Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[xenon]

It pisses me off when I see people wearing masks below their nose.

I took a mate to a serious hospital appointment yesterday, and I couldn't believe it when we went into to see the consultant, and he was wearing his mask below his nose, FFS a hospital consultant.

I had to hold back saying anything, which was very hard, as it was not my appointment, I was only there as my mate's 'emotional support animal'.

when my dad was in hospital last year, at least one member of staff came in without wearing a mask. My uncle was there and pointed it out to the staff nurse. There were loads of visitors coming into the hospital without masks as well.

 

[xenon]

What was the highest ever number of cases per day in the UK?

i remember 60,000. I think that was in January. May have got higher.

 

[cupid_stunt]

What was the highest ever number of cases per day in the UK?

We hit an average of just under 60k a day at the start of Jan.

United Kingdom COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer

United Kingdom Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline.

www.worldometers.info

 

[ricbake]

What was the highest ever number of cases per day in the UK?

Did it get higher than 60,916 on the 5th January?

 

[ricbake]

CSSEGISandData/COVID-19

8th January 68,053

 

[maomao]

I took a mate to a serious hospital appointment yesterday, and I couldn't believe it when we went into to see the consultant, and he was wearing his mask below his nose, FFS a hospital consultant.

I reminded one of my son's consultants that masks are meant to cover noses too back in January. We were in a very busy hospital with hundreds of covid patients in it and he knew he was in the wrong though.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I reminded one of my son's consultants that masks are meant to cover noses too back in January. We were in a very busy hospital with hundreds of covid patients in it and he knew he was in the wrong though.

Good for you, but it's a bit different doing it in front of your son, than in front of a 67 year-old, who's basically well stressed out & breaking down, and didn't need anything else stressing him out.

 

[elbows]

CSSEGISandData/COVID-19

8th January 68,053

And by test specimen date using the UK dashboard data, there were 81,531 samples from the 29th December which came back positive.

Test system scaled up much better in the second wave but still wouldnt expect the numbers to come close to the actual number of infections they would have calculated by using broader population infection surveys. Plus given things like the amount of excess deaths at the peak of the first wave, its quite possible the total number of infections at the peak of the first wave was higher than the second. But there is no way to be sure due to the feeble testing capacity during the first wave.

 

[elbows]

He subtly referred to care home staff having having mandatory vaccines there I thought. Not NHS? Unions?

That agenda has emerged as far as England goes:

Covid jab could be required for England care home staff

Nearly half of all older adult care homes do not meet recommended vaccine thresholds, the government says.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mation]

Anyway, cool story bro but in case anyone else here is still under 50 here's the link.

I think it's just you

 

[Artaxerxes]

I think it's just you

I'm not 40 yet but I've been 50 since I was in my teens

 

[5t3IIa]

Reinstated post as all sorted out now.

I didn't realise bookings were live for people over 45. Just had a very strange 5 minutes on Twitter where a TV historian and his mate helped me get booked up.

Anyway, cool story bro but in case anyone else here is still under 50 here's the link.

Book, change, or cancel a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online

Book, change or cancel a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online.

www.nhs.uk

Thanks for this. I did click this link a few days ago and chose a place and time....then got to the 2nd vax booking part and it said "We cannot find a slot for your 2nd appointment" with only the option to 'change access needs', which send me back to the previous option, which obvs isn't actually an option. So I just tried again just now and it said I missed an appointment but could book again! It's a bit crap to not have any kind of acknowledgment of a successful booking whatsoever Not your fault, of course, but pfft. It looks like a missed an appointment I didn't know I had and am indavertantly a shit patient, which isn't very fair.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Thanks for this. I did click this link a few days ago and chose a place and time....then got to the 2nd vax booking part and it said "We cannot find a slot for your 2nd appointment" with only the option to 'change access needs', which send me back to the previous option, which obvs isn't actually an option. So I just tried again just now and it said I missed an appointment but could book again! It's a bit crap to not have any kind of acknowledgment of a successful booking whatsoever Not your fault, of course, but pfft. It looks like a missed an appointment I didn't know I had and am indavertantly a shit patient, which isn't very fair.

