Re: NCR llockdown
 

Seniors haven't been allowed out under any of the quarantine levels so that's been since about mid march.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Oh yes, they have for essential purposes under all the different Quarantines...see 7. below.. shopping, medical, financial etc. I've been out many times. Never been challenged anywhere..even in a DIY store or a Department Store, which you could argue are not essential shopping . A lot of Seniors can be always seen around. All groceries around here have kept their dedicated Senior check outs and lines are often long.

Google GCQ and see that people like the President's spokesman always leave out the exceptions to make it look look tough.

https://governmentph.com/gcq-guidelines/

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Once we went to MGCQ I have been out once or twice but you are only allowed out if you live alone and have nobody to shop for you. It also depends who is on an active checkpoint, the police tend to be more rigorous than the LGUs. I have been turned back when driving with my wife.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Technically both of us shouldn't ever be out together, but we were not told off for that at the one checkpoint I was stopped at a few weeks ago. Nor at any other time.

Again we see rules being applied differently depending on where you are. My wife doesn't drive so if they ever double down here on the Seniors must stay at home it won/t be easy for her to get to the bigger groceries alone here using the much reduced public transport. Plenty of rich Seniors around our City who are also active so maybe they won't do that.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

I seem to recall that if you are in the car when you shouldn't be they fine you for technically a driving offence. I think the fine is something like 5000 pesos. Of course foreigners are held to a higher standard than locals.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

When I had a car I used to have ten 20 peso notes and a few coins in the coin box. Only stopped once a and drove off leaving a very disappointed crocodile, sorry enforcer.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

My missus played a blinder getting special passes for both of us to go shopping. I was the 'designated driver' as she did not drive and she was the 'designated shopper' as I did not speak the language and therefore was unable to understand what I was buying. Which when we needed them they passed inspection going through about 6 checkpoints.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Another large rise in confirmed infections yesterday. They've now got another 14 labs operating so the testing should be increasing. Will know at the end of the week, but if so that's good.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/19/...week-data-show

An alarming weekly rise, although I think the figure is really for all healthcare, not just doctors and nurses. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising healthcare has contributed 5% of the total.

Deaths at "only" 49. In the NHS they are investigating over 600 deaths of doctors and nurses in relation to Covid. The great majority here have recovered. However I notice here a general disregard for the mounting evidence on possible long term effects of the illness. I wonder if they are all back at work as before?

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news...story/?just_in

Maybe over 300,000 violators, but of those how many weren't wearing a mask? A month in jail? Maybe the breadwinner? At this time? They want to add to the jail population at a time when the policy is to reduce it and Covid cases inside. Better to bring them in for a seminar.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Another snippet of good news. The authorities are/have removed the requirement for m/c's when carrying a passenger to have that useless separation screen. Perhaps the originators of that particular nonsense have made enough money from the exercise.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Out in the local commercial area yesterday and can report that salons are open and doing both hair and nails. If you recall a previous announcement said no nails and hair dying. The hairdresser offered my wife a hair dye.

Observation: many more people now wearing face shield and mask. Though young people often tilting the face shield up. The small older type Mall here now requiring both to enter.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news..._picks&order=2

Seniors are not all weak specimens and if they are out for essential purposes they are probably not in that category. Do hope the PUV drivers will have more sense and allow them on board. Everyone masked and shielded. Rather than subject them to walking along the so called sidewalks.

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/...rus-cases.html

If indeed the methodology used by Ateneo is the same as that used in an established paper on unreported cases in the industrialised economies then even though their paper is not yet peer reviewed (that can take a long time) I think we can accept that there are now millions of unreported Covid cases here. With no widespread mass testing likely or ability to do excess death calculations this approach seems to be the only option to find out how bad things really are. As we read here the DOH reluctant to accept that.

