Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[Wilf]

tbh 'about the same as Italy' doesn't even feel like a bad result from where we were. Elbows' stats are consistent with that. Three weeks ago, as we tracked Italy day-for-day, I was struggling to think of reasons why we might not continue to track them. Still am.

By the end of this, it is likely that there will be a very stark compare and contrast between the UK (and others) and the likes of Germany, Austria and even Switzerland. Problem there may be that the UK won't be the only 'Italy' by a long chalk. The reckoning should be that the UK had two weeks on Italy and still did as badly. But that will be the reckoning in a lot of places.

Absolutely the underlined bit. But somehow I don't see this playing out as mass street protests in 6 months, much more the way Tony Blair's reputation slowly ebbed away over several mealy mouthed reports over several years. Maybe even attempts to bring legal actions against johnson (if he survives) by groups of bereaved relatives, equally like the Iraq war and equally unlikely to succeed.

 

[andysays]

I’ve not read this thread since yesterday. It was nice to have a break. I’ve skipped ahead so I may have missed some useful / important stuff.

Anyway, I wanted to add this new detail. I’m putting on this thread because it seems to get most traffic and I think it’s important.

Pink eye, conjunctivitis, is now recognised as an early symptom of COVID-19.

It’s not common, so not getting conjunctivitis does not mean you don’t have the virus.

But it’s common enough that it needs to be recognised as a possible symptom of the coronavirus.

The virus is definitely found in tears, and we can catch the virus by touching our eyes with contaminated hands.

If you're going to post stuff like this, could you please say what your source for the information is, and if possible provide a link.

Cheers

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Absolutely the underlined bit. But somehow I don't see this playing out as mass street protests in 6 months, much more the way Tony Blair's reputation slowly ebbed away over several mealy mouthed reports over several years. Maybe even attempts to bring legal actions against johnson (if he survives) by groups of bereaved relatives, equally like the Iraq war and equally unlikely to succeed.

Yep. Certain people will be demonised as cover for others more culpable. Dominic Cummings is the obvious one who'll be thrown under the bus, but he didn't make a single decision. I suspect you're right and that the actual decision-makers will get away with it.

 

[Pickman's model]

Absolutely the underlined bit. But somehow I don't see this playing out as mass street protests in 6 months, much more the way Tony Blair's reputation slowly ebbed away over several mealy mouthed reports over several years. Maybe even attempts to bring legal actions against johnson (if he survives) by groups of bereaved relatives, equally like the Iraq war and equally unlikely to succeed.

speaking of reports, whatever happened to the reports about russian interference in uk politics and boris johnson taking his american friend on all those junkets?

 

[Pickman's model]

If you're going to post stuff like this, could you please say what your source for the information is, and if possible provide a link.

Cheers

this from 19 march (A joint statement from The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and College of Optometrists) Viral conjunctivitis and COVID-19

 

[SheilaNaGig]

If you're going to post stuff like this, could you please say what your source for the information is, and if possible provide a link.

Cheers

Just do a google search. It’s all over the place.

Viral conjunctivitis and COVID-19 – a joint statement from The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and College of Optometrists - The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Recent reports have suggested that COVID-19 may cause conjunctivitis, and it is known that viral particles can be found in tears, which has caused some concern amongst eye health professionals.

www.rcophth.ac.uk

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Overview

COVID-19 is a new type of coronavirus that causes mild to severe cases. Here’s a quick guide on how to spot symptoms, risk factors, prevent spread of the disease, and find out what to do if you think you have it.

www.webmd.com

Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China

This case series investigates the ocular manifestations and viral prevalence in the conjunctiva of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

jamanetwork.com

Pink eye may be an overlooked symptom of COVID-19

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, and other abnormal eye conditions could be a less common symptom of COVID-19 and also a possible source of transmission, according to several recent studies.

www.ctvnews.ca

Etc


ETA
Mation
MrCurry

Info re: conjunctivitis

 

[SpookyFrank]

oh. Police and councils all over are encouraging us to report on our neighbours.
Probably mostly being done to reduce the amount of arseholes phoning 999 to because the woman across the road has gone to the shop again.
eg)

Breach of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures

Report a breach of Coronavirus (Covid-19) rules.

www.met.police.uk

Report a breach of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Restrictions | West Yorkshire Police

www.westyorkshire.police.uk

Report a breach of coronavirus (COVID-19) safety guidance | Lambeth Council

www.lambeth.gov.uk

If our city council isn't aware that it's got dozens of people still at work building the new library/bus station (and what an inspired combination of things that is) in the middle of town, I doubt snitching is going to help.

