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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

This is another point that confuses me. The rhetoric at the time of the start of vaccinations was to break the link between case numbers and hospitalisations and yet the media focus remains strongly on case numbers. Appreciate the need to try and keep case numbers under control but is there not a need for a more detailed yardstick for where we stand as opposed to just picking the most frightenting sounding number. With vaccination in play, surely it is all a bit more nuanced now.

Still, if bug numbers get people queuing for booster jabs, keep them coming.
 
Yesterday it was issues with LFT availability; today it’s PCR test appointments. Hoping these are only initial and very immediate term blimps and not more systematic supply and capacity issues. But given the ‘emergency’ nature of the PMs announcement last Thursday I guess immediate shortages could be expected.
 
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SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Yesterday it was issues with LFT availability; today it’s PCR test appointments. Hoping these are only initial and very immediate term blimps and not more systematic supply issues. But given the ‘emergency’ nature of the PMs announcement last Thursday I guess it’s possible that there might be short term rather than just immediate issues. Hope not.
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They have become the new toilet roll, simple as that. Especially with the LFT, people are stockpiling the things. Should be as previously, 7 are dispatched on request and add that you cannot have any more until those 7 are used and registered against you NHS app.
 
drdel said:
And I'm afraid it has to be recognised that there is a level of arrogance in many medics that resist process change. The amount of time and money wasted by a refusal to adapt is staggering. (IMO. From professional experience. )
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Can you explain what you mean exactly? Medics have adapted massively, and without their often unpaid and invariably unappreciated adaptation, the NHS would have gone tits up long ago.

Consider also the possibility that some of the proposed change was serving a purpose which was not that which it appeared to be.

The amount of time and money wasted by changes in the NHS over the past 20-odd years massively outweighs any wastage from any or all professional groups.
 
pauldj42 said:
Wow! Just Wow! The state of the NHS,the shortage of staff and every other problem is not solely down to non vaxxers!

Talk about burying your head in the sand and deflecting.:mad:
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Burying my head nothing! The unprecedented pressures on the hospitals at the moment is down to one thing- the battle against Covid.
Beds taken up by Covid patients mean no ICU beds for other cases ( see Ethan's post a while back)
The work involved in treating Covid patients is more arduous than normal because of PPE requirements etc - we've all seen the pictures of staff working in Covid wards.
All those things, and the losses, must be, and are ,taking a toll above and beyond normal nursing experiences.
And all this pressure is why the Government, and Opposition, are pushing so hard for vaccinations. Those refusing to have them are exacerbating the situation, obviously agreed by scientists and those in the know ( or why else the massive drive to get people vaxxed), so I'm afraid your "straw" is more like a bale.
If you want to come up with some sort of defence for these anti vaxxers, then why don't you spell out what it is. ?
And while you're at it, what's with the deflecting accusation?
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Yesterday it was issues with LFT availability; today it’s PCR test appointments. Hoping these are only initial and very immediate term blimps and not more systematic supply and capacity issues. But given the ‘emergency’ nature of the PMs announcement last Thursday I guess immediate shortages could be expected, but it’s possible that there might be short term rather than just immediate issues. Hope not.
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Also not sure where they got that screen grab from (BBC) as just been on the PCR website and they seem to be readily available in about 90% of regions.
 
GB72 said:
This is another point that confuses me. The rhetoric at the time of the start of vaccinations was to break the link between case numbers and hospitalisations and yet the media focus remains strongly on case numbers. Appreciate the need to try and keep case numbers under control but is there not a need for a more detailed yardstick for where we stand as opposed to just picking the most frightenting sounding number. With vaccination in play, surely it is all a bit more nuanced now.

Still, if bug numbers get people queuing for booster jabs, keep them coming.
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I think it is Singapore that have stopped releasing infection figures for this very reason. I may have misread that but I think it is the case.
 
Foxholer said:
Check the graphs - for whatever period you wish!
The reason I mentioned June number was to demonstrate the massive increase - from, I agree, a 'to be expected, point' period.

And to spoon feed you, just click this link! https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/#graph-cases-daily
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Attempting to support your exaggerated comment is not spoonfeeding. You are well known for suggesting statistics can be a distortion of the truth (lies, damn lies and statistics). Here's a graph from the .gov website showing infection rates. I'm struggling to see a tsunami at this time.
Screenshot_2021-12-14-12-31-40-32_cbf47468f7ecfbd8ebcc46bf9cc626da.jpg
 
drdel said:
SA is different. Apart from seasonality is UK avergae age, population density, commuting, international travel hub etc. etc. Surely it is prudent to try and qwell the rate of infection to buy time for vaccinaton/immunisation, medication development, NHS capacity. You only get one bite at these decisions: better to be chastised for over reacting that see more deaths due to NHS being over-burdened in all areas
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Surely their demographics remain the same so if they are reporting a stable infection rate then the new strain isn't any worse.
 