The government seems desperate for a vaccine but I'm just wondering what will be the effect of all these unreported cases on any mass covid vaccination programme? People who already have the virus given more. Will they all be tested before they get the shots? Especially as by next year much more virus spread has occurred from the unreported.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news..._picks&order=3

I knew this was coming. Bought two yesterday. Adapting John Cleese's dialogue from Monty Python I would say it is a bit silly. Whereas the bike shields were very silly.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

If they are going to be doing a large Phase III Trial they will have to test potential recipients. It does no good to vaccinate someone who may already be resistant. You don't want someone previously exposed showing antibody "production" when all it is actually showing is the presence of past antibodies. So everyone will likely get an antibody test (maybe two different varieties as most only have about 80-85% accuracy). Then they'll be checked to see if the antibodies have been stimulated. That group will be compared to the placebo group, but also to the infection rates in the general population. Side effects will also be monitored for recipients vs. control group.

BTW when they do their first large-scale Phase III test...it's also likely they will undertake some general random testing in the General Population as well. That may be limited to a certain district however. But knowing the rate of infection (present and past) is important as you need enough sick people to pose a risk of infection to the vaccinated group to see if it actually works. But you don't want too many people who have been previously exposed because that will impact the ability to have encounters with disease spreaders.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Well that isn't about to happen then. I'm sure all the Russians will be interested in is how many die from the vaccine or grow two heads.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Yes, it seems likely that the approach to deploying a Russian vaccine won't follow Red Ape's steps properly. Maybe the same would go for Chinese vaccines? Makers from most other countries would demand much more compliance. Authoritarian governments and especially those in a hurry will be their customers.

Red Ape: I was thinking more about the problem of existing infection during the deployment of mass vaccination if there is a high incidence of unreported and unknown infection. Then it seems a lot more testing should be done before vaccination. The DOH have brought out their supporter from UP to try to rubbish the Ateneo report. A mathematician, unqualified in epidemiology, who consistently paints a rosy picture on TV appearances.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/21/...te-procurement

The President has used part of a law on the outbreak here to do away with Phase 4 trials of a vaccine. If it's the Russian one then that was no problem anyway. But the DOH don't give the names of the other countries they claim are also doing the same. I suppose most countries will be cutting some corners in Phase 4 but to cut it out may not be wise, especially if other phases have been rushed?

https://www.news-medical.net/health/...cal-Trial.aspx

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Going back to an earlier reference to Monty Python, from The Life Of Brian "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"
With all the continuing confusion and disregard to the plight of the general populace Fred Carno's Circus also springs to mind.
Why stake all of your hopes on the two most untrustworthy entities?

Re: NCR llockdown
 

The way I take the Life of Brian song is more about stoicism in the face of adversity. A quality to be admired here even more than before in the general population. Not so much hope. Think you can get some on the pandemic from the some lower levels of government, but it's a very top down system. Otherwise you are left with prayer....if you are a believer in that.

I guess most of us have some actions or aims which are at present blocked by all this. Maybe you also thought back in early March it would all be about over by now? So it's better to see the picture as it is so not to be disappointed.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...fcc9db80dc.jpg

Re: NCR llockdown
 

I just heard someone commenting on the Russian use of Third World countries as their testing ground for their vaccine. The virologist pointed out the risk of undertaking large scale releases of a less than effective vaccine. The virus may, though the process of Natural Selection, evolve into strains that have resistance to other vaccines. There may be a temporary recovery in a particular recipient but then a massive wallop far worse than if the individual had no vaccine at all. And when that strain spreads into areas that have eliminated Covid-19 through using another vaccine...then the mutated-selected strain may cause new outbreaks.

As well there could be inappropriate application to groups that are sensitive to the vaccine or a vaccine+virus interaction. The Philippines should recall the Dengvaxia scandal of just a couple of years back.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Thought this was interesting as it seems the Rush-ian coronavirus project is in a long tradition of risk taking in the development of medical treatments:

https://theprint.in/science/covid-va...iments/480093/

In addition there are Putin's continued attempts to be a superpower in more than military terms.

In the communist era it was presumably easy to cover up public health problems, as it was with disasters in other areas like their space programme when they struggled to catch up with the US. I read elsewhere that in the Communist time people, unsurprisingly, followed the State doc with vaccinations. But these days people there, like in the West, are starting to refuse vaccines. Declining a vaccine is apparently not questioned. That leaves experimentation to the military etc. So they may be happy for their vaccines to be tested in other countries.