 

[andysays]

Just do a google search. It’s all over the place.

Viral conjunctivitis and COVID-19 – a joint statement from The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and College of Optometrists - The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Recent reports have suggested that COVID-19 may cause conjunctivitis, and it is known that viral particles can be found in tears, which has caused some concern amongst eye health professionals.

www.rcophth.ac.uk

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Overview

COVID-19 is a new type of coronavirus that causes mild to severe cases. Here’s a quick guide on how to spot symptoms, risk factors, prevent spread of the disease, and find out what to do if you think you have it.

www.webmd.com

Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China

This case series investigates the ocular manifestations and viral prevalence in the conjunctiva of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

jamanetwork.com

Pink eye may be an overlooked symptom of COVID-19

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, and other abnormal eye conditions could be a less common symptom of COVID-19 and also a possible source of transmission, according to several recent studies.

www.ctvnews.ca

Etc

It's a long standing and generally accepted convention on Urban that people making statements like

I wanted to add this new detail. I’m putting on this thread because it seems to get most traffic and I think it’s important.

Pink eye, conjunctivitis, is now recognised as an early symptom of COVID-19.

should back those statements up with a source and where possible a link. It's a matter of courtesy, when introducing new information into the thread, to say where you got that information from.

I'm not saying this because I didn't believe you, or because I want to have a go at you, but because I think this convention is one we should stick to.

 

[lefteri]

just had to switch off that platitudinous load of tripe sunak was spouting

he really is vile, even more of a tory blair than cameron, probably a shoe-in for next tory leader

 

[SpookyFrank]

just had to switch off that platitudinous load of tripe sunak was spouting

he really is vile, even more of a tory blair than cameron, probably a shoe-in for next tory leader

But he can read a prepared statement without shitting himself from the strain, and can even do a passable job of looking sad-yet-resolute when announcing 936 deaths. Dangerous.

 

[lefteri]

But he can read a prepared statement without shitting himself from the strain, and can even do a passable job of looking sad-yet-resolute when announcing 936 deaths. Dangerous.

exactly, he’s dangerously slick

 

[Supine]

I needed to show my key worker letter to stay in a hotel tonight. Council and Police are now sniffing around to ensure no leisure guests are staying.

 

[elbows]

I've been messing around with data again. I've already posted the official slides of the hospitalised and critical care numbers from the 10 downing street press conference, but here are a couple of my own graphs of those same numbers.

People in hospital beds with Covid-19 (I dont have any Northern Ireland data for this one yet):



People in critical care with Covid-19:



Data from Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 8 April 2020

 

[existentialist]

I just noticed this (loathe as I am to link to this twitter account, but the points about masks made by Openshaw are relevant):

Sadness in his eyes #coronavirus

 

[elbows]

I note that we are starting to be told more about care home deaths.

Coronavirus: Fifteen die at care home during pandemic

The people were residents at a 69-bed care home in Luton.

www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: Seven residents of east London care home die

Almost half of the people living at Hawthorn Green care home are displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

www.bbc.co.uk

And some from recent days in Scotland:

Coronavirus: Eight dead after outbreak at Dumbarton care home

The residents who died at Castle View Care Home in Dumbarton were showing symptoms of coronavirus.

www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: Thirteen Glasgow care home residents die in one week

Staff at the Glasgow home said they were "closely monitoring" the health of other people in their care.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[belboid]

We got the second communication from our elected, Labour, council leader yesterday. There was one three weeks ago saying the council was going to work very hard and no one would be evicted and lets all pull together. Not a word since, until yesterday.

When she wanted everyone to know that she, and all of us, wish Boris well and a speedy recovery.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I note that we are starting to be told more about care home deaths.

I was in a Zoom meeting earlier today, the solicitor mentioned one of his clients has died in a Brighton care home, together with another 5, can't find anything on the local rags' websites, but hardly surprising when so many local reporters have been furloughed.

A care home owner said she had been contacted by the hospital asking if she could take a couple of patients in, she said she would but only if they had been tested & are negative, so that was the end of that conversation.

 

[weltweit]

And these care home deaths, awful, are they appearing in the national stats, I don't think so.

 

[cupid_stunt]

And these care home deaths, awful, are they appearing in the national stats, I don't think so.

Not in the daily figures from the NHS across the four nations.

 

[teqniq]

Corporate manslaughter anyone?

Bus driver killed by coronavirus 'told his pay would be cut if he missed work'

Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, 36, is one of at least 14 transport workers in London to die after catching coronavirus and his devastated family say all drivers should be given personal protective equipment such as masks

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[cupid_stunt]

Corporate manslaughter anyone?

