Coronavirus

[Barrington Womble]

1 minute ago, an tha said:

Interesting exchange from the briefing today:

 

Johnson seems baffled at Van-Tam comments

Jonathan Blake

BBC political correspondent

"It may be a good thing, but on the other hand..."

The prime minister doesn't seem very impressed with Jonathan Van-Tam's claim that coronavirus safety measures may be with us long term.

Boris Johnson looked a bit baffled and says people want to reclaim their lives.

"I didn't mean to challenge you," he says before the deputy chief medical officer then clarifies his point that he hopes we'll get back to a much more normal world as soon as possible.

Well it's like a lot of things at the moment, there seems an underlying message from different corners of government that this is far from an easy ride and Easter for the release of restrictions seems unrealistic. But that doesn't fit Johnson's jolly agenda. 

 

I keep saying it but I don't think they care about the health impact of this virus, they just care about hopitals getting over run. They'll get down the key age groups who do all the dying and long term occupation of hospital beds vaccinated and they'll just open everything up. The scientists won't like it. Or the NHS. And I'd imagine some of the Tories who've one eye on Johnson's job, but that's what they'll do. Like almost every step of the way with this crisis, the scientists seem to have one view, Johnson another, he does it his way till it goes to shit and he has to U turn and do what the scientists have said all along. But once he can keep the deaths down to a level the NHS can handle, he'll open the lot up. 

 

 

[3 Stacks]

10 minutes ago, an tha said:

Interesting exchange from the briefing today:

 

Johnson seems baffled at Van-Tam comments

Jonathan Blake

BBC political correspondent

"It may be a good thing, but on the other hand..."

The prime minister doesn't seem very impressed with Jonathan Van-Tam's claim that coronavirus safety measures may be with us long term.

Boris Johnson looked a bit baffled and says people want to reclaim their lives.

"I didn't mean to challenge you," he says before the deputy chief medical officer then clarifies his point that he hopes we'll get back to a much more normal world as soon as possible.

Is that interesting? I think most reasonable people know it won't be a snap of the fingers and things will be normal right after they roll out vaccines. But someone like Johnson needs to pretend otherwise.

[an tha]

13 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Is that interesting? I think most reasonable people know it won't be a snap of the fingers and things will be normal right after they roll out vaccines. But someone like Johnson needs to pretend otherwise.

It is interesting because of fact Johnson openly challenged him and looked pissed off about it...something that is not usual in these briefings.

 

Of course it is going to be endemic, of course there is no snap of the fingers and normality returns....of course we will have to live with this illness forever like other endemic illnesses....but that was not really the point here, the point of interest was the very unusual exchange between Johnson and Van Tam.

 

Personally i thought Van Tam's comments about mask wearing for years to come were unnecessary today.

[Bjornebye]

1 minute ago, an tha said:

It is interesting because of fact Johnson openly challenged him and looked pissed off about it...something that is not usual in these briefings.

 

Of course it is going to be endemic, of course there is no snap of the fingers and normality returns....of course we will have to live with forever like other endemic illnesses....but that was not really the point here, the point of interest was the very unusual exchange between Johnson and Van Tam.

 

Personally i thought Van Tam's comments about mask wearing for years to come were unnecessary today.

I think many people will voluntarily wear a mask in busy public places for a good while now. Some maybe for good. Mexican Wrestlers for example. 

[an tha]

1 minute ago, Bjornebye said:

I think many people will voluntarily wear a mask in busy public places for a good while now. Some maybe for good. Mexican Wrestlers for example. 

Lucha Libre 4 Life

[Barrington Womble]

This is the "phase 1" roll out, consisting of 9 groups according to the local BBC news tonight. My money is on there won't be a phase 2

 

[3 Stacks]

19 minutes ago, an tha said:

It is interesting because of fact Johnson openly challenged him and looked pissed off about it...something that is not usual in these briefings.

 

Of course it is going to be endemic, of course there is no snap of the fingers and normality returns....of course we will have to live with this illness forever like other endemic illnesses....but that was not really the point here, the point of interest was the very unusual exchange between Johnson and Van Tam.

 

Personally i thought Van Tam's comments about mask wearing for years to come were unnecessary today.

Johnson and the like need to pretend this type of thinking is shocking to pander to the majority of people who vote for them, because the vast majority of people who vote for the likes of him aren't critical thinkers. He's well aware himself that stuff won't go back to normal soon.