Poisoning..yes..the country of choice....but vaccines? Better the Chinese, although some of the same issues apply.. They also claim to have few cases there now.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Not new experimenting experimental drugs on the military, the British gov were not shy doing that during the Gulf War.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Think here the military and police could well be in vaccine trials. They will be asked to do more in return for their generous treatment since 2016. Though from what I've seen, given their more representative health conditions, the police will be preferred!

The official death tally from Covid is no longer a favourable metric that this country can use. Total now touching 3k.
Not going in the right direction. The Nationwide 4 week average deaths trend line has for some weeks been flat at levels just a bit below what it was at the peak in the early days of the outbreak. For the NCR lately it is rising steeply towards, though is not yet near the early peak level.

Looking at some weekly DOH data published last week there were 1,335 people in hospital either in a severe or critical condition. The week before it was 1,214.
By the way, perhaps intentionally, these figures are published in the least accessible DOH publication. Their daily bulletin only gives them as a percentage of the total of active cases. This makes it difficult as every so often large numbers of mild cases are deemed to have recovered and are removed from the active total.

On positivity NCR labs last week found 14.7% of individuals positive. Compared with 17% in the previous week. So maybe some small benefit of the 2 week MECQ? Nationwide the figure is 11.9%.

Roughly 31k individuals results a day were produced nationally, two weeks ago it was about 28k. In that time extra labs have been added but to not much effect on the daily average.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

They still did that on volunteers when I was in RAF at Porton Down. The pay was good apparently.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

https://philippineslifestyle.com/mmd...et-motorcycle/

Motorcyclists may need to spend again, this time on full-face visor helmets. Of course it's common sense that plastic face shields can be blown by the wind. Well, now it is!

Re: NCR llockdown
 

I really don't see how a visor has any beneficial effect, it does nothing to filter the air flow.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

It has very little effect in a mall and nearly no effect on a motorbike but at least the uneducated gov officials have fore filled their duty of recommending something. I am still waiting for the married couples bedroom shield design that they should wear just after they have got off their motorbike using the dangerous shield there. I can only assume some gov official has a face shield manufacturing factory and needs to increase the pocket contributions

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Perhaps the next wheeze will be a full body length shield for pedestrians.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

A member of the government here, one not in favour, talked yesterday about the lack of confidence in government policies on Covid and a lack of clarity .These silly rules always come out of the IATF. The technical and scientific guidance comes from various sub groups of experts buried deep in government. I always imagined the IATF to be a small body so quick decisions can be made on a fast moving pandemic, but just look on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-...tious_Diseases

There's also an operational task force. Even if only half of them turn up, very unwieldy and filled with busy cabinet members.. So I think no one at these meetings has the guts or even the time to shoot down suggestions like the motorcycle shield, now morphed into the motorcycle helmet policy. Confusing and contradictory statements come out which take several days to clarify.

Our face shields were made in China, though some people must be doing well on their importation I don't think they are in government. They may be their friends,
but the bike shield idea actually came from a politician in IloIlo, a member of the President's party. So I think all this is just what you get with the politics here now.

They're now stuck with this structure but I think It would have been better if they could have had a small health and scientific group which made some public appearances to explain and justify some of their policy recommendations to the public. I don't think the more ridiculous ideas like the shields, or that it's unsafe to have more than 10 at a church mass, would then survive.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

It reminds me of the saying " when god made the Philippines he took 100 million children and sprinkled them over 7000 island saying now run them like a country ".

Re: NCR llockdown
 

https://philippineslifestyle.com/fla...ust-september/

It's "flattening the curve" time......again!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/127039...epidemiologist

Most people just read or hear the headlines, not the caveats. Until they have better data best the forecasters keep quiet. But the government wants to see optimistic headlines.