I had nowt but problems with that site, when trying to book my first jab, it thought I had already had one, but didn't know which vaccine as it wasn't on my vaccination record, and I couldn't get any further. So, I phoned them 3 times, and each time I was promised call backs, that never happened.

The following week I got an invite from the GP & an appointment a couple of days later & second one in June, so instead of driving to one of the NHS centres in Brighton or Chichester, it was a short walk down to the surgery, so all worked out well in the end.

After I booked with the GP, I thought I would check out the website to so if the issue had been resolved, and it told me I had missed my first appointment, just checked again and now it says I've missed my second appointment, bloody hopeless.

Across the coastal strip of West Sussex, there's one booking number for all the GP surgeries & hubs, and I know a couple of people that called them as soon as their age group became eligible, but before getting the GP's invite, and got appointments within 2 days. Certainly here, the GPs seem to be racing ahead in competition with the NHS direct system, there's a lot of money for them to make if they get to people first, as they are getting £12.58 per jab.

So, if you're still having problems, it may be worth checking your GP's website, and see if they have a dedicated booking line, or even just ring the surgery if you can't book with the NHS direct, and you may be lucky.

 

[5t3IIa]

I had nowt but problems with that site, when trying to book my first jab, it thought I had already had one, but didn't know which vaccine as it wasn't on my vaccination record, and I couldn't get any further. So, I phoned them 3 times, and each time I was promised call backs, that never happened.

The following week I got an invite from the GP & an appointment a couple of days later & second one in June, so instead of driving to one of the NHS centres in Brighton or Chichester, it was a short walk down to the surgery, so all worked out well in the end.

After I booked with the GP, I thought I would check out the website to so if the issue had been resolved, and it told me I had missed my first appointment, just checked again and now it says I've missed my second appointment, bloody hopeless.

Across the coastal strip of West Sussex, there's one booking number for all the GP surgeries & hubs, and I know a couple of people that called them as soon as their age group became eligible, but before getting the GP's invite, and got appointments within 2 days. Certainly here, the GPs seem to be racing ahead in competition with the NHS direct system, there's a lot of money for them to make if they get to people first, as they are getting £12.58 per jab.

So, if you're still having problems, it may be worth checking your GP's website, and see if they have a dedicated booking line, or even just ring the surgery if you can't book with the NHS direct, and you may be lucky.

Well, I got as far as place, date and time for the 1st jab when I tried just now so I'll rock up to that appointment as see how I get on It seems to figure that it is booked now? On balance, I could easily have waited for a GP invite but I thought I'd been proactive at something...as all I've been able to be is reactive and obedident for so long.

 

[PursuedByBears]

I don't think you have a confirmed booking until you get to the page with a booking reference number, which it says you need to show when you go for the jab.

 

[magneze]

Pretty sure you should get a confirmation email too.

 

[BassJunkie]

I booked on Monday (I think). And gave them my email and phone number for confirmation. They didn't confirm by either method until about an hour before the jab (on Wednesday).

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Pretty sure you should get a confirmation email too.

when I booked one for my friend this morning it asked if confirmation was wanted. Confirmation was swiftly received.

 

[Mation]

when I booked one for my friend this morning it asked if confirmation was wanted. Confirmation was swiftly received.

That's a fucking stupid question though, unless you haven't given any means by which they could confirm.

Why wouldn't confirmation be automatic??

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

That's a fucking stupid question though, unless you haven't given any means by which they could confirm.

Why wouldn't confirmation be automatic??

I thought it was weird too, but it did ask and then gave you the option to enter mobile number and email.
Maybe some sort of failsafe reminder for people who don't screenshot their confirmation pages?

 

[spitfire]

I haven't received a confirmation email yet. I did take a screenshot though because of all the uncertainty when it wasn't clear if we were eligible or not. I'm booked in for Tuesday so will report back if I get the same as BassJunkie.

And it is a stupid question, just confirm it FFS.

 

[Sunray]

.....

Across the coastal strip of West Sussex, there's one booking number for all the GP surgeries & hubs, and I know a couple of people that called them as soon as their age group became eligible, but before getting the GP's invite, and got appointments within 2 days. Certainly here, the GPs seem to be racing ahead in competition with the NHS direct system, there's a lot of money for them to make if they get to people first, as they are getting £12.58 per jab.