Bus driver killed by coronavirus 'told his pay would be cut if he missed work'

Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, 36, is one of at least 14 transport workers in London to die after catching coronavirus and his devastated family say all drivers should be given personal protective equipment such as masks

www.mirror.co.uk

These cases are clearly very sad, but just because a small number of transport staff, out of thousands, have died, doesn't mean they caught it whilst working, they could have got infected anywhere.

 

[teqniq]

True but it's the 'pay would be cut if he missed work' bit that I'm thinking of.

 

[elbows]

Belgium has quite a large increase in deaths reported on a single day recently, so I went to look at whether their data was also available in refined form, where the deaths are allocated to their proper dates. It is available in graph form in their official report, so I am able to compare it to the england hospitals graphs I've been making.




So its the same sort of story really, due to reporting delays most of the deaths announced on a particular day are not actually for the previous day, and it takes a number of days until the data for those recent days comes in.

I know this is the UK thread but since my graphs from england are in this thread, and my main point is that we can probably make the same assumptions about other countries hospital deaths data when we are seeking to compare their to the UKs, I'm putting this here.

 

[William of Walworth]

Highly unsurprisingly .....

UK Covid-19 lockdown "to be extended beyond next week"

 

[Marty1]

Dealers having to adapt

How Are Crack and Heroin Dealers Operating Under Lockdown?

We examined the impact of coronavirus and social distancing on Britain’s lucrative street heroin and crack trade.

www.vice.com

Fks sake - hope I don’t keep getting pulled over by the fuzz thinking I’m a smack dealer in disguise

 

[littlebabyjesus]

These cases are clearly very sad, but just because a small number of transport staff, out of thousands, have died, doesn't mean they caught it whilst working, they could have got infected anywhere.

I dunno. 14 out of how many in London? 1,000 perhaps. I don't know how many people in London are transport staff, but it has to be significantly less than 1.5 per cent. And as they're workers and so under 70 and mostly under 60, they should be under-represented if anything, not over-represented.

However, those who have died of it to date probably caught it pre-lockdown when transport was packed. Very, very different now.

In fact, we're all less likely to have it now than we were two weeks ago, if we weren't ill then and we're still not ill. It's one of the weird things about this, that as the numbers in hospital and dying get worse and worse, we're all in our daily lives actually getting safer and safer. Not only less contact with people but less chance that anyone you do have contact with will be infected.

I can totally see how, after this has all sunk in at the end, we will be far more likely to respond like East Asia did this time at the next outbreak - knowing that the most dangerous period for all of us is right at the beginning when measures start to be taken, the very period when most of us here this time were really not that bothered.

 

[teqniq]

This does not make an awful lot of sense, save for the airlines and their shareholders:

 

[littlebabyjesus]

In South Korea, everyone getting off a plane currently is tested and quarantined until the test comes back. Test positive, and they're off to hospital. And they're put into self-isolation for two weeks if the test comes back negative. At the very least, we could be doing the first half of that. Oh wait, no we don't have the testing capacity.

 

[Azrael]

Yep. Certain people will be demonised as cover for others more culpable. Dominic Cummings is the obvious one who'll be thrown under the bus, but he didn't make a single decision. I suspect you're right and that the actual decision-makers will get away with it.

Expect Cummings will dump blame on Vallance. Witty's also front and centre. No wonder they looked so nervous at the presser the other day, especially Witty. Note that, while Vallance equivocated, Witty's begun to praise Germany's testing regime, presumably to put distance between him and Cummings' bagman.

While politicians mustn't escape blame, I'm far more interested to learn what went so disastrously wrong at the top of our medical and scientific establishments, how these "orthodoxies" were formed, and how they became so entrenched. Did anyone try to raise the alarm earlier? What responsibilities do institutions have for enabling these beliefs? And so on.

Governments come and go, and must be held to account for their choices: but if these smelly little orthodoxies aren't torn out our scientific and medical establishments root and branch, they'll fester, and this'll happen again.

 

[Azrael]

In South Korea, everyone getting off a plane currently is tested and quarantined until the test comes back. Test positive, and they're off to hospital. And they're put into self-isolation for two weeks if the test comes back negative. At the very least, we could be doing the first half of that. Oh wait, no we don't have the testing capacity.

All non-essential travel should be stopped at least until there's an international surveillance system capable of tracking Covid-19 cases, and anyone crossing borders should be quarantined for the necessary period, at least 14 days, perhaps longer. Our supposedly border-obsessed government has been lethally laissez faire.