Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[2hats]

I think last time I heard about saliva tests was some months ago when things didnt sound promising and a Salford trial was scaled back.

But now its back in the news:

Covid-19: No-swab saliva test finds symptomless cases

Studies show the no-swab saliva test is accurate, and experts say it may be more convenient for users.

www.bbc.co.uk

Another recent study.

 

[elbows]

Cheers for that.

Given the amount of focus people here have had on the UK vaccination programme, and that various people were saying how keen they were to see daily data on this a while before it was actually made available on the dashboard, I'm slightly surprised that it is falling to me to draw attention to the decreased rates this week.



From Official UK Coronavirus Dashboard

 

[StoneRoad]

There were also statements - described by the bbc - that the North West, North East & Yorkshire would have their supplies reduced "next week" to allow other areas to "catch up" - if that had actually happened, then the actual rate should not have diminished in the way that histogram shows ...

But, apparently, this reduced rate is still keeping to the 15million by 15th February target. [I smell a small rodent]

Personally, I would rather they allowed each area to catch up with the "leaders" by the application of greater efforts such as education leading to a lower proportion of refusniks, or opening more centers for longer in the "slower" areas, not by the appearance of restricting jabs in the "faster" areas.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Personally, I would rather they allowed each area to catch up with the "leaders" by the application of greater efforts such as education leading to a lower proportion of refusniks, or opening more centers for longer in the "slower" areas, not by the appearance of restricting jabs in the "faster" areas.

It's not about 'restricting jabs in the "faster" areas', it's about making the distribution of limited doses available more equal, here in Worthing we are behind areas in the north, GP's have been screaming out for more doses, they are all geared-up and doing the best they can, but they are nowhere near running at capacity, because they haven't been getting the doses required.

I posted this last week on the vaccine logistics thread...

It's a bit complex, the NE had one of the first national mass vaccination sites open last week in Newcastle, whereas here in Sussex we have to wait for the one at the Brighton Centre to open on Monday, that's not the fault of anyone locally, these are part of the national roll-out effort. Clearly where these sites are already open, you would expect those areas to be well ahead in vaccinations compared to areas waiting on having one to open.

In addition, GPs around here have resources in place, but they have simply not been getting enough vaccine supplies, whilst at the same time we have a very high percentage of over 80s compared to many areas, so it would seem there's been some initial targeting problems with certain areas not getting enough supplies compared to other areas. They are certainly not sitting on a stock of unused vaccines, if they were, they wouldn't need more supplies that had initially be planned to go elsewhere.

There're limited supplies of vaccines, and clearly they need to be targeted better to ensure the most vulnerable groups get their jabs first before moving onto the next groups, it's about balancing things out and being fair to everyone.

 

[StoneRoad]

Oh, thinking about the situation somewhat more deeply cupid_stunt - I quite agree that it is more a question of uneven vaccine supplies.

this is how the bbc reported it
Covid: North West vaccines to be cut by a third in February - BBC News
and
Covid vaccine: 'Confusing' information on regional supplies - BBC News

There are some very mixed messages in those two items ...
and I appreciate how badly it could look at first glance.
It seems logistics issues are larger than acceptable with restricted amounts of vaccine available.

This supply issue will continue to be a major problem for months to come, nationally and internationally.

 

[cupid_stunt]

There's some confusion about how the vaccine has been allotted in various areas, i.e. per GP surgery without consideration of the numbers of people that different surgeries serve, and without consideration of the age demographics, etc.

Only to be expected TBH, considering it's a massive roll-out in a very short period of time.

Around here people seemed to accept that, until some regional rags in the north started moaning about having their allocation of doses being diverted, and suggesting that was because other places were not as organised as them, it became a national story, then it became an issue down here, with GPs saying WTF?

 

[StoneRoad]

I must be a little nosy with what's going on locally & in Newcastle ...

I've some info from other places as well.

 

[HAL9000]

Covid-19: Novavax vaccine shows 89% efficacy in UK trials

The vaccine is the first to show in trials that it is effective against the UK variant of the virus.

www.bbc.co.uk

unlike the other vaccines it doesn't use the human body to make the spike protein. I think this one involves injecting the protein directly into the body.

Will a Small, Long-Shot U.S. Company End up Producing the Best Coronavirus Vaccine?

Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND—Eighteen months ago, a small vaccinemaker here called Novavax faced an...

pulitzercenter.org

Patel’s boss, Smith, next enlisted Ward to verify the protein’s structure and stability with electron microscopy. Other tests showed the Novavax spike is stable for many weeks at 2°C to 8°C—a key advantage over the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which need to be stored at –20°C and –70°C, respectively, and once thawed, last only days in the refrigerator.

 

[2hats]

unlike the other vaccines it doesn't use the human body to make the spike protien. I think this one involves injecting the protien directly into the body.

Unlike the mRNA and viral vector vaccines. Quite a number of the other vaccine candidates inject the spike protein or analogues thereof in part or whole or inactivated virus.

 

[The39thStep]

who is furloughed ?

 

[Badgers]

 

[Badgers]

Hopefully he did not take any/many with him.

‘Covid denier’ dies from the virus alone day after testing positive

The family of a “Covid denier” said they begged him to wear facemask before he died alone in his flat from the virus that has claimed over 100,000 Brits.

www.standard.co.uk

 

[Ms Ordinary]

who is furloughed ?

View attachment 251865

Is it worth mentioning that some (no idea how many) people will be both furloughed and going in to work - this is perfectly legal under current rules.

I am furloughed one day a week, and in the office for 4...

(I think the stated aim of the furlough scheme was both to support businesses keeping people at home - this was the case with me in lockdown 1 - and to support businesses suffering losses due to economic downturn - ie ever since, presumably)

 

[SpookyFrank]

Covid-19: Novavax vaccine shows 89% efficacy in UK trials

The vaccine is the first to show in trials that it is effective against the UK variant of the virus.

www.bbc.co.uk

unlike the other vaccines it doesn't use the human body to make the spike protein. I think this one involves injecting the protein directly into the body.

Will a Small, Long-Shot U.S. Company End up Producing the Best Coronavirus Vaccine?

Science’s COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND—Eighteen months ago, a small vaccinemaker here called Novavax faced an...

pulitzercenter.org

I've got to do an omline class on vaccination today and I'm gonna steal that image for it, thanks

 

[LDC]

Cwmbran, say no more.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The coastal West Sussex area got off lightly in the first wave, but has been hit hard this time, our local hospital trust has reported 184 deaths so far this month, compared with 165 in the nine months prior.

* Although thinking about it, they don't mention how many were locals, and how many were transferred from Kent, but it's still a shocking figure.

 

[William of Walworth]

Is it worth mentioning that some (no idea how many) people will be both furloughed and going in to work - this is perfectly legal under current rules.

I am furloughed one day a week, and in the office for 4...

(I think the stated aim of the furlough scheme was both to support businesses keeping people at home - this was the case with me in lockdown 1 - and to support businesses suffering losses due to economic downturn - ie ever since, presumably)

Which day are you furloughed -- is it you or your employers who choose which day?
A bit off-topic this question , but I'm interested in which day people prefer to lose ....

(It's Fridays that are out of the contract for this four-dayer -- but that long pre-dates Covid).

 

[MrSki]

Which day are you furloughed -- is it you or your employers who choose which day?
A bit off-topic this question , but I'm interested in which day people prefer to lose ....

(It's Fridays that are out of the contract for this four-dayer -- but that long pre-dates Covid).

When I did a four day week I chose Wednesdays so that I only had to do two days in a row.

 

[Elpenor]

My friend is furloughed two days a week and he typically chooses Monday and Friday but changes them around depending on his workload.

 

[William of Walworth]

When I did a four day week I chose Wednesdays so that I only had to do two days in a row.

Yes, I know a couple of others who do that where I work and it makes sense for some people -- breaks up the week.

But I've always been an 'extend-the-weekend' man by preference

 

[MrSki]

Yes, I know a couple of others who do that where I work and it makes sense fo some people -- breaks up the week.

But I've always been an 'extend-the-weekend' man by preference

Where I worked was flexible & I could phone on Monday morning & take that off if needed.

 

[Ms Ordinary]

Which day are you furloughed -- is it you or your employers who choose which day?
A bit off-topic this question , but I'm interested in which day people prefer to lose ....

(It's Fridays that are out of the contract for this four-dayer -- but that long pre-dates Covid).

We're a small team (4 people) & able to run it how we want, so we just divvied it up to keep a balanced number of us in every day, & tried to give everyone a fair number of Mondays & Fridays off.

