Coronavirus

[TheBitch]

5 minutes ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

https://newsthump.com/2020/04/02/government-announces-7000-new-ventilators-after-agreeing-to-retain-all-7000-existing-ventilators/?fbclid=IwAR2g7fig5B8mJy7IYeiY4D4fVpNtfNMqgatQnk0Q-Dd-g-zmggmJ4uTX55g

 

The government has allayed fears over the number of ventilators available in the NHS to fight COVID-19, after confirming they have secured 7,000 new ventilators by retaining the 7,000 ventilators the NHS already has.

 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that the government’s investment would see 7,000 new ventilators available on the front line, but when pressed indicated that the ventilators are already in the NHS.

He told reporters via Zoom, “Yes, just because these 7,000 devices are already in the NHS doesn’t mean we can’t count them as new ventilators.

“These are ventilators that we are committed to retaining for the duration of the crisis, and therefore they won’t be leaving the NHS, so technically they are new ventilators and we can count them as such.

“I don’t know why you don’t all understand this, it’s just basic maths.”

 

Patient Simon Williams told us, “It does sound a bit like creative accounting. I mean, if you have 7,000 of something, then get 7,000 new of that thing, you would expect to have 14,000 of that thing, right?

“I just hope this kind of counting doesn’t take off, because I’d really hate for my boss to say my pay rise this year is actually just made up of the wages I’m being allowed to retain.

“I also hope none of the Tories advocating this counting method are currently homeschooling their children in Mathematics. Those poor children.”

 

Downing Street confirmed later the ventilator numbers, while announcing the country now has two health ministers after Matt Hancock was retained in his role.

The real travesty here is that I don’t know if this satire or not. 

[Captain Turdseye]

Local Facebook groups down here are chock full of absolute melts praising ‘our man, Matt Hancock’ for his honesty and bravery in front of the cameras today. He recovered from Coronavirus and now he’s here to save the day. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

[Alan Sex]

46 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

Not that I'm one to look at the positives but 200000 have recovered out of that million so far!

 

If you keep looking at the negatives only in a crisis like this you'll end up dying of fright, never mind the virus!

 

Frank Carson, News at Ten, Belfast!

Belfast? I was just reading that the mortality rate was Dublin!

[cloggypop]

9 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

Local Facebook groups down here are chock full of absolute melts praising ‘our man, Matt Hancock’ for his honesty and bravery in front of the cameras today. He recovered from Coronavirus and now he’s here to save the day. 

Easy to take it on the chin when you haven't got one. 

[Creator Supreme]

5 minutes ago, Alan Sex said:

Belfast? I was just reading that the mortality rate was Dublin!

It's a cracker!

[TheBitch]

21 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

Local Facebook groups down here are chock full of absolute melts praising ‘our man, Matt Hancock’ for his honesty and bravery in front of the cameras today. He recovered from Coronavirus and now he’s here to save the day. 

Didn’t he get it about 6 days ago when his advice is to stay isolated for 7 days and the WHO advice is 14 days. 

 

Apologies if my numbers are out but I started drinking when The Chase came on...

[johnsusername]

Looking at a map of cases South America, Africa, Russia all seem to have comparitively low numbers. Even India. But the USA and western Europe have been hammered. Why? Why haven't any large slums in places like Brazil, South Africa, India been affected? Are they just ticking time bombs? 

 

[Pidge]

9 hours ago, TK421 said:

The mask revolution is gaining pace. Get a mask.

 

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-masks-advice-could-change-after-new-evidence-emerges-11967357

Would be interesting to know what the Hong Kong evidence is, or why it's only being shared confidentially. The MIT study only seems to tell us what we already know, that sharing a badly ventilated space with an infected individual puts you at higher risk.

 

What really gets me is how both here and in the similar BBC article, they still position it as protection for the wearer. But the benefits appear to be much clearer for protecting others from the wearer (unless you are in a closed environment with several people - which most people shouldn't be at the moment, most supermarkets have pretty extensive air conditioning to increase airflow), so it only really makes sense in circumstances where people wear them at scale (where South East Asia are ahead of the curve).

 

But then, do we have the population density to require it on that scale? In some parts of London it seems we compare to Seoul (around 16,000 per sq. km), but the city as a whole is listed as 5,666 in 2018 (Wuhan is 5,800, NYC is 10,400, Hong Kong 6,700), let alone any other cities.

 

That said, public transport seems a necessary risk for many, as might some work conditions (offices often the worst for this, factories and warehouses I've worked in have always been pretty open or air conditioned), so wouldn't want to criticise anyone who wants to take the extra precaution when having to put up with that. Do what helps you feel comfortable and safe, I say. I won't be bothering, but then I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home these days.

