Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[BlueStevie35]

123 deaths reported by NHS today, up 4 on yesterday, 108 in England which is 23 up on yesterday with 79 falling in the past 10 days

 

[Jebus_lives]

The government really don’t help themselves with the way they communicate these changes to the restrictions. If they are to allow shielded members of the public to venture outside once per day while social distancing they should have ensured that the reasons behind this decision were made clear from a scientific perspective.

I believe the vast majority of those shielded will make use of this opportunity to go outdoors in a sensible and safe way, but the government shouldn’t just be relying on people to make their best judgements. They need to advise with examples of what would be prudent.

Going outside early in the morning or later in the evening, avoiding busy thoroughfares and congested green spaces, etc.



I don’t think the evidence does suggest it’s purely down to socioeconomic factors.

There are many reports that Vitamin D deficiency can be a key driver of poor response to Covid exposure. Unfortunately Vitamin D deficiency is far more common amongst the BAME community in the UK and other parts of Europe due to the UV levels found here.

SAGE reckon it is.

Edit - purely is hamfisted in the post you replied to. It really should be that there isn't evidence to suppprt the genetic theory.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Know it not strictly on topic but this is so sad, looked so hopeful that they had managed to squash the outbreak

 

[Brennan]

SAGE reckon it is.

With respect, that proves nothing.

 

[Jebus_lives]

With respect, that proves nothing.

With respect, that's precisely the point I was making.

 

[tsubaki]

SAGE reckon it is.

Edit - purely is hamfisted in the post you replied to. It really should be that there isn't evidence to suppprt the genetic theory.

TBF there isn’t that much behind the “purely down to socioeconomic factors” argument either for higher BAME death rates.

 

[Brennan]

With respect, that's precisely the point I was making.

I didn’t get that from your post but fair enough, I just read “the evidence suggests”.

 

[Brennan]

Vitamin D factor explained better than I can:

Vitamin D is essential for regulation of immune function, and has been shown to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that are associated with lung damage caused by acute viral respiratory infections such as influenza and Covid-19 (12). In fact, supplementation with vitamin D reduces the risk of respiratory infection, particularly in people with low vitamin D status (13). Vitamin D is synthesised under the skin following exposure to UVB radiation from sunlight, so individuals who get insufficient sunlight are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. This is a particular issue during winter in countries further from the equator, when sunlight has insufficient UVB for vitamin D synthesis. People with darker skin colour who live in these countries, which includes many BAME communities, are at even greater risk, as are those who rarely go outside or expose very little skin to the sun (14).

It is therefore very interesting to note that the current coronavirus pandemic took hold at the end of winter in the northern hemisphere (the time of year when vitamin D status is at its lowest) and the countries most affected by the virus are in the northern hemisphere, above 35 degrees latitude (15). At the same time, countries at the end of summer in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia and New Zealand, have fared very well. Furthermore, a cross-sectional analysis of countries in Europe has shown a statistically significant correlation between population vitamin D levels and Covid-19 cases and deaths (16).

Vitamin D deficiency could therefore be contributing to the disproportionate number of BAME individuals who are succumbing to Covid-19. It is also interesting to note that vitamin D status tends to fall with age, particularly for older people in care homes, and with rising BMI (17). Obesity is strongly associated with vitamin D deficiency, although why this is the case is not clear. The leading theory is that dysfunctional adipose tissue in obesity sequesters vitamin D and impairs its release so it is no longer bio-available (18). Vitamin D plays an essential role in glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and regulation of adipokines such as leptin, as well as inflammatory cytokines (19). Vitamin D insufficiency may therefore be involved in mediating insulin resistance and inflammation associated with obesity.[\QUOTE]

Covid-19, Obesity, BAME... and Vitamin D - CCH

Covid-19 and ethnicity Over recent weeks, as the coronavirus pandemic has progressed, we have been inundated with data and statistics about the impact of the virus in a range of different countries, communities and demographic groups, but perhaps the most shocking are the numbers of people from...

www.contemporaryhealth.co.uk

 

[Jebus_lives]

TBF there isn’t that much behind the “purely down to socioeconomic factors” argument either for higher BAME death rates.

A study of 23000 hospital admissions is more conclusive than simply looking at death rates and has furthered the discussion.

Should it be the end of it and the point that stops it being researched further, no obviously. But there has been one train of thought leading us down a set of planning and response assumptions because of early data and now the possibility that people will stop looking at it because of another study.

 

[Jebus_lives]

I didn’t get that from your post but fair enough, I just read “the evidence suggests”.

The most recent reported circulated by SAGE does suggest there is no inherent factor other than socioeconomic factors.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Dead funny some people turning up at their local Ikea store then fuming because it was busy. lol


IKEA stores reopen for first time since March as shoppers join miles-long queues


Thousands of eager shoppers braved miles-long queues from the early hours to access IKEA stores as they opened for the first time since March.

Lines snaked around car parks across the country as the Swedish retail giant opened 19 of its UK outlets today.

