COVID19

[Donny osmond]

By Christ you people need to invest in some alcohol or marijuana or diazepam or something.

Sent from my CPH1951 using Tapatalk

[morepork]

You need to lay of the crack pipe.

[Stones of granite]

By Christ you people need to invest in some alcohol or marijuana or diazepam or something.

Sent from my CPH1951 using Tapatalk

I think the author of that puff piece was taking enough of those for all of us.

[Banquo]

Trumpeting a potential vaccine on a thread where people are stating they cannot get adequate PPE, here and now, is pretty rich.

I can get tons of PPE, being as I'm an NHS provider. I just think the guidelines mean a sh*t ton is being wasted to be honest- 1/2 million face masks a year is a load, and we are a relatively small service. Private providers may find it more challenging to get some items- this is what happened in some privately run care homes.

[Mikey Brown]

I’ve been actively avoiding the numbers side of all this since it began, but are many currently doing accurate numbers of ‘proportion of people tested (testing positive)’ rather than the total numbers infected?

I’ve no idea if that’s a metric that gets used or not. There may be some reason it’s a terrible idea.

[Stom]

We're expecting a second wave here any minute with people coming home from holiday, but there are worries the government will hush it up to promote their own "we're amazing, look how we've handled the pandemic" concept. I imagine there will be a spike reported in Budapest and blamed on the mayor, and nothing else, because when Fidesz are in control, nothing bad happens.

Saying that, they have definitely got a few things very right. On masks, it's not the individual's responsibility: shops can be fined, and heavily, if anyone is caught not wearing a mask on their premises. So it's in their interest to make sure everyone is wearing one.

Borders are closed again, generally, and while it's frustrating that we have no grandparents to help us over the summer, I understand it.

And the border closing is proactive, not reactive, so kudos for that.

Despite the many terrible things this govt. does, the reaction to covid has been very good in general.

[morepork]

I’ve been actively avoiding the numbers side of all this since it began, but are many currently doing accurate numbers of ‘proportion of people tested (testing positive)’ rather than the total numbers infected?

I’ve no idea if that’s a metric that gets used or not. There may be some reason it’s a terrible idea.

That is exactly how rates of infection are quantified.That percentage going up = increased rates of infection.

[Galfon]

'proportion of people tested'
....rise in % positive = increase in Rate of infection.

surely this will give some misleading data in a shifting Test approach ( due to resouces, priorities etc)
e.g. only test cases presenting at Hosp--> test cases declaring symptoms--> as above + front line workers--> as above + those in close contact -->...the world and his dog (cat).
Depends what they choose to do with the data I suppose.

Must help mortality rate figures if you hoover up all positives including those who don't get unwell, and this erroneously allows championing of health systems or genetic stock.

[Mikey Brown]

I’ve been actively avoiding the numbers side of all this since it began, but are many currently doing accurate numbers of ‘proportion of people tested (testing positive)’ rather than the total numbers infected?

I’ve no idea if that’s a metric that gets used or not. There may be some reason it’s a terrible idea.

That is exactly how rates of infection are quantified.That percentage going up = increased rates of infection.

Oh right. I thought there was another factor or two involved in determining ‘rate of infection’. As Galfon says it seems like there would be many different ways to qualify that term.

[morepork]

I’ve been actively avoiding the numbers side of all this since it began, but are many currently doing accurate numbers of ‘proportion of people tested (testing positive)’ rather than the total numbers infected?

I’ve no idea if that’s a metric that gets used or not. There may be some reason it’s a terrible idea.

That is exactly how rates of infection are quantified.That percentage going up = increased rates of infection.

Oh right. I thought there was another factor or two involved in determining ‘rate of infection’. As Galfon says it seems like there would be many different ways to qualify that term.

It's a quantity. It doesn't need qualification. If you test 1000 people per day on Monday and 100 are positive, and 1000 people on Friday and 5000 are positive, then an increased rate of infection is the only explanation for a 5-fold increase. The simplest explanation is invariably correct.

[Galfon]

If you test 1000 people per day on Monday and 100 are positive, and 1000 people on Friday and 5000 are positive,..

your name must be Jesus!.
we need it going the other way, please Lord.

[Banquo]

If you test 1000 people per day on Monday and 100 are positive, and 1000 people on Friday and 5000 are positive,..

your name must be Jesus!.
we need it going the other way, please Lord.

[Son of Mathonwy]

If you test 1000 people per day on Monday and 100 are positive, and 1000 people on Friday and 5000 are positive,..

your name must be Jesus!.
we need it going the other way, please Lord.

The infecting of the 5000.

[morepork]

Fake Gnus.

