Coronavirus

[scawsby steve]

The point is Bpool, there's no choice between lockdown or no lockdown.

The choice is between an orderly, planned lockdown or a chaotic, unplanned one.

You tell me how the economy, schools and hospitals work if 25% of staff are off ill at the same time? There will be mass, disorderly shutdowns. Last night we already had the first NHS trust call a Level 4 Critical Incident because of staff shortages. And we are nowhere near the peak.

This is why I was so despairing of the BBC last night publishing that 4 day out of date data in an article slavishly headed "Nothing in data supports new curbs - ministers".

What the BBC has become is a mouthpiece for Govt announcements that are presented without criticism or proper analysis. January is going to be f**king awful, but the BBC article last night did nothing to prepare people for that, or to question WHY a Govt that has just told us to "plan for" up to 25% staff absences is also saying that there's no reason not to just carry on.

Will somebody who Billy isn’t ignoring quote this please so he can’t pretend not to read it. The article wasn’t from last night, Billy. You made that up.

Or lied about it, if you’d prefer.

[BillyStubbsTears]

SS.

I haven't got the first idea what the f**k Belton is talking about.

The article I was referring to is this one.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59853621

It was posted on the BBC website about 17:30 yesterday.

This isn't the first time he's launched into some bizarre groundless attack on me and I'm sure it won't be the last. I'm sure he has reasons, but it's far healthier just to ignore him.

[belton rover]

When we have a chance to properly look back at who performed a service to the nation in this crisis, the BBC deserves a savaging.

It employs people to inform us about health issues.

They've just put this graphic up on their website

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/DD9F/production/_122553765_hospital_cases_uk_31dec-nc.png

"Nearly 12000 people in hospital with COVID" it says. Doesn't look like too big an increase does it? Maybe there's no reason for concern.

Then the small print. "Most recent data for all nations is from 29 December".

So they are showing 4 day old data in a rapidly changing scenario.

But there IS additional data out there. The data on total number of patients in hospital with COVID in England alone has been published right up to today. And currently it stands at over 13,000. There's a delay in data from the other UK nations but if you factor in what they are likely to be, it's likely that the total UK hospital cases is now top side of 15,000.

 That's double what it was the week before Xmas.

And because hospital cases lag infections by 3 or so weeks, those total hospital cases are going to go MUCH higher.

The BBC journalists could easily have given an estimate of where we now are and properly inform people. It took me 20 seconds to find the numbers.

Just before anyone else jumps on this. What Billy’s link doesn’t show is that this graphic hasn’t just been put up, it was put up on 31st December:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274


And it’s hardly small print.

Billy - you are becoming more embarrassing by each post.

Will someone show him this please. The graph he cleverly sent a link for without any other details was there for all to see on 31st December.

Billy Liar.

[drfchound]

Probably a waste of time Belton because he won’t acknowledge his error.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Still posting the same this evening on the daily roundup of COVID news.

"There are nearly 12,000 people in UK hospitals (with COVID)."

This after today's data shows there are 15,300 COVID cases in hospital in England and Scotland alone.

It's shockingly bad journalism.

I haven't seen a great deal of analysis of the hospitalisation figures in the last couple of days. The only thing I heard from Javid this morning was that 2/3 of the 'hospitalisations,' were incidental with 1/3 directly as a result of covid.

The fella I watch who gathers all the relevant data and analysis hasn't reported on this yet but hopefully after the Christmas period, we'll get a better idea where this is going, although rates and hospitalisations in London seem to be flattening. All the people I know who've had it in the last 10 days, ageing between 52 and 87 have now recovered thankfully.

[Metalmicky]

158k new cases and 42 new deaths today..

[bpoolrover]

This variant certainly seems milder, many I know or my friends know have it at the minute and the good news is none are very poorly nothing like with the other variants

[mushRTID]

This variant certainly seems milder, many I know or my friends know have it at the minute and the good news is none are very poorly nothing like with the other variants

Exactly the same, 2 mates have tested positive both just feel tired.

[roversdude]

Excellent thought from the Education Minister in merging classes. 60 to a class is unmanageable even if it was possible to just slide back a wall. My wife is a teacher and says it’s just not physically possible

[normal rules]

I’ve read a report that there are large numbers of people staying in hospital longer than they should. Not because they need hospital care, but because there is no care in the community due to staff shortages in the care sector, meaning their discharge is being held up.

[wilts rover]

I’ve read a report that there are large numbers of people staying in hospital longer than they should. Not because they need hospital care, but because there is no care in the community due to staff shortages in the care sector, meaning their discharge is being held up.

Nah can't be true. Boris 'fixed' social care - he told us so...

[SydneyRover]

Johnson's also telling those that are still listening that ''we're on the right path to beat the virus''

ergo: chaos is the path to beat the virus?

[Ldr]

Since the Guardian (I feel dirty just reading it) is the bible to some one here.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/britain-got-it-wrong-on-covid-long-lockdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist?fbclid=IwAR0zK0mIc1oQGR-Brb5NO4PugNy60UGOWO5wU6uGKCP_pfgt4Q-lMwlk2Ls

[River Don]

Prof Neil Ferguson thinks Omicron has peaked in London.

He expects to see numbers falling in the coming week.

