Miss-Shelf
I'll meet you further on up the road
Start emailing the course leader directly (if you haven't already ) so they are aware of this situation
Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion
- Thread starter Sasaferrato
- Start date
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Mrs B was told what modules she's teaching (none of which she's taught before) 2 weeks ago.
On the plus side, admissions are up in her uni (a northern ex-poly) so at least she isn't worrying about impending redundancy. Numbers being up is a little unexpected, I'll be very interested to see what the picture is across the country - anyone know who the winners and losers are yet?
I think student numbers are fine most places as far as UK based undergrads go. Because for all that it's not a great situation to be starting uni in, what else is someone in that position going to do? Getting a job for a year while things improve isn't really an option and neither is a travelling gap year, for those who can afford it. Might as well just sign up and get started, it's a three year course anyway and things will hopefully improve within that time.
The places with high numbers of overseas postgraduate are more exposed.
I knew about this, but as they're (mostly) more prestigious unis I expected them to be able to fill up on UK students and pass this problem on to the institutions further down the league tables...
Cloo
Banana for scale
Son had to have a COVID test on Friday evening, as he had a fever in the morning and was feeling pretty miserable. Nearest test available on other side of North London. Other half schlepped him over there and pratically had to pin him down to get a swab which was a miserable experience for them both 
OTOH, got it back within 24 hours and he's negative - he's absolutely fine since yesterday, but I suspect there have been a glut of testing requests because of kids going back to school and having colds with fevers.
We have a fairground in the park round the corner. Locals on nextdoor are up in arms about it ('How could they give permission for this to go ahead?!'), rather uncessarily I'd say - it's outdoors, people are hardly shoulder-to-shoulder ('It's packed!') or in close contact for long periods and I think even if they're cleanliness isn't up to much, there's not much evidence touch is a big transmitter. Nonetheless, when my kids inevitably go, I will encourage them to sanitise before and after rides. But don't really get the hysteria from some people about it happening.
OTOH, got it back within 24 hours and he's negative - he's absolutely fine since yesterday, but I suspect there have been a glut of testing requests because of kids going back to school and having colds with fevers.We have a fairground in the park round the corner. Locals on nextdoor are up in arms about it ('How could they give permission for this to go ahead?!'), rather uncessarily I'd say - it's outdoors, people are hardly shoulder-to-shoulder ('It's packed!') or in close contact for long periods and I think even if they're cleanliness isn't up to much, there's not much evidence touch is a big transmitter. Nonetheless, when my kids inevitably go, I will encourage them to sanitise before and after rides. But don't really get the hysteria from some people about it happening.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Maybe to a point I think. At undergrad level it's probably quite easy to fill up any shortfall in overseas students with additional home students. It's not so easy to fill up postgraduate places though - you can't just take on additional undergrads as things aren't set up to take on vast cohorts of undergrads. And the postgraduate level is where most overseas students come in. Where I work would be considered a more prestigious uni I guess and that's definitely the pattern in every department I've worked in - BA/BSc courses are mostly UK students.
Also demand varies a lot across courses. We have departments who are massively oversubscribed so can just go a bit further down the list but it's not the majority by any means.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
My place is exactly the same, made a promise that all students will have at least 4 hours on campus teaching - largely I imagine because they were worried about students going up the road and/or claims for fees rebates. Because of social distancing this means seminars will be 1/3 of their normal size. Management's first attempt to solve this was to say staff would simply teach 3 small seminars in 3 different rooms at the same time.
When it was explained to them that even Schrodinger's Cat couldn't manage that, they realised - last week- that we would need loads more part time staff.All of this has been done by ignoring the teaching and learning strategy for the 2 modules I'll be teaching on campus this semester. In one of them I'll end up doing several hours more classroon teaching than would have been the case normally. Words fail me.
BlanketAddict
Well-Known Member
I'm expecting big breakouts in charedi orthodox Jewish communities in the next month as there is not a chance they won't gather for New Year and Yom Kippur. Apparently things are already really fucked in Israel, which was doing quite well but now has the largest new infections per million in the world, apparently, in part because the ultra orthodox insist on gettting together in vast numbers for things like their head rabbi's grandson's wedding.
God will protect them
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
I'm expecting big breakouts in charedi orthodox Jewish communities in the next month as there is not a chance they won't gather for New Year and Yom Kippur. Apparently things are already really fucked in Israel, which was doing quite well but now has the largest new infections per million in the world, apparently, in part because the ultra orthodox insist on gettting together in vast numbers for things like their head rabbi's grandson's wedding.
I'm hoping to get to in person services on yom kippur (my shul has an application system so I may not get a place) but worried I may be being irresponsible.
Spandex
A crazy bulbous punchbag of sound
That article touches on so many things that've been discussed here over the last few months, or years, all coming together to create this situation: unaffordable and overcrowded housing; lack of employment rights; the 'full' lockdown that wasn't very full; the centralised profit-making track and trace system that struggles to track or trace; the lack of financial support for people who are expected to self-isolate for two weeks; pubs reopening leading to people socialising in way perhaps they shouldn't...
