This 'underlying health conditions' thing bothers me a bit.

Let's take the example of a 63 year old with a typical underlying condition - Heart Disease. Their life is almost certainly going to be shortened by it, maybe as much as 10 years, so their life expectancy is probably 68 years rather than 78.

They go for a drive in their car and are involved in a no-fault accident which results in their death. Do we ascribe the cause of death to Heart disease?

Or let's say they survive and are taken to hospital where they contract sepsis and die after a spell in ICU. Heart Disease?

So why would we, if they contract C19 and die, would we suggest that it was the heart disease that killed them and not C19?

I also note that Toby Young (writes for the Telegraph, the Mail, and others) has been circulating anti-NHS commentary suggesting that the NHS isn't under as much threat as claimed and that there are plenty of spare beds. He accompanies the message with this photograph:

[Linked Image]

Which is a clear implication that this is a picture of an empty NHS ward. Except that it isn't. It's a picture from 2012. Of the hospital beds at Guantanamo Bay.

Dishonest spin, or legitimate journalistic licence?

Tim H.
1986 4/4 VVTi Sport, 2002 LR Defender, 2022 Mini Cooper SE