He reckons the rest of the country is two or three weeks behind but says the virus can't sustain such high numbers for long.

I feel the end is in sight.

[drfchound]

Since the Guardian (I feel dirty just reading it) is the bible to some one here.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/britain-got-it-wrong-on-covid-long-lockdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist?fbclid=IwAR0zK0mIc1oQGR-Brb5NO4PugNy60UGOWO5wU6uGKCP_pfgt4Q-lMwlk2Ls

Someone will be along to discredited that scientist.

[Ldr]

Since the Guardian (I feel dirty just reading it) is the bible to some one here.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/britain-got-it-wrong-on-covid-long-lockdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist?fbclid=IwAR0zK0mIc1oQGR-Brb5NO4PugNy60UGOWO5wU6uGKCP_pfgt4Q-lMwlk2Ls

Someone will be along to discredited that scientist.

With a graph or out of context figures again…….

[SydneyRover]

He certainly got this bit right Ldr, and what he suggested couldn't have been done anyway due to a lack of ppe. Had the government locked down a lot sooner, before each wave the lockdowns could have been different. Billions wasted on test & trace. As we now know the government planned their xmas parties better than they did the covid response.

''However, Woolhouse is at pains to reject the ideas of those who advocated the complete opening up of society, including academics who backed the Barrington Declaration which proposed the Covid-19 virus be allowed to circulate until enough people had been infected to achieve herd immunity.

“This would have led to an epidemic far larger than the one we eventually experienced in 2020,” says Woolhouse. “It also lacked a convincing plan for adequately protecting the more vulnerable members of society, the elderly and those who are immuno-compromised.”

''Instead, the country should have put far more effort into protecting the vulnerable. Well over 30,000 people died of Covid-19 in Britain’s care homes. On average, each home got an extra £250,000 from the government to protect against the virus, he calculates. “Much more should have been spent on providing protection for care homes,” says Woolhouse, who also castigates the government for offering nothing more than a letter telling those shielding elderly parents and other vulnerable individuals in their own homes to take precautions''

[Ldr]

Can’t dispute that Syd, how’s life over there? Not seen much news recently of Oz so hope all is well

[River Don]

PPE would have been an issue. In the early months the government were advising against face coverings when it was the single most important thing we could do.

Even now healthcare staff are being issued with basic clinical masks, when really they need the protection FFP2 masks offer.

[SydneyRover]

Can’t dispute that Syd, how’s life over there? Not seen much news recently of Oz so hope all is well

Hope you're well Ldr, Omicron numbers vertical on the graph, the government forgot to order any rapid test kits and the hospitals are flat chat. On a personal level it's inconvenient so catching up on the schoolwork I should have done instead of daydreaming and mucking about.

[bpoolrover]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59862568 Seems a well balanced view

[normal rules]

Sobering stats.90% of those in hospital with covid are un boosted. 60% have no vaccinations at all.
This is not translating to an increase in deaths though. Which is very positive.

Interesting comment from the PM about overseas travel with some countries now starting to impose total bans on travellers who are unvaccinated. It is going to be the new norm I’m sure.

[Filo]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

[bpoolrover]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

more and more people I know are getting covid and so many have next to no symptoms, does that really warrant closing down?

[drfchound]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

more and more people I know are getting covid and so many have next to no symptoms, does that really warrant closing down?

Same here bpool.
And I don’t think it does.

[rich1471]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

more and more people I know are getting covid and so many have next to no symptoms, does that really warrant closing down?

Same here bpool.
And I don’t think it does.

The biggest issue is more and more people are catching COVID and cannot go to work due to catching COVID, The pressure on hospital and other places is getting harder by the day for them to perform their jobs.

[wilts rover]

Since the Guardian (I feel dirty just reading it) is the bible to some one here.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/02/britain-got-it-wrong-on-covid-long-lockdown-did-more-harm-than-good-says-scientist?fbclid=IwAR0zK0mIc1oQGR-Brb5NO4PugNy60UGOWO5wU6uGKCP_pfgt4Q-lMwlk2Ls

Someone will be along to discredited that scientist.

With a graph or out of context figures again…….

One of the band of rightwhinging excusers who refuse to critisise anything Johnson does no doubt.

[Filo]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

more and more people I know are getting covid and so many have next to no symptoms, does that really warrant closing down?

Same here bpool.
And I don’t think it does.

The biggest issue is more and more people are catching COVID and cannot go to work due to catching COVID, The pressure on hospital and other places is getting harder by the day for them to perform their jobs.

Yes we are short staffed because of covid, we have had to reduce our opening hours, luckily for us just after New year is usually crap anyway

[Filo]

218k new cases today, the New Years Eve infections are starting to show now

[wilts rover]

This idiot of a PM is shit scared of his back benchers, this is herd immunity by stealth

more and more people I know are getting covid and so many have next to no symptoms, does that really warrant closing down?

Quite a few business owners, resteraunts, pubs, shops, not to mention NHS staff, trains, airports etc, saying they are having to close anyway as they have no staff - or customers! The difference being during a government lockdown they got government support - now they still have the costs - but no support.

Look how quickly the economy bounched back after lockdown - the goverment were even bragging about it. They reckon it will take a lot longer to recover after this - if they manage to survive it.