 

It's a similar tactic to Trump who would pretend everything is fine as stuff was falling apart, or that a silver bullet exists, whether that's Hydroxychloroquine, or now vaccines, that will allow everybody to live their lives like they did before because that's a narrative that is appealing. Surely, surely he's putting on a face there and doesn't actually believe that some type of measures wont have to continue for a while after the vaccine.

[an tha]

13 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Johnson and the like need to pretend this type of thinking is shocking to pander to the majority of people who vote for them, because the vast majority of people of vote for the likes of him aren't critical thinkers. He's well aware himself that stuff won't go back to normal soon.

 

It's a similar tactic to Trump who would pretend everything is fine as stuff was falling apart, or that a silver bullet exists, whether that's Hydroxychloroquine, or now vaccines, that will allow everybody to live their lives like they did before because that's a narrative that is appealing. Surely, surely he's putting on a face there and doesn't actually believe that some type of measures wont have to continue for a while after the vaccine.

 

I would imagine he (and keep in mind i can't stand him or his party) like most people would like to think that once a vaccination programme has been successfully rolled out and as a result transmission and all the other metrics are massively improved, lots of old folks are not dying anymore with it and people are not in hospital in big numbers, that we can indeed all reclaim our lives free of restrictions and live normally again.

 

We live with every other illness known to man without the need for restrictions/mandating mask wearing etc.....we absolutely should look forward to doing the same with this illness.

 

If people choose to wear masks etc once it is not mandatory that is up to them and their right, I think a lot of people will do - i just hope they respect the rights of people who choose not to and also those who choose not to should respect the rights of those who do.

 

I feel this could become quite divisive over time between people.

 

 

 

 

[johnsusername]

Quite stark figures for anyone under 65.

[Scott_M]

20 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

This is the "phase 1" roll out, consisting of 9 groups according to the local BBC news tonight. My money is on there won't be a phase 2

 

Was there a timeline for that?

 

Some figures per age group would have been helpful.

[Barrington Womble]

2 minutes ago, an tha said:

 

 

I feel this could become quite divisive over time.

 

 

 

 

Do you think that'll matter once we start rolling out the vaccine? I think JVT will go back to wherever he used to work as soon as the death count is manageable and Johnson can do what he's tried to do all along and completely ignore him and the rest of SAGE. 

[Scott_M]

4 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Some figures per age group would have been helpful.

Although, without being lazy, I can answer that myself...

 

 

1.4m people work for the NHS, 2m got vulnerable letters earlier in the year and there will be some overlap between the groupings. 
 

I reckon those phases would need need c.16m full doses. 

[3 Stacks]

10 minutes ago, an tha said:

 

I would imagine he (and keep in mind i can't stand him or his party) like most people would like to think that once a vaccination programme has been successfully rolled out and as a result transmission and all the other metrics are massively improved, lots of old folks are not dying anymore with it and people are not in hospital in big numbers, that we can indeed all reclaim our lives free of restrictions and live normally again.

 

We live with every other illness known to man without the need for restrictions/mandating mask wearing etc.....we absolutely should look forward to doing the same with this illness.

 

If people choose to wear masks etc once it is not mandatory that is up to them and their right, I think a lot of people will do - i just hope they respect the rights of people who choose not to and also those who choose not to should respect their rights.

 

I feel this could become quite divisive over time.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, at one point it's very likely now that this virus will be treated pretty normally. When that will be, no one can reasonably predict, but it's probably not the near future.

 

My issue is, let's not pretend some dirtbag politician disagreeing with his highest ranked medical people is surprising these days. Trump did it in public to Fauci all the time. He treated him like he didn't know shit and a lot of it was an image thing.

[an tha]

2 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

Do you think that'll matter once we start rolling out the vaccine? I think JVT will go back to wherever he used to work as soon as the death count is manageable and Johnson can do what he's tried to do all along and completely ignore him and the rest of SAGE. 

I think it will matter as the messaging to the public is a huge driver in how the public act.

 

I think it is of course totally sensible to remind people that the commencement of the vaccination process is not 'game over'.....i think it is totally sensible to wait and as i said earlier to see when hopefully transmission rates fall, old people stop dying in big numbers, people aren't in hozzy etc....then you start easing stuff, then you start getting life back to normal - gradually, sensibly, safely but also in way that is fair and gives people hope.

 

But i think personally it is a bit twattish of Van Tam to start talking today about what people might do and lets face it what he really did was suggest what he thinks they should do for years to come....just not the right tone today IMO.

[an tha]

6 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Yeah, at one point it's very likely now that this virus will be treated pretty normally. When that will be, no one can reasonably predict, but it's probably not the near future.

