We have been lucky so far

Why bother quarantining the over 60 as no other country does this as far as I know Those rules mentioned above will not be followed and the virus will just be brought back to the quarantined .... so the theory that we would fill up the ICU beds (such as they are) will happen anyway. I will cease following the quarantine rules and take my chances so yes open up the economy and lets dance

 

Here is one of many articles that covers most of the points I mentioned in my previous post.
https://theconversation.com/what-coronavirus-success-of-taiwan-and-iceland-has-in-common-140455
This second link is less detailed on the things that Taiwan did but I have included it because it gives a good explanation of the political reasons why Taiwan is not part of the WHO.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/04/asia/taiwan-coronavirus-response-who-intl-hnk/index.html
Politics should not be part of the solution to a science problem but it is.

 

duterte will address the nation monday the 17th. he states the country does not have any money left to continue to strict quarentine in manila and surrounds. so logical to expect some easing of the rules in that area at least.

also the latest philstar report is that 2115 filipiinos have died of covid. i think its correct that around 600,000 filipinos die each year from all causes. there would be no human civilization at all if we always reacted to every threat as we have to covid. a strong economy is the first defense against any and all threats that a nation faces.

 

Oops, edited because my post was not complete.

Example source corruption kills people, estimated around 3.6 million per year
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-29040793

Most deadly virus is still hiv killing around 1 million per year according this site
https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death

 

I think people may have been confused as you stated "killing more people than any virus disease does" but qualified that later by naming HIV as the VIRUS you were writing about.

But that is also preventable in most cases - just wearing something akin to a face mask but in a different place (i.e. a 'barrier').

Anyway, this source (May 2018 but gives figures for 2016)

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

states that HIV is no longer in the top 10.

"Of the 56.9 million deaths worldwide in 2016, more than half (54%) were due to the top 10 causes. Ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the world’s biggest killers, accounting for a combined 15.2 million deaths in 2016. These diseases have remained the leading causes of death globally in the last 15 years.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claimed 3.0 million lives in 2016, while lung cancer (along with trachea and bronchus cancers) caused 1.7 million deaths. Diabetes killed 1.6 million people in 2016, up from less than 1 million in 2000. Deaths due to dementias more than doubled between 2000 and 2016, making it the 5th leading cause of global deaths in 2016 compared to 14th in 2000.

Lower respiratory infections remained the most deadly communicable disease, causing 3.0 million deaths worldwide in 2016. The death rate from diarrhoeal diseases decreased by almost 1 million between 2000 and 2016, but still caused 1.4 million deaths in 2016. Similarly, the number of tuberculosis deaths decreased during the same period, but is still among the top 10 causes with a death toll of 1.3 million. HIV/AIDS is no longer among the world’s top 10 causes of death, having killed 1.0 million people in 2016 compared with 1.5 million in 2000.

Road injuries killed 1.4 million people in 2016, about three-quarters (74%) of whom were men and boys."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many of those deaths were related to pathogens, mostly viruses and bacteria, even if not a direct cause, and many were preventable.

I hope no one ever quotes death figures for Covid-19 in respect of 'other deaths being more common' because if some degree of control had NOT been brought in for Covid-19 then it is a strong guess the deaths would have been in the millions (and still may be).

 

HIV is still a major pandemic in the world. if you enjoy sleuthing, check the groups with the highest HIV infection rate. throughout the world drug users and sex workers are typically at the top of every country. in the phils, the third highest group is overseas workers (is what i have read)

it is my belief, as you say, the corruption kills. in the case of an entire country who has to send a significant part of its work force overseas, i am assuming most for menial labor. it is dangrous work for many.

 

what you say may be true. but if the phils has invested 20 percent of its gnp to fight on behalf of 2000 deaths i hope we would agree it cannot do the same tomorrow when another virus presents itself. the US has apparently donated more than 20 percent of its economy and a huge multiple absoute dollar amount. it too cannot do the same again tomorrow when disease X presents.

what would the impact have been on existing dieases in either country with the same investment?

in the seventies, there was a national debate on spending millions (now billions) on kidney disease treatment (dialysis) or the same money on research to prevent kidney disease?

we have to accept as a fact that many of these issues are either/or questions. we cannot do everything or save every life. the response to covid has weakened human civilization on the entire planet. not the diease but the insane mindless reponse to it

 

Just a thought Guys and Gals