The Coronavirus thread.

[MyQul]

But it's nowhere near the top and the total is a fraction of all the other causes.

I dont think you'd want it near the top. Heart disease which is top is over 10m deaths. Can you imagine if C-19 overtook it. It'd be like the middle ages with the plague.

Its how it's crept up the rankings despite what every country is doing/trying to do which is the interesting/scary thing

 

[Old Geezer]

Every disaster film starts with a government ignoring a scientist.

But fear not with a beer in one hand and a syringe in the other some Superman-like figure will come charging out of the sunset on his gleaming white ambulance to boldly go where no one has gone before and save us all.

We shall prevail.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It will soon be critical for the NHS to start vaccinating people against flu, to prevent hospitals being swamped with flu and Covid-19 patients this winter. Large-scale trials of Covid-19 vaccines, already under way in some places, are likely to start in Bradford in the autumn. It's therefore worrying, says Dr John Wright of the city's Royal Infirmary, that anti-vax conspiracy theories seem to have flourished in this pandemic.

The prediction of a second wave of Covid-19 in January, with the added layer of an influenza epidemic, is our worst fear. So we will be working hard to make sure we vaccinate as many people for flu as we can in the autumn.

The race for an effective Covid-19 vaccine continues at pace. Over 130 candidate vaccines have now been developed and more than 30 are in clinical trials, with some showing promising early signs.

At the Bradford Institute of Health Research we are one of just five national centres for patient recruitment to clinical trials, and have lots of expertise with testing new drugs. However vaccine trials are a completely different ball game. Rather than trialling new drugs on a small number of patients with specific diseases we will be testing new vaccines on hundreds and thousands of healthy volunteers. We have been exploring how we could use sports centres or community halls to recruit these volunteers, and how we can scale up our research teams to cope with the numbers.

We have been preparing for two different vaccine trials, only for the companies to pull them from the UK at the last minute and move them to the Americas. The pandemic fires have been dampened in Europe, but in the US and Latin America they continue to rage, and if you are going to test a new vaccine you need countries where the virus is still accelerating.

But despite these two false starts, there will be further trials of other candidate vaccines.

It's therefore important to win the support of the public so that they sign up to these new trials, and to do that we need to counter some of the growing false news stories we are hearing on our community grapevines, which are leading people to believe that the vaccines are harmful.

Prof John Wright, a doctor and epidemiologist, is head of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, and a veteran of cholera, HIV and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. He is writing this diary for BBC News and recording from the hospital wards for BBC Radio.

Full article - Will vaccine sceptics make trials a headache?

 

[dad_of_jon]

I have a conspiracy theory piled on top of a conspiracy theory....

If there was a conspiracy regarding the vaccination containing some chip to track you or whatever rubbish, the older people don't give a fig so much. So track a 55+ yr old fart - we tend not to worry about other things like - will I wake up tomorrow . So the younger generation are more resistant to taking a vaccine because of 'being tracked' so they may also believe covid19 is fake - it doesn't effect them. So they are less affected by covid (they believe its an old persons disease and they are not going to take a vaccination) -which increases the chance of fataliies in the elderly and those of ill health.

This is the plan of the young.. to wipe out the old and grab their jobs, savings and possible beer as well. :tinhat: This makes perfect sense after a 12 hours night shift.

 

[kelper]

This makes perfect sense after a 12 hours' night shift.

was that working or drinking?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Coronavirus analysis: We're now at the limit of easing lockdown

This is it. We are now, give or take, at the absolute limit of how much we can reopen society without a resurgence of coronavirus.

This realisation at the heart of government is about more than delaying the opening of bowling alleys, it will define our lives for months to come - and probably until we have a vaccine.

And I'm sorry to break it to parents, but the biggest question mark now is around the reopening of schools.

Two weeks ago, Boris Johnson was setting out plans for normality by Christmas.

But since then the number of confirmed infections has started to creep up again.

And the Office for National Statistics, which is regularly testing households in England, estimates there are around 4,200 new infections a day, compared with 2,800 a week ago.

For the first time since May, we're having to deal with rising numbers of cases.

This is not a return to the height of the epidemic in March, when there were an estimated 100,000 infections every day, but it is telling.

