Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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Some of the most interesting reports that have come out so far have been on smaller towns where the entire population has been tested and again and again they come out with figures that indicate that at least 15% of the population in the smaller towns have been exposed to the virus, although the vast majority of them never showed any symptoms. One British researcher indicated that they thought, and I think this figure is probably too high, that 50% of the British population had already been exposed to this particular coronavirus. The obvious implication though of those reports is that it does not kill as many people as we thought initially and that there are huge numbers of people, which will include some of my staff, who had the coronavirus and have simply never known about it, while panicking and arguing about somebody who may have sneezed or coughed in the office before the lockdown! That is to be expected and let’s be honest, that’s human nature. It is often the person who complains about others that is, unbeknown to them, actually positive and the person they are complaining about may just be suffering a little bit from an allergic season.
I always take an approach of trying to be very careful before I criticise somebody else because you never know when it will be you. I don’t want to say for example that it appears that it might be as few as 1 out of 300 people that die when they get the coronavirus, because I am asthmatic and I am aware that that 1 out of 300 people may be me. If however you told me that the real risk of catching the disease and dying from it turns out to be approximately 1 out of 300 or 0,3%, which is what some of the surveys show, then I would not really be worried about it. I am after all an attorney who makes his money out of motor accidents and I am well aware that the risks of driving to and from the office every day, and eventually being injured or perhaps killed, probably exceed 0,3%. That does not mean in any way that I am dismissing the seriousness of the disease, but what I am pointing out is that every indication we are seeing indicates that a lot more people have it and the statistics we are reading in South Africa cannot possibly be true – and they start unfortunately with a very low percentage of the population have been tested. We will need to test 590,000 people before we can say we have even tested 1% of the population and I ask you how long do you think it will be before South Africa has tested only 1% of the population?
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Tuesday 28-Apr-20
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Comments
Danielle said:
on Thursday 28-May-20 04:41 PM
The stats that we are getting can never be correct because some people have the virous and don't even know it. This is why it is best to keep your distance and try to keep safe.
Daniella said:
on Tuesday 12-May-20 07:32 AM
symptoms don't always show that is why social distancing is so important
Ziyanda said:
on Monday 11-May-20 03:42 PM
The stats are obviously not accurate but are bound to go up especially with the winter season starting.
Helen said:
on Sunday 10-May-20 09:51 PM
Lets all face it that we are going to winter months and all of us will start getting symptoms of flu or allergies so it is does not mean that we are all infected. If yes there is a high chance to recover!
Angelique said:
on Friday 08-May-20 09:04 AM
I get it though, people are constantly looking at me weird thinking I have corona when really it is just my allergies. At the end of the day though I feel that the lockdown was just to get them prepared and now they will allow us all to slowly get penetrated... lol. It's not funny but at the end of the day most people will get it, some will survive and some won't.
Bianca Taljaard said:
on Friday 08-May-20 08:44 AM
I think a lot of people have been exposed to the virus already and didn't even know it, I know of someone that went to the doctor for an infection, not feeling most of the symptoms and ended up having the virus.
Kathryn said:
on Thursday 07-May-20 06:45 PM
I agree with Prishani, many South Africans remain uneducated about the virus and as such are unlikely to seek medical attention when they get sick or experience any of the known symptoms of the virus.
Lourien said:
on Thursday 07-May-20 04:18 PM
Like they say the stats will start to reflect when it is too late and this will probably be in the middle of the winter when the temperature drops.
We are trying to implement so many precautionary measures but the fact of the matter is that each person needs to be responsible for protecting themselves as well as the person next to them.
One of the hardest things I have found is not to touch my face, the second hardest thing is not ordering pizza when they have opened fast foods again.
Prishani said:
on Thursday 07-May-20 12:07 PM
So many South Africans don't have access to basic needs let alone access to information or even the news. I have no doubt that they are many more cases in our country. I think educating people on the virus is also key in order to prevent it.
Clare said:
on Thursday 07-May-20 08:12 AM
Following my first comment on the first blog made on this topic, I don't believe that Government Hospitals care about people, the amount of bad remarks about these hospitals am sure more people chose to die at home with this illness then go die at the hospital. And i also agree with Nikita, they have neglected the medical system for way to long and now look at what we are sitting with.
Nikita said:
on Wednesday 06-May-20 04:42 PM
Unfortunately our medical system has been neglected for so many years that it will be impossible for us to ever accurately calculate percentages and risks. Majority of the people do not have access to healthcare in the sense that they have to travel or wait in line for days so we would never know the real number of virus contractions.
Victoria said:
on Wednesday 06-May-20 03:41 PM
I agree some people might of been exposed to the virus already and not even have known. Maybe symptoms will show later on or not at all, we all just going to have to wait and see.
Natasha said:
on Wednesday 06-May-20 03:28 PM
A lot of people don't know that they have it because they have minor symptoms and think that they just have a cold or a normal flu.Then you get the people that doesn't go to the doctor at all. Some people doesn't even know that they have the virus maybe they just carry the virus and no one even knows.
Bianca Niemann said:
on Tuesday 05-May-20 04:30 PM
In my opinion there are a lot of people who had it or maybe still has it and is treating it themselves, not knowing that they have this virus. I would think those people especially who hate going to the doctor. Scary how inaccurate these stats can be.
Sinead said:
on Tuesday 05-May-20 12:20 PM
The stats we see are most definitely not accurate. What about all those people with symptoms that self-medicated and recovered in silence? No one recorded that they were even infected let alone recovered.