It's every bad decision the government has made during the pandemic added to the disregard governments have show to working class communities for years creating a mess that leaves everyone scratching their heads over how to get out of it. I don't expect to see any far sighted vision or dramatic action from the parade of cunts who are running the disaster, so where will a way out of this come from?
Cloo
Banana for scale
We're going to stick to Zoom I think. We might try attending an in-person service next Shabbat though - they are doing small, socially distanced services, with no loud singing from congregation. Imagine it might feel a little sad. Quite enjoying our Zoom services - funny moment yesterday when one couple were presenting a section, but only one came on screen, explaining her wife had just had to go and sort out a 'spider emergency' seeing as the kids were yelling about spiders
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
And these are the great leader that have been getting payrises while most staff have taken a 20% pay cut (and will see another one this year)Management's first attempt to solve this was to say staff would simply teach 3 small seminars in 3 different rooms at the same time.
Well look on bright side once there's a load of outbreaks on campus because of the stupid amounts of F2F teaching we'll be able to quickly switch back all our teaching and learning actives online. After all, as a senior manager told me - it's just the same preparing for an online lecture as for a F2F lecture.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Think Leeds may be next to be locked down again. Lots of house parties going on, and, unsurprisingly the infection rate has shot up in 18-24 age bracket
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
That's awful.
I was off for weeks and weeks last year on full pay with post-viral fatigue ...
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
Leeds has been in the news for the last 3 or 4 days, and still the idiots party.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
I've encountered a few antimask plandemic project fear twats at work recently - they are growing in number or getting bolder. It's hard to remain professional with them. Think there's also a lot of complacency too - have also had people say 'i don't know anyone who's had it'
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
In a rational world, the fact that Middlesbrough is now on the watchlist should mean the university would be close to reverting back to 100% online - certainly before teaching starts. However my pure guess is the government and university has too much invested in getting students back on campus. So, they'll hang on and only bow to the inevitable about 3 weeks into the term, or whenever things escalate. Just about the worst point in terms of disruption, particularly for year 1 students who will only just be getting to know their way round (physically and virtually). However we get to that point it's going to be like dominoes going down, perhaps when they get student cases in about 4 institutions. or significant outbreaks in university towns. Manchester, Bolton, Leeds and Middlesbrough are predictable locations at the moment, but some freshers pub crawl could kicks things off anywhere.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
92 new cases in Leeds today and just down the road from me there's an anti-mask gathering 
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
It really does feel like living through an episode of Brass Eye - the one they refused to screen because it was too fanciful.92 new cases in Leeds today and just down the road from me there's an anti-mask gathering
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
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
2988 new cases
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
New UK cases reported to today - 2,988, that's basically over 1,000 more than reported on each of the last 7 days.
Shit.
Shit.
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
Is it because there's a backlog of unreported cases? Or are they generally all being diagnosed in the last day or two?New UK cases reported to today - 2,988, that's basically over 1,000 more than reported on each of the last 7 days.
Shit.
Students are invested in this too tbf. One of the things that swung it for one university over another is that the one she went for was offering 'blended' teaching rather than 100% online. Of course once she's there it will most likely end up being 100%... so will everywhere. But right now it's a selling point.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
There was an article somewhere that claimed that ‘dead’ anti bodies from previous covid infections would show a positive test even though there was no current infection . Dunno the science behind it though
elbows
Well-Known Member
There have been a few backlog stories in recent weeks. I'll dive into the UK numbers shortly since they also list them by specimen date which helps figure this stuff out.
elbows
Well-Known Member
OK I had a dive into things by specimen date. If there is a backlog at the moment, its probably in the demand for tests/people waiting to get tests stage, not that they have a lot of backlogged results with much older specimen dates that they are only just reporting in the daily number.
Below are two graphs that show number of positive tests for England by specimen date. The first graph is from the previous time I looked at the data, and I dont know exactly when this was but likely either September 1st or September 2nd, maybe the 3rd at a stretch, The second graph is of the data as it stands today. There is always a few days lag where the most recent positive tests announced are mostly for specimens from a few days prior, and that hasnt changed. What I think these graphs demonstrate is that the recent increases to the daily reported number are indeed for specimens taken quite recently.
I havent repeated the exercise for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland yet but I expect to see a similar picture. I will look at the testing picture from a regional perspective later and will include those other nations when I do.
Below are two graphs that show number of positive tests for England by specimen date. The first graph is from the previous time I looked at the data, and I dont know exactly when this was but likely either September 1st or September 2nd, maybe the 3rd at a stretch, The second graph is of the data as it stands today. There is always a few days lag where the most recent positive tests announced are mostly for specimens from a few days prior, and that hasnt changed. What I think these graphs demonstrate is that the recent increases to the daily reported number are indeed for specimens taken quite recently.
I havent repeated the exercise for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland yet but I expect to see a similar picture. I will look at the testing picture from a regional perspective later and will include those other nations when I do.
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