 

[souljacker]

We are basically on Furlough when we don't have anything booked for the day. Which is annoying because pre-covid I would often have days like that. I would usually catch up with admin or prep for certs on those days but with furlough, I can't help feeling that my company uses it as a chance to not have to pay us when we have a free day.

 

[Ms Ordinary]

We are basically on Furlough when we don't have anything booked for the day. Which is annoying because pre-covid I would often have days like that. I would usually catch up with admin or prep for certs on those days but with furlough, I can't help feeling that my company uses it as a chance to not have to pay us when we have a free day.

This - mine has furloughed anyone who's not a director, I assume to maximise the amount of govt support, while minimising the damage to people's salaries. But there's never time to catch up.

 

[ddraig]

Wales lockdown extended for another 3 weeks, if numbers continue to fall then youngest children will be able to go back to school
Allowed to exercise outside with 1 person from another household

e2a - you can also dissolve a bubble, wait10 days and reform another bubble

 

[elbows]

I see the BBC marked the anniversary of what they laughably call the first UK Covid case with a tedious article. Perhaps people might find some of the small details interesting. I am moaning about it mostly because it was not the UKs first case, it was just the first case we actually detected, because for ages we were only looking for potential cases that had the most obviously risky recent travel history.

Coronavirus: How the UK dealt with its first Covid case

A year ago, the UK was yet to record a Covid case. Then a family rang NHS 111 from a hotel in York.

www.bbc.co.uk

What I consider to be a complete and utter joke that partly explains how we ended up being repeatedly behind the curve in a deadly way is this:

Dr Lillie, one of the specialists from Hull, and a principal investigator for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial, adds: "I do not think anyone could have guessed that night, when we had the first couple of cases, that it was going to be like this - you would have to have had a crystal ball.

I didnt have a crystal ball, I dont have special training, I dont have insider knowledge or connections, or a habit of being lucky with guesses, or a history of predicting pandemic doom prematurely and inappropriately. None of those things were necessary in order to quickly get a sense of what was likely to come, and what was likely already here. And I was hardly alone, I did not conclude these things in isolation, many figured it out in reasonably good time. And yet we still have to listen to the people who should have known better talking shit about crystal balls and hindsight.

 

[smmudge]

We are basically on Furlough when we don't have anything booked for the day. Which is annoying because pre-covid I would often have days like that. I would usually catch up with admin or prep for certs on those days but with furlough, I can't help feeling that my company uses it as a chance to not have to pay us when we have a free day.

Yep that's exactly what my wife's company are doing. It would be normal not to have a job booked in here or there, but now they furlough her for the day. When she started at the company a few months ago, they actually claimed furlough for her whole training period even though she was on site assisting (she didn't need to train per se as she was doing the same job she's done before, but companies still need to have a sign-off process).

Last night she did a night shift, now today they're trying to say she's furloughed again, even though it should be a rest day from last night! Very cheeky.

 

[souljacker]

Yep that's exactly what my wife's company are doing. It would be normal not to have a job booked in here or there, but now they furlough her for the day. When she started at the company a few months ago, they actually claimed furlough for her whole training period even though she was on site assisting (she didn't need to train per se as she was doing the same job she's done before, but companies still need to have a sign-off process).

Last night she did a night shift, now today they're trying to say she's furloughed again, even though it should be a rest day from last night! Very cheeky.

That sounds like they are defrauding the HMRC rather than what they are doing to me! Did she get paid for the training or did she get a furlough wage?

To be fair, I'm not going to bitch too much about what my company is doing. When there is plenty of work on, they can afford to pay me to do nothing once in a while. But while the work is a bit slow and they don't have lots of money coming in, its sort of fair enough to claim from the gov.

I also can't really complain about what I'm getting paid. I'm barely spending any money at the moment so when I actually get paid a full month like I did today, I can clear debts and afford a few treats. Others are struggling hard so, like I say, I'm not complaining.

 

[DaveCinzano]

The police are sure only 10 people attended

And four of those were undercover

 

[smmudge]

That sounds like they are defrauding the HMRC rather than what they are doing to me!

Well actually yes. During "training" they topped up her wage to 100%. But they aren't now, so she's told them to stick any future night shift they may want her to do (which she contractually doesn't have to) up their arse. And possibly she has whistleblown to hrmc now