Every restriction we ease increases the ability of the coronavirus to spread, and the government's scientific advisers have always warned there was not much wiggle room to lift restrictions and still suppress it.

The uptick in infections is a warning that we are passing the limits of lifting lockdown.

It is clear we are not a New Zealand, where life is almost back to normal after their "zero-Covid" strategy.

Prof Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser, said: "I think what we're seeing from the data from ONS, and other data, is that we have probably reached near the limit or the limits of what we can do in terms of opening up society.

"So what that means potentially is that if we wish to do more things in the future, we may have to do less of some other things."

School children are on their summer holidays at the moment, but we are just weeks away from the start of term. Schools are expected to reopen fully in England in September and in Scotland from 11 August.

If the current rules are leading to an increase in cases, can we open schools as well? This has been the concern of scientists since lockdown started to lift.

Or if we want to open schools will we now have to close something else like pubs?

Prof Whitty said these would be "difficult trade-offs" but it was important to be "realistic".

"The idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong," Prof Whitty said.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, also known as Sage, has already said government may need to "change measures at the end of the summer in order to be able to keep R below 1 whilst proceeding with the planned reopening of schools".

R is the number of people each infected person passes the virus on to on average, anything above 1 is growing epidemic.

The fact that cases are rising in the height of summer is also a concern. Exactly what will happen come winter is uncertain, but experience with other viruses suggests coronavirus will also find it easier to spread.

One government adviser told me "we can get away with a lot in summer" and that restrictions may needed to be tightened as the seasons turn anyway.

Follow James on Twitter



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53612390

 

[obscure]

Honestly at the moment it feels like back in March, when the shops where suddenly running out of hand sanitiser and COVID seemed like a remote threat in the background with numbers slowly creeping up. Which is worrying as we al know what happened by the end of the month.

 

[Old Geezer]

We're all doomed, you know. The whole, silly, drunken, pathetic lot of us. Doomed by the air we're about to breathe.

 

[dad_of_jon]

was that working or drinking?

Working, but the effect on my brain is the same as if i had been drinking

 

[Shirley Bassett]

If the younger generation are worried about being tracked by a vaccine, perhaps they should switch off their mobiles.

 

[An Ankoù]

If there are still bogrolls on the supermarket shelves, then we're not taking it seriously enough.

 

[Covrich]

NOt wishing to play anything down whatsoever but is there some context to the data we are being presented?

I read in a few places they are saying 60-80% of positive cases are asymopmatic so if that is the case god knows how many of us have got it or had it and neevr known. If that is true of course!

Other thing I find odd is I could test positive feel absolutley fine cross the road get mowed down and die and I am down as a covid death, whereas in other countires like Russia and India who have probably had 100k each your cause of death is spomething else, every life is a tradgedy and it does irk me countries politicise is with some league table, but accurate and correct context to data is critical to forming an opnion of the way things are going.

I do find the mass media very shady Guardian Telepgrah BBC Sky, they all have an angle they want to push and I take it all with a huge pinch of salt.

Like I say and I must emphasis, I am in now way playing anything down but I just do not subscribe to everything these rags throw at you at face value.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Coronavirus: Covid cluster linked to Aberdeen bar after 13 new cases

A cluster of 13 cases of Covid-19 linked to a pub in Aberdeen is being investigated by public health officials.

NHS Grampian said the cases were associated with The Hawthorn Bar in Holburn Street in the city centre.

The pub said the outbreak was linked to customers who visited on 26 July.

All those who tested positive are showing only mild symptoms, though the health board said there may be further cases linked to the cluster.

They said physical distancing measures were in place at the bar and contact tracing was being carried out in line with the Scottish government's Test and Protect scheme.

Dr Emmanuel Okpo, consultant in public health medicine, said: "Our health protection team are speaking to the confirmed cases, establishing who they have been in contact with and providing further advice on isolation and testing as required.

"We are also carrying out wider contact tracing work, as part of the Test and Protect scheme.

"We cannot rule out the possibility of detecting further cases linked to this cluster."

In a statement published on their Facebook page, management at The Adams & The Hawthorn said they had been given permission to continue trading and that appropriate safety measures were in place.