As of yesterday, with 6 days to go this month, both the numbers of cases and active cases have doubled since August 1. Though in the last 10 days cases have "only" increased by 22%, one of the reasons to say there may be a curve flattening coming soon. But against that in the same period active cases have increased by a much greater 47%.

The idea behind aiming for "flattening the curve" is to make the outbreak more manageable. But given its poor hospital provision, especially in the NCR and surrounding region, the Philippines probably needs to do much more than flatten to manage the inevitable increase in hospital patients from the increased cases.

Especially because of a lack of nurses. A UN report I put up here earlier this month showed a paltry 2 per 10,000 population. By far the worst in SE Asia. The result of years of nurse exports. Some wanted to emigrate but many just wanted better pay, which has never been forthcoming here. Over the last few years the military and police have been favoured with good pay increases.Teachers and nurses left out. The government is trying to improve recruitment, though with little success, and there is even a deployment ban in force for nurses going abroad to work:

https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/25/dole-re...or-600-nurses/

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Where are the most covid cases in Metro Manila? Looking at city announcements and ABS-CBN news online you would think Manila has the most with 14k,

https://rappler.com/nation/coronavir...august-25-2020

But Rappler reports that from DOH data one of the cities of Metro Manila, Quezon City, is showing double the number of cases...20k not 10k. They say that the QC health department won't accept the DOH's attribution of a case to their city unless they have checked it out. QC say they can't do that using the DOH's online system due to incomplete information and that their direct enquiries don't get anywhere. Lab data is incomplete. That is a common criticism. Thousands of positive lab test results are unattributed to a location.

Obviously no city wants to double their cases, it looks bad. But presumably the DOH has some good reasons to record these cases as from QC? No other city seems to be disputing their cases with the DOH in such a major way. QC is the biggest city in MM, both by area and population. Up to Marcos's time it was the capital, then lost that status to Manila. Maybe that has something to do with QCs attitude?

Noteworthy that ABS-CBN and GMA online news are not reporting the QC data discrepancy.. Both their TV stations are situated in QC. That sort of thing wouldn't happen in somewhere like London!

More meaningful to look at cases per million, as calculated by Rappler:

1. Pateros - 16,212.41
2. Navotas - 15,336.94
3. San Juan - 15,149.78
4. Makati - 11,359.38
5. Pasay - 10,890.18
6. Malabon - 10,505.44
7. Mandaluyong - 10,137.82
8. Taguig - 8,013.27
9. Manila - 7,893.16
10. Parañaque - 7,827.92
11. Muntinlupa - 7,201.06
12. Quezon City - 6,814.10
13. Valenzuela - 6,613.24
14. Pasig - 6,584.138
15. Marikina - 5,175.92
16. Las Piñas - 4,909.20
17. Caloocan - 4,495.

QC is now only middle ranking due to its large population. Pateros is a small municipality with a big covid problem.
San Juan a bit suprising,.. but not Makati...it has many packed, poor areas away from the business towers, hotels and Malls. Including in a panhandle to the East, unknown to many.

For greater detail on covid by location you can look on the GMA covid-19 dashboard:

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/spec...-19-dashboard/

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Thanks for the update and analysis. I wonder what the testing protocol is in these areas. Only those who are symptomatic? Are there good contact-testing procedures? Is the testing equally available for those in wealthier vs. less wealthy areas? Does anyone who shows a fever t a restaurant or a mall get tested...or simply told that they cannot enter and go home?


That said, in the USA the CDC has just issued a recommendation that asymptomatic/presymptomatic individuals need not be tested in contact tracing! "Only test those with symptoms" is the new mantra...issued while Fauci was absent, getting surgery in the hospital.

Seems Trump wants those numbers to go down quickly and "testing hurts my numbers". So he's willing to inculcate a third wave (hidden, infectious individuals) to get the infection rate down and his polling numbers up!

Re: NCR llockdown
 

On testing they are only doing about 30k a day at present in the whole country. In Manila concentrating on certain areas. They say they need to recruit 10k more tracers in Manila and the Testing Czar from Baguio has given a barely passing grade to what they are doing now. We're living in a middle class/wealthy area and haven't had any offers of testing. But unless they change the requirement we will need to get tested through City Hall in a few weeks time to travel out of the NCR.

