DAY 47: 2020-04-30: Keeping Calm & Carrying On
Keeping Calm & Carrying On
We come towards the end of another week during coronavirus lockdown 2020. Our global predictions are the same as yesterday yet around the world things are changing a mile a minute. There are many speculations about which country is dealing with the crisis best, individuals becoming medical experts overnight and leaving their ‘informed’ opinions all over the internet, and an odd relatable mix of tension and boredom that is simultaneously unifying the planet. At MyTelescope we don’t like fake news, we like facts and BigData analytics to make informed decisions. While this might seem robotic, and maybe even boring to some, we like to think it takes the pressure off. No need to speculate, this is where the virus will spread next, and for people in those countries or areas, please take care. Now let’s round off the week before the official start of spring in Sweden and try keep positive, as the British would say “Keep Calm and Carry On”.
Trump Points the Finger
As the number of fatalities in the U.S. surpass 60,000 trump has turned on China to blame them for their apparent lack of transparency in forewarning Trump about the virus. Trump has now frequently been accused of not responding to the virus quick enough and being better equipped to handle the consequences, but his excuse is that China had a political motive to keep him out of office. The states we predict to be most at risk but keep an eye on our maps next week to see how things progress, and we’ll let you make the decision of who’s at fault here - President Trump or the nation of China. Give us strength.
Breaking News: Brazil’s President Cannot Perform Miracles
For those of you in doubt it has now been confirmed that the President of Brazil cannot in fact perform miracles, although he rightfully pointed out that his middle name is Messias. Groundbreaking. Brazil is the country suffering hardest from the coronavirus in South America for several weeks now, partly due to the size of the population and particularly the high percentage that lives in favelas with terrible infrastructure, but also because the President is defiant that the economy should remain open and supported. Bolsonaro has previously descried the coronavirus as a “little flu”, however, he he must be chewing his own words now at the end of April as on Tuesday over 5000 people were confirmed to have died.
Numbers Rise in Nigeria
Nigeria remains the most at risk country predicted in Africa, however, in much of Africa and also in the most developed parts of the world, much about the coronavirus pandemic is unclear. This includes the knock-on health complications it may cause, how far it has actually spread, and whether antibodies can deliver long-lasting immunity.
The figures cited that measure the extent of COVID-19 in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa generally indicate a low level of spread, but this is at least partly driven by low levels of testing. Nigeria, with around 200 million people, had conducted just under 12,000 tests as of April 26th. Meanwhile, Botswana, with a population around 1 percent that of Nigeria, had conducted over 5,000 tests as of April 23, and South Africa, a quarter of Nigeria's population, had conducted around 185,000 as of April 28. Both the latter countries are apparently exceptions but nevertheless it’s hard to judge the reality of the situation.
As of April 29, Nigeria has recorded over 1,300 cases, with 40 deaths attributed to COVID-19. However, in Kano, the country’s second-largest city, its first case was registered on April 11 and since then grave diggers had reported what appeared to be an abnormally high number of deaths. After investigation, the deaths were to a variety of preexisting conditions, and coronavirus seemed to have been ruled out, but according to the BBC “no official death records are kept,” making it difficult to attribute a death to COVID-19.
Sweden Stops the Party
Today in Sweden the country celebrates the end of winter and the first day of spring, Valborg. Usually everybody lights bonfires and has a party, but this year the police have made sure to put a stop to it. In the city of Lund in southern Sweden, the city park has been spread with chicken poo to prevent the normal crowd of 30,000 people gathering to celebrate. What party poopers!
Read the article here:
We are sending our thoughts to those in high risk areas, please take care.
Other Interesting News on the Coronavirus:
You have to work in an office!? Coronavirus & Work:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/29/how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-will-impact-the-future-of-work.html
Remember a year ago when I thought I would work in the city! Coronavirus & Younger Generations:
Will you have to re-learn everything you thought you knew? Coronavirus & the World:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200331-covid-19-how-will-the-coronavirus-change-the-world
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51768274
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/30/uk/tom-moore-100-birthday-scli-intl-gbr/index.html
https://globalnews.ca/news/6886083/trump-china-reelection-race-coronavirus/
https://www.cfr.org/blog/how-nigeria-has-responded-covid-19-so-far