Coronavirus

[Hunk]

The problem is, that the cure IS probably worse than the disease in some cases, but it is going to be different for others depending on their scenario.  The cure sounds like it could be worse in your Dad's scenario, however if he got the infection would he survive?  Need to weigh up whether him seeing his grand kids is more important than the risk of contracting and not surviving, it's a fine line in some cases.  Whereas if the current cure wasn't in place it would put my parents at risk with their current health issues.  I have no doubt that if my parents get this they will not survive - which is why they have followed the guidelines strictly.

If I ended up losing my parents due to guidelines being relaxed because of potential mental health issues, then that obviously wouldn't sit right with me..  it's a tough call I know..

The point you make asking if my old man would survive if he caught it is something that occurred to me after my initial post, and I think that there would be significant chance that he wouldn't. Which highlights how tough this conversation can be.

I certaunly wouldnt expect public opinion to be influenced by specific cases like mine or my Dad's, and I think that right now, overall, the disease is significantly worse than the cure. I just wonder if further down the line the cumulative effects of lockdown and its inevitable knock-on consequences to mental health, education, the economy etc could overtake it. And without a shadow of a doubt the saving grace will be a vaccine, making the conversation moot. Fingers crossed we get it soon

[Berniman]

Even when the vaccine is available, they are saying we are likely to be living with the virus for a year+ without every person being vaccinated, albeit you would expect the elderly and vulnerable to be at the front of the queue.

Yes we need the vaccine, but it is not going to fix the problem overnight and everyone should prepare for the longer term in reality.

[Batch]

When you say "the cure", I assume you mean the restrictions/masks/etc?

I think a vaccine is the only way we are going to get this under control semi-permanently. Other than a costly 'nearly everyone gets it'.

[Batch]

Even when the vaccine is available, they are saying we are likely to be living with the virus for a year+ without every person being vaccinated, albeit you would expect the elderly and vulnerable to be at the front of the queue.

Yes we need the vaccine, but it is not going to fix the problem overnight and everyone should prepare for the longer term in reality.

Prioritising the vulnerable may well reduce the hospitalisation/death rate enough to move to 'live with it' and relaxing the restrictions I suppose.

I'm assuming the vacine will at least protect the person having it, if not stop transmission.

[Hunk]

Even when the vaccine is available, they are saying we are likely to be living with the virus for a year+ without every person being vaccinated, albeit you would expect the elderly and vulnerable to be at the front of the queue.

Yes we need the vaccine, but it is not going to fix the problem overnight and everyone should prepare for the longer term in reality.

As Batch mentions above me, even if the elderly and the otherwise vulnerable are vaccinated first, that, you would hope, should mitigate the need for many of the restrictions that have been imposed

[Hunk]

When you say "the cure", I assume you mean the restrictions/masks/etc?

I think a vaccine is the only way we are going to get this under control semi-permanently. Other than a costly 'nearly everyone gets it'.

Should say the treatment, not cure. Point taken

[horlock07]

Even when the vaccine is available, they are saying we are likely to be living with the virus for a year+ without every person being vaccinated, albeit you would expect the elderly and vulnerable to be at the front of the queue.

Present plans are that healthcare professionals are at the front of the queue, as noted yesterday some optimism this may even start pre-christmas.

[RobertT]

As the oddball video guy talked about (I did watch a bit of it), if this is simply just like any other flu (he uses this to show why making any effort is futile, using pure data, but ignoring lots of factors), then 1918 would be a pretty good example of what would happen if we had simply decided to "live with it".  Based on rate of infection it would take up to 5 years to get sufficient immunity (the Spanish Flu ravaged the world for about 3 years before reducing, although I think it's now endemic) without a vaccine.  5 years of constant peaks and troughs (the guy also mentioned about how the flu knocks out the weak anyway, so Covid was only a bit worse - forgetting of course that new people reach that "weak" rate every year).

Imagine if it were Leprosy that was spreading instead - we'd soon socially distance, and that's curable.

[RobertT]

There is one thing I do wish they'd stop doing, and by they it's likely unaccountable research institutions, and that's prattling on about what the infection rate could be if we did nothing.  That leaves room for the doubters, when those numbers don't come about, and they won't. 

There is no reality where everyone just carries on completely as normal.  Even if some do, many people will hunker down, avoid unwanted contact, wear a mask etc.  Basically, human nature will react to the news, so worst case is never reached.  That's not to say that a bad case still won't (and has) happen(ed).

[Matchworn Shirts]

Johnsons' response to the track & trace question from Ben Bradshaw was one of true fuckwittery from a man who is more focused on sound bites than anything of substance

[horlock07]

Johnsons' response to the track & trace question from Ben Bradshaw was one of true fuckwittery from a man who is more focused on sound bites than anything of substance

This was similarly shite, and I bloody wish he would stop calling it NHS test and trace, its bloody outsourced to Serco amongst others!

https://twitter.com/getnorthern/status/1308405119977951234?s=20

Another highlight was when he noted with a straight face "There is nothing more frustrating for the vast majority, the law-abiding majority that do comply, than the sight of a few brazenly defying the rules."

[tans]

Rees-Moggs sister tweets

In six months time, we will be 1 day off the first anniversary of the original lockdown. Having missed one birthday, I’m wondering if I’ll miss another 🙄

Perhaps her brother can tell her to stop ‘carping on’

That whole family are wankers

[horlock07]

Rees-Moggs sister tweets

Perhaps her brother can tell her to stop ‘carping on’

That whole family are wankers

I am sure JRM isn't he probably has staff to do that!

[normy]

I have been randomly selected to take part in a COVID-10 infection survey by the Office for National Statistics. It involves my taking swab tests every week for five weeks, then once a month for twelve months. If a test is positive, I have to isolate, and I will be asked if I would allow blood tests to find levels of antibodies, to be measured, at the University of Oxford.

The first first is today and Mrs Normy is also taking part. We are to be reimbursed £25 for each sample taken. It sounds like an expensive survey. They intend to include around 220,000 homes from across the UK during the next year.

[pauld]

I have been randomly selected to take part in a COVID-10 infection survey by the Office for National Statistics. It involves my taking swab tests every week for five weeks, then once a month for twelve months. If a test is positive, I have to isolate, and I will be asked if I would allow blood tests to find levels of antibodies, to be measured, at the University of Oxford.

The first first is today and Mrs Normy is also taking part. We are to be reimbursed £25 for each sample taken. It sounds like an expensive survey. They intend to include around 220,000 homes from across the UK during the next year.

I think the ONS has been doing this for a while, it's where the ONS stats that contribute to the estimation of the R number come from. Otherwise, they're wholly dependent on tracking the spread of the disease via symptomatic patients and have no idea about possible background levels.