[Digby]

Some call him Jesus, still others call him Jared.


https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07 ... o-thin-air

[morepork]

Some call him Jesus, still others call him Jared.


https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07 ... o-thin-air

I read that article. What a catalogue of incompetence. “A-team of people who get shit done.” Sweet Jesus. That guy has more than any single person, fucked up the response to this in spectacular fashion. His father and law is an irrelevant blowhard who doesn't know what is going on. It would be possible to work around him and get the job done. If it turns out that a coordinated shutdown of a national response was initiated for political gain (as idiotic as that supposed "strategy" is), then people need to be held to account. The US could afford to centrally monitor hotspots, send out FEMA people to coordinate testing and tracing, and contain it with a fraction of the defence budget (8 billion of which was siphoned off to pay private contractors to build a few miles of a fence at the southern border). All this could be done without Donell missing a single golf date or missing any TV time.

[Stones of granite]

I think GPs here must be having the summer of their careers - on full pay and doing bugger all.
1. My wife has an ear infection, probably caused by impacted wax as she had something similar 5 years ago. Our GP isn't interested - after a telephone consultation he prescribed some ear drops, which have done absolutely nothing. She's in a foul mood now, and I can see this progressing to a more general infection, so if she gets a temperature, all sorts of shit will start happening.
2. One of my wife's friends is on some sort of prescribed medication (I didn't ask) for which she will shortly need a repeat. The pharmacist has told her that she needs to have a blood pressure test before they can fulfill it, bu they are not doing them right now. So, she phones the GP - no, they are not doing them right now either.

I can't imagine that the risk of doing an ear syringe or a BP measurement is significantly higher than going to the pub with your mates, but it may be that it's higher than a round a golf.

[Digby]

I've been assuming the GPs are still fairly busy even without surgery appointments being so high. My big concern with GPs until now is they'll perhaps be addressing the query raised but what other underlying problems will be missed that would be picked up in person, and how much will that explode costs down the line

[Stones of granite]

I've been assuming the GPs are still fairly busy even without surgery appointments being so high. My big concern with GPs until now is they'll perhaps be addressing the query raised but what other underlying problems will be missed that would be picked up in person, and how much will that explode costs down the line

Yes, that was kind of my point, apart from the personal ballache of a poorly wife.

Anyway, some sort of progress was made. She phoned the surgery today and kicked up a fuss, got another telephone consultation, then managed to persuade the Dr to see her. The Dr was then persuaded to give her antibiotics, so here’s hoping things settle down a bit now. Anyway, apparently the surgery was deadly quiet, and this is a practice with 8 GPs, 2 Physios, 2 Nurse Practitioners and a slack handful of practice nurses. The waiting room is usually quite busy.

Coincidentally, she bumped into a former neighbour in the pharmacy, who had had a similar experience a few months ago - also with an ear infection - which was allowed to develop so far that eventually she had a four day stay in hospital on IV antibiotics and she has permanently reduced hearing in that ear.

[Galfon]

Latest rolling ave. numbers for daily cases (ft.com, aug 9 or 10)),
showing big rises nearby as the summer seasonal enjoyments reach their crescendo:

Eur.
Spa 3704 ^^
Fra 1640 ^^
Uk 877 ^
Ger 859 ^
Bel 564 <>
Net 503 ^^
Ita 371 ^

Big spikes have been seen further afield recently, but these are just beginning to level off:

Far E./Oce.
Phi 4330 <>
Ind'sia 1992 <>
Jap 1197 <>
Aus 452 <>

Worldo- numbers indicate a levelling at last of new cases and death counts daily..

[morepork]

What's the school situation over there? Are they sending in virus cannon fodder soon? Here, in USandA state public schools are getting harangued by that orangutan that used to star in Clint Eastwood movies wot is now president via social media and state propaganda news outlets that are pushing the narrative that children are "immune". In any civilised country, this sort of behavior would be met with legal action. Some schools in badly hit areas are currently open, and an uptick in positive cases is already noticeable. There is no coordinated test and trace plan of action, anywhere, and individual school districts have basically been left out on their own to "deal with it". In places like Florida, public schools are being compelled to reopen under threat of cessation of funding. There are backlogs for processing test samples of up to 3 weeks, and schools have been told they cannot rely on any support to test staff and students in any effective manner. It's really grim. The federal government has stopped providing updated testing data via the CDC, but estimates of the number of people under 17 currently infected has that number at ~100 000, at a very conservative estimate.

They are never going to control this thing here. Simply are not up to the task. We are now waiting for a second surge to wash over the Northeast as the inevitable wave from the south gathers momentum. All travel to and from the USA should be completely shut down. The country will just re-seed the planet on and on, and the federal government simply cannot be trusted.

[Galfon]

Most areas in Sco. return in a phased manner tomorrow, full attendance from next week.
Eng. schools always start later - beginning of Sep. with normal attendance is planned.
I would expect Employer/Employee (government/teachers) to have mixed views on this - it seems that the emphasis will be on hand washing, distancing, less interaction, supporting track & trace, different desk arrangements ....hundreds of excited/excitable youngn's ?- tough for the staff I say.
Looks like somewhere between dipping toes in water and jumping/getting pushed in the deep end, as no-one really knows the full picture on child infection, carriers, age differences etc but
the lost generation issue is top-trumps it seems.
Granny at home or old Mr Chips could end up losers with the fall-out.