So, if you're still having problems, it may be worth checking your GP's website, and see if they have a dedicated booking line, or even just ring the surgery if you can't book with the NHS direct, and you may be lucky.

I think this is the reason they go more smoothly. I got a text from my GP and it was all done in a few days.

Actually now I think of it my next one is soon, I'm still up for the AZ vaccine. I see 2nd doses are now the majority but the 12-week thing was a success. I read the other day that people who like me already had COVID-19 + a vaccine are super immune even after the 1st dose but should still have the second. Something about the t-cells. What we know about Covid reinfection, immunity and vaccines

Are they going to mix up the vaccines I wonder? I'm up for a Moderna one. I read ages ago this can be therapeutic.

 

[Sunray]

The current quarantine process:
My friend recently got back from Finland (she's has a Finish passport) and had to self-quarantine. This was last week.

On a positive note given the shambles of past performance, I was truly amazed to learn she got called >3 times a day< to ask where she was and they checked the GPS on the app. So self-quarantine isn't quite the free for all you might think. Called so often she got to know the people who called her. I was impressed.

This didn't last long. Her experience shows it's still a disaster. You are supposed to take a covid test on day 2 and at day 8. You have to pay lots for them, turned out it was essentially a government-backed scam. None arrived for anyone. It was a genuine testing place but nobody bothered to check if they could cope with the numbers. So none of those tests got sent, everyone is getting refunds and we have to hope that 10 days was enough time....

Oh and Heathrow is a super spreader as the queues take hours and no social distancing, all indoors.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Are they going to mix up the vaccines I wonder? I'm up for a Moderna one. I read ages ago this can be therapeutic.

There's no plan to do so ATM, but there is a study under way looking into mixing the AZ & Pfizer ones, which is being extended to include the Moderna or Novavax ones too.

'Mix and match' UK Covid vaccine trial expanded

Using different shots for the first and second doses might give better protection, say experts.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[William of Walworth]

Quite correct IMO that mixing vaccines has not generally been happening.

(I thought I'd read that there might? have been odd exceptions in rare circumstances? but that BBC story doesn't mention it )

It's good that there's a study going on to see whether mixing is safe/possible, but I tend to think that the default position should be to stick to the same vaccine for the second.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Quite correct IMO that mixing vaccines has not generally been happening.

(I thought I'd read that there might? have been odd exceptions in rare circumstances? but that BBC story doesn't mention it )

It's good that there's a study going on to see whether mixing is safe/possible, but I tend to think that the default position should be to stick to the same vaccine for the second.

I think it was approved for use where there was no alternative - ie the second dose of the same vaccine wasn't available. I haven't heard that that's been the case anywhere yet though.

 

[prunus]

Quite correct IMO that mixing vaccines has not generally been happening.

(I thought I'd read that there might? have been odd exceptions in rare circumstances? but that BBC story doesn't mention it )

It's good that there's a study going on to see whether mixing is safe/possible, but I tend to think that the default position should be to stick to the same vaccine for the second.

Why? It could well be the case (and my lightly-educated guess is that it will turn out to be the case) that using a different vaccine for the booster gives superior protection - this is one of the things being tested, not just safety and possibility.

 

[cupid_stunt]

(I thought I'd read that there might? have been odd exceptions in rare circumstances? but that BBC story doesn't mention it )

I remember it was under consideration if the EU blocked supplies from Pfizer to the UK, resulting in second doses not being available & therefore being replaced with a AZ jab, but it never came to anything.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Why? It could well be the case (and my lightly-educated guess is that it will turn out to be the case) that using a different vaccine for the booster gives superior protection - this is one of the things being tested, not just safety and possibility.

Yep, that's my understanding too.

 

[Supine]

Quite correct IMO that mixing vaccines has not generally been happening.

(I thought I'd read that there might? have been odd exceptions in rare circumstances? but that BBC story doesn't mention it )

Your memory serves you well

There was a little story about this. It was regulated that second dose can be different in exceptional circumstances. Like if nobody knows what the first jab was, or supplies of the first jab product run out.