Chula virologist unravels mystery of global Covid death tolls

[webfact]

Chula virologist unravels mystery of global Covid death tolls

By The Nation

 

Dr Yong Poovorawan

 

A specialist in virology at Chulalongkorn University has highlighted the huge differences in Covid-19 death tolls from country to country across the globe.

 

Dr Yong Poovorawan said that that China had registered 200 times fewer Covid-19 deaths per million people than the US.

 

The area of the globe with the highest Covid-19 death toll was the Americas, with the US recording 659 deaths per million and Brazil recording 708, he added in a Facebook post on Friday.

 

"In Europe, the UK and Spain's death per million people are 600 and 696, respectively," he said.

 

"In Asia, India's death toll per million people is 79 – higher than China where the Covid-19 outbreak has killed just three people per million.

 

“Thailand's deaths per million people is 0.9," he added.

 

Dr Yong said the huge differences in Covid-19 death tolls were due to various factors, including median age of the population, Covid-19 prevention methods and DNA.

 

"Most Covid-19 patients are old, while the median age of Americans is definitely higher than Indians," he said, adding that Japan's Covid-19 death toll is only 13 people per million despite its high median age.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30396320

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-10-16

 

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[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, webfact said:

China where the Covid-19 outbreak has killed just three people per million

 

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

Most Covid-19 patients are old, while the median age of Americans is definitely higher than Indians," he said, adding that Japan's Covid-19 death toll is only 13 people per million despite its hi

Well, that's interesting to see China where the virus emerged from has a very low death rate. Could that be because of a cover up.

[madmitch]

Aaaargh, it's 'im!

 

This time he's doing no more than quoting well-known statistics and theories. Hardly unravelling a mystery is it?

[Susco]

So the US death toll is high because of high median age, while the Japan death toll is very low, despite the high median age,

 

The only mystery revealed here is that the guy wanted his 5 minutes of fame, but actually has no idea what he's drivelling about, and that wasn't a mystery either

[ukrules]

This is hardly the 'great unraveling' I expected - he read a couple of charts, that is all.

 

He should go on to explain why, no matter, I'll summarise :

 

To me it appears that the more successful a country is at keeping its elderly people alive into very old age - the more deaths there will be from COVID.

 

This is something that most of Asia really sucks at, they die much younger - this is the reason for the 'great Asian success' - they're already dead due to constant neglect throughout their lives.

 

[ukrules]

1 minute ago, Susco said:

So the US death toll is high because of high median age, while the Japan death toll is very low, despite the high median age,

 

The only mystery revealed here is that the guy wanted his 5 minutes of fame, but actually has no idea what he's drivelling about, and that wasn't a mystery either

Japan is a bit of an anomaly here, I expect it's due to some other factor, like adhering strictly to rules that prevent infection.

[poskat]

the median age in both the US and china is 38 years old

median age in thailand is 39

[Misterwhisper]

Okay, let me try and get this straight:

 

>>> In the United States the death toll is high because of a high median age,

>>> In India the death toll is lower than in the United States because of a lower median age.

>>> But in Japan the death toll is considerably lower than in both the U.S. and India despite a high median age,

 

So what "mystery" has he actually "unraveled"? All I see here is a contradiction.

[samsensam]

2 minutes ago, ukrules said:

This is hardly the 'great unraveling' I expected - he read a couple of charts, that is all.

 

He should go on to explain why, no matter, I'll summarise :

 

To me it appears that the more successful a country is at keeping its elderly people alive into very old age - the more deaths there will be from COVID.

 

This is something that most of Asia really sucks at, they die much younger - this is the reason for the 'great Asian success' - they're already dead due to constant neglect throughout their lives.

 

 

you may, to an extent, have a point, however 'asia' is too general as Japan has a large percentage of the population in old age, and i'd suspect korea too. but in developing asian countries for sure there are not the medical facilities and expertise, or investment (?) in healthcare for the elderly. i'd also argue many who live with underlying medical conditions in the west dont, unfortunately,  have that opportunity in many asian countries.

