How many weeks? Just so we can revisit, if we haven’t been culled.

Peter and a few others suggested earlier and I think it's an interesting theory but I’m no expert. The smoking connection has merit?

I was reading something earlier about how many people are estimated to die each year because of air pollution - it's several million and it gives a sense of proportion

I just wonder if air pollution in industrialised China might make their lungs more susceptible to a virus like CV19. If the virus does get everywhere (which still seems is likely) perhaps those living in the most air polluted parts will (there will of course be other variables like level of healthcare, numbers of older or younger people) suffer disproportionately.

So when you see this part of Italy is prone to serious pollution levels both air and waterborne.

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/humanimprints/slide_17.html

Could there be a connection? Maybe a new hotspot will be LA and Mexico City?

Could personal hygiene also be a factor as well apart from handwashing? I mention this because I know a couple of people who’ve been in the military and this factor was an essential part of their training. Though it’s not always adhered to as this study shows.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944032/

Maybe now's the time to relaunch Izal. Surely no one in their right mind would stockpile that stuff would they?

https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XOsAeBEAAEMRUqpd 

Back to the bidet then.

It does all seem to be getting a tiny bit out of hand. There's a growing danger the cure becomes worse than the disease.

Has Justin got a fever?

But I would agree that the gutter press (I include the Telegraph which has become a joke paper) is merely now reflecting public hysteria rather than creating it

Throughout human history, panic and hysteria spread like wildfire in certain situations, through word of mouth, long before newspapers came into being

Don't mock, people have forgotten the London riots of 2011. That took off in hours and normally law abiding citizens turned into zombies because they wanted free stuff

Now its more serious, as the plebs think they will not have food etc, so they will kill if necessary

This is going to be a life changing period for many of us. Not Brexit!

Makes you wonder why Corbyn and Swinson decided to give Boris his election in Dec

If they had just waited!

Fortunately for Sanders, this is perfect timing. If the US healthcare system collapses, his radical policies might become accepted by the masses 

I thought you told us this was nothing to worry about

Brian, I'll go with your 0% record of correct sensationalist predictions so shall we pass on this one too?

Indeed, we think we are civilised and "better" than previous societies and generations, but we are still animals and when push comes to shove, the animal instinct takes over and we are ready to do anything to protect our "tribe" 

I'm leaving this shithole country called England anyway and perhaps moving up there to escape the Brexit hordes. Is Aberdeen a nice place to live?

They have some terrific weather up there I have been told.

Roger

Yes, although apparently the weather is awful (especially at weekends). We do have two or three cases of Covid-19 currently however.

Edit: Roger beat me to it. 

You’ve been promising us this for years. Instead you just stay put and carry on the whining like a baby!

Get used to food rationing

Watch new Chancellor @RishiSunak tell @SophyRidgeSky @RidgeOnSunday why the government isn’t even contemplating extending the Brexit transition period as a result of Coronavirus

- Essentially he thinks businesses have had enough time and help pic.twitter.com/nO7nHN7Vwg

— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) March 8, 2020

I propose an emergency TWO meet up and we go and steal Justin's stockpile.

Brexiters at the front so they get the brunt of the shooting. 

You won’t get beyond the trench of burning oil

It must be dodgy data, the Germans are hiding their dead! 

It's certainly an unusual statistic compared to the rest of the world.  

I may be wrong, but I think when Brian makes these predictions, his tongue is firmly in cheek.

Surely after last night’s news the FCO need to advice against all but essential travel to the whole of Lombardy etc? 

A lot of people will need to cancel holidays now and will need to be covered by their insurers. 

I only made the promise last year if Boris won. Ian Brown also did so and seems to have disappeared

I am tooled up like you and ready to fight. I have been since my cars were broken into outside my house last Summer, I have CCTV evidence of the 2 teenage scroats, but the police didn't even bother to investigate

This area has turned chavvy with many young people unable to speak properly and constantly looking at Instagram

When these hordes come knocking to steal my stuff, I will be ready and ready to die if necessary

Rishi Sunak telling me as a self employed person to apply for Universal credit if I can't get to work because of the virus crisis. F##k off.

My comment was tongue in cheek obviously, Germany has a superb healthcare system and a high number of ICUs, so they will probably have fewer deaths than other countries. The concentration of infections also seems very important, Lombardy is now like Hubei. I just checked the data (per 100k people) and I was surprised and dismayed at how few ICU beds does the NHS have actually. I imagine though that this is just one aspect and that the NHS must have some flexibility?

Germany: 29.2
Luxembourg: 24.8
Austria: 21.8
Belgium: 21.4
Lithuania: 15.5
Croatia: 14.7
Estonia: 14.6
Hungary: 13.8
**ITALY**: 12.5
Bulgaria: 11.6
France: 11.6
Czech Republic: 11.6
Cyprus: 11.4
Switzerland: 11
Spain: 9.7
Latvia: 9.7
Slovakia: 9.2
Iceland: 9.1
Norway: 8
Andorra: 7.1
Poland: 6.9
Denmark: 6.7
**UNITED KINGDOM**: 6.6
Iceland: 6.5
Slovenia: 6.4
Netherlands: 6.4
Finland: 6.1
Greece: 6
Sweden: 5.8
Portugal: 4.5

EUROPE AVERAGE: 11.5

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-012-2627-8