Coronavirus in the UK - news, lockdown and discussion

[cupid_stunt]

No decent pay rise for nurses, yet they can give GPs 15-30 quid to give a jab..taking the piss

Has anyone said the GP's will not be increasing the overtime pay rates to the nurses delivering most of the jabs?

 

[Cloo]

God, this government with it's 'not part of our plan' shtick. A pandemic doesn't fucking care what your 'plan' is. It doesn't give a shit about Christmas. You're supposed to respond to the pandemic, not your plans or that it happens to be nearly Massive Capitalism Month.

 

[8ball]

I think it's brilliant that Christopher Chode thinks measures to keep people safe are suppression of freedom but him wanting conscription and being against same sex marriage is perfectly reasonable

The fucking chode

Liked especially for "chode".

 

[8ball]

God, this government with it's 'not part of our plan' shtick. A pandemic doesn't fucking care what your 'plan' is. It doesn't give a shit about Christmas. You're supposed to respond to the pandemic, not your plans or that it happens to be nearly Massive Capitalism Month.

 

[LDC]

So if I had a preference for novavax as my booster shot, do we think that would (a) be available in the near future and (b) be used for the booster program? With my long covid I'm drawn to the lower side-effects being touted for it.

TBH I think that's a slightly weird and mistaken position to have. Just get the vaccine you're offered and stop trying to over-think something. And personal preferences for that belong in another thread anyway, not UK news, maybe the first world problems thread.

 

[two sheds]

Understandable if they've got long covid though.

 

[LDC]

Understandable if they've got long covid though.

Well unless they have access to the trial data and can make comparisons with other trial data for that subset of patients, they're just wildly making likely incorrect guesses.

 

[Brainaddict]

TBH I think that's a slightly weird and mistaken position to have. Just get the vaccine you're offered and stop trying to over-think something. And personal preferences for that belong in another thread anyway, not UK news, maybe the first world problems thread.

I was asking if anyone had any news on the matter. Your opinion wasn't required.

 

[sojourner]

TBH I think that's a slightly weird and mistaken position to have. Just get the vaccine you're offered and stop trying to over-think something. And personal preferences for that belong in another thread anyway, not UK news, maybe the first world problems thread.

I've commented on your pompous and patronising attitude before. Why can't you just respond with politeness? Being a medic doesn't give you carte blanche to be this blunt.

 

[stdP]

I don't know if anyone else was in central today, but there seemed to be quite a heavy police presence at some of the larger stations. Three officers this morning at the entrance to the vicky line - I wasn't sure if they were there to question people not wearing masks (no-one around me wasn't) but on my tube journeys there were no less than three tannoy announcements requesting BTP attendance at parts of the stations.

TfL's page here was updated today and suggests they're taking it seriously now although I still saw a few people on the tube without masks (presumably with an exemption certificate) but mask wearing must have been over 90% (being sub-30% a couple of weeks ago).

 

[Cloo]

It was no better than usual in Tesco today.

 

[StoneRoad]

I was out at a site visit today - outside, so started off masked and well wrapped up.
After some climbing about my face was getting uncomfortable, first time that's happened for a while.

Very pleased to get in the car, out of the wind & take the mask off.

 

[teuchter]

I don't know if anyone else was in central today,

Central what?

 

[Wilf]

Central what?

Maybe the link to a TfL page gave a clue...

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Maybe the link to a TfL page gave a clue...

Totally fascist Layout map?

 

[teuchter]

Maybe the link to a TfL page gave a clue...

Yup, looks like the second paragraph is talking about London but not sure about the first. BTP so must be somewhere in the UK, which is what you'd expect given the thread subject.

 

[stdP]

TfL obviously refers to the train from Texas to fort Lauderdale. BTP is of course Build That Pancreas, a Kentucky biotech startup who were collecting genetic samples from unmasked travellers on the train to be used for creating 3D-printed human organs in a cloned chaffinch stapled to the back of Shane Ritchie's left buttock.

Sorry for not making things clearer.

 

[teuchter]

TfL obviously refers to the train from Texas to fort Lauderdale. BTP is of course Build That Pancreas, a Kentucky biotech startup who were collecting genetic samples from unmasked travellers on the train to be used for creating 3D-printed human organs in a cloned chaffinch stapled to the back of Shane Ritchie's left buttock.

Sorry for not making things clearer.

Thanks for the info. Still doesn't answer my original question though.

 

[_Russ_]

Imagine a world outside the big shitty

 

[elbows]

Oh good, someone leaked SAGE minutes to the BBC:

Covid: Omicron may require 'very stringent response', say Sage scientists

Officials should prepare for a "potentially significant" wave of cases, government scientific advisers say.

www.bbc.co.uk

The impact of the Omicron variant on the UK is "highly uncertain" but may require a "very stringent response", government advisers have said.

