Coronavirus Pandemic Could Cause Deepest Recession On Record, Bank Warns
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
If that is the bad news, what do I make of the sub-title of the article?
Economy projected to bounce back with 15 per cent growth in 2021
That would certainly be a lot better.
But is it feasible?
Readers of this blog, will know, that I regularly flag up ideas, that could help us all, create a greener planet.
Only yesterday, I wrote two articles about Equipmake; a company based in Norfolk, that aims to improve electric transport.
I can see a lot of these green ideas coming to fruition in the second half of this year, fuelled by copious thinking during the lockdown, furlough and the teaching of children. I believe the average guys and girls in the UK and the wider world will have been thinking hard about their future and that of the only planet we’ve got to live on.
This leads me to a green bounce, driven by renewable energy, energy storage, zero-carbon transport, fast internet, energy-efficient housing and other proven concepts.
I suspect though, it could be implemented in some new ways, which only now are being developed.
For every Equipmake, Highview Power, ITM Power and Riding Sunbeams how many other ideas are in development waiting to emerge?
There is also the question of finance.
- I think, that there are a lot of people, who because they have a reserved occupation or a good pension, when we come fully out of lockdown, will have sensible money to spend.
- Spending large amounts is difficult at present.
- Some may have the money in the bank which was reserved for this year’s holiday of a lifetime.
Prudence, would say they might spend it on low-risk purchases and not on expensive exotic holidays, where they might get trapped in a second spike of COVID-19.
Could we see a lot more sales of zero-carbon cars, solar panels, house batteries and air source heat pumps?
Installing these would need a lot of qualified builders, electricians and fitters.
Equipmake And HiETA Developing New Motor With 20kW/kg Power Density With Additive Manufacturing
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Green Car Congress.
This is the introductory paragraph.
UK-based electrification company, Equipmake, has teamed up with additive manufacturing organization HiETA to develop a next-generation motor as part of a project grant-funded by Innovate UK.
Additive manufacturing is 3D-printing by another name. This has come to the fore in the COVID-19, where schools, colleges and individuals have been using it to produce PPE.
Equipmake and HiETA are printing exotic alloys in intricate shapes to create the powerful motor.
Additive manufacturing is starting an amazing revolution. How many other common products can be redesigned to be more efficient and manufactured at lower cost.
China And US Snub Global Talks On Vaccine
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
Judging by the list of those that turned up to the talks, the United States and China care less about the health of their people and the wider world than Saudi Arabia.
My Equilibrium INR Has Risen Under Lockdown
For something like four years my Warfarin regime has been to take 4 mg. every day and to self test every Monday and Friday. It has been a simple regime that has worked well and my INR has stayed between two and three, with 2.4-2.6 being the common readings.
In other words what I would call as a Control Engineer, my equilibrium INR is spot on.
In the past, I have noticed that in times of hot weather my INR has tended to rise and in times of cold weather, it has occasionally dropped. A change of dose to three or five mg. has generally kicked it back towards 2.5 mg.
Doctors and this Control Engineer would say that you shouldn’t chase the INR by constantly changing the dose.
Warfarin also seems to have a cumulative property. A couple of years, I had to have a small operation. I dropped the INR to 2.1 for the operation over three days, by cutting back to 3 mg. After the operation three days at 5 mg. brought it back to 2.5.
Under lockdown, my equilibrium INR rose initially to 3 on a dose of 4 mg. every day.
In a telephone conversation with my GP, we agreed to alternate the dose between 3 and 4 mg. every day. My INR now seems to be stabilising between 2.5 and 2.8.
Why has my equilibrium INR risen under lockdown?
My house can get hot, as it wasn’t designed and built correctly and because of that I am drinking a lot of fluids. When I prick my finger for the self-test, the blood seems more watery than usual, so are all those fluids diluting my blood and causing my INR to rise?
Bodies can’t disobey the laws of physics!
Oh! For a walk by the sea in the sun!
Is The New Routemaster A Better Bus For COVID-19?
I went to the Angel today and rode on a New Routemaster.
It almost seemed it was a bus designed for social distancing.
- I sat in one of the sets of four seats on the lower deck, by myself.
- The other set, also had a single occupant.
- The driver is safely behind a barrier and two metres from passengers.
- Entry and exit is by rear and centre doors only.
