Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Ian Stephenson]

I saw a suggestion that a positive lateral flow should be assumed positive and not bother with the follow up PCR to free up some capacity, which sounds like a sensible move.

yep - apparently LFTs good at detecting when you are positive and have the higher level of covid proteins but PCR can detect lower levels of covid when you might be getting symptoms or mixed/negative LFT results, but the other benefit of PCR is they can determine the variant rather then the data just being chucked away as with an LFT

 

[efcfanwirral]

yep - apparently LFTs good at detecting when you are positive and have the higher level of covid proteins but PCR can detect lower levels of covid when you might be getting symptoms or mixed/negative LFT results, but the other benefit of PCR is they can determine the variant rather then the data just being chucked away as with an LFT

True, I guess they'll still get enough variant data if they're making out the capacity

 

[Deckard2049]

COVID-19: Boris Johnson says 'up to 90%' in intensive care have not had a booster and urges people to get jabbed

Another 244,078 vaccinations were given out on Monday, including 209,626 boosters - the second-highest total for a bank holiday.

news.sky.com

Interesting to compare this to Javid saying only the other day that 90% in ICU were unvaccinated. Put together these two statements don’t make sense- unless of course the definition of unvaccinated is being conflated with not being boosted.

 

[woomy]

yep - apparently LFTs good at detecting when you are positive and have the higher level of covid proteins but PCR can detect lower levels of covid when you might be getting symptoms or mixed/negative LFT results, but the other benefit of PCR is they can determine the variant rather then the data just being chucked away as with an LFT

But laterals are so easy to manipulate.
I can easily just produce a positive result on one and get myself a week off work.

 

[efcfanwirral]

COVID-19: Boris Johnson says 'up to 90%' in intensive care have not had a booster and urges people to get jabbed

Another 244,078 vaccinations were given out on Monday, including 209,626 boosters - the second-highest total for a bank holiday.

news.sky.com

Interesting to compare this to Javid saying only the other day that 90% in ICU were unvaccinated. Put together these two statements don’t make sense- unless of course the definition of unvaccinated is being conflated with not being boosted.

Big assumption that their messaging is in any way joined up ?

 

[BlueToff]

I'm now negative on the lateral flow

I feel fine. Just done an hour on the turbo bike. Great.

 

[BlueToff]

yep - apparently LFTs good at detecting when you are positive and have the higher level of covid proteins but PCR can detect lower levels of covid when you might be getting symptoms or mixed/negative LFT results, but the other benefit of PCR is they can determine the variant rather then the data just being chucked away as with an LFT

Lateral flows will detect when you have enough in your system to be infectious, according to:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/en...s-pick-up-omicron_uk_61bc7698e4b083b35942a30b

 

[BlueToff]

No, I'd rather avoid any lockdowns so why aren't we introducing measures to even try and keep transmission lower than it is. They might get away with it but it's a gamble. It just feels like they constantly try and push their luck then we end up with far longer lockdowns that are needed. It's happened twice now. The last thing I want is a lockdown.

What measures should be introduced?

Masks are mandatory in most places, gigs, events, clubs etc you have to produce a pass.

What needs to be done? Would you shut certain places? Cut capacity at events etc? I'm not saying that's not sensible but it brings with it its own problems too and I'm not sure anyone can look at hospitalisation numbers from Omicron and think that they should currently equate to more restrictions.

As of Dec 27th, 6pm it was 668 people in UK hospitals with or because of Omicron, and 49 deaths. Out of 159,000 confirmed cases.

We also know that it's a typical 10-day lag between infection and hospitalisation with Omicron. So... given we've been in the thick of Omicron for way over 2 weeks now, you'd think we'd have started to see a huge spike. Hospitalisations are going to go up but in no way should they be unmanageable,

 

[LinekersLegs]

That data is out there I think. I vaguely recall LL posting it a week or 2 ago. It was about 75% of the recorded Covid admissions were due to Covid, and 25% in for something else then tested positive (could be slightly off on the numbers here, as that’s from memory). Number of horse injury statistics not published as a subset as far as I know.

Data comes out weekly from UKHSA.


This doctor regularly updates on the hospital acquired Covid which seems particularly an issue with Omicron

 

[BlueToff]

Data comes out weekly from UKHSA.


This doctor regularly updates on the hospital acquired Covid which seems particularly an issue with Omicron

My great aunt went in for an op on a brain tumour last week. She's 72, but healthy otherwise.

Anyway, she's now got a kidney infection and COVID.

She was meant to be out on Christmas Eve but obviously now doesn't look great for her getting out any time soon... It's crap. Don't know what else can be done though. Hospitals are just a breeding ground, for obvious reasons.

 

[BlueToff]

This is the world they're pushing us into:











How the double-jabbed respond will decide how 2022 pans out.

Yeah, see, that's mad and anyone who agrees with policies like that then I honestly despair a bit.

 

[LinekersLegs]

My great aunt went in for an op on a brain tumour last week. She's 72, but healthy otherwise.

Anyway, she's now got a kidney infection and COVID.

She was meant to be out on Christmas Eve but obviously now doesn't look great for her getting out any time soon... It's crap. Don't know what else can be done though. Hospitals are just a breeding ground, for obvious reasons.

That is horrid, wishing her all the best x

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[Amw79]

Data comes out weekly from UKHSA.


This doctor regularly updates on the hospital acquired Covid which seems particularly an issue with Omicron

Thanks LL. One of those charts references the number of NHS staff off sick, which I’ve had some first hand experience of this week.

The local A&E had 28 staff off with Covid (not sure what proportion that represents, but 28 staff off sick from one department is gonna be hard to manage). The hospital were putting out tannoy announcements about 8 hour wait times, and were turning ambulances with new arrivals away at the door.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Thanks LL. One of those charts references the number of NHS staff off sick, which I’ve had some first hand experience of this week.

The local A&E had 28 staff off with Covid (not sure what proportion that represents, but 28 staff off sick from one department is gonna be hard to manage). The hospital were putting out tannoy announcements about 8 hour wait times, and were turning ambulances with new arrivals away at the door.

Yep staff levels unfortunately seem a big problem.


Cross fingers the wave peaks as quickly as it did in South Africa so the staffing reductions are only for a short time but if ever there was a time to avoid needing the hospital if you can avoid it then now is it.