Seems to be no requirement for businesses to test asymptomatics, but some high ranking govt officials get tested regularly.

Our local Puregold Jr. has recently erected a small isolation tent outside.

I don't think there's any Trump like pressure to reduce testing here. Other reasons why not enough is being done. But maybe some pressure was put on the DOH to maximize recovery numbers.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

The only testing I'm aware of is OFWs coming in and going out. Perhaps that is largely the extent of it.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

The funny thing about testing - as Trump says..."your numbers of infected go up'...but the Mortality rate will inevitably go down as the folks you identify are unlikely to be severe cases. And if you identify and hospitalize (or simply quarantine if they are ambulatory and asymptomatic), until the patient tests negative, and release...you can embellish your "recovery rates". If you are only testing the seriously ill your mortality rates will shoot upward, You can't have it both ways.

I know that lesser developed countries will simply not have the testing capacity to deal with a full fledged outbreak. It's not just the number of tracers. It's having sufficient reagents, lab personnel and test kits that actually work.

That said, I'm in favor of as much testing as is possible in a fairly dispersed (and non-privileged) manner. That's the only way you'll have any idea of where the actual hotspots and risk groups are. If the wealthy areas or a particular island are at low risk and Covid-free (after sufficient testing) there's no need to allocate a lot of resources to those areas.You stop the fire at the source, you don't park the firetruck outside the Governor's mansion.:sneaky:

Re: NCR llockdown
 

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...d182cbea3b.png
The Philippines, like a non league team reaching the later stages of the FA Cup.

Hopefully temporary. The figure here yesterday was higher than the 7 day average of about 4k. And many countries are obviously covering up on their covid data and may deserve more to be in the top ten.

Really better in the long term for a country to find out the extent of the problem and treat those found positive. But politicians are often not interested in the long term. Let's see how the testing goes here. It's been averaging about 33k a day up to recently, but has mysteriously declined over the last three days. Despite increases in the number of labs and promises to increase it.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...e3b5cae2d5.png

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...8639ab922d.png

The second straight day reported Philippine deaths were close to 100. Though the seven day moving average is lower at 49 per day. Difficult to see the trend as most of those reported dead yesterday were lagged deaths from many weeks ago. Late reporting again in common with other covid data here. But as of yesterday as many as 1367 patients were reported in a severe or critical condition so daily deaths will likely continue at least at the recent elevated avearge level with spikes due to late reports.

Whether the Philippines is in an international covid "top ten" or close to it perceptions of the country relative to its neighbours among tourists and investors will be adversely affected. Also by the reports of all the corruption linked to the outbreak here.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Raffin,
As always your persistence in providing accurate information is greatly appreciated.
It makes a change from the daily dose of drivel the general population is exposed to
There is no curve to flatten as the accuracy of daily recording is haphazard at best and criminal at worst
Keep safe one and all

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Thank you!
Yes, you have got to be confident in the curve before you talk of flattening it or much else.
In the UK they have the expertise, better data collection, the NHS, ONS etc:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53949080

So they have a good idea what's happening in England. Here a reduced and mainly uncritical media can see graphs like these from the most recent DOH data:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...15a1391ab1.png



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...64e2c675ba.png
The blue and yellow lines show 7 day moving averages which smooth out the highly variable daily data.....ok.....but they also include the significant backlogs, most to July but sometimes stretching back as far as March and April. So the curves you see are always lower in the past and higher now than they really should be. But if you think that the virus is out of control then you should also assume the recent figures are also underestimated! From looking at other data, especially on testing. Also from other research on the extent of under-reporting.

In addition to backlogs there is constant "data cleaning" going on eg recoveries changed to deaths and vice versa.

The DOH also puts out data on time of onset of disease. Using that with knowledge on the time to show symptoms after being infected they could produce a much more accurate curve.

But even if they do that it's too late. Decisions have already been taken from the picture shown by the basic curve. Palace spokesman and some experts have even sometimes used the numbers to threaten.

