Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[zahir]

Here’s one outbreak that will account for part of the increase:

Coronavirus: 200 farm workers quarantined in Herefordshire outbreak

At least 73 employees at AS Green & Co near Malvern have tested positive for Covid-19

www.theguardian.com

 

[FridgeMagnet]

That cunt Gove talking shit about masks, make him work in a small shop for a week and I reckon he'd change his tune after 5 minutes.

He probably wouldn't - he's a fanatic. His record in other areas indicates that and he supported MPs coming back to parliament even though that was clearly endangering them all, even him. His faction either think that the work ethic is worth more than life, or are too stupid to know the effects of what they're proposing, or some combination.

 

[two sheds]

Article referred to on urban somewhere reckoned it's deliberate to reduce the number of MPs who can vote - along the way to turning parliamentary to presidential type government.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Article referred to on urban somewhere reckoned it's deliberate to reduce the number of MPs who can vote - along the way to turning parliamentary to presidential type government.

Bringing MPs back definitely was - but it also endangers the lot of them, which means they are either too thick to realise that and/or simply don't care and think their political goals are more important than the risk to their own lives.

Of course there will be an element of denialism, "it's not that bad / it doesn't spread as easily as people say", but that comes in to back up an existing motivation rather than being a motive in itself.

 

[two sheds]

any bar charts of relative ages/weights/etc of the different parties and resultant scores so far?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

This is Gove who wanted to send out inscripted bibles to every school btw. In the past he's been held back somewhat because he's a bit of a div and had competition, but in the modern Tory cabinet he's a major strategic genius.

ETA: inscripted? Inscribed you doofus.

 

[Cloo]

How are we doing so much worse than the US?

US is much bigger and probably has a lot of places of low population density and low use of public transport?

 

[andysays]

Here’s one outbreak that will account for part of the increase:

Coronavirus: 200 farm workers quarantined in Herefordshire outbreak

At least 73 employees at AS Green & Co near Malvern have tested positive for Covid-19

www.theguardian.com

"the opportunity to work in a safe, healthy environment", according to the farm owner when trying to attract workers in April.

The reality, unsurprisingly, turned out to be rather different.

Be interesting to see if any of the affected workers are interviewed about the conditions after this is over

 

[andysays]

This is Gove who wanted to send out inscripted bibles to every school btw. In the past he's been held back somewhat because he's a bit of a div and had competition, but in the modern Tory cabinet he's a major strategic genius.

ETA: inscripted? Inscribed you doofus.

Or even encrypted...

 

[zahir]

School staff have tested positive for coronavirus - but it's staying open

School bosses say they are following Public Health England guidance

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Harrop Fold School in Salford has undergone a thorough clean after two members of staff tested positive for Covid 19.

The staff concerned, as well as colleagues and children who may have been in contact with them, have been told to self-isolate.

But health and education bosses have decided the school is safe enough to open as usual on Monday to the children of key workers.

 

[teuchter]

This thread will get quite boring if every micro outbreak is listed from now on.

 

[pesh]

if you get too bored you can always go back to the model railway thread

 

[Mation]

Looking for some voluntary work? How about donating your considerable expertise to our cash-strapped Government?

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Senior Policy Advisors (Test & Trace programme)

Department of Health and Social Care
Time required: 3-6 months
These roles include developing testing policy according to the latest scientific advice, helping ensure the programme is targeting tests in ways which make the most difference, helping to design a longer-term delivery model for testing, and providing advice on all testing related policy. Desired skills and responsibilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to present complex issues effectively.
• The ability to engage with complex evidence, good analytical competence (not analyst level, but the ability to scrutinise data, ask the right questions about the data etc).
• Ability to quickly assimilate complex information and spot potential political, comms or operational risks
• Ability to effectively communicate with senior people in a clear, concise and action-focused way
• Capability to show creativity and research skills in developing policy at a fast-pace, working across teams to ensure alignment with steers

For further information and to apply contact probably.anintern @dhsc.gov.uk

Study sponsors and engagement leads (Test & Trace Programme)
Department of Health and Social Care
Time required: 3-6 months
These roles will cover large scale COVID surveillance and research studies (both national programmes and those targeted at specific settings). Desired skills and responsibilities:

• Experience of large scale scientific studies (or equivalent academic qualifications)
• Able to develop and support others in developing a research protocol for new studies
• Able to influence change in these studies where required
• Contract management experience; including budget management, and change management for any change in scope of research studies
• Provide an effective data review function
• Understanding of UKRI/NIHR; working with colleagues to create a connected picture of research and studies to inform policy
• Be able to disseminate findings to policy teams, and work with them to understand evidence required to answer policy questions
• Able to form relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Effectively form partnerships across HMG

For further information and to apply contact same @dhsc.gov.uk

Analytical and governance managers/leads (Test & Trace Programme)
Department of Health and Social Care
Time required: 3-6 months
These roles will take the outputs from studies are preparing material and information for governance, Ministers and DHSC/cross-HMG stakeholders. Desired Skills and responsibilities:

• Interpret data from seroprevalence studies to present to Ministers
• Gather and interpret data from other scientific research out with the surveillance workstream sponsored studies
• Creating and ownership of dashboard and develop new ways of dissemination of information
• Manage governance strategy for surveillance workstream
• Develop/own a risk and issue strategy for workstream
• Support with financial governance

For further information and to apply contact same @dhsc.gov.uk

E2a: edited out the email address as this probably isn't the fault of whoever has to receive the applications.