The BBC has seen leaked minutes of a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies held on Monday.

Officials should prepare now for a "potentially significant" wave of infections while data on the variant is collected and analysed, they say.

More than 30 scientists attended a video conference on 29 November, led by the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical adviser Chris Whitty.

The minutes, which have not yet been published but have been seen by the BBC, say that it is "highly likely" that Omicron can escape immunity caused by previous infection or vaccination "to some extent".

The advisers say that there is not currently any evidence of widespread community transmission of Omicron in the UK, as there has been in parts of South Africa. They say the impact on a country like the UK remains uncertain as it is different in terms of age structure, the numbers previously infected with coronavirus and the level of vaccination coverage.

The scientists believe that booster jabs are likely to provide protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death from most variants in the short term.

But they note: "Any significant reduction in protection against infection could still result in a very large wave of infections. This would in turn lead to a potentially high number of hospitalisations even with protection against severe disease being less affected."

Although the size of any future wave remains "highly uncertain", the scientists say it may be of a scale that requires "very stringent response measures" to avoid unsustainable pressure on the NHS.

The minutes make it clear that it is too early to know how ill the Omicron variant will make those infected or how that might vary by age. They say the first indications of the likely impact on vaccines should come from laboratory studies over the coming weeks.

But the advisers note: "It is important to be prepared for a potentially very significant wave of infections with associated hospitalisations now, ahead of data being available."

They say that the earlier measures to reduce transmission are introduced, the stronger they are and the wider their geographical coverage, the more effective they will be.

"The situation could develop quickly over the coming weeks and decision makers may need to act while there is a high level of uncertainty including the potential need for stringent response measures," they say.

 

[_Russ_]

Oh good, someone leaked SAGE minutes to the BBC:

Covid: Omicron may require 'very stringent response', say Sage scientists

Officials should prepare for a "potentially significant" wave of cases, government scientific advisers say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Lets face it, Its all 'no shit sherlock stuff'

 

[elbows]

Although the government have so far resisted doing all that may turn out to be necessary, one significant change was to the self-isolation rules for people who are vaccinated but have close contact with a suspected Omicron case. This change has now gone into law until next March, and the Telegraph are moaning about it on their front page.

 

[StoneRoad]

As SAGE seem to be pointing out, depiffle is still on the "too little, too late" path, trying to save chrimble for the tory party paymasters.

 

[elbows]

As with previous waves and slow Johnson response, we'll be reliant to a great extent on the public changing behaviours in advance of any formal rules changes.

 

[LDC]

I think the Xmas stuff is a bit of a red herring, I don't think he or his party care that much, and I don't think much of the country cares outside the media hype. People will still get together etc. and if anything what's been shown is people are overall pretty careful when it comes down to it.

The Xmas fuss masks that they're really concerned with capital and its production, and then beyond that maintaining an strong ideological commitment to an individualized personal freedom that runs alongside an unbothered attitude towards the 'weak' and 'unproductive' in society.

 

[teuchter]

UK death rate is now half the EU average and one of the lowest in Europe. Quite a change from 2 or 3 months ago when UK death rate was twice the EU average.




In terms of total deaths, the UK still fares badly but maybe not as badly as some might be led to believe, when compared to the EU average.

 

[elbows]

Is that based on deaths within 28 days of a positive test rather than, for example, death certificates mentioning Covid-19?

 

[teuchter]

Is that based on deaths within 28 days of a positive test rather than, for example, death certificates mentioning Covid-19?

Can't tell you off hand. Looks like the data comes via John Hopkins.

Overview of 91-DIVOC | 91-DIVOC

91-divoc.com

I always view it with an assumption that there may be various inconsistencies in how different countries report their numbers. But I think it's handy when trying to get a broad overview of what's going on in different places.

 

[elbows]

Yeah you know me, I was bound to mention it as I am oversensitive to potential undercounting. And the way the daily figures are reported continues to grind on my nerves give that the difference between 'within 28 days' and covid mentioned on death certificates is now over 20,000 (144,969 vs 167,927). Plus the death certificate form of measurement can still miss cases. And I couldnt even rely on excess death estimates due to periods where lockdowns, recession etc temporarily reduced deaths from other causes.

And I find it very hard to find out what criteria other countries have used, partly because of my poor foreign language skills and the vast amount of irrelevant stuff that comes up when I do basic searches online.

 

[Wilf]

Probably posted elsewhere, but an Israeli doc who caught the Omicron thingy thinks he got it in London at a medical conference.

Israeli doctor believes he caught Omicron variant of Covid in London

Exclusive: Cardiologist Elad Maor suspects he caught virus at conference attended by more than 1,200 people

www.theguardian.com

Seems plausible that he did get it there but regardless, a medical event with 1200 people attending in person. WT Fucking F.