Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[sbbefc]

What happens when the next variant pops up? and the one after that?

Im all for the June date being moved to July to try get as many first doses done but after that we need to get back to as much normal as possible.

I understand your frustration, but the issue here is hospital capacity and it always has been. As it stands people have not been able to receive treatment so there's also a huge backlog. It doesn't take much at all to grind a hospital to a halt. A certain % increase in hospitalisations might not sound a lot but it's all relative to the capacity of certain hospitals. Hospitals don't have hundreds of beds lying empty even at the best of times.

I've said it before, but a tory government isn't going to deliberately restrict commercial activity. This has been part of the problem. We haven't locked down soon enough and we have been too lax in controlling our borders. The delta variant was known about months ago now and for the first few weeks we didn't do enough to prevent it coming in.

If another variant comes along it comes along. We have to deal with it.

 

[tsubaki]

Well I've listed four examples there of people that I know and this is all in the last 2 weeks (one of the lads I mentioned who I work with was told to isolate a few days after getting back from Porto as he was out covering the CL final there - even though he'd obviously done all the tests to get back into Britain etc. Think at that point Portugal was on the green list so he didn't have to isolate on return, he just had to get the negative PCR test).

In regards to doing it quicker. In the example of my friend, the app told him as soon as his close contact had tested positive – he actually said he got the text from the app before his mate from hockey told the group chat, obviously the app didn't tell him who'd tested positive or anything like that, it just then became clear it was his hockey mate.

Obviously he had to tell me, though, because we'd been for an outdoor coffee last Friday and he found out on Saturday that he was isolating - he'd been playing hockey on Thursday.

So how can it be quicker? I'm not saying it shouldn't be, but in this example, surely it can only become 'quicker' if everybody in the entire country is testing themselves every day? And is that really what we want?

Because all that relies on the app - on people having it, on the tracing being on and following its guidance. It isn’t comprehensive enough, nor (IIRC) does it feed back to the government who is ill.

 

[tsubaki]

Anyone can get tests sent to their house for free in this country. The tories have messed up throughout including recently with the India issues but I do think its hard to get a more complete test and trace system.

It’s not comprehensive though - it can’t be if they are delivering tests you have to complete and send back.

 

[grandjoeblue]

Because all that relies on the app - on people having it, on the tracing being on and following its guidance. It isn’t comprehensive enough, nor (IIRC) does it feed back to the government who is ill.

It’s not comprehensive though - it can’t be if they are delivering tests you have to complete and send back.

Are you trying to suggest we need some sort of North Korea type system?

Why don't we put the whole population on tag and jail them if they get close to a covid positive individual?

 

[BlueToff]

Because all that relies on the app - on people having it, on the tracing being on and following its guidance. It isn’t comprehensive enough, nor (IIRC) does it feed back to the government who is ill.

Okay, so the tech needs to be better...

In terms of people not having it, that's a good point. But then how do you get people to phone up etc if they have symptoms? It's the same problem that we have now.

And it's not just about money, btw. I can and do work my main job from home so if I did have to isolate, I could still earn. A lot of people who have office/desk jobs etc - I know that's not everyone - are in a similar posiiton. So it's not just about money. It's more mental well being than anything else.

I'd be in a right state if I had to isolate and couldn't get out and about on a run or a walk or bike ride or whatever, it'd do my nut in. I know that's a minor example and I'm lucky that I have a garden, but people don't want to be locked in their own homes, so it's always going to be tough to get everybody to do it.

 

[Neiler]

Anyone can get tests sent to their house for free in this country. The tories have messed up throughout including recently with the India issues but I do think its hard to get a more complete test and trace system.

Not a fan of that method myself, I get a weekly test in work despite being double dosed since March, nasel and throat swab, PCR. I definitely wouldn’t trust myself to test myself accurately.

Then you are into method PCR Vs Antigen, pros and cons to each in terms of speed and reliability. Over here the powers that be are sticking to PCR. Lidel over here are selling Antigen tests.

Tracking wise, if you test positive you are contacted by a tracking team, you give a list of all interpersonal contacts over the past 7 days, those people are contacted by a specialist tracking team, test booked and told to isolate until result of the test. These are mobile testing units as well who can come to your house to test if you are to symptomatic to leave or are older with physical limits, no transport, etc.

We have regional walk in test centres, you can walk in just for the craic or curiosity now.

