Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[LDC]

WTF are the excuses/reasons for this mess with the testing system? After a shit start it was good not so long, plenty of capacity, quick test slot, and quick results. Now it seems to have fallen apart.

 

[LDC]

Testing system is well fucked.

When was that from? This was a problem that was supposed to be getting fixed in the last few days by a putting a limit on how far people were expected to travel for a test.

 

[elbows]

Has any new way of dealing with COVID in care homes been implemented or even suggested since spring, by the way? Given such a huge number of deaths were in care homes I'd like to think there was some new and coordinated plan to manage it better, but from the way things are in this country, I'm guessing not.

Routine, widespread testing including staff testing is one piece of that 'puzzle', along with lessons relating to bank-staff working multiple homes and falling through the staff testing regime cracks, and of course there was the NHS reverse-triage policy which spread so much infection from hospitals to care homes the first time around. We hear very little about the latter, and on those other fronts the signs are not at all promising.

For example this from yesterday:

Government apologises for Covid testing delays at UK care homes

Nursing home operator says results can take seven days instead of promised 72 hours

www.theguardian.com

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) admitted to breaking its promise to provide test outcomes within 72 hours, as one nursing home operator in Cheshire told the Guardian that results have taken seven days and the delay may have caused infected staff to pass the virus to a resident.

Care managers on Monday described the government’s centralised testing system as “chaotic” and “not coping” amid reports of whole batches of tests coming back not only late, but also void. One operator in Kent said they were unable to get any tests for more than three weeks and said she felt “frustration and disgust at this outrageous treatment”. Snags with the online ordering system are also common, operators said.

“It’s awful. It’s like Russian roulette every week,” the manager said, describing the system as chaotic. “People can’t believe it’s so slow. The general public think the testing system works fine but people can be positive and working for a week and no one knows. It’s not working at all for us.”

The government had promised regular testing for care homes by the end of July, but moved the target for weekly staff tests to 7 September citing “unexpected delays”.

The care manager in Cheshire said that because temporary agency staff who are used to fill in for isolating staff are not routinely tested, the risk remains unchecked.

Dr Claire Barker, the GP with responsibility for the residents, said: “Most staff work all over a care home and not knowing what is happening with infection is unacceptable. It inhibits the home’s ability to control the outbreak. We can’t control outbreaks if this testing regime stays in place.”

 

[wtfftw]

Testing system is well fucked.

If you wait until Thursday there's one in Burgess Park. Was there yesterday but that's no use by now.

 

[elbows]

A rare example of a deadly hospital outbreak actually getting proper news coverage:

Craigavon: Fourth Covid-19 hospital death

Health Minister launches immediate high level investigation following the death.

www.bbc.co.uk

A fourth haematology patient at Craigavon Area Hospital has died after testing positive for coronavirus, the Southern Health Trust has confirmed.

Fourteen patients on the ward were confirmed to have the virus in a cluster identified last week.

The trust said it had notified the Health Minister Robin Swann and public health officials about the latest death.

Mr Swann has announced a level three Serious Adverse Incident investigation.

Includes this analysis:

Over the past six months, there have been many patients who contracted Covid-19 while in hospital and who have died.

Those individual stories did not make the news - so why is what's happening at Craigavon Area Hospital's haematology ward be any different?

The difference is those deaths took place in a hospital where three clusters of Covid-19 have been identified.

Fourteen patients in all contracted the virus in hospital - four have now died.

In the space of a fortnight, patients and staff quickly became infected. Over 100 members of staff were unable to work due to either having Covid-19 or being a contact.

Actually there were other examples that the news could of picked up on at the time. I went on about the outbreak at my local hospital, which certainly involved clusters and plenty of death, and I recently stumbled upon more data about that which I may post more about later.

 

[maomao]

When was that from? This was a problem that was supposed to be getting fixed in the last few days by a putting a limit on how far people were expected to travel for a test.

