Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[Numbers]

What about anxiety or psychological reasons for not wanting to wear a mask?

 

[Callie]

bimble Well I guess it might provide useful data if there are asymptomatic infections rumbling around. Is this the swab test? Is it a one off or a periodical screening thing (once a week/month?)

 

[bimble]

bimble Well I guess it might provide useful data if there are asymptomatic infections rumbling around. Is this the swab test? Is it a one off or a periodical screening thing (once a week/month?)

One off swab test I think. The invitation came in an email from that Covid reporting ap that I have been periodically using to say that I feel fine, but the other day I ticked I feel crap because just a bad headache.
I think I’ll do it, mainly out of curiosity to see how it all works. I’ll get to be a statistic.

 

[kabbes]

What about anxiety or psychological reasons for not wanting to wear a mask?

Are you talking clinically signed-off or just somebody claiming this as an excuse?

 

[two sheds]

Just someone claiming it as an excuse, obvs

 

[Numbers]

Are you talking clinically signed-off or just somebody claiming this as an excuse?

Do you need to be clinically signed off to suffer from either anxiety or any psychological condition which makes mask wearing a very difficult thing?

 

[Numbers]

Just someone claiming it as an excuse, obvs

I have terrible breathing problems, I can’t breathe through my nose and any covering of my mouth really bothers and panics me.

 

[two sheds]

I have terrible breathing problems, I can’t breathe through my nose and any covering of my mouth really bothers and panics me.

Yep I've been getting exercise induced asthma which is a real fucker too, any time I try to do something I get breathing problems. I'm hoping it's temporary and hay fever related.

(sorry my comment wasn't aimed at you )

 

[gentlegreen]

If we weren't governed by idiots and psychopaths, masks would have been compulsory from the start, and then there would presumably have been a legal basis to be deemed vulnerable for psychological reasons and be assisted to get supplies delivered...

 

[prunus]

Is there a point in going to get tested (just the do you have it now test) if I feel fine? I have one of those invitations, is it a sort of duty to go ? I am not an essential worker .

If you’ve been invited I’d say absolutely yes; you’ll be part of a random sample survey to check the prevalance of infection without the self-sampling bias of only testing symptomatic people.

Edit: ah, I see it’s through an app - I’m guessing the Zoe app? In that case it’s slightly different, but still valuable data (they’re mapping symptom sets against actual infections to get a better picture of what Covid ‘looks’ like (and how variable it is, and frequency of different symptom sets), and geographical distributions of same). But still yes do it if you can

 

[kabbes]

Do you need to be clinically signed off to suffer from either anxiety or any psychological condition which makes mask wearing a very difficult thing?

I believe you have to be clinically signed off to claim a disability as a protected condition, which is what we were talking about. I could be wrong on that one though.

 

[Supine]

Is there a point in going to get tested (just the do you have it now test) if I feel fine? I have one of those invitations, is it a sort of duty to go ? I am not an essential worker .

if asked then yes. They are trying to work out how many people are asymptomatic.

 

[bimble]

booked self in at the drive through for tomorrow. Mildly curious how it all works.

 

[clicker]

O

Do you need to be clinically signed off to suffer from either anxiety or any psychological condition which makes mask wearing a very difficult thing?

On the TFL site you can just download an exemption form to carry with you. It covers lots of reasons, I can't see where you'd need to be medically signed off to download it. Maybe it's done on trust. Other transport networks are doing similar and TFL at least have said they'll honour an exemption form from other networks.

 

[two sheds]

I have terrible breathing problems, I can’t breathe through my nose and any covering of my mouth really bothers and panics me.

Would be ok I'd have thought if you've been diagnosed with asthma. As LynnDoyleCooper said, though, we're not going to want to get cv so will need to do something. I've got a few n95 masks which I still have to try but if not I'm going to check for a cloth mask to see whether that works for me. Would cloth mask be easier if it didn't obstruct air flow?

I presume the face shields don't reduce chance of catching/transmitting much unless someone's actually coughing in your face

 

[Numbers]

I believe you have to be clinically signed off to claim a disability as a protected condition, which is what we were talking about. I could be wrong on that one though.

Prob’ more a general question cos I know there’ll be plenty of folk in that category.

 

[Numbers]

Would be ok I'd have thought if you've been diagnosed with asthma. As LynnDoyleCooper said, though, we're not going to want to get cv so will need to do something. I've got a few n95 masks which I still have to try but if not I'm going to check for a cloth mask to see whether that works for me. Would cloth mask be easier if it didn't obstruct air flow?

