COVID-19 Update

I think we're all a little burned out from news about the virus, but since this is potentially a real-time take on an historic development, I guess I should at least give a bit of a play-by-play for future readers. Some other weird, unrelated stuff has been happening as well, which I'll make sure to mention.

Where I left things off, the United States had the highest number of confirmed cases, Italy was in second but had the highest number per million, and China was in third, although they carry the weight of creating and failing to contain the initial spread and there is a lot of questions surrounding how they report their numbers. Canada had the 15th highest number of cases, and I was skeptical of India, which has the second largest population with some extremely high population-dense areas, ranking in at #41. Russia also seemed suspect at #33.

Nowadays, the United States still has the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by Brazil, followed by Russia. Brazil has made it clear that it intends to take no countermeasures in response to the virus. This is reflected by the fact that, despite having the second highest number of cases, they have reported performing nine hundred and thirty thousand tests compared to Russia's ten million and the States' seventeen milllion. Meaning they have done less than a tenth of the testing Russia has, and less then a seventeenth that of the States. So they likely have many, many more infected than what they are reporting.

It's been reported that drug cartels in Brazil are enforcing stay-at-home orders. I don't think this is as widely seen as media has portrayed, but it sure invokes a feeling of irony that these criminals are taking the advice of scientific and medical professionals while the government resists.

At least the nation will provide interesting data when the question is asked, "What would happen to a country that didn't react to the COVID-19 pandemic?"

On the opposite side of things, Sweden has taken very few countermeasures, and the world wants to know why they are doing relatively okay.

Russia's been throwing doctors out of windows every once in a while when they complain they don't want to work due to being tested positive for COVID-19 and being reluctant to spread it to their patients. The situation must be more complex than that, but it does kind of indicate what puts them at #3.

India's still doing well, all things considered, but when I last reported, they were at #41, and they are now at #7. Very different placement from before. The amount of testing they've done per million is almost half that of Brazil... which is something to keep in mind.

Before I move on, I do realize that I just put Brazil, Russia, China, India, and kind-of-not-really Italy on blast without touching the United States, the place with the third highest popuation and current highest number of reported cases. I usually try not to get too political on this blog, but since I provided a quick-and-easy low-light reel of five other nations, it would just be unfair to not mention how the States have handled things.

I guess it started when they disbanded their pandemic response unit. When the presidency became aware of the virus, they downplayed it and insisted things were under control. They continued to resist taking preventative measures until things got out of hand, at which point, the president suggested hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial immuno-suppresant which would make the virus far more deadly.

New York City has been the heaviest hit region of the US.

Despite Italy being iconic as the nation that was inexplicably hit hard, the UK and Spain have a harsher cases per, and deaths per million, with similar numbers regarding testing at this time.

As far as good news goes, you should be happy if you live in...

Saint Pierre Miquelon, Anguilla, St. Barth, the Caribbean Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Falkland Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Timor Leste, Eritrea, Macao, French Polynesia, or the Faero Islands.

They have all been exposed to, but have fully recovered from, COVID-19.

Within Canada, Quebec has been our hardest-hit province, with Ontario coming in second. Who had the least? Well, the territory of Nunavut never encountered someone with the virus. So, how much of it did they have? They had none of it! (get it?)

Nowadays, reports are showing that Ontario's outbreak is pretty centred in the Greater Toronto Area at this time. This doesn't give me too much comfort, as I have grandparent, aunts, a girlfriend, cousins, and a niece that live in the Greater Toronto Area.

However, within Guelph, where my mother and brother live, there are no active cases of COVID-19. In Waterloo Region, I understand the general community is relatively safe, with the exception of those in the medical field, long term care residencies, and retirement homes. We're still relaxing too fast, though.

This virus has really exposed the abusive nature of many of our long term care residencies and retirement homes.

I'm feeling tired, so I'll get back to you guys with the Murder Hornets, aliens, and race wars next time