Anyway, my impression is those in charge here have adopted Trump's "It is what it is" attitude and seem happy to wait for a vaccine to solve the problem. Although cases are high compared to some other SE Asian countries they're not on a par with the US or Europe. Deaths are low. A public just trying to survive, no election soon, uncritical media and plenty of major distracting issues. I can't see an enquiry ever being held into the handling of the outbreak here.

As an example of this attitude here is what the DOH Under Secretary says about the long term effects of covid. Important as every so often many cases here are taken off the active list and trumpeted as recoveries:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/132847...vered-patients

No evidence? I don't think they are seriously looking. This article sets out well what is known so far:

https://www.itv.com/news/2020-08-12/...-for-sufferers

Re: NCR llockdown
 

The recent trends of a constant level of new cases and deaths continued yesterday.

The epicentre of Manila contributed 56% and Calabarzon (the 4 industrialized provinces near Manila) 17%.of new cases. A backlog of 18% included up to mid August.

While cases are constant the NCR labs daily positivity rate is 14.8%. Up from 14.3% yesterday. Meaning that more testing will likely continue to find many new cases.

Deaths in the NCR and Calabarzon were at 68 out of 94 nationwide. Ten of those go back to July! Deaths at the current level are the result of the surge from re-opening in July. With over 1,400 patients now severe or critical deaths at this level are unfortunately likely to continue for some time, with a small moderating effect from the 2 week MECQ in early August being seen next month.

Some Mayors in the NCR are showing the way. This article shows what Paranaque City is doing on quarantine facilities:

https://manilastandardtoday.com/news...acilities.html

Paranaque announced 119 more confirmed cases yesterday on top of about 5,700 already. Its covid incidence per 100,000 population is mid table for the cities in MM.
The City say their existing 8 isolation facilities are close to capacity. The containers will add about 150 patients. They seem to be pushing through with testing so those may also be full fairly soon. So it's good the government is converting the nearby Nayong Pilipino site for isolation. If you were here in the 1970s, 80s or 90s you may remember that tourist attraction.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Another week has passed. A slight improvement in confirmed cases. Average down by about 500 a day on the previous week. But there was a drop in testing on some days. Resulting in a slight drop in the weekly growth rate. Deaths last week now at 70/day up from 52 in the previous week. Th Philippines is now one of 31 countries being monitored on deaths, along with S Korea, Japan and Indonesia in Asia.

R estimated at 0.95 compared to 1.05 the previous week. Not significant given that the positivity rate yesterday for the country was at 11.2% with Manila at 14.5%.

A good chart with a log scale to make some E Asian comparisons:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...2daf01cc48.png

Recent upturns in Singapore and Japan seem to be reversed, not yet in S Korea. Some doubts about Japan as they have only done about 1.5m tests (Philippines now at 2.4m).
Both the Philippines and Indonesia on an upward trend and for both it is probably much worse due to under reporting.

Sunday is recovery adjustment day for the DOH and over 22,000 active cases were deemed to have recovered. The DOH insist they are following WHO guidelines:

https://rappler.com/newsbreak/explai...rus-recoveries

But they are getting out of following up dumped cases with further testing, using the Philippines status as a developing country. Also some doctors here may not be averse to signing off people they already know or can be influenced by.

Re: NCR llockdown
 

Hi Raffin,and thanks for your ongoing efforts.

Myself and a friend have been talking about the global Covid -19 situation in terms of a league table for some time now.Both of us certainly never had the Philippines as "non-league" also rans.With a population of over 100,000,000 people,many of whom are living in densely populated urban areas,the Filis was always going to be a "force to be reckoned with" in the league table.Of course we also factored in mind what type of guy is running the country (a guy cut from the same cloth as Trump and Bolsonaro).If anything,i am surprised by the relatively small official number of deaths in the country,but,sadly we all know that it's still "early days" as they say,in any football season,and things could easily get much worse.I think if any country can be described as being "non-league" over achievers,it has to be Peru.

PS,Are the USA going to run away with the title,or could India still catch them??

Cheers.