 

[tsubaki]

Are you trying to suggest we need some sort of North Korea type system?

Why don't we put the whole population on tag and jail them if they get close to a covid positive individual?

Not at all. When someone reports symptoms they should have someone from the testing agency attend their location ASAP (within an hour) and test them, and everyone else nearby. If they test positive then they should be told to isolate, and given support to do it.

Whilst the testers are en route to the first person the testing agency should be getting details of the people that the person has been in contact with, and if the original person has tested positive then the contacts should get tested too, and their contacts obtained etc (and so on until you’ve established the extent of the outbreak).

Since you mention tags though, that was actually an option for the people coming back from “red list” countries.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Not at all. When someone reports symptoms they should have someone from the testing agency attend their location ASAP (within an hour) and test them, and everyone else nearby. If they test positive then they should be told to isolate, and given support to do it.

Whilst the testers are en route to the first person the testing agency should be getting details of the people that the person has been in contact with, and if the original person has tested positive then the contacts should get tested too, and their contacts obtained etc (and so on until you’ve established the extent of the outbreak).

Since you mention tags though, that was actually an option for the people coming back from “red list” countries.

Yikes this is Orwell stuff sir. Best not cough incase the Gestapo turn up to take you away.

Stuff like this just gives the anti Covid / Vac lot ammunition "take Covid seriously and you'll be living in a commie dictatorship soon enough".

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Hopefully 19 July is officially the day that the country completely goes back to normal.

Rising cases or not, we cannot keep just imposing restrictions indefinitely. Something has to give now.

 

[tsubaki]

Yikes this is Orwell stuff sir. Best not cough incase the Gestapo turn up to take you away.

Stuff like this just gives the anti Covid / Vac lot ammunition "take Covid seriously and you'll be living in a commie dictatorship soon enough".

you are a cretin

 

[navidson]

Just cancelled my 2nd second jab and rescheduled it for 3 weeks sooner than the original date

 

[ForeverBlue92]

you are a cretin

Its absolutely outrageous. Covid symptoms minus loss of taste and smell are the symptoms of pretty much hundreds of viruses, bugs, influenza etc. It would be a disaster.

"Got a job interview today"

"Sorry lad you said you have a headache got to miss it and wait for the blokes in white lab coats to come test you and your entire street who may be at work etc". lol

 

[Neiler]

The German Delta cases seem a bit odd tbh, know there likely not as much seeding from travel as in the UK but they still aren’t growing as much as I’d have expected given how it appears to be spreading in Asian countries and the comparatively low vaccination rates (especially full vaccination) in Germany.

Germany iirc was pretty good at test and trace - wonder if that is making a difference or some other factor(s).

Going to be important to see if other UK regions follow the NW pattern of case growth or diverge over the next couple of weeks.

Its a funny one, Germany will surpass the U.K. this week as the country who have given the most doses, though they have a bigger population of course.

3% of their cases are Delta at the moment, you’d expect that to rise and become dominant eventually, but at this stage it’s buying time and getting people double dosed. They are about to reduce the requirement for face masks there which is nuts in my opinion.

All that said, they closed their border to the U.K. in May, apart from returning German citizens and I heard a report last night that they closed two entire apartment blocks and restricted a neighbour hood because one women tested positive for Delta.

It’s Ireland and Spain, I’d be watching next for the rise in Delta, just my opinion.

 

[Neiler]

Not really restrictive enough in my opinion. I don’t mean that in a nationalistic way, but simply stopping the spread of this around Europe, in countries who are about a month behind the U.K. vaccine profile.

Isolation time increases for some arrivals from Britain

People arriving in Ireland from Britain who are not fully vaccinated will have to self-isolate for ten days in changes that come into force with immediate effect.

www.rte.ie

 

[Tubey]

When someone reports symptoms they should have someone from the testing agency attend their location ASAP (within an hour) and test them, and everyone else nearby.

The way you've worded this makes it sound like if someone sneezes they and everyone around them will be hunted down like Logan's Run.

I know that's not what you meant as such, but it's staggering that you can't see why this isn't acceptable in a modern society. @ForeverBlue92 was 100% correct in calling you out on it - the UK doesn't and shouldn't work that way. The emergency element of COVID is done, it's not an emergency, it's now an endemic disease. We have to live with it, and living with it doesn't include your suggestion above.