- The buses were designed for entry and exit at all doors.
I’d certainly be happy to travel on one of these buses.
Northern Cities And COVID-19
If you look at the official Government statistics for the total number of cases of COVID-19, as of May 3rd, the number of cases in the two major cities in the North West as follows.
- Leeds – 1463 out of a city population of 789,194 (0.18%) and a metro population of 2,638,127 (0.05%)
- Liverpool – 1454 out of a city population of 494,814 (0.29%) and a metro population of 2,241,000 (0.06%)
- Manchester – 1154 out of a city population of 547,627 (0.21%) and a metro population of 3,748,274 (0.03%)
- Newcastle – 939 out of a city population of 300,196 (0.31%) and a metro population of 1,650,000 (0.06%)
- Nottingham – 537 out of a city population of 321,500 (0.17%) and a metro population of 1,610,000 (0.03%)
- Sheffield – 2191 out of a city population of 582,506 (0.38%) and a metro population of 1,569,000 (0.14%)
Note.
- All populations come from Wikipedia.
- Why is Liverpool 40% worse than Manchester?
- Why is Sheffield the worst?
I will add a few smaller towns andcities.
- Blackpool – 465 out of an urban population of 139,720 (0.33%)
- Caldervale – 252 out of an urban population of 200,100 (0.13%)
- Hull – 469 out of a city population of 260,645 (0.18%)
- Middlesbrough – 566 out of an urban population of 174,700 (0.32%)
- Stoke-on-Trent – 509 out of a city population of 255,833 (0.20%)
- York – 315 out of a city population of 209,893 (0.15%)
I’d like to see full statistics plotted on a map or a scatter diagram.
The latter is a very powerful way to plot data and often they highlight data points that lie outside the underlying pattern of the data.
Acting Quickly Can Reduce Coronavirus Death Toll In Care Homes
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Care homes account for almost half of all coronavirus deaths in several European countries but the number of future deaths can be reduced if measures are taken, research has found.
Between 42 per cent and 57 per cent of deaths from the virus in Italy, Spain, France, Ireland and Belgium happened in care homes, figures show.
But the article also says that Hong Kong acted quickly, after the experience of the 2003 Sars epidemic, and have had no deaths in care homes.
It appears we can learn from the experiences of other countries.
It is also my view, that the typical care home model in lots of countries is not fit for purpose!
We need a new design, that can be locked down quickly in a civilised manner.
Should Campaigning Against Vaccination Be Made A Crime Against Humanity?
Boris is reported today on the BBC and in The Times, as saying that a coronavirus vaccine is the only way we will win.
Boris is totally right!
We will not be safe until everybody is vaccinated. Vaccination has virtually conquered diseases like smallpox, polio and measles.
Perhaps campaigning against vaccination, should be a crime against humanity!
I live in Hackney, where there is a lot of measles, caused by people being against the MMR vaccine. Will these idiots accept a vaccine for Covid-19?
Birthday Parties And Weddings Among Most Risky Coronavirus ‘Super‑Spreader’ Events
The title of this post is the same as this article in The Sunday Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The party could be over for a while. Scientists have found that family celebrations such as birthdays and weddings, and gatherings of similar size, are among the deadliest ways to spread Covid-19. Indoor gatherings of 10 to 30 people allow one person carrying the virus to infect up to 10 others.
I doubt we’ll have gatherings of people, until we are all vaccinated.
A Surprising Question From A Doctor
I must have been about twenty-five, when I caught both chickenpox and measles at the same time from two of my children. Or I did think, that was the case, but the two youngest children must have had the MMR vaccine.
I remember, that I spent fourteen days on the sofa hardly moving, which is very unlike me.
After I was feeling better, I went to see my GP, who thought it was all over.
He then asked me if I gave blood. I replied that I didn’t!
It was only a couple of years later, when I was watching a documentary about children with leukaemia, that I heard a possible reason for his question.
- The documentary said that they gave blood with antibodies to childhood diseases to children undergoing chemotherapy.
- And my blood with both measles and chickenpox might have been very useful.
I’m publishing this post, as it has been announced today, that COVID-19 is to be treated with blood plasma, from survivors of the disease.
This article on the BBC, which is entitled Coronavirus: Thousands Signal Interest In Plasma Trial, gives more details.
The Anonymous Widower 