[canta_brian]

What's the school situation over there? Are they sending in virus cannon fodder soon? Here, in USandA state public schools are getting harangued by that orangutan that used to star in Clint Eastwood movies wot is now president via social media and state propaganda news outlets that are pushing the narrative that children are "immune". In any civilised country, this sort of behavior would be met with legal action. Some schools in badly hit areas are currently open, and an uptick in positive cases is already noticeable. There is no coordinated test and trace plan of action, anywhere, and individual school districts have basically been left out on their own to "deal with it". In places like Florida, public schools are being compelled to reopen under threat of cessation of funding. There are backlogs for processing test samples of up to 3 weeks, and schools have been told they cannot rely on any support to test staff and students in any effective manner. It's really grim. The federal government has stopped providing updated testing data via the CDC, but estimates of the number of people under 17 currently infected has that number at ~100 000, at a very conservative estimate.

They are never going to control this thing here. Simply are not up to the task. We are now waiting for a second surge to wash over the Northeast as the inevitable wave from the south gathers momentum. All travel to and from the USA should be completely shut down. The country will just re-seed the planet on and on, and the federal government simply cannot be trusted.

Interesting your comment the test and trace. There was a bloke on the James O’Brien radio show (mentioned to let other express their opinions/prejudices re his show) who was employed by an agency employed by serco, employed the government to do test and trace. He said that in the 4 months he has been a minimum wage contractor he is yet to make a call to a member of the public to trace a positive test and the contacts that person may have made.

If you lot manage to vote out the orange one, the UK and Brazil are pretty much the most nuts governments in the world.

[morepork]

What's the school situation over there? Are they sending in virus cannon fodder soon? Here, in USandA state public schools are getting harangued by that orangutan that used to star in Clint Eastwood movies wot is now president via social media and state propaganda news outlets that are pushing the narrative that children are "immune". In any civilised country, this sort of behavior would be met with legal action. Some schools in badly hit areas are currently open, and an uptick in positive cases is already noticeable. There is no coordinated test and trace plan of action, anywhere, and individual school districts have basically been left out on their own to "deal with it". In places like Florida, public schools are being compelled to reopen under threat of cessation of funding. There are backlogs for processing test samples of up to 3 weeks, and schools have been told they cannot rely on any support to test staff and students in any effective manner. It's really grim. The federal government has stopped providing updated testing data via the CDC, but estimates of the number of people under 17 currently infected has that number at ~100 000, at a very conservative estimate.

They are never going to control this thing here. Simply are not up to the task. We are now waiting for a second surge to wash over the Northeast as the inevitable wave from the south gathers momentum. All travel to and from the USA should be completely shut down. The country will just re-seed the planet on and on, and the federal government simply cannot be trusted.

Interesting your comment the test and trace. There was a bloke on the James O’Brien radio show (mentioned to let other express their opinions/prejudices re his show) who was employed by an agency employed by serco, employed the government to do test and trace. He said that in the 4 months he has been a minimum wage contractor he is yet to make a call to a member of the public to trace a positive test and the contacts that person may have made.

If you lot manage to vote out the orange one, the UK and Brazil are pretty much the most nuts governments in the world.

Fucking hell. There is no way this can be contained without accurate testing data. I thought the government over there would have sorted something out if they are pushing to open schools. This is going to get fucking ugly.

[canta_brian]

What's the school situation over there? Are they sending in virus cannon fodder soon? Here, in USandA state public schools are getting harangued by that orangutan that used to star in Clint Eastwood movies wot is now president via social media and state propaganda news outlets that are pushing the narrative that children are "immune". In any civilised country, this sort of behavior would be met with legal action. Some schools in badly hit areas are currently open, and an uptick in positive cases is already noticeable. There is no coordinated test and trace plan of action, anywhere, and individual school districts have basically been left out on their own to "deal with it". In places like Florida, public schools are being compelled to reopen under threat of cessation of funding. There are backlogs for processing test samples of up to 3 weeks, and schools have been told they cannot rely on any support to test staff and students in any effective manner. It's really grim. The federal government has stopped providing updated testing data via the CDC, but estimates of the number of people under 17 currently infected has that number at ~100 000, at a very conservative estimate.

They are never going to control this thing here. Simply are not up to the task. We are now waiting for a second surge to wash over the Northeast as the inevitable wave from the south gathers momentum. All travel to and from the USA should be completely shut down. The country will just re-seed the planet on and on, and the federal government simply cannot be trusted.

Interesting your comment the test and trace. There was a bloke on the James O’Brien radio show (mentioned to let other express their opinions/prejudices re his show) who was employed by an agency employed by serco, employed the government to do test and trace. He said that in the 4 months he has been a minimum wage contractor he is yet to make a call to a member of the public to trace a positive test and the contacts that person may have made.

If you lot manage to vote out the orange one, the UK and Brazil are pretty much the most nuts governments in the world.

Fucking hell. There is no way this can be contained without accurate testing data. I thought the government over there would have sorted something out if they are pushing to open schools. This is going to get fucking ugly.

Yep. But still over 4 years till the next election and by then they will have sold the whole fucking place.