It can't be real because the mileage is 150 miles out. They'll get their mileages from Google Maps or similar like everyone else.

 

[elbows]

Hancock told MPs that it would take a couple of weeks for the government to resolve the laboratory processing problems that have led to people being unable to get a coronavirus test. Asked about the apology this morning from Sarah-Jane Marsh, director of testing at NHS test and trace, to people who have been waiting (see 11am), Hancock paid tribute to the work she was doing. But he said it would take a fortnight to get these problems sorted.

He also said that he was ensuring that people would not be asked to go more than 75 miles for test, although he acknowledged that that was not ideal.

And he said he was rolling out testing for asymptomatic people in care homes.

From Guardian live news page 23m ago 11:47

 

[quimcunx]

If you wait until Thursday there's one in Burgess Park. Was there yesterday but that's no use by now.

So are there roving test centres flitting around london like butterflies collecting delicious saliva nectar?

 

[wtfftw]

So are there roving test centres flitting around london like butterflies collecting delicious saliva nectar?

Yes.

 

[scifisam]

It can't be real because the mileage is 150 miles out. They'll get their mileages from Google Maps or similar like everyone else.

Google maps says it's 431 miles. It would be a really weird way to fake something, though; I wouldn't put it past the test and trace thing to manage to even get distances wrong. Probably using a system designed by one of Cummings' mates (for eye test purposes of course).

 

[MrSki]

When was that from? This was a problem that was supposed to be getting fixed in the last few days by a putting a limit on how far people were expected to travel for a test.

It was tweeted today by the local MP

 

[quimcunx]

That distance is correct if you're hitching a ride on the back of a flying crow.

 

[existentialist]

When was that from? This was a problem that was supposed to be getting fixed in the last few days by a putting a limit on how far people were expected to travel for a test.

Which of course wouldn't be a "fix" so much as an attempt to make a clearly faulty system look a bit less faulty - as ever, this Government is focusing on the aspects of the news that make them look shit, rather than going back to root causes and figuring out how on earth handing out lucrative contracts for unproven systems to your best mates with no experience in the area, and/or a reputation for royally cocking things up in the past, could possibly go wrong...

 

[andysays]

It was tweeted today by the local MP

You don't have to walk the whole way, at least you're allowed to cycle.

 

[Cloo]

You don't have to walk the whole way, at least you're allowed to cycle.

And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more just to get a COVID test...

 

[maomao]

That distance is correct if you're hitching a ride on the back of a flying crow.

You're right though it's from the centre of London. I was thinking 'who the fuck uses air lines for mileage?' the obvious answer being people who want to make things seem nearer.

 

[nagapie]

The Government just needs to grasp the nettle and impose another strict national lockdown to facilitate keeping schools open. And secondary schools need to be stricter imposing social distancing, from what I've heard they're not trying in any meaningful way.

This is simply not true. We are carrying out so many time and energy consuming strategies to maintain social distancing. And yet we all know there are too many holes in how bubbles work to make these be meaningful.

 

[fishfinger]

That distance is correct if you're hitching a ride on the back of a flying crow.

Corvid to covid.

 

[Thora]

To actually do social distancing in schools you’d need double the space or half the people. It isn’t possible to have 30+ people in a room or to feed 1000 kids in two hours while also keeping everyone 1 or 2m apart.

 

[Thora]

My school had a preference/plan that included a 50% attendance rota with online learning, strict distancing etc but that is completely banned by the government so it’s all in full time.

 

[LDC]

To actually do social distancing in schools you’d need double the space or half the people. It isn’t possible to have 30+ people in a room or to feed 1000 kids in two hours while also keeping everyone 1 or 2m apart.

Or move to a bigger area like a sports hall. And the timetables seem to be a mess, in and out for various classes. Why not have people in for a full day rather than what I've seen which is a class here, few hours off, another class. This is sixth form. They clearly then just go and hang out in a nearby cafe.