London consumers complained of enduring five-mile queues in the searing heat in Croydon, while shoppers arriving to discover the Wembley queue took to social media to complain: “What on earth do this many people need?”

In Warrington, customers reportedly arrived at 5.40am, ahead of the store’s 9am opening time.

Some had brought chairs to sit on, and by the time of opening, a line of more than 1,000 people snaked around the car park.

The queues were reminiscent of those previously seen pre-lockdown outside London’s designer stores for launches of limited edition fashion lines.

Twitter user, Alexi Norris, wrote: “The queue for IKEA Wembley today?! I only wanted to get a desk to finish my exams on. What on Earth do this many people need?!?!?! #IKEA"



One Londoner who attempted to access the Croydon store this morning wrote: “Gone to Ikea in Croydon Cos my dad wanted to go and we’ve already been waiting like 40 mins”.

Some of the largest queues were seen in the Belfast opening, which were patrolled by social distance wardens.

Two customers, Samantha Fisher and her daughter Atlanta, from Groomsport, near Bangor in Co Down, queued from 8am in order to shop for a bedroom they wanted to furnish which had lain empty for weeks during the pandemic lockdown.

Ms Fisher said: "I wanted my dressing table. My room is empty because I did it up a few months ago and it is just a big space ready for it to go in. So that will be my husband's job tonight, to build it and put it together."

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Guardian:

Telling the most vulnerable they can now go out fits the ‘good news’ narrative. But where is the evidence behind this U-turn?

The announcement came out of the blue. On Sunday, the government said 2.2 million high-risk “shielders” in England and Wales will be allowed to go outside for the first time from Monday if they feel “comfortable”, either with members of their household, or, if they live alone, to meet one other person. These are people who, for the last 10 weeks, have been told to stay in their homes 24/7, without any break for exercise or fresh air.

This marks a remarkable U-turn from ministers. Previous guidance advised that people with serious underlying health conditions, such as lung disease or low immunity, would need to shield until the end of June. Andthere was no mention of an anticipated change in last week’s announcement easing lockdown for the wider public, nor any advance warning to health professionals. Disability organisations and charities appear to have been taken aback by the move, with the MS Society telling me they were “extremely concerned”.

From the outset of the pandemic, the government’s communication to shielders has been found wanting, to the extent that many didn’t even know how long they were supposed to shield for. The latest update – announced via tweets at 10pm on a Saturday night and trailed in the press – was like moving the goalposts on the quiet. Rather than hearing it first from a government briefing or from their doctor, shielders had to find out about the change on social media.

When I spoke to people affected, the reaction was one of confusion, anxiety, and anger. Some noted that they had been told by their doctors only 24 hours earlier that they would need to shield for at least another month. “There’s no way I’m trusting the government’s advice,” was the general response.

Commence operation culling.

 

[COYBL25]

Commence operation culling.

He`s just popped out on his bike for his daily unnecessary bike ride, wrapped up like Chris Bonnington on his way up Everest, he`ll be back to pass his judgement in an hour or so.

 

[Armchair Blue]

Dead funny some people turning up at their local Ikea store then fuming because it was busy. lol


IKEA stores reopen for first time since March as shoppers join miles-long queues


Thousands of eager shoppers braved miles-long queues from the early hours to access IKEA stores as they opened for the first time since March.

Lines snaked around car parks across the country as the Swedish retail giant opened 19 of its UK outlets today.

London consumers complained of enduring five-mile queues in the searing heat in Croydon, while shoppers arriving to discover the Wembley queue took to social media to complain: “What on earth do this many people need?”

In Warrington, customers reportedly arrived at 5.40am, ahead of the store’s 9am opening time.

Some had brought chairs to sit on, and by the time of opening, a line of more than 1,000 people snaked around the car park.

The queues were reminiscent of those previously seen pre-lockdown outside London’s designer stores for launches of limited edition fashion lines.

Twitter user, Alexi Norris, wrote: “The queue for IKEA Wembley today?! I only wanted to get a desk to finish my exams on. What on Earth do this many people need?!?!?! #IKEA"

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One Londoner who attempted to access the Croydon store this morning wrote: “Gone to Ikea in Croydon Cos my dad wanted to go and we’ve already been waiting like 40 mins”.

Some of the largest queues were seen in the Belfast opening, which were patrolled by social distance wardens.

Two customers, Samantha Fisher and her daughter Atlanta, from Groomsport, near Bangor in Co Down, queued from 8am in order to shop for a bedroom they wanted to furnish which had lain empty for weeks during the pandemic lockdown.

Ms Fisher said: "I wanted my dressing table. My room is empty because I did it up a few months ago and it is just a big space ready for it to go in. So that will be my husband's job tonight, to build it and put it together."

What is so important that your willing to wait at the back of a 5 mile queue to get into IKEA,why not get what you want online if your that desperate.

 

[marnie]

Finally..................BOOM !!!!! Greek government have just paid me 2 months money that was due on 1st April.Can breathe a little easier now.