just have to agree to disagree then.

I actually think we shouldn’t expect most global south countries to have a higher death rate than the US (or most European countries) even if we compare them at similar points on their growth curve.

This is a disease that overwhelmingly tilts toward killing older people. And the US has a much older population than most global south countries, and this a much larger fraction of its population is inherently vulnerable.

It’s comparable to looking at death rates for Alzheimers disease. The US has a much higher fatality rate from Alzheimers than India or Brazil or Nigeria. The country with the highest rate in the world is Finland. This obviously isn’t because India and Brazil and Nigeria are much better than the US or Finland at treating Alzheimers patients or preventing the diease. It’s just because a much larger portion of their population has died of something else before they could get Alzheimers. I would imagine the pattern of deaths from covid will prove to be similar.

TR from the Ozarks:

TLDR: We're ****ed.

If this thing doesn't die out due to warm weather, or inability to deal with the Heartland's immune system, we are properly ****ed.

Memorial day weekend is typically a busy weekend at the lake, and the official beginning of boating season, but I've never seen anything like this weekend.

People are out, the pandemic is over, the party is on, and they have a lot of pent up energy. People here want to shake your hand and give you a hug. Every lake house, bar, dock, or church was full today. Neighbors who were talking to me about social distancing and wearing masks two weeks ago all had houses full of kids, and grandkids, coming in from all over to spend the weekend.

I was invited to 3 parties. Two of the invitations specified they were limiting the party to 10 people, and only people they knew, to prevent anyone from getting sick...I passed. The house 2 doors down had at least 30 people there for the entire weekend. I haven't seen a single mask anywhere.

I've been limiting my number of outings but have had to go out for work some. I noticed when things first opened up here a couple weeks ago that every business and gas station had put up plexiglass screens, or shower curtains. I had to go to a couple of those same places on Friday and all of the screens had been taken down.

We're located directly between KC and STL, the two covid hotspots in the state. All of those people showed up to their vacation homes, our bars, and our stores, this weekend.

It's over!

ICWYDT

That's an interesting report.

I was in a vacationland but not open area of Michigan yesterday and drove along a beach/park area to see the high water. Lots of people at the beach but they seemed pretty well spread out. Lines at ice cream stands and such were also surprisingly well spread out.

Then again I saw a ton of people with Ohio, Indiana and Illinois plates headed up north where bars and restaurants just reopened, maybe things are more like de captain's experience around there.

People today are too selfish. 1 day amazon deliveries, every song, book, and movie available instantly in your pocket. We are soft as baby **** these days.

I live in MA, a well educated hot spot. My neighbors currently have 15 cars parked on the street. Currently playing beer pong and drinking out of the cups.

Worst of all they have awful taste in music!

People have always been this selfish, hans.

Apparently you've never talked to anyone from the greatest generation.

I believe that they believe they were less selfish.

Asymptomatic carrier exposed to 455 others....none infected. TWO MORE WEEKS though right guys /s

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3240...Vl150e4CbMo0cg

Greatest Generation raised the Baby Boomers so that probably makes them the 2nd WOAT generation.

One symptomatic person they studied wasn't infectious. Ok. That would be great news if some or even more asymptomatic people aren't that infectious.

Counterpoints: Italy, China, Iran, NYC all happened. There are plenty of times where people who claim to be asymptomatic infected a bunch other people at restaurants, choir practices, etc.

I appreciate you breathlessly running in here to keep us up to date with whatever is fresh off the presses in the derposphere. But it really is something resembling trolling when you just drive-by with these things every few days then completely ignore all the responses.

what a ridiculous statement that is.

How do they get away with titling this paper “A Study on Infectivity of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Carriers” when they literally only studied one carrier?