My friend and journalist Helen Pitt tweeted the positive news in the accompanying photo recently. Here is today’s update: 212,018 people have now recovered from Covid-19. To follow updates on Covid-19 stats, go to: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/ Marco, who works in construction, sent me what was close to an excellent resource on … Read more
We feel deeply for our US readers right now. Today the Australian SBS News headline predicted 240,000 potential deaths US deaths from Covid-19. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/donald-trump-warns-very-painful-weeks-ahead-as-white-house-says-240-000-americans-could-die-of-coronavirus This expands the numbers of the Los Angeles Times headline earlier today, warning of a minimum of 100,000 US coronavirus deaths.https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-31/political-squabbling-4th-coronavirus-bailout-bill-underway-but-passage-is-weeks-away But remember the maths,(or math … Read more
Lots of stories have swilled around the stratosphere and swirled through social media. Are they true? We’ve checked the sources of the following, Last week we heard reports the virus can last up to 72 hours on a surface. This has been tested by American scientists and turns out to … Read more
Current mortality figures in Australia are still relatively low. This means Australia hasn’t yet hit enormous pressure on beds, intensive care units and ventilators. To see how and why these are needed, go to: https://good-grief.com.au/an-intensive-care-specialists-insight/ Good Grief! can confirm, that this reflects the anecdotal evidence of some of our specialist … Read more
The following article by Australian intensive care expert Professor Ken Hillman, in Inside Story, gives insight into the way Covid-19 is being managed by intensive care teams and the health system more generally. There are a couple of things to note. He points out that it is a very specific … Read more
We understand if you need to say goodbye to Good Grief! for a while, to protect your emotional well-being and mental health. No offence will be taken if you disconnect. It’s important to experience the positive and the beautiful in the light of what is happening throughout the world and … Read more
Here’s some good news. Getting sick with COVID-19 isn’t necessarily a death sentence – even if you’re old. Norman Swan in his coronavirus update on March 23 finished his report by saying that 85 per cent of old people who get COVID-19 will survive. That’s something for the elderly to … Read more
To see an update of the world pattern of Coronavirus spread, see the following link. As the impact on the world of the Covid-19 tide unfolds, if you are wondering about the worldwide palliative care response, please go to this link. https://www.thewhpca.org/covid-19/resources. Triaging of scarce medical resources tends to happen … Read more
We live in strange times. So the latest issue of my newsletter [sign up here!] is dedicated to COVID-19 and related mortality. It may seem morbid, but before you shut your device, think of this. It is extremely reassuring to look at this international crisis through the lens of mortality. … Read more
I was just about to walk out the door to have dinner with my sister and cousin. It’s that kind of moment isn’t it, a moment when social distancing and all it implies means that family are the best people to be with. They’ll forgive you if you suddenly sneeze … Read more