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Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

in wales specifically.

eta: i've seen reports of shortages with GPs, there was an outbreak of corona at the main vaccine place here before xmas (poss not safe working conditions, obvs that needs fixed), and my mum's heard nothing despite being fairly high up the list.
 
Infection rates certainly seem to be dropping across most of the country, the R number in London is now estimated at 0.60, and 0.9 nationally.

According to analysis of data by the MRC biostatistics unit at Cambridge University, the number of infections in England overall is declining. Infections are still on the rise in the south-west and the north-east but appear to have plateaued in the East and West Midlands and are falling in regions including London and the south-east.

The R number for London, indicating the average number of people to whom an infected person passes the virus, is estimated by the team to be around 0.6.

“This is further confirmed by a number of other metrics that look as if they are peaking,” he added referring to data from sources such as the Covid symptom study, led by King’s College London, which suggests the R number across the UK is now 0.9, with cases slowly beginning to fall in England and Wales. Friston said modelling of real-time parameters also suggested the R number was now below 1.
Click to expand...

www.theguardian.com

Covid infection numbers levelling off in parts of England

Data suggests tide of cases may be starting to turn, say experts, stressing need to stay vigilant
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
I would be very impressed if they hit the target a month early.

The UK is "confident" it can offer the first dose of the Covid vaccine to all 32million vulnerable people by mid to late March, government sources say.

Officially the NHS is aiming to inoculate over-50s, shielders and NHS and care home staff by the end of April.

But government sources now claim they may hit the target earlier, with the supply ramping up as high as 500,000 doses per week.

A Whitehall source told the Mirror that in terms of supply and manufacturing, "we would be confident in reaching that target".
Click to expand...

And AstraZeneca told MPs it expected to reach 2million doses a week of its jab alone by mid-February, on top of the Pfizer jab.
Click to expand...

www.mirror.co.uk

All over-50s could have Covid vaccine by end of March as UK sources 'confident'

32million people have been promised their first dose by the end of April - but Whitehall sources are claiming it's possible the target will be met a month early
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
 
cupid_stunt said:
Infection rates certainly seem to be dropping across most of the country, the R number in London is now estimated at 0.60, and 0.9 nationally.



www.theguardian.com

Covid infection numbers levelling off in parts of England

Data suggests tide of cases may be starting to turn, say experts, stressing need to stay vigilant
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...

If the stuff about the "new variant" upping the R number substantially is/was right, and London is really at 0.6, that seems like a fairly remarkable turnaround.
 
If I’d administered that test myself (was given the choice) there’s no way I’d have held that thing that far up my nostril for the full length of time required, until eyes watered and it was really hard not to swear. Maybe I’m just a wuss but wonder if there are the same rates of positive results for self-administered tests as for the ones done by professionals?
 
gentlegreen said:
But we are doing more genomic testing than other countries ?
Hospital patients ?
Click to expand...

It's a different system and process entirely. Genomic sequencing is done from all sorts of samples, but it has nothing to do with the T&T systems.

And yes, UK doing more sequencing than anywhere else.
 
bimble said:
If I’d administered that test myself (was given the choice) there’s no way I’d have held that thing that far up my nostril for the full length of time required, until eyes watered and it was really hard not to swear. Maybe I’m just a wuss but wonder if there are the same rates of positive results for self-administered tests as for the ones done by professionals?
Click to expand...
At work we have to do it ourselves. Seated at a table with a mirror, advised to use the light on my phone to illuminate my throat (“Do you know where your tonsils are?”), keep the swab to the side to reduce the gag reflex, sweep it around for 10 seconds and repeat in a nostril. Black bucket on the floor if you need it...

I did the 10 second tonsil sweep in three goes, managed better with the nostril, but I wasn’t at all sure it was adequate. The staff volunteer who was acting lab technician said the result would be Void or Inconclusive if I hadn’t done it adequately, and a scratchy sore throat for the next hour or so would be a normal reaction to having scraped skin cells off the tonsil - it was just that, scratchy, and passed quickly. If I had the choice for someone else to do it, I would prefer that.
 
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