[Guderian]

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

[mark131v]

Aaah Doctor Yong doing what he does best, namely getting his 5 minutes of fame and not much else, I am sure they will have the other fella along soon to spread a bit of fear too...

 

 

[fangless]

31 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

Does anybody actually believe that any/most statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

[ukrules]

59 minutes ago, poskat said:

the median age in both the US and china is 38 years old

median age in thailand is 39

Average age of death........

[Swimfan]

Wow this guy is a genius 

[Flying Saucage]

Poster ukrules just posted this interesting paper in another thread: 

 

https://jvi.asm.org/content/88/14/7692

 

This is a scientific article which unravels quite well some of the mechanisms why other countries with other climatic conditions have different numbers of seasonal flu infections, and it seems quite viable to extend these insights also to the Corona virus. It gives some hints why Thailand regionally might be in a more lucky situation as well.

 

I have some doubts if this "expert" Yong ever reads somehing like this, otherwise he would debate on higher standards and should feel quite embarrassed himselve by his dumb weekly gossip. Reading his gossip between the lines shows again his strong and hardly hidden anti-western racism and his aim to boost xenobhobia against caucasians in Thailand. 

 

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Swimfan said:

Wow this guy is a genius 

Most of these guys couldn't hold a job as toilet cleaners in the west.

[sammieuk1]

Thai Scofield pops up to give us all great news of his wisdom whilst of course praising China in bizarrely and unexpectedly low figures ???? 

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

It just mean that in these countries; ALL the deaths of Old Aged are actually recorded truly, as Old Aged natural deaths... 

 Capitalist-thinking pharma indusytries know they can make a whole heap more $$$ out of Boosting the so called Wuhan Flu death numbers

 - and a reflected magical reduction of Old Aged natural, common cold,and flu deaths deaths have near ceased to exist 

 

The OP twerp googler is making some thing into the impression that his regional race genes (DNA) are stronger than others...

[aroiaroi]

The journalist is dramatizing the headlines for clicks, or more kindly, something has been lost in translation. He may also be as others suggest, premature.
This virus has baffled our best epidemiologists. It will take years before the dust settles and we really understand it. Probably from a settled statistical perspective.

 

[Matzzon]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chula virologist unravels mystery of global Covid death tolls

Where did he explain anything? He just piled up a big mass of differences.

[DrTuner]

Doesn't much make sense including the pre-June figures now. Countries were scrambling to do something, anything, and it was pretty much down to luck. What matters is the current hospitalization rates and recovery rates.

[Redvic]

3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

 

Well, that's interesting to see China where the virus emerged from has a very low death rate. Could that be because of a cover up.

Yep

[Jeffr2]

16 hours ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

It's been widely reported that almost every countries stats are low.  I saw a report that India could be 10x what they are reporting.

 

As for China?  Who knows, but if it was a problem, you'd hear about it.  Hard to hide corpses piling up outside hospitals.

[bodga]

32 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

It's been widely reported that almost every countries stats are low.  I saw a report that India could be 10x what they are reporting.

 

As for China?  Who knows, but if it was a problem, you'd hear about it.  Hard to hide corpses piling up outside hospitals.

not  if  you have total  control and leave many to die in the  villages

[Jeffr2]

44 minutes ago, bodga said:

not  if  you have total  control and leave many to die in the  villages

Luckily, they don't have "total" control.  Pics and info still gets out.

[Rimmer]

An off topic troll post removed

[LomSak27]

17 hours ago, madmitch said:

This time he's doing no more than quoting well-known statistics and theories. Hardly unravelling a mystery is it?

He has been anointed by the powers that be. His message's for the masses, is approved up on high, in the rarefied air where only PuYais dwell. 

[sanuk711]

17 hours ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

I can understand the skepticism about China....but why India, its reporting well over a 100K deaths, which seems consistent with its neighbor  Pakistan with over 60K deaths . Most Asian countries seem to be fairing better than the west.

[Deli]

We see him and we know: It's Saturday again !

[Oxx]

18 hours ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody actually believe that the Indian and Chinese statistics are an accurate reflection of the reality?

Does anybody actually believe that the American statistics are accurate, given Trump's efforts to suppress testing?