Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[gav1985]

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.

The other issue would be the logistics of it. 8k+ cases a day. Imagine going to every household to do that

 

[Tramps_mate]

Todays number will be telling. See if we get a large jump all round after the lower weekend figures...

 

[tsubaki]

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.

It isn’t done though - yes, a thousand people aren’t dying a day at the moment but we’ve got to be vigilant enough to make sure we never get there again. That can only happen with the health authorities having a grip on who is ill and what with (which probably does mean people reporting when they have a cold so it can be checked).

 

[Deleted member 48881]

Russia looks like they are f--ed up. Still reporting 300-400 deaths everyday (today's being 379) and they are ruled by Putin. Lots of reasons he can manipulate the numbers. How are they so bad, especially with a self-proclaimed decent local vaccine?

 

[tsubaki]

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

For a start, please note I said isolate / contact trace if they tested positive. Secondly if you turn up to a job interview nowadays with a cough / sniffles without telling them in advance you are ill, do you really think you are going to get the job?

 

[Mrk]

Russia looks like they are f--ed up. Still reporting 300-400 deaths everyday (today's being 379) and they are ruled by Putin. Lots of reasons he can manipulate the numbers. How are they so bad, especially with a self-proclaimed decent local vaccine?

Christ, if they're reporting 300-400, god only knows what the real number is...

 

[Tubey]

It isn’t done though - yes, a thousand people aren’t dying a day at the moment but we’ve got to be vigilant enough to make sure we never get there again. That can only happen with the health authorities having a grip on who is ill and what with (which probably does mean people reporting when they have a cold so it can be checked).

What would happen if someone didn't want to be tested because they stood next to someone who had a runny nose for 5 seconds?

 

[ForeverBlue92]

For a start, please note I said isolate / contact trace if they tested positive. Secondly if you turn up to a job interview nowadays with a cough / sniffles without telling them in advance you are ill, do you really think you are going to get the job?

"When someone reports symptoms they should have someone from the testing agency attend their location ASAP"

as I said loss of taste/smell aside Covid has tons of routine symptoms - its simply unmanageable to have scientists rocking up to someones house everytime they have a headache or a cough.

If you have small kids you'll also know the buggers are constantly picking up bugs and sniffles lifes hard and hectic enough for the average working family to comply which means in the end people just wont bother.

 

[tsubaki]

What would happen if someone didn't want to be tested because they stood next to someone who had a runny nose for 5 seconds?

I doubt that would meet the definition of a contact, Tubey.

If people refuse to be tested when they are genuine contacts then that’s up to them - though if they go on to infect others they really should face some form of liability (as they do now with some other infectious diseases)

 

[tsubaki]

"When someone reports symptoms they should have someone from the testing agency attend their location ASAP"

as I said loss of taste/smell aside Covid has tons of routine symptoms - its simply unmanageable to have scientists rocking up to someones house everytime they have a headache or a cough.

If you have small kids you'll also know the buggers are constantly picking up bugs and sniffles lifes hard and hectic enough for the average working family to comply which means in the end people just wont bother.

.... and the bit after that said they should isolate if they test positive.

As for symptoms yes, a lot of attendance is going to be wasted for colds, flu and so on - but when there’s such an overlap of symptoms with COVID that’s always going to happen.

It basically boils down to would you rather find out it is COVID in the community early or late? That is the key thing here; with early detection we have a good chance of stopping it long before restrictions and lockdown; without it we don’t.

 

[LinekersLegs]

I don't get how this Indian variant is 80% more transmissible but has only spread in the UK and India. The Kent one spread pretty quickly through a lot of countries and if this one is 80% more transmissible surely it should be even worse?

Unfortunately it has spread much wider, Nepal in particular was hit very hard and even countries that had done well perviously like Vietnam have struggled to control this particular variant.

Guangzhou in China has a nasty outbreak and if their reporting is accurate (big proviso I know) are also reflecting the increased transmission/severity issues

Delta variant of Covid spreading rapidly and detected in 74 countries

Concerns over impact on poorer countries, while richer governments try different containment measures

www.theguardian.com

The evidence from Guangzhou in China, in particular, has been concerning. There, health officials have reported 12% of patients becoming severely or critically ill within three to four days of the onset of symptoms – up to four times higher than in previous outbreaks – and sick individuals infecting more people. Research in China, mirroring in broad terms that in the UK where the Delta variant has become dominant, has also found the strain appears to be somewhat more resistant to vaccines, in particular a single dose.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[ForeverBlue92]

.... and the bit after that said they should isolate if they test positive.

As for symptoms yes, a lot of attendance is going to be wasted for colds, flu and so on - but when there’s such an overlap of symptoms with COVID that’s always going to happen.

It basically boils down to would you rather find out it is COVID in the community early or late? That is the key thing here; with early detection we have a good chance of stopping it long before restrictions and lockdown; without it we don’t.

Most responsible people do home tests anyway I take one lateral flow test a week before I visit my nan to drop off shopping regardless of if im feeling run down or not - thats much cheaper and less time consuming / acceptable than paying some militia of scientists around the country to rock up when as you say most of the time it wont be Covid.

That money surely can go to better use? The problem you'll also have is the irresponsible people just wont comply anyway therefore you would need to be even more draconian to get any kind of system to work.

I think once everyones had 2 doses of vaccine this will near enough be over and long term we'll potentially need booster shots for any new troublesome variant once a year until it burns itself out.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[xena]

@tsubaki may disagree with this but the UK has by far the best test and trace system in Europe. Nowhere else is testing anywhere near as much and nowhere else targets hot spots (Sefton, Bolton, Blackburn are recent examples).

I completely agree with him that open borders with India wasn't a smart move but the track and trace isn't the cause of the problem on this occasion.

Son in law had test yesterday at 10.30 am got results at 6.30 am today .Wife got call this morning from track and trace at 9am to self isolate for 10 days as she's been in contact with him can't get much quicker than that .