 

My issue is, let's not pretend some dirtbag politician disagreeing with his highest ranked medical people is surprising these days. Trump did it in public to Fauci all the time. He treated him like he didn't know shit and a lot of it was an image thing.

I can't speak for what happens over there as i have zero interest in America....but here in the UK i can assure you that the exchange today and the reaction was both unusual and for me anyway interesting.....Johnson if anything has mostly stood by and let the scientists deliver the bad news and then he has been the fella having to put stuff in place because 'hey you have just heard from the science people how bad it is, so i need to do this'

 

 

[Strontium]

39 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

This is the "phase 1" roll out, consisting of 9 groups according to the local BBC news tonight. My money is on there won't be a phase 2

 

 

[Barrington Womble]

3 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Was there a timeline for that?

 

Some figures per age group would have been helpful.

Johnson refused to give timelines earlier I think. But listening to van tam he said something along the lines of each step can't be rushed as we need to ensure we can store and deliver the vaccines and when a cycle starts (as they're 2 shots, 3 weeks apart) the focus has to be on ensuring there's supply for the people who've had the 1st shot.  So he was suggesting steps wouldn't be done in parallel, so say step one is vaccinated w/c 14th December , we wouldn't start step 2 say on w/c 21st while the step 1 people are waiting their 3 weeks  - which to me just indicates fucking shit project management. He was talking about mid-January for the completion of step 1. 

 

Now if they go that path, I reckon that means 27 weeks to do it. My guess is they'll do that cycle of 3 weeks per step until they get the Oxford vaccine which is easier to stock etc and then they'll start ploughing in. But clearly they still need to find out if Oxford really does work better as a 1/2 shot followed by a full shot. 

[Barrington Womble]

19 minutes ago, an tha said:

I think it will matter as the messaging to the public is a huge driver in how the public act.

 

I think it is of course totally sensible to remind people that the commencement of the vaccination process is not 'game over'.....i think it is totally sensible to wait and as i said earlier to see when hopefully transmission rates fall, old people stop dying in big numbers, people aren't in hozzy etc....then you start easing stuff, then you start getting life back to normal - gradually, sensibly, safely but also in way that is fair and gives people hope.

 

But i think personally it is a bit twattish of Van Tam to start talking today about what people might do and lets face it what he really did was suggest what he thinks they should do for years to come....just not the right tone today IMO.

I think for Johnson it is game over once he's through the 1st few steps of phase one of the vaccine. 

[an tha]

2 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

I think for Johnson it is game over once he's through the 1st few steps of phase one of the vaccine. 

Yeah...he'll probably want to hold on a bit longer as he is such a narcissist and will want to tubthump and take the praise if it goes well.....but yeah he's a goner sooner rather than later.

[Vincent Vega]

1 hour ago, Barrington Womble said:

This is the "phase 1" roll out, consisting of 9 groups according to the local BBC news tonight. My money is on there won't be a phase 2

 

 

55 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Was there a timeline for that?

 

Some figures per age group would have been helpful.

I saw this breakdown earlier. They’ve ordered enough of the Pfizer vaccine for 20m people, so by maths it doesn’t cover all within the phase 1 group (just over 30m people). 

 

As for under 50’s, the only chance they will get a vaccine will be if the cheaper Oxford AstraZeneca one gets approval.

[Mathewbet1]

Top trumps in the pub in 6 months time - which one did you get?, I got the Pfizer one premium mate, john over there got the jarge Oxford one. wahoooo look at miss fancy pants, over there,  going on about her Moderna shot, rolls royce of vaccines that one.

[Bjornebye]

Just now, Mathewbet1 said:

Top trumps in the pub in 6 months time - which one did you get?, I got the Pfizer one premium mate, john over there got the jarge Oxford one. wahoooo look at miss fancy pants, over there,  going on about her Moderna shot, rolls royce of vaccines that one.

You'll be able to tell who got what vaccine by the amount of horns. 

[Mathewbet1]

or the beebing microchip, with bill gates controlling your brain, making you sign up for x box premium.

[Scott_M]

21 minutes ago, Mathewbet1 said:

or the beebing microchip, with bill gates controlling your brain, making you sign up for x box premium.

The vaccine designed to track people with microchips is being administered to over 80s confined to care homes first, because they’re the ones we really need to watch.

[Mudface]

7 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

The vaccine designed to track people with microchips is being administered to over 80s confined to care homes first, because they’re the ones we really need to watch.