 

[LDC]

My school had a preference/plan that included a 50% attendance rota with online learning, strict distancing etc but that is completely banned by the government so it’s all in full time.

That's what I'd do, and as has been noted to have schools open something else has to go, and I think that clearly needs to be pubs etc. around me. Not a sign of social distancing or T&T being taken seriously.

 

[killer b]

Or move to a bigger area like a sports hall.

how many sports halls do you think each school has?

 

[LDC]

how many sports halls do you think each school has?

I wasn't thinking school ones, I'm not unaware of how fucked lots of schools are for finances and buildings. But surely there are some in most towns and cities that could be used together with large music venues, cinemas, etc. It would only be a part of a solution for sure. Personally I'd make nearly all university teaching online and free up their facilities for schools to use as well.

 

[cupid_stunt]

BREAKING NEWS, statement from some cock in the commons -

Bolton is going into a 'major' lockdown, all hospitality outlets to be restricted to take-away only, and must close by 10 pm, because certain pubs have not been sticking to the rules, and new cases have been tracked back to them. The advice that households shouldn't mix is to become law.

ETA - Oh, a link already - Bolton pubs and restaurants ordered to shut with 10pm coronavirus curfew

 

[Wilf]

TBF, I'd give the government 10/10 in the horse bolted/stable door stakes.

We're pretty much at 'get to work... economy... return to normal .. get the students in... OH SHIT, YOU LOT, BEHAVE A BIT BETTER... AND YOU LOT WILL HAVE A MINI LOCKDOWN!... get to work... use the tube... over by christmas... OH, SHIT...'

 

[The39thStep]

BREAKING NEWS, statement from some cock in the commons -

Bolton is going into a 'major' lockdown, all hospitality outlets to be restricted to take-away only, and must close by 10 pm, because certain pubs have not been sticking to the rules, and new cases have been tracked back to them. The advice that households shouldn't mix is to become law.

ETA - Oh, a link already - Bolton pubs and restaurants ordered to shut with 10pm coronavirus curfew

The Director of Public Health acknowledges the pub thing but says that in itself douesnt explain the rise. Bolton Uinversity opens this week next week. 7000 students. 20 min train ride to the centre of Manchester.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The Director of Public Health acknowledges the pub thing but says that in itself douesnt explain the rise. Bolton Uinversity opens this week next week. 7000 students. 20 min train ride to the centre of Manchester.

From what was said on Sky, the biggest driver of infections has been households mixing/house parties, followed by certain pubs that have shown to be hotspots, in both cases it's mainly down to young people not giving a toss for their families & the wider community.

Leader of Bolton Council Cllr David Greenhalgh has slammed the 'irresponsible actions' of a few for the new measures. The move comes as the local infection rate reached 120 cases per 100,000, meaning Bolton has a higher rate than anywhere in the country.

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: “This is not something we want to do, but it is clear the virus is currently moving round the borough uncontrolled and so we need to halt the transmission rate.

“The rate has gone from 15 cases per 100,000 to over 120 in the space of 2 weeks, and if we do not get control of the virus now, we will continue to put our most vulnerable residents at risk and delay any return to normality.

'Irresponsible actions of few' blamed for tougher restrictions in Bolton

PUBS and restaurants are being restricted to take-away only as part of new stricter measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in the town.

www.theboltonnews.co.uk

 

[existentialist]

Let's not muck about - the reason this is going this way is because of the Government's total and unmitigated fuckups in every decision they've made about Covid-19.

Inevitably, they will blame people's behaviour, but that, too, is probably largely the result of a government that has continually sent mixed and confusing messages throughout this pandemic.

 

[Bingo]

WTF are the excuses/reasons for this mess with the testing system? After a shit start it was good not so long, plenty of capacity, quick test slot, and quick results. Now it seems to have fallen apart.

Could it be intentional? Can they really fuck up every single thing they try this badly?

I'm in Yorkshire, nearest test site is in Bristol.

People aren't going to self isolate at all are they