Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[elbows]

John Campbell made a video about this

Here's his video on the topic deconstructed so you don't have to watch it on his channel ... :-

Spoiler: youtube video

The idiot Campbell caused the idiot David Davis to talk shit and then ended up getting rebuked by someone at the ONS:

To say only 17,000 people have died from COVID-19 is highly misleading | National Statistical

blog.ons.gov.uk

ONS debunks ‘spurious’ Covid deaths claim shared by David Davis

Suggestion true number of deaths in England and Wales could be as low as 17,000 is factually incorrect, says ONS

www.theguardian.com

 

[Brainaddict]

It's been weird seeing what's happened to John Campbell. I watched him at the beginning of the pandemic and he seemed very cautious about coming to conclusions or forming opinions, particularly on things that weren't much in his expertise. If anything he sometimes seemed overcautious when it came to opinions on policy and so on. Now it feels like all the praise from thousands of people for months on end has gone to his head and he has strayed well outside what he is qualified to express opinions on.

 

[elbows]

He only pops up on my radar when he says things that fit a particular agenda. And so it is too easy for me to conclude that he has bought into a particular agenda, or has been bought.

Not that I am into 'stay in your lane' stuff or the idea that qualifications are necessary to have an opinion.

 

[elbows]

I doubt this is what would actually have happened, because I presume we'd have ended up with stronger restrictions instead, but thought it may still be of interest:

 

[elbows]

BBC reality check article on the bullshit about deaths that Campbell etc spread. Includes interesting info about death certificate details.

Covid: Posts claiming only 17,000 died of virus 'factually incorrect'

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts that vastly underplayed the number of UK Covid deaths have been condemned.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Cloo]

Went to supermarket this morning and I have to say mask wearing was pretty good, I don't think any change from last week.

 

[StoneRoad]

Today's dashboard update is delayed ...

• 31 January 2022
  Because of the move to reporting infection episodes, today's update will be delayed. An estimated time will be provided when available.

 

[sojourner]

Went to supermarket this morning and I have to say mask wearing was pretty good, I don't think any change from last week.

Predictably dire round here, in grim St Helens. Only hardcore mask wearers, about 80 odd % maskless now.

 

[xenon]

Have stopped wearing a mask myself in shops now, since it's not mandated. Still do so in taxis. Can't really blame people for ditching masks if they're no longer a requirement.

 

[elbows]

Have stopped wearing a mask myself in shops now, since it's not mandated. Still do so in taxis. Can't really blame people for ditching masks if they're no longer a requirement.

The government guidance still says the following. I'm not a big fan of people who think if something is only public health guidance and not law then it is fine to ignore it.

In England, face coverings are no longer required by law.

The government suggests that you continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet.

[Withdrawn] [Withdrawn] Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions and what makes a good one

www.gov.uk

 

[Boudicca]

Went to supermarket this morning and I have to say mask wearing was pretty good, I don't think any change from last week.

Ah but which supermarket! I went to Lidl and Waitrose a couple days ago - virtually no masks at all in Lidl and absolutely everyone (staff and customers) wearing them in Waitrose.

 

[StoneRoad]

One of our two local shops [too small to be a "supermarket"] has never properly enforced the mask mandate, and the layout has always been too cramped for comfort.
The other has done their best - someone enforcing the traffic lights / occupancy figures, offering masks / hand sanitiser ...

Annoyingly, the first shop is the one I would rather have supported, from an ideological standpoint. But because of the local management's anti-mask stance, we'll be going elsewhere, when we eventually re- start face2face shopping again. There is another, independent, version of the same brand close enough to patronise.

In the meantime - on-line grocery & other shopping prevails.

 

[xenon]

The government guidance still says the following. I'm not a big fan of people who think if something is only public health guidance and not law then it is fine to ignore it.

[Withdrawn] [Withdrawn] Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions and what makes a good one

www.gov.uk

The shops I've been in aren't crowded. I'll start wearing a mask again if the situation deteriorates but as I've only got a general mask, seems reasonable to forego it at present. I know asymptomatic etc but everyone's gonna make a judgement for themselves at some point. Mine is now.

Actually has there been any change in how many cases of Omicron are thought to be asymptomatic? The difficulty in obtaining LFTs would make it hard to impossible to say I suppose.

 

[oryx]

Have stopped wearing a mask myself in shops now, since it's not mandated. Still do so in taxis. Can't really blame people for ditching masks if they're no longer a requirement.

I can't really understand people not wearing masks in shops etc. (unless they have a medical exemption of course, but I suspect that the numbers of people who do is actually quite low).

Surely it's not that difficult?

 

[gentlegreen]

At my age and having dodged this virus and all others for two years - and having been off work for two months with long-flu in 2019, I will be masked in shops until the virus is a very different beast.
I will find out how my liberal bubble is behaving on Wednesday at Aldi...

 

[xenon]

It's not difficult. I just don't like wearing them.
Tripple jabbed, Omicron is everywhere but generally agreed to be milder for most people
So seems reasonable to dispense with them now
Others will come to their own conclusions sure but most people are going to ditch them at some point.

 

[gentlegreen]

I have 2023 pencilled-in.
If for some reason they stop giving out boosters, maybe I'll wear a leaky one in the hope of getting boosted that way ...