 

[William of Walworth]

That's definitely a Civil Service level of skills being required --- so why the fuck are people being asked to volunteer, and presumably unpaid?

 

[Cid]

I love the amount of information tied up in the undercurrents of this one: 'Ability to effectively communicate with senior people in a clear, concise and action-focused way'

 

[two sheds]

I love the amount of information tied up in the undercurrents of this one: 'Ability to effectively communicate with senior people in a clear, concise and action-focused way'

"Just fuck off granny will you?"

 

[Artaxerxes]

Looking for some voluntary work? How about donating your considerable expertise to our cash-strapped Government?







E2a: edited out the email address as this probably isn't the fault of whoever has to receive the applications.

Whats the website for this as I'd like to send it about?

 

[Mation]

Whats the website for this as I'd like to send it about?

It was in an email from the Association for Medical Research Charities (AMRC). Can't find it on their site, though. You might have to sign up to their newsletter.

 

[tim]

Capability to show creativity and research skills in developing policy at a fast-pace, working across teams to ensure alignment with steers

steer noun [C] (COW)
a young male of the cattle family that has had its sex organs removed, usually kept for meat

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

 

[Dogsauce]

That's definitely a Civil Service level of skills being required --- so why the fuck are people being asked to volunteer, and presumably unpaid?

They can’t afford to pay anyone because Cummings’ mates have trousered all the government’s cash already?

 

[Roadkill]

They can’t afford to pay anyone because Cummings’ mates have trousered all the government’s cash already?

Some of it. The rest's being blown on massive lorry parks and hundreds of extra customs form-fillers.

 

[phillm]

A good summary form Indy Sage Chair Sir David King of where we are and how we got here and what Indy Sage hopes to achieve.

Thread by @RadTransparent: Last week @RobinToal met @IndependentSAGE Chair and Founder, @Sir_David_King King to discuss the UK government response coronavirus pandemic…

Thread by @RadTransparent: Last week @RobinToal met @IndependentSAGE Chair and Founder, @Sir_David_King King to discuss the UK government resvirus pandemic and trust in science. With #PubsReopening in England, furthering the possibility of a #secondwave,…

threadreaderapp.com

 

[teuchter]

It seems that we are now seeing fewer deaths overall than we normally would at this time of year.




One thing about this that is surprising to me is that it appears to apply to the younger age groups as well as the older ones.

 

[maomao]

It seems that we are now seeing fewer deaths overall than we normally would at this time of year.

View attachment 222205


One thing about this that is surprising to me is that it appears to apply to the younger age groups as well as the older ones.

View attachment 222207

Presumably at least in part because of less economic activity. Harder to die when you're sitting in your house (I know lockdown is over, but the furloughed and redundant are less likely to leave their houses than they were before). I wonder if road casualties have noticeably dropped.

Also the sharp downwards line on the last two weeks will be at least partly because of the same delays in reporting deaths that have affected COVID death rates.

I know a lot of people desperately want this to be the people who were going to die anyway being already dead but that effect is going to be tiny and stretched over years not weeks.

 

[teuchter]

I think the yellow band means they have tried to correct for the delayed reporting effect.

 

[strung out]

Presumably terminally ill people from all age groups who were tipped over the edge are now being corrected for in the excess deaths.

 

[maomao]

I think the yellow band means they have tried to correct for the delayed reporting effect.

Well we'll see won't we.

 

[cupid_stunt]

This hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, but would seem a fairly simple bit of research, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's confirmed, and is somewhat worrying, suggesting any immunity in recovered patients may only last a few months.

According to the research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, immunity antibodies decrease significantly in the three months following infection, leaving patients susceptible to reinfection year after year – similar to the common cold. In what is believed to be the first longitudinal study of its kind, researchers looked into the immune response of 90 patients and healthcare workers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust.

While the analysis revealed a “potent” level of antibodies could be found in 60 per cent of participants while at the peak of their battle with coronavirus, sequential blood tests showed only 17 per cent sustained that same level of potency three months later. Antibodies decreased 23-fold in some cases, and were depleted entirely in others.

Coronavirus: antibody immunity could last 'just months'

Study by King’s College London finds a significant drop in antibody potency after three months.

www.sciencefocus.com

 

[platinumsage]

I see new daily cases being reported this weekend are up a massive 30% on last weekend (reported on Sat & Sun combined last w/e 1140 up to 1470 this w/e).

Now, the big question is if this is because of the increase in testing in the 20 council areas of particular concern, or if it's spread nationwide & connected to pubs etc. being re-opened.

111/999 data would suggest there isn't a surge in cases:

 

[Doodler]

It seems that we are now seeing fewer deaths overall than we normally would at this time of year.

One thing about this that is surprising to me is that it appears to apply to the younger age groups as well as the older ones.

Your graph image showed a substantial drop in deaths among 0-14 year olds, which is mysterious given the most common causes of childhood death:



'Childhood' is defined here by the ONS as 1-15 years of age. You might expect that only the external causes could diminish during the pandemic, e.g. traffic accidents, and that would not be enough to account for the overall drop in mortality. Maybe there have been delays in reporting or tabulating deaths.