What age are they, how long have they been there, are they obstensibly healthy? How is their recovery going? How many healthy people are in
The mean age for testing positive in Italy is 63, so one would assume that the admission age will be about the same. As for healthy people being admitted, that isn't reported, but given the evidence of those who sadly passed away I would say probably not many.
Unlike "Spanish flu", this virus thankfully doesn't seem to cause issues with a cytokine storm.
I do agree it is a nasty virus for those who get complications, and it is a particularly unpleasant and aggressive form of pneumonia.
Without knowing the specifics it could well be that many of these people lived perfectly normal lives with their ‘condition’ and would’ve lived perfectly normal lives for years had they not got the virus.
That is the big unknown. 50,000 people a month die in the UK, naturally primarily those who are elderly and have underlying medical conditions. How many Coronavirus victims would have been in that 50,000 anyway does not seem to be known.
However, that is in no way politically acceptable whereas putting loads of hospitality and retail workers out of a job might only be temporary.
OK, the serious point being raised in the piece is that we have not done our preparation for this virus outbreak by ensuring that the health service has adequate capacity to deal with a sharp spike in hospital admissions.
Ironic, really, that the generation this illness is really targeting is the generation who have gladly and cheerfully voted for the government who have run down the NHS.
Joking aside, I also think this is inevitably influencing government policy. Who cares if young retail/hospitality workers get thrown under the bus, they don't vote Tory. This government are that cynical.
The effects of mass shutdowns across Europe will be felt for years. And 40% unemployment is going to be a lot worse for more people for longer.