They added: "It has been brought to our attention that there have been customers who visited our venue on Sunday 26 July that have tested positive for Covid-19.

"We wish to inform all customers that we have been visited by environmental health since being notified.

"We were given approval from the local authority to continue trading with our measures in place and have co-operated fully. "

The statement said the venue had undergone deep cleaning as well as "decontamination by fogging".

"We assure all customers we have been and continue to do our utmost to protect their safety and we continue with strict rules and measures in place," it said.

"We do ask all customers to be extra vigilant and adhere to our policies at all times."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53627801

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Coronavirus: Carlisle Wetherspoon pub The William Rufus shut

A Wetherspoon's pub in Carlisle has been temporarily closed after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

The William Rufus, on Botchergate, shut early on Friday night. Twenty-four staff are now self-isolating.

The pub is one of a number in the city where either staff or customers have tested positive for coronavirus in the past few weeks.

The chain said it based its decision to close on the availability of staff and its ability to operate safely.

Spokesman Eddie Gershon said customer test and trace details had not yet been requested by the authorities but were "available when needed".

"Wetherspoon will reopen the pub as and when it can get the number of staff needed to do so safely," he said.

The member of staff who tested positive was not displaying symptoms but requested a test kit because they were concerned about a local outbreak, the company said.

The test was carried out on Monday and the result came back on Thursday.

Wetherspoon said the local authority had not advised it to close the pub.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-53623102

 

[Old Geezer]

It's War of the Worlds all over again only this time it's us who are succumbing to a virus.

If you can't do anything about it LAUGH AT IT.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Lockdown restrictions have been reimpose in Aberdeen due to a coronavirus cluster in the city, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Pubs and restaurants were ordered to close by 17:00 on Wednesday.

People are being told not to travel to Aberdeen, and those living in the city face travel restrictions.

Ms Sturgeon said there were now 54 cases in the "significant outbreak" and that community transmission could not be ruled out.

The restrictions mean that the 228,000 people who live in the Aberdeen city area are no longer allowed into each others' houses.

They are being told not to travel more than five miles for leisure purposes. Travelling for work or education is permitted, but other travel is not advised.

People who are visiting Aberdeen do not need to leave, but should follow the guidance and take "extra care" when they return home.

The restrictions will be reviewed next Wednesday and may be extended further if necessary.


Police Scotland said there would be additional patrols in Aberdeen, and that officers would continue the approach shown throughout the pandemic.

Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr said: "Our officers will continue to engage, educate and encourage people to comply, as we all support the public health efforts to stop the spread of the virus."

Ms Sturgeon said the situation in Aberdeen should be "the biggest wake-up call" since the early days of the pandemic.

The first minister said the rise in cases around the world had been worrying her in recent weeks, but that for many people this could seem far away.

"There's always a sense of 'we're doing well and it won't happen here'," she said.

"It can happen here and it is happening here, in Aberdeen."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53666665

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Did anyone listen to Tony Blair today on the Emma Barnet show on five live. He was excellent and said two major points
1. Another full lockdown will be a disaster for the economy.
2. The best option is to increase testing to people who are not showing symptoms as 70% don't.
He tried not to be critical of Boris and his government.
Unlike a lot of my Labour Party co-members I was always a fan, and we need someone of his communications skills right now but when asked by Emma if Boris had rang him he said no.

 

[Crabby_patty]

Why would Boris ring Tony Blair ?

 

[foxy]

Why would Boris ring Tony Blair ?

Ask him for a loan, or if he can doss down in one of his 40 properties.

 

[DavidDetroit]

The US handling has been, to put it kindly, an unmitigated disaster.
If news seeps into the UK media claiming that the US reacted properly on a national level on anything, just look at our statistics again. The statistics can be believed, more or less, for now. I doubt that there is anything but pity or shock at our handling, but just in case. If your news organizations show clips of the US president speaking on the corona virus, beware, and best to ignore it.

At the state level, there are some bright spots. Many Governors (in charge of the states, more or less) are doing the best they can using science but all are not working in the same direction.

Just to be clear, I love the US because of what it ultimately stands for, usually, and the Constitution. I do not love watching it being mistreated so.

I know your situations sometimes look bleak, but to me? It would be glorious to have the US in your position.