General Coronavirus (COVID-19) chat

[Dogsauce]

There’s all kind of factors - places like Italy were hit early and hard because they weren’t able to develop treatments by the time it arrived, and once hospitals are overwhelmed as they were there deaths shoot up hugely. There’s also things like social care for the elderly - the proportion of U.K. elderly in care homes is about double that in Italy, so Italy had more vulnerable around in society in multi generational families - had the U.K. protected care homes we may have had fewer deaths. Sweden had about 50% higher than U.K. but did seem to protect them hence lower deaths there. Stuff like this is among many things that make a difference.

 

[elbows]

Swedens care home failings were considered to be significant. This article is from last November:

Swedish watchdog finds serious failures in COVID care at nursing homes

Sweden's health watchdog said on Tuesday it had uncovered "serious shortcomings" in COVID-19 care for residents of nursing homes where thousands have died, increasing pressure on the country's unorthodox pandemic strategy.

www.reuters.com

That article includes these figures:

The watchdog said none of Sweden’s 21 regions had taken sufficient responsibility for the treatment of infected nursing home residents, with a fifth of patients having received no individual assessment by doctors.

I wonder what that figure is for the UK!

Also:

The watchdog urged regional authorities to carry out measures to improve care and present them no later than Jan. 15 next year and said it would be carrying out a further review of patient records.

“The lowest level (of care) is quite simply too low,” Wallstrom said. “Even during a pandemic.”

 

[teuchter]

I'd rather focus on the obvious failings and limitations of the UK approach, of which there are many to choose from.

For sure - in the end I would say the problem with that tweet was not the basic message (here are two things we should have done differently) but that he started it out with the comparison to other, cherry picked countries, which just invites people to argue about the comparisons rather than what he actually seems to want to discuss. In a way it doesn't matter what happened in other countries... if there's a valid point that there are things the UK could and should have done certain things better, then it can stand on its own.

 

[elbows]

I'd be lying if I claimed I'd never done that, and aside from using it to counteract bullshit agendas in the press, I expect I've also done it at times in a desperate bid to provide some wider pandemic context or bypass people who think the UK did a good job of handling the pandemic. But certainly having resorted to such things, it often opens up new cans of worms and areas people will quibble over.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Niece (13) and sister-in-law (Teaching Assistant) have both got Covid now - it was only a matter of time really, if you're in a school environment.

And now daughter (17) has tested positive, after us managing to completely avoid it for over 18 months. Balls.

 

[_Russ_]

Something thats been at the back of mind for a while, I've heard on here a few times people state that the LFT is not a reliable test in symptomatic cases, which implies its more reliable at finding asymptomatic infections.

I don't understand this

 

[strung out]

Something thats been at the back of mind for a while, I've heard on here a few times people state that the LFT is not a reliable test in symptomatic cases, which implies its more reliable at finding asymptomatic infections.

I don't understand this

It's not reliable at picking up either symptomatic or non-symptomatic cases.

The benefit is in its ability to pick up some of the non-symptomatic cases that normally wouldn't have been tested for at all.

 

[existentialist]

Something thats been at the back of mind for a while, I've heard on here a few times people state that the LFT is not a reliable test in symptomatic cases, which implies its more reliable at finding asymptomatic infections.

I don't understand this

Immunology is hard.

 

[_Russ_]

Thanks that makes sense, seemed mostly only the poor performance at detecting symptomatic cases has been mentioned giving me a false impression.

 

[_Russ_]

Immunology is hard.

Fuck all to do with understanding immunology

 

[existentialist]

Fuck all to do with understanding immunology

That's probably where you're going wrong, then

 

[Teaboy]

I've just noticed that my latest batch of lateral flow tests were made by a Chinese company called Acon. They've got a sense of humour I'll give them that.

 

[Reno]

New covid cases today in Germany: 3k, population 83m. New covid cases today in UK: 33k, population 67m.

Here in Germany we can only attend indoor entertainment venues like cinemas, theatres, museums and clubs if recovered, vaccinated or tested within 24 hours and from Monday, tests are not free anymore. We also have to register with an app when we enter a venue. Is it a free for all in the UK now ?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Here in Germany we can only attend indoor entertainment venues like cinemas, theatres, museums and clubs if you are recovered, vaccinated or tested within 24 hours and from Monday, tests are not free anymore. We also have to register with an app when we enter a venue. Is it a free for all in the UK now ?

If varies, IIRC both Scotland & Wales are introducing vaccine passports, but not England, not sure about Northern Ireland.

 

[Sue]

A friend has got Covid as has his daughter who was born right at the start of lockdown.

He's double vaxxed and says it feels halfway between a bad cold and flu -- he has completely lost his sense of taste though.

His daughter is a bit more tired than normal but it looks much like a normal cold.

His partner's tested negative and she's a teacher so... .

 

[two sheds]

Private Eye has a story this issue:

One controversial aspect of Las Vegas-registered Innova Medical Group's multi-billion-pound commercial success in flogging lateral flow tests to the British taxpayer was the rapid assessment, based on a trial in Liverpool, that community testing using the devices was useful.

Other scientists disagreed, pointing to high rates of missed positive cases and poor methods and information disclosures in the appraisal led by the University of Liverpool

... would it be right for that institution to accept a large gift from the company? The University of Liverpool seems to think so. It has just announced a new Pandemic Institute funded by £10m from none other than Innova Medical Group.

 

[Badgers]

Still #worldbeating

 

[Badgers]

Really really good thread regarding coping with Covid and mental health.

 

[Aladdin]

Covid Daily Operations for October 10th Ireland.

Frightening.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-daily-operations-update-2000-10-october-2021.pdf

3 general beds left in our local hospital.
No bed in ICU or HDU.

And many of our hospitals are the same.

There are only 12 ICU beds available
In the ENTIRE country

We are fucked as regards health care here.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

The NHS PCR ordering process seems to be broken, at least for ordering multiple tests. I ordered 4 last week (for myself, wife, two kids), and only one arrived. So my wife ordered one for herself, and then two for the kids - bit only one was delivered. Seems that their "you can order multiple tests at once" system is completely broken at the moment - so if anyone is in the same position we are, order them all individually.

 

[Badgers]

Been a very busy testing day at the CovidCoalFace. Sadly very high positive numbers too at nearly 15%

Almost all positive tests for people in their 20s, the majority of which were women across a range of ethnicities.

 

[Badgers]

Shocked I tell thee

Thousands of lives could have been saved by earlier lockdown, MPs find in report

upday.com

f7td5.app.goo.gl

 

[two sheds]

not tens of thousands then

 

[Badgers]

not tens of thousands then

Indeed

 

[elbows]

Only reason Im not discussing that here is that its already being discussed in the main UK thread and parallel discussions sometimes melt my brain.

 

[Pickman's model]

Still #worldbeating

View attachment 292068

#worldbeating

 

[Mogden]

There seems to be a real snaggle on the processing of PCR tests when returned by post as opposed to from a walk in. I had 2 delayed, more than 72 hours, results the other week, and the result I had this morning took 6 days to process!

 

[Badgers]

Have had issues with the CovidCoalFace staff working with me.

We are all casual staff so don't get sick pay but given the nature of the job anyone testing positive gets full sick pay. However they need to do a PCR test (following positive LFT) before the council will pay them.

Some PCR tests have taken a week to come back. Some not at all given the nature of the job we can't risk them working so it is a hassle.

 

[Badgers]

Dp

 

[_Russ_]

Sort of related...its Emergency Nurses day (maybe only an Ozzy thing, I dunno), big hugs and thank you to all the nurses