Melissa said:
on Monday 04-May-20 01:45 PM
We will never know the correct statistics, and we have to prepare ourselves that this pandemic is far from over and we have to take all the precautions that we possibly can to stay healthy
Karien said:
on Monday 04-May-20 07:59 AM
In countries such as South Africa with many citizens with underlying conditions, the stats will be further form the truth. I believe South Africa is trying its best, but the public should also know the stats can be much higher than the numbers given to us.
sandra said:
on Thursday 30-Apr-20 03:02 PM
I do not think the statistics given in SOuth Africa are true and correct. However, I also believe that there will be climb in rates in the next month or two again, for which everyone has to prepare as best as possible
Alexis said:
on Thursday 30-Apr-20 02:31 PM
We are behind in when our first case was acknowledged, the information provided will never be accurate to say the least. Though, i do feel that we are doing all we can with the limitations we have as well.
Roxanne said:
on Thursday 30-Apr-20 03:32 AM
I do not think we will know the correct statistics. But lets just hope it ends soon
Claudia B said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 12:15 PM
Let's hope that we can go back to living the new normal soon, I don't think everyone has the correct stats about the virus.
Jolene said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 11:46 AM
Our figures are definitely not accurate. I don't think it is possible to get an accurate number. We just have to take the necessary precautions regardless of the number of confirm cases.
Shristi said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 10:09 AM
I honestly do not think that the statistics will ever be accurate! As much as new infections are records, there are many people that are recovering.
Brenda Strydom said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 09:20 AM
I must say I don't agree with our stats for the Covid 19 at the moment.I am sure there are a lot more people out there who have the virus.Let's hope hat they can get an cure for this virus as soon as possible.
fikile said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 09:15 AM
I don't think the status is going to go down anytime soon because people are not well educated about the virus and well to them it doesn't even exist, i don't even think the lock down is going to end anytime soon because people are still breaking the rules of the lock down that is another reason why the status is going up and still will go up.
Ashleigh said:
on Wednesday 29-Apr-20 08:45 AM
I always check the worldmeter and the US is always the highest in all areas and yes I feel its because they actually doing what it takes to get a clearer indication on stats then what most countries are doing. US is only the highest worldwide because they actually doing everything possible to get stats and if we had to do the same, we would certainly see different stats. If we have not reached even 1% of our population and we have +4k cases and +90 deaths then what could 5% show. Stats will always be on a + - and never be 100% but it is always better to have a little bit more indication then near nothing especially when decisions need to be made on the economy.
Joyce said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 04:52 PM
I think there will never be correct statistics about Covid 19 since there have not been correct figures from beginning of the reports about this disease. I think any disease goes with a stigma it’s always been judgmental even with a disease like Covid 19 that is found in the air that can kill any one. Let's hope the cure be discovered soon.
Megan said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 04:16 PM
I don't agree with our stats either. We can never be too sure, but we can all only do what we're told at this point. I hope after level 4 we do not revert to level 5 again...
Mathilda said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 03:18 PM
One will never know the "true” statistics as so many people who have COVID-19 will not even know they had it.
The statistics for deaths that has been put out has also been discussed by several news channels as some of the deaths that have been reported had underlying conditions and some was not even confirmed to have had COVID-19.
Melandre said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 01:01 PM
I do not think the statistics will ever be correctly put forth. I am sure there are a lot of people out there who contracted the virus and took necessary precautions and steps and have gotten better, or who healed without evening knowing they had the virus and simply thought it was a bad flu.
Henrietta said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 12:07 PM
That will remain to be seen, but in my opinion it ill be a long time before we reach the 1 percent. I am one of those who is currently suffering with allergy as I do every year this time and the looks you get from people when you sneeze makes you feel guilty for sneezing in the first place even if you have your mask on and sneezing in your elbow.
Courtney said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 10:35 AM
I think the stats of covid 19 will never be on point. People heal, others get I'll. It;s like a gamble, up and down all the time.
I wish it could stand still!
Michelle Smillie said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 08:37 AM
I have severe sinusitis and rhinitis and suffer from sinus infections every year this time. I've been saying since this all started that we will be treated as if we have Covid-19 because we also sneeze and cough a lot. Just last week it became time for me to go to the Doctor for antibiotics and cortisone nebuliser capsules - and I was even chased out of the rooms because of my cough. I was treated with such precaution, except by the Doctor who could very quickly see it is just a recurrence from last year. I can only guess how many people who saw me thought I was gonna make them sick because the symptoms are the same, and this also translates at work and school environments, as you said yourself.
Michelle D said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 08:30 AM
We will have to wait sufficient time before we calculate any definite statistics because at this stage we have no idea how many people actually have Covid-19 and we do not have an outcome for many of the cases. I do not believe any statistics coming out right now - whether it be the amount of cases around the world or the alleged mortality rate.
Nicolle said:
on Tuesday 28-Apr-20 07:45 AM
Schrondinger’s Cat! A simple teaching tool used by Schrodinger to illustrate how some people were, and, are misinterpreting quantum theory. In our case, the CAT is CORONA. Schrodinger’s Cat may be used as an imaginary experiment to demonstrate that simple misinterpretations of Corona can lead to absurd results which do not match the real world. A world where we embrace the what now feels like an absurdity of a lockdown, and, claims that this is how the new world will work.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
