Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[zzr45]

Isn’t this 500,000 infections news in some ways actually a positive? If it’s the case that it’s spreading as is claimed, yet hospital admissions and deaths remain at a level below what is to be expected (going off 10% being hospitalised and 1% passing away) is it not a sign that in terms of medical treatment and reduced infections of vulnerable groups that there’s actually been some progression?

 

[roydo]

Isn’t this 500,000 infections news in some ways actually a positive? If it’s the case that it’s spreading as is claimed, yet hospital admissions and deaths remain at a level below what is to be expected (going off 10% being hospitalised and 1% passing away) is it not a sign that in terms of medical treatment and reduced infections of vulnerable groups that there’s actually been some progression?

I wouldnt use the term "positive", but I get the gist of your post.

Apparently, the R in London is around 3, but the national, (England or UK, I dont know), is circa 1.2.

In conclusion, I havnt a clue how 1/2 million folk are getting infected in a week. We get told its down to household spreads. I just dont buy that. I mean unless I am dead weird or a hermit, I cant remember when we last visited another house, but you get the impression large parts of the country are gleefully cavorting around their neighbourhoods with wild abandon.

 

[Nymzee]

No sign of the sewer rat I see.Bellend

Excuse me, you rang?

 

[Toast]

No sign of the sewer rat I see.Bellend

No idea what I’ve missed here like..

 

[Jebus_lives]

@Bruce Wayne @LinekersLegs

I know you both had appreciated these in the past so a quick summary of the general chat from last week:

Hospitals are seeing lots of pressure - more covid cases in ICU than non covid. Emerging information about gyms/leisure as a common area of spread from the common exposure analysis. Lots of worry going into winter regarding how to manage flu and Covid. Possibility of a change to isolation periods coming up.

Hopefully should be helped by an increase in testing capacity and a new method for on the spot asymptomatic testing.

Fatigue is very real risk in the NHS and a worry that public aren't understanding/don't care about public health basics of infection control (more reminders will be issued).

Some work is being done on ways to have 'virtual Covid wards' to support community patients. Assessment ongoing as to how successful the tier 3 measures are being. Infection rates has increased across all age ranges.

Care settings - difficult to adequately shield care homes because of the spread across communities (carers, staff servicing care homes picking it up elsewhere and taking it into care homes again). A lot of difficulty in managing flow in the NHS system with discharge being a problem (difficulty in discharge to care homes etc).

 

[roydo]

No idea what I’ve missed here like..

Same.

 

[Toast]

@Bruce Wayne @LinekersLegs

I know you both had appreciated these in the past so a quick summary of the general chat from last week:

Hospitals are seeing lots of pressure - more vivid cases in ICU than non covid. Emerging information about gyms/leisure as a common area of spread from the common exposure analysis. Lots of worry going into winter regarding how to manage flu and Covid. Possibility of a change to isolation periods coming up.

Hopefully should be helped by an increase in testing capacity and a new method for on the spot asymptomatic testing.

Fatigue is very real risk in the NHS and a worry that public aren't understanding/don't care about public health basics of infection control (more reminders will be issued).

Some work is being done on ways to have 'virtual Covid wards' to support community patients. Assessment ongoing as to how successful the tier 3 measures are being. Infection rates has increased across all age ranges.

Care settings - difficult to adequately shield care homes because of the spread across communities (carers, staff servicing care homes picking it up elsewhere and taking it into care homes again). A lot of difficulty in managing flow in the NHS system with discharge being a problem (difficulty in discharge to care homes etc).

The NHS has had months to prepare for the expected second wave.
I would hope they are in a far better place than they were in March, but no doubt it will be revealed that the promised ventilators never arrived and that the government have put all their eggs into the track and trace basket and are now desperately hoping a vaccine saves their arse.

 

[Nymzee]

Same.

I made a joke about how bad Everton were vs Southampton but it could have been misconstrued as insensitive in the context. I went to bed after that so the time elapsed to delete it/apologise so now I'm the worst person on the forum/planet.

Thankfully the validation of online strangers isn't high up on my list of things to need so I am okay with being on the FBI's most wanted list.

 

[roydo]

The NHS has had months to prepare for the expected second wave.
I would hope they are in a far better place than they were in March, but no doubt it will be revealed that the promised ventilators never arrived and that the government have put all their eggs into the track and trace basket and are now desperately hoping a vaccine saves their arse.