[Pureblood]

4 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Would be interesting to know what the Hong Kong evidence is, or why it's only being shared confidentially. The MIT study only seems to tell us what we already know, that sharing a badly ventilated space with an infected individual puts you at higher risk.

 

What really gets me is how both here and in the similar BBC article, they still position it as protection for the wearer. But the benefits appear to be much clearer for protecting others from the wearer (unless you are in a closed environment with several people - which most people shouldn't be at the moment, most supermarkets have pretty extensive air conditioning to increase airflow), so it only really makes sense in circumstances where people wear them at scale (where South East Asia are ahead of the curve).

 

But then, do we have the population density to require it on that scale? In some parts of London it seems we compare to Seoul (around 16,000 per sq. km), but the city as a whole is listed as 5,666 in 2018 (Wuhan is 5,800, NYC is 10,400, Hong Kong 6,700), let alone any other cities.

 

That said, public transport seems a necessary risk for many, as might some work conditions (offices often the worst for this, factories and warehouses I've worked in have always been pretty open or air conditioned), so wouldn't want to criticise anyone who wants to take the extra precaution when having to put up with that. Do what helps you feel comfortable and safe, I say. I won't be bothering, but then I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home these days.

Good post. 

 

I think ultimately the decision will be taken out of our hands and they'll become mandatory.  If everyone wears one then everyone benefits, that's how I see it. 

[s(k)aturation]

 

So, we'll be required to wear one at home?

[Captain Turdseye]

39 minutes ago, TheBitch said:

Didn’t he get it about 6 days ago when his advice is to stay isolated for 7 days and the WHO advice is 14 days. 

Modern day miracle. 

[s(k)aturation]

 

So, can our photoshop "Christmassy 'Tars" wizards kindly start supplying us all with masks, please?

 

@Numero Veinticinco et al, ta?

[Bjornebye]

2 hours ago, skaro said:

 

So, we'll be required to wear one at home?

I have for years 

[Sugar Ape]

Think the only mask I’ve got at home is my Michael Myers one. Might wear it next time I pop into Morrison’s. 
 

 

[s(k)aturation]

 

Shh-wing.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Bjornebye said:

I have for years 

 

[General Dryness]

2 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

Think the only mask I’ve got at home is my Michael Myers one. Might wear it next time I pop into Morrison’s. 
 

 

Have you got any pictures of you with the mask on then?

[suzy]

I’ve got a Jurgen Klopp mask!

 

I wouldn’t even like to guess the chances of finding masks to buy anyway? I’m struggling to find flour for my mum round here! 

[suzy]

On my work front - shambles! 
I was sent home from work for health condition (I have a heart stent) 2 weeks ago. Home working was promised. Last week I was on annual leave anyway so that was ok. Monday I get a call from my manager to say they’ve done a risk assessment and I can go back to work the next day! Bit of a shock but I go in on Tuesday , hardly anyone in, they’ve all got long term conditions! I can’t help wondering why I’m back! 
Social distancing was promised but the stupid cow who is 3 desks away from me keeps walking over to me - I point out she should be 2 meters away - she gets all grumpy but I don’t care as she’s annoying so her stopping talking to me is bliss!

I then find I’m locked out of my PC! I phone the IT desk, they normally do it in 5 minutes. I get someone who’s working from home and isn’t an IT guy! He says they’re very busy and emails someone to phone me. My shift is 5 hours and they never did get back to me. My job is impossible without the PC. I do very little and go home.

Two hours after I get home I get a call from my manager saying they’ve had a meeting and I’m to stay at home until I hear otherwise!!

So now I feel in limbo, don’t know if the home working is going to happen or not.

[Anubis]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/02/no-10-seeks-to-end-covid-19-lockdown-with-immunity-passports

 

No 10 is facing fresh questions over its coronavirus testing plan, as it emerged that the government is hoping to exit the lockdown through controversial “immunity passports” and antibody tests that are still not proven to work.

 

In the face of intense criticism, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, on Thursday admitted for the first time that mistakes had been made. “There will be criticisms made, and some of them will be justified,” he told the daily press briefing.

 

Hancock revealed that certificates to prove someone is immune to the virus could allow some of the population to go back to work, as he made a new pledge to complete 100,000 tests a day in England by the end of the month.

 

He attempted to relaunch the government’s strategy while Boris Johnsonremains unwell in self-isolation, after a week of pressure about why so few tests are being carried out, especially on NHS workers.

 

Hancock promised that tests would be expanded from hospital patients and medics to more NHS staff, key workers and finally more people in the community. These will be a combination of tests for live cases of the virus and antibody tests to determine whether someone has previously been infected. Germany is carrying out around 70,000 tests a day, all for live cases of Covid-19.

