Corona Virus: How Are We Doing?

[winjim]

Testing is running like a well oiled machine. Last Thurday's swab result came back Tuesday(!). Now I have a sore throat so work jave sent me home. It doesn't meet the criteria for the vaccine trial to test me but I'll get a test through work. They're overrun and the earliest they can book us in is tomorrow morning so I guess by the time tge results are in that's goodbye to my working week. Then I do my regular trial swab on Thursday again.

A five day turnaround is nowhere near good enough if they want to keep people in work. I almost certainly don't have covid, it's just a cold but I still need to go through this palaver. FFS.

My fears were slightly ill-founded as I got my results this morning. Wife's back at work but I've got the kids so I'll be back in tomorrow. So delayed swabbing but <24hr turnaround for the actual test. Of course this morning I've done my weekly vaccine trial swab which is analysed in a different lab so we'll see how long that one takes.

 

[winjim]

The skientific method:
1. Decide your conclusion.
2. Quote any facts which correlate to your conclusion, however weakly. Ignore any confounding information.
3. Repeat.
4. Carry on repeating.

TBH I find it difficult to condemn that approach, nor some of the other opinions expressed in recent posts, given the attitude of our govt. We can't get upset at members of the general public getting confused and making it up as they go along when that's been what the people at the top, who are meant to be keeping us safe, have been doing.

It's all mixed messaging, poor leadership, poor comms, dodgy science and desperation, from the top down. No wonder we're in such a pickle.

 

[numbnuts]

Still haven't received my results as yet

Your coronavirus test result is negative. You did not have the virus when the test was done

 

[roubaixtuesday]

How do you explain the decline in the US then? Trump and his allies have been opposed to any forms of hard lockdowns and always wanted to keep the economy open. The fall in virus infections despite all the person to person interaction, and not forgetting all those BLM and Antifa idiots having their non-socially distanced riots every night, has got to be down to something.

So, no data. I'm not surprised.

In terms of the US "decline" - there have been substantial restrictions in various ways across the US. Just for instance, full eight in ten Americans say they now wear masks most or all the time in businesses https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-ta...wearing-masks-in-stores-and-other-businesses/

But the decline hasn't been particularly strong, and death rates are over 10x ours

All of this is very consistent with standard epidemiology, and entirely at odds to your ramblings.

 

[classic33]

They aren't expendable but the best way for them to avoid their personal risk from the virus is them minimising their own contact with everybody else. And yes, I do think the authorities should help them do it by delivering food, medicines etc to them so they don't need to go out so much.
Trying to protect the sick by shutting down the country is going to cause carnage, and the fallout from that will be worse than the virus.

Due to being born with a condition that this year got me placed in a "high risk group", hasn't stopped me from working nor being physically active. 250 miles commute to and from work(4 day weekend, split shifts). It's something that has in the past had people crossing the road to avoid catching it from me. Forget all about the two metre distancing.

You'd seldom see it, or the effects. So do not label me or people like me as " sick".

I have seen the effects of drink, self inflicted injuries in my book, in many A&E's. Even there they seem to feel that what everyone else there has to do, isn't for them.

I'm upright and mobile, there's many who aren't. Why should I deny them the help and support they may require, if I can do many things for myself?

I'll also ask, how are you expecting "medicines" to be delivered. The procedure at present is the patient orders first. They do not appear out of thin air to be then delivered.

 

[raleighnut]

How do you explain the decline in the US then? Trump and his allies have been opposed to any forms of hard lockdowns and always wanted to keep the economy open. The fall in virus infections despite all the person to person interaction, and not forgetting all those BLM and Antifa idiots having their non-socially distanced riots every night, has got to be down to something.

Son in law has been sent home from work and told to isolate after 4 American Servicemen tested positive for Covid after flying into the Airbase he works at (he's a Civilian base security supervisor after retiring from the Army following his '25yrs' in) still at least better than the American Servicemen who are all 'Confined To Barracks' for a fortnight.

 

[All uphill]

For the healthy population, it really isn't anything to worry about, and for the peak socialising 20/30-something age groups it won't generally be any worse than getting a cold. You wouldn't have an absurd destructive shutdown to try to limit the numbers getting a cold or regular seasonal Flu, so why is it justified for coronavirus?
There's plenty of high risk people out there who really don't want to be infected, but they know who they are so should minimise contact, and the rest of us with high risk friends and relatives can do our bit by staying away from them.
Think of the population as two "bubbles", a low risk one and a high risk one. The two groups need to try not to mix with the other group too much, but there's no reason to avoid mixing within their own group. A high infection rate amongst the low risk population won't translate into high numbers of hospitalisations and deaths, and an ever increasing level of immunity will reduce the danger of the virus spreading to high risk people.as it's transmission route will become less and less efficient.

Tell that to my 27yr old son who was previously in very good health, was coughed over in a supermarket, and now, six weeks later is barely able to function. He is a long way from being able to return to work.

 

[fossyant]

Or the plonkers at work who came in last week for a Team meeting in our building, no social distancing and no masks. Have a guess what happened ?

Yep one has tested positive so the rest have had to self isolate and now reschedule their lectures on-line - fortunately their student's hadn't arrived last week. You can't make it up. The reaction has been 'they did what ?'. So that's a whole subject group down because of stupidity.

This is only the start.

 

[Rezillo]

The skientific method:
1. Decide your conclusion.
2. Quote any facts which correlate to your conclusion, however weakly. Ignore any confounding information.
3. Repeat.
4. Carry on repeating.

Unfortunately, there are many people who think that this approach is how science works.

It did make Erich Von Daniken a lot of money, though.

 

[Julia9054]

Think of the population as two "bubbles", a low risk one and a high risk one

That’s clearly not true. You can think of it more like a sliding scale. There are plenty of people (myself included) who’s risk would be described as medium. They can choose not to socialise if they want but I doubt they have the option not to go to work - I certainly don’t . Even high risk individuals who were previously shielding now have to get back to work.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Half way through the day we heard a client had had contact with someone who has since been diagnosed with C-19; I'm her team leader so I had to tell her she needed a test. Poor lady was distraught: she doesn't entirely understand C-19 but she's been in lockdown before and struggled. I still had to send her to the Doc to protect the other clients.
I informed the staff at the sheltered housing and then they gave me a scare about five hours later by calling because she hadn't turned up. Thankfully they found her after another half hour.
If the test is positive the whole sheltered housing block will be in lockdown for two weeks...

 

[winjim]

They are we and we are they.

 

[MontyVeda]

I'm baffled by Boris' recent advice... don't have a test unless you have symptoms... but if we can transmit the virus for a fortnight before showing symptoms, it makes a lot of sense to have the test then you'll know whether or not you need to isolate yourself from immediate family, work colleagues or your gran. Is it all about the financial cost of a test?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Still clear of any symptoms at moment and exercise indicates no changes there.

 

[newfhouse]

They are we and we are they.

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.