Vents are bad news, covid wise, I thought. But get your point. The Nightingale units have been readied to be used, cos capacity will be the issue, obvs.

 

[Jebus_lives]

The NHS has had months to prepare for the expected second wave.
I would hope they are in a far better place than they were in March, but no doubt it will be revealed that the promised ventilators never arrived and that the government have put all their eggs into the track and trace basket and are now desperately hoping a vaccine saves their arse.

The NHS has spent a good portion of the last few months taking a collective breath and trying to manage the backlog of work need as a result of wave 1. Coupled with trying to dissect what occured in the first wave and how best to address those things in the event of a serving wave. It's arrived at a time when the NHS traditionally provides its assurance across a number of areas so feeding that requirement, staff holidays due to half term and winter planning.

Additionally, as prepared as the NHS in trusts might be, it's reliant on a social care sector which is privately run and primary care (care homes, GPs) who don't have the same statutory obligations of preparedness but nevertheless act as the community prevention to 'NHS being overwhelmed'.

 

[davek]

Of course not Dave but the main area of % transmissions and mixed households gathering together in huge numbers seven days a week is quite obvious,its Supermarkets.Unfortunately it's impossible to close them without the dire consequences that would bring.

That can be better organised, and click and collect and home delivery can be expanded.

Schools can be shut and colleges too. Restaurants according to a report today accounted for between 8% to 17% of all infections during the EOTHO period. They are all drivers of the virus. Shut them down for a period.

Not that difficult to do if you value human life.

 

[roydo]

The NHS has spent a good portion of the last few months taking a collective breath and trying to manage the backlog of work need as a result of wave 1. Coupled with trying to dissect what occured in the first wave and how best to address those things in the event of a serving wave. It's arrived at a time when the NHS traditionally provides its assurance across a number of areas so feeding that requirement, staff holidays due to half term and winter planning.

Additionally, as prepared as the NHS in trusts might be, it's reliant on a social care sector which is privately run and primary care (care homes, GPs) who don't have the same statutory obligations of preparedness but nevertheless act as the community prevention to 'NHS being overwhelmed'.

Being one who spent 2 months visiting an ICU then Respiratory ward, pre covid, they both seemed pretty busy then.

Now I am sure that capacity has been addressed, as best you can, (you can convert any ward into another one pretty easily, from what I saw), but even still, the idea that the NHS has been quiet these last 7 months is in for a shock. But hopefully not.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Being one who spent 2 months visiting an ICU then Respiratory ward, pre covid, they both seemed pretty busy then.

Now I am sure that capacity has been addressed, as best you can, (you can convert any ward into another one pretty easily, from what I saw), but even still, the idea that the NHS has been quiet these last 7 months is in for a shock. But hopefully not.

Most hospitals, quote rightly don't have huge capacity, the preference is for recovery at home for most patients.

In normal circumstances the NHS runs at around 75-90% capacity. The is some room.for flex, but it's not huge.

 

[Kenshin]

The NHS has spent a good portion of the last few months taking a collective breath and trying to manage the backlog of work need as a result of wave 1. Coupled with trying to dissect what occured in the first wave and how best to address those things in the event of a serving wave. It's arrived at a time when the NHS traditionally provides its assurance across a number of areas so feeding that requirement, staff holidays due to half term and winter planning.

Additionally, as prepared as the NHS in trusts might be, it's reliant on a social care sector which is privately run and primary care (care homes, GPs) who don't have the same statutory obligations of preparedness but nevertheless act as the community prevention to 'NHS being overwhelmed'.

Good summary.

I don't know that side of it obviously but part of the focus , or a lot of it from my side of things has been trying to get back to normal so to speak, within the social distance framework.

For the thousands upon thousands of patients waiting for treatment / appointments and for the thousands more since, the focus may have been put towards that rather than keep focusing on one particular element of a nations health care.

For one service alone we had over 2000 waiting simply for an assessment and that isn't even with a doctor or surgeon.

I've said it before but times that over every speciality in Liverpool to give you a good idea of people waiting , you may even know one or two. Then times that all over the country because it will be the same in nearly every trust I imagine.

The scale of this is often not realised by most because it's never printed in the news so to speak. It's always how many covid patients there are or infections, if people realised the scale of everything else then it would put more into perspective.

 

[roydo]

Most hospitals, quote rightly don't have huge capacity, the preference is for recovery at home for most patients.

In normal circumstances the NHS runs at around 75-90% capacity. The is some room.for flex, but it's not huge.

Yeah, I know!