I have a theory (having spoken to dozens of people here in Italy) that it has dawned that this was a trivial virus for the majority and that - with almost as many deaths as the UK but realising the majority were at death's door anyway - they are simply not bothering to test and announce unimportant figures anymore. The media has become bored with it; so has government.

And to answer points made in other threads; of course I'm aware this is a complex virus we're learning stuff about daily; of course the difficult battle for a vaccine may take years (it did for Flu); of course many of the drugs now found to cure it only save a percentage of lives. We know all this. None of it needs repeating. But the simple reality is - it was inflated from Day One as a plague by the media to make a better story. Almost all Governments believed it and took drastic action (those that didn't, like Sweden, had no more nor less deaths per cases than anywhere else). The Death Four (UK, Italy, Spain & France) got it far more dreadfully wrong than the rest of the world and nobody seems bothered or interested as to why.

Do not assume I'm saying something I'm not. Spanish Flu, years ago, was a terrible virus with little or no cures. Current flu, compared to that, is generally trivial, even in the years when the wrong vaccine is given (2017-18; Eng&Wales alone; 50K deaths) and is regarded as trivial by media which said almost nothing.

Any virus is ghastly for those who die. Any illness is ghastly for doctors & scientists having to find medicines. But in the general overall view of life on this planet, starvation is serious. Refugees are serious. Genocide is serious. Plagues like Ebola are potentially serious. Covid19 is trivial. But the response to it, led by media, has been serious. Seriously stupid.

JK2006 wrote:
I have a theory (having spoken to dozens of people here in Italy) that it has dawned that this was a trivial virus for the majority and that - with almost as many deaths as the UK but realising the majority were at death's door anyway - they are simply not bothering to test and announce unimportant figures anymore. The media has become bored with it; so has government.

I've always loved the Italian approach to life. Good to hear this; good on them.

wyot wrote:
The media has become bored with it; so has government.

I've always loved the Italian approach to life. Good to hear this; good on them.


Good that the Italian government has given up on coronavirus, and stopped testing!

Totally untrue - but why would it be good for them, and cause for adulation!?

You've clearly spoken to more citizens here than I have Barney.