I've bored the boards far too much with my theories about my working life at a continuous super-spreader event, but I no longer take viruses of any kind lightly.

 

[xenon]

That said, I went to the barber for the first time in 2 years the other day. For a trim rather than the buzz cut I've been doing.

Some herbert was in their waiting talking loudly about his terrible cold, on his chest etc. I don't think he was being deliverately provocative but was just dense.

 

[elbows]

The shops I've been in aren't crowded. I'll start wearing a mask again if the situation deteriorates but as I've only got a general mask, seems reasonable to forego it at present. I know asymptomatic etc but everyone's gonna make a judgement for themselves at some point. Mine is now.

Actually has there been any change in how many cases of Omicron are thought to be asymptomatic? The difficulty in obtaining LFTs would make it hard to impossible to say I suppose.

It's not difficult. I just don't like wearing them.
Tripple jabbed, Omicron is everywhere but generally agreed to be milder for most people
So seems reasonable to dispense with them now
Others will come to their own conclusions sure but most people are going to ditch them at some point.

There is no denying that the personal severe disease risk picture has evolved. A combination of inherent Omicron properties, vaccines very much including boosters, and previous infections is responsible. Not everyone can benefit fully from this evolved risk picture, and so I would still personally wear a mask in indoor public places in order not to add to the decline in mask wearing that occurs as a result of people seeing less people wearing masks. We've been here before, and probably had similar conversations last time.

There isnt as much analysis and discussion of asymptomatic case proportions as I would like. And Omicron-specific findings take longer than I would like. But there are still some ways to do that, although its unlikely they will be able to fully separate the effects inherent to Omicron from the impact of vaccines and prior infections. I'll look into it next time I have some spare time. Although there were some challenges to LFT supply there have still been a very high number of LFT tsts reported to the system in recent times, so I dont think thats a huge barrier. And other forms of testing such as the ONS infection survey arent affected by testing constraints.

 

[l'Otters]

It's not difficult. I just don't like wearing them.
Tripple jabbed, Omicron is everywhere but generally agreed to be milder for most people
So seems reasonable to dispense with them now
Others will come to their own conclusions sure but most people are going to ditch them at some point.

Translation
It’s just that you’re a selfish prick

 

[xenon]

Translation

It’s just that you’re a selfish prick

Fuck you, you self righteous arse.

 

[elbows]

Oh and in terms of this idea of not bothering with stuff unless the 'situation deteriorates', I would point out that the prevalence of infections is still incredibly high, likely quite similar to the peak rates seen in previous waves, or still higher than even those peaks. And there is some expectation that the numbers will go back up again, especially if the BA.2 version of Omicron, which appears to feature another increase in transmissibility, soon becomes the dominant version of the virus doing the rounds in the UK.

Other forms of perception of the situation deteriorating may relate to the levels of severe disease, and the future of that may well come down to stuff like the timing of vaccine protection against hospitalisation waning, especially if such waning is notable and starts to happen whilst the levels of infection are still incredibly high.

 

[Cloo]

Ah but which supermarket! I went to Lidl and Waitrose a couple days ago - virtually no masks at all in Lidl and absolutely everyone (staff and customers) wearing them in Waitrose.

Tesco - North London. Fairly good on the tube yesterday too - I think currently so many people know someone who's got it that they are actually being careful. I just had COVID week before last, but still going to wear masks a) not counting on how long any protection will last and b) other people don't know that and I don't want to be a cause of anxiety for someone who is vulnerable/has vulnerable family and c)... I honestly don't find it at all difficult to do.

 

[Sue]

Tesco - North London. Fairly good on the tube yesterday too - I think currently so many people know someone who's got it that they are actually being careful. I just had COVID week before last, but still going to wear masks a) not counting on how long any protection will last and b) other people don't know that and I don't want to be a cause of anxiety for someone who is vulnerable/has vulnerable family and c)... I honestly don't find it at all difficult to do.

I was on a bus yesterday and pretty much no-one was wearing a mask.

 

[Cloo]

I was on a bus yesterday and pretty much no-one was wearing a mask.

Everyone has always been shit on buses, and marginally better on the tube, though I expect it'll head in a downwards direction soon if not already. Acid test for this tomorrow as I'm actually going into the office, so we'll see what people are like at peak hours.

 

[elbows]

Report is at COVID-19 Report

 

[nagapie]

Someone told me today the rules have changed and if you get it, you just have to wear a mask at work. This can't be true, right?

 

[elbows]

Someone told me today the rules have changed and if you get it, you just have to wear a mask at work. This can't be true, right?

That is bollocks.

They will review the self-isolation rules in the next few months, but the requirement to self-isolate if positive remains for now.

 

[elbows]

I do expect them to ditch it unless they cant make the future estimated number of hospitalisations stay within range. Omicron makes it much more likely they will ditch it because intensive care admissions have fallen quite dramatically. Things that could scupper that picture include if vaccine waning reverses that trend, but whilst Im not ruling out that possibility I'm not betting on it either.

After ditching it in terms of a formal law I expect there to be some guidance instead that will advise people to stay off work when sick, but this will be more like business as usual where plenty of people ignore such things or are at least pressured to do so by the management or the culture and expectations of their workplace.

 

[elbows]

They now have an estimate for when the UK dashboard may update today (to include reinfections and all the usual data). 10PM.