I presume the face shields don't reduce chance of catching/transmitting much unless someone's actually coughing in your face

We have a load of different types of masks here cos I had to try and find one that I’m OK with. The few times I’ve had to get the tube I wear a mask on and off for about an hour or so leading up to it so as I’m used to it. I actually sometimes just wear one at home when doing nothing also.

How our comrades on the frontline etc. deal with them for so long is beyond me.

 

[Callie]

booked self in at the drive through for tomorrow. Mildly curious how it all works.

The microbiology consultant at my work said the process should make you gag and cry. I didn't find that but it's not pleasant. Take tissues so you can blow your nose after!

 

[wtfftw]

Word on disability. It's a substantial and long term effect on functioning. Explanatory source What counts as disability

 

[bimble]

The microbiology consultant at my work said the process should make you gag and cry. I didn't find that but it's not pleasant. Take tissues so you can blow your nose after!

Yep I’ve heard the same.
The email says I may or may not have to test my own self (will find out when I get there). It does make me wonder, with all the home test kits, how many people actually do it properly if doing it properly is painful or at least very unpleasant? I’m rubbish at stuff like that, even removing splinters etc.

 

[belboid]

The microbiology consultant at my work said the process should make you gag and cry. I didn't find that but it's not pleasant. Take tissues so you can blow your nose after!

I'm taking one weekly, and you are recommended to blow your nose beforehand, not after. It does make you want to sneeze, but is alright. The throat one will be more difficult for someone else to do for you, as I can cope with the gag reflex cos I know exactly when it is coming and stopping, so can keep my mouth nice and wide, it'd be trickier if someone else was doing it to me, I think

 

[kabbes]

Timely — I just read this in an Independent news article:

There are exemptions in the policy, but admittedly they're a bit vague. You needn't wear a mask if you "cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering without severe distress", or "because of a physical or mental illness".

 

[elbows]

Oops:

A potential cluster of Covid-19 cases is being investigated in North Lanarkshire, health officials have confirmed.

BBC Scotland understands the outbreak involves a call centre which carries out coronavirus contact tracing for Public Health England.

One employee said he believed at least seven of his colleagues had tested positive.

NHS Lanarkshire said it was aware of a number of "potentially linked cases".

Coronavirus: Outbreak investigated at Motherwell contact tracing centre

An investigation is under way after six people test positive at the NHS call centre in Motherwell.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[baldrick]

The microbiology consultant at my work said the process should make you gag and cry. I didn't find that but it's not pleasant. Take tissues so you can blow your nose after!

Yes that was what it was like for me. I tried to follow the instructions as closely as I could. To get the requisite 15 seconds (I think) of swabbing I gagged several times and had tears pouring down my face The nose bit wasn't as bad.

 

[Numbers]

Timely — I just read this in an Independent news article:

I wear a mask but it completely discomforts me.

 

[moonsi til]

Yeah it's pretty shit that we can get a haircut, an eye test and a massage but we can't see anyone face to face at the NHS for a consultation. I have had a consultation indefinitely postponed and find this confusing and frustrating.

I work in the NHS & my 24/7 team like many have not stopped face-face appointments, there are of course services who have or who have had to prioritise who has face-face contacts.

 

[Artaxerxes]

I work in the NHS & my 24/7 team like many have not stopped face-face appointments, there are of course services who have or who have had to prioritise who has face-face contacts.

I'm guessing the main difficulty in consultation is managing the queues, my regular outpatients appointments have about 20 odd people up turning up for appointments between 9am and 10am and that fills up much of the waiting room. Thats just for one small clinic in one part of the hospital which is shared with several other clinics.

Reducing those numbers to enable distancing and taking account of emergencies so doctors still available means theres going to be less appointments per day.

 

[iona]

Yes that was what it was like for me. I tried to follow the instructions as closely as I could. To get the requisite 15 seconds (I think) of swabbing I gagged several times and had tears pouring down my face The nose bit wasn't as bad.

I've been doing weekly* tests for the ONS covid infection survey and no one's said anything about 15 seconds; the most instruction I got was to pass the swab across the back of my throat & roof of my mouth "about x to y times" (don't remember what x or y were but it didn't take 15 seconds!). Didn't even do the nose bit the first time - they only said to swab my throat so I assumed there'd be a second swab after for my nose but then there wasn't. So that bodes well for the quality of the survey data

*They seem to be short of people to deliver the tests and they only book appointments by phoning on the day to see if you're free, so I've only actually been tested two weeks out of the last four.

 

[elbows]

The written instructions I have for the swab test (I'm doing it as part of a saliva test evaluation) say "Holding the swab in your hand, open your mouth and gently rub the swab over both tonsils and the back of the throat five times, for about 10 seconds (using a mirror may help you do this)."

I havent done it yet, not looking forward to it.

edit - oh there was a video too....

 

[elbows]

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.