Corona Virus: How Are We Doing?

[SpokeyDokey]

Gawd bless 'em.


View: https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse/status/1253400727357132802?s=20

How does Charles manage to look more like a Spitting Image puppet than a real Spitting Image puppet?

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I knew I shouldn't have spoken so soon. We have just had fresh guidelines from the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly. Here is a copy of the bits referring to cycling:

"What do the new rules on exercise say?
That it should be taken "as close as possible to the home".

You should not drive away from home to exercise, with no journeys "of any significant distance".

How often can you exercise?
Once a day. The time limit is not spelled out, but the rules say four or five hours is out of the question. You must not meet up with friends and must stay two metres apart from other people.

How far are you allowed to cycle?
A "reasonable walking distance from home". This is not spelled out exactly, but the rules say an accident a long way from home could put more pressure on the NHS.

Can you cycle to work?
Only if going to work is justified.

What other rules must cyclists follow?
They must cycle alone, or with people from their home. They must stick to routes they know and take care of walkers, runners or other cyclists.

They must stay two metres apart and stop to let people go by."

Here is the BBC Wales news item:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52416541


I am obviously going to have to plan my routes a bit more carefully. Luckily I live on the edge of the city and can be in the countryside in five minutes so can do a few loops.

I am a bit perturbed that they only see fit to tell cyclists to take care of walkers and runners, and tell us to stop to let people go by. Certainly putting us in our place.

So a lot tougher than England and there are still a lot of areas that are unclear, but that's Mark Drakeford for you

You can't beat a united front that's for sure.

 

[Rocky]

Choose 10 family or friends says the government. I could just about find 2 or 3. How can I make the numbers up?

How about every single Accrington Stanley supporter? That should take you to 8.

 

[Dave7]

How about every single Accrington Stanley supporter? That should take you to 8.

Thats pushing things a bit

 

[Levo-Lon]

Apparently there are hardly any cases in Peterborough hospital.
ICU is almost empty.

Information from a nurse I know who works in the department.

Good news I think

 

[tyred]

My Mum's oldest brother lives in a care home in Aberdeen. It has been confirmed today that he has Covid-19

 

[silva]

I'm not sure an isolated instance with a tiny sample on one troop ship a century ago can be used to predict how a very different virus will react in various countries today.

I gave two example cases just to illustrate, the worldwide figures and the troop ship figures. They matched, for the same reason. Also other flu years show such steep figure peaks followed by equally steep drops. Flus went as fast as they came.

There isn't a shortage locally as far as I know, but the state government has warned that masks may be mandatory in public spaces like supermarkets and transport for about two years, so there's a market for reusable masks opening up and tiny companies are starting to make them: I just got one from a clothing alterations shop.

This is actually the exact reverse of how some face mask manufacturers began: they were making lingerie and realised they could use the "form" in another situation.

Shortages and excesses cannot exist in a free market since price mechanism corrects it on the fly at a resolution of 1 trade. It's only when force comes into play, licenses have to be obtained, and other interference typical by State.
Remember, it wasn't the virus that forced a whole population part out of production, it was the government. Just like back in 1918-19, the most severe flu recorded so far, it were governments forcing whole population parts to concentrate (for war), effectively easing virus spread and subsequently whole population parts out of production/service. The virus was then just an intermediate through which the governments force acted.
And why did face mask manufacturers begin? Simply: government orders. It's always tempting to receive customers by force. That's the very reason and definition of what is named "lobbying". Added to that, clothes shops were/are among the forced-closed. They lost all but online orders. Of course they took with both hands the opportunity to sell clothes modified for other purpose.
Masks are quite ineffective too. It's a trade off between breathing ability and filtering. In my opinion the entire mask story is more about propaganda "we all work together to fight..." than usefulness.

 

[tom73]

You studied the whole area of face coverings for general public have you ?
If not why not take the trouble to look at the work of some who have.
https://www.fast.ai/2020/04/13/masks-summary/
The more you look at the anti view points the more you see they are equally lacking any real sound argument.
The filtering argument is the same for catching a sneeze in a tissue. No-one really has a problem with that idea.
Stopping 95% of any droplets is better than none.

 

[Andy in Germany]

You studied the whole area of face coverings for general public have you ?
If not why not take the trouble to look at the work of some who have.
https://www.fast.ai/2020/04/13/masks-summary/
The more you look at the anti view points the more you see they are equally lacking any real sound argument.
The filtering argument is the same for catching a sneeze in a tissue. No-one really has a problem with that idea.
Stopping 95% of any droplets is better than none.

Indeed, I'm guessing there's a reason why masks have been used in places like surgery and other sterile places for quite a long time now...

 

[tom73]

Indeed, I'm guessing there's a reason why masks have been used in places like surgery and other sterile places for quite a long time now...

The main thing to remember in the whole general mass mask wearing is. We are not talking about clinical grade masks but some type of face covering. Clinical masks belong in the hands of the ones who need them.
Most mask wearing only really mostly protect people from the wearer. Higher grade ones however protect both.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The main thing to remember in the whole general mass mask wearing is. We are not talking about clinical grade masks but some type of face covering. Clinical masks belong in the hands of the ones who need them.
Most mask wearing only really mostly protect people from the wearer. Higher grade ones however protect both.

I've noticed that cotton reusable masks are becoming the norm for most people, which is typically German: people who can sew are making them for friends so there's all kinds of designs appearing.

Thankfully there's no shortage of masks here, so it doesn't matter who wears what...

 

[Levo-Lon]

My care organisation is nearly upto 300 deaths, some homes have lost a quarter of their residents in a very short period.

Can't imagine what this is doing for staff morale.

 

[marinyork]

I've noticed that cotton reusable masks are becoming the norm for most people, which is typically German: people who can sew are making them for friends so there's all kinds of designs appearing.

Thankfully there's no shortage of masks here, so it doesn't matter who wears what...

When people say masks in the UK much of the time it means FFP1, FFP2, FFP3 and similarly in America it means N95.

I'm not sure there is so much a shortage of other masks in the UK. My father was given a mask by the hospital for the journey back by patient transport and looks almost exactly like some shots on tv in UK/Spain.

 

[Smokin Joe]

My care organisation is nearly upto 300 deaths, some homes have lost a quarter of their residents in a very short period.

Can't imagine what this is doing for staff morale.

I linked to an article in a magazine called "The Critic" (New publication) a couple of pages ago and they published a graph on care home deaths which is worth a look -

 

[tom73]

My care organisation is nearly upto 300 deaths, some homes have lost a quarter of their residents in a very short period.

Can't imagine what this is doing for staff morale.

Specialist homes that typically have small numbers of residents are really suffering.
One home with 18 residents has lost 1/2 of them already.
Sadly once the virus get's in it's extremely hard to stop it. Homes are not set up for social distancing and some such as ones with dementia.
Have routine that's often inc wondering round trying to get them to stay put and not touch stuff is difficult if not impossible.
Some homes have gone into total lock down none in or out. Look's to be really only option but then not without risks and hard to maintain.
Management really need to have staff good will for it work sadly many lost it years ago.