 

However, the government was also forced to acknowledge it was not likely to have the capacity to embark on a programme of mass testing for live cases in the general public, as advocated by the World Health Organization and public experts.

 

Instead, No 10 and health department sources confirmed the general public would primarily have to rely on the potential for an antibody test – but these are “ideally” done 28 days after an infection, to give the clearest indication of whether someone has already had the virus, according to Prof John Newton, a senior Public Health England official.

 

Newton said the idea of testing all those that have symptoms in the country was “unrealistic” and the as yet unproven antibody test was more likely to be used by people at home.

 

Hancock said work was progressing with the antibody tests but that the results of many of the early tests had been “poor” and he was more hopeful about later ones that have been acquired.
 

The government has bought options on up to 17.5m antibody tests of different types that are currently being tested, but cannot say definitively when they will be safe to use.

 

When the antibody tests are available, Hancock said, the government was looking at the possibility of issuing immunity certificates, so that some of the population “can get back to work as much as possible”.

 

However, some critics fear that this could lead to resentment in the population who have not had the virus, and that people might even deliberately try to get infected in order to obtain an immunity certificate.

 

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, told the Guardian that immunity certificates for frontline medical workers would be crucial for allowing staff to return to work and allowing personal protective equipment to be rationed in the safest way.

 

However, in the wider population, fraud could be an issue, which could rule out home-based testing, and there were concerns about unintended consequences.

 

“People going out to deliberately get infected so they could get back to work is a concern and I don’t know how you’d avoid that,” he said. “Those are big issues.”

 

After a week spent in isolation with coronavirus himself, Hancock was forced to defend the government on numerous fronts. He told the press briefing:

 

• Johnson’s ultimate target of 250,000 tests a day – first made on March 18 - was still valid.

 

• Premiership footballers should take a pay cut in solidarity with NHS workers who are putting their lives on the line.

 

• Shortages of swabs had been rectified , but the UK was “still tackling the reagents issue, which is a global challenge”.

 

• The UK was having to build its capacity from a “lower base” than the likes of Germany, which is testing around 70,000 people per day.

 

• More commercial laboratories, including universities and private businesses, would be used to accelerate testing after criticism that this “Dunkirk” approach had initially been ignored.

 

• The NHS will have £13.4bn of debt written off, as previously confirmed.

Tensions have bubbled in Whitehall over who is to blame for low testing numbers in the UK, with some political sources blaming Public Health England (PHE) for not placing enough emphasis on the issue in recent weeks.

 

However, PHE rejected criticism that it had been trying to do all the testing itself and was too inflexible in which chemicals were allowed to be used, suggesting that it was the responsibility of ministers to find private capacity for more tests.

 

Prof Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of the public health body, said PHE’s role was to “make sure our labs are doing what they need to do” in terms of testing hospital patients with a clinical need, with NHS staff a second priority.

 

Conservative backbenchers voiced concern in private about the government’s failure to roll out testing faster, saying there was anxiety that the public mood could turn against the government if it appeared there was no end to the lockdown as a result.

 

A former supporter Johnson in the leadership contest said they were worried sentiment could turn rapidly: “I think the government could get blown away if people are still inside after Easter and there is no progress on testing.”

 

Concerns were voiced that Johnson and other ministers had appeared to allow PHE to lead on testing, without asking the independent researchers and the private sector to get involved until Hancock’s announcement. “The fact that there’s not mass testing now is inexcusable,” another Conservative MP complained.

 

One senior MP said the party would be watching the polls closely and that he was “frankly amazed” that Johnson’s popularity was holding up. A bit like the virus, there might be a two-week lag before the public comes to fully realise that the government is failing to get the testing issue under control, they said.

 

“There are some in my party who are trying to blame PHE, but ultimately, it will be the politicians who get the blame if the economy collapses because we can’t test NHS workers.

 

“The death toll will become totemic. If we get thousands of people dying every day for several days, who knows where this will go. It is frightening, and the prime minister looks like he doesn’t know what to do.”

 

Jeremy Corbyn, the outgoing Labour leader, said: “The fact that we are not yet even testing 10,000 people a day is very, very serious indeed. There are almost half a million [frontline] people working in the NHS and the care sector. Even they have not yet been tested. It is ludicrous. We have got to get on top of testing.”

 

 

[Anubis]

Why hasn’t Hancock self-isolated for the 14 day period? 

[Anubis]

Meanwhile, Terry Christian has been busy upsetting Tory Twitter.

[Bobby Hundreds]

The Tories will come out of this smelling of roses, they always do.

[Davelfc]

8 hours ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

 

As long as we can have trials and firing squads for the collaborators.