Swinglowandslow said:
Burying my head nothing! The unprecedented pressures on the hospitals at the moment is down to one thing- the battle against Covid.
Beds taken up by Covid patients mean no ICU beds for other cases ( see Ethan's post a while back)
The work involved in treating Covid patients is more arduous than normal because of PPE requirements etc - we've all seen the pictures of staff working in Covid wards.
All those things, and the losses, must be, and are ,taking a toll above and beyond normal nursing experiences.
And all this pressure is why the Government, and Opposition, are pushing so hard for vaccinations. Those refusing to have them are exacerbating the situation, obviously agreed by scientists and those in the know ( or why else the massive drive to get people vaxxed), so I'm afraid your "straw" is more like a bale.
If you want to come up with some sort of defence for these anti vaxxers, then why don't you spell out what it is. ?
And while you're at it, what's with the deflecting accusation?
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Your whole post was blaming the anti vaxxers, they are not alone in putting pressure on the NHS, the current problems run far deeper than just the anti vaxxers, who I have clearly stated should be forced into having vaccines and treated as 2nd class citizens until they are vaxxed.

I am in no way defending them, just like there is no way you should be blaming them for the situation Hobbit described and you replied to.

The ICU Nurse has not resigned purely in reaction to anti vaxxers.
 
Jamesbrown said:
Surely they can challenge being physically sent home without pay without proof of sickness. That’s unlawful deduction of wages. I’m no HR expert but if I was turn up to work and told to go home I’d be paid. Everywhere I’ve worked and I’ve done it myself is come to work in a crap state and hope someone takes pity and sends me home. (Not now I get full sick pay mind)
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Both are on temp zero hours contracts, they aren't allowed past the entrance foyer if their temperature is too high. It's up to them as individuals to get and show a negative PCR test result. before being allowed back to work .
If the PCR is positive they must isolate, only then can they claim SSP.
 
D-S said:
Case numbers are not the metric that is important in this particular discussion, a better one would be patients admitted to hospital - and as per the latest dashboard the Tsunami is not here yet.
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare?areaType=nation&areaName=England
However an interesting metric is the ratio of hospital admissions to case numbers and this, due to vaccinations and prior infections, is at an all time low.
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I agree. This seems to verify the fairly long held assertion that current variant (Omicron), while apparently 'faster spreading' is 'less dangerous' to the general population than previous ones.
So there's still the question mark about Homer's 'panic' - or are hospitals 'merely full up and working at >100% capacity'.
 
Mate just sent me this picture from the Nightingale Hosp in Sunderland where he went for his booster by appt:

EA7DAF18-650D-4BDE-A858-43A832895882.jpeg

Only 4 others there, Staff stood around, told him it’s been like this all day.
Really doesn’t fit with the pictures the media are showing from other parts of the Country.

Not really sure what this says if I’m honest.

Is it the people are ahead of the curve, don’t care or a fault of the booking system, 1 member of staff did say to him that some people had gone to a walk in centre and not bothered to cancel their appointment.:mad:
 
GB72 said:
They have become the new toilet roll, simple as that. Especially with the LFT, people are stockpiling the things. Should be as previously, 7 are dispatched on request and add that you cannot have any more until those 7 are used and registered against you NHS app.
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I disagree with this part. It was suddenly announced that you could avoid isolation as long as you were double jabbed and tested daily so what on earth did they expect? If you have a household with 3-4 people that's 21-28 tests that they're trying to order. I have been trying to get LFT tests and, at the moment, cannot order online and none of our local pharmacy's etc have them and don't know when they'll get them. Apparently there are no issues with supply however I would disagree, on a local level (in our area) there is no supply. All this will be mean is that people will ignore the daily testing and just carry on as normal as they cannot do the required testing.
 
road2ruin said:
I disagree with this part. It was suddenly announced that you could avoid isolation as long as you were double jabbed and tested daily so what on earth did they expect? If you have a household with 3-4 people that's 21-28 tests that they're trying to order. I have been trying to get LFT tests and, at the moment, cannot order online and none of our local pharmacy's etc have them and don't know when they'll get them. Apparently there are no issues with supply however I would disagree, on a local level (in our area) there is no supply. All this will be mean is that people will ignore the daily testing and just carry on as normal as they cannot do the required testing.
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But how many of those people actually need those tests and how many have decided to order a bulk amount just in case.
 
SocketRocket said:
...I'm struggling to see a tsunami at this time.
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Perhaps 'Tsunami' is not the right description - I merely repeated an earlier use.
'High tide on an already flooded landscape' might be a better one.

It's quite likely that the effect elsewhere (particularly working environments/capabalities) is more significant than on hospitals (which was were the 'reporting' focus with previous strains).

Btw. The 'Daily deaths' is probably a more relevant graph. Showing seasonal increase, but lower rate than last year. Still a horrible rate though!
 
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Looks like we do not have a total monopoly on stupidity. Bloke in New Zealand got 10 covid jabs in a day. Was being paid by anti vaxxers to get the jabs in their names so as they could get covid passports.
 
GB72 said:
But how many of those people actually need those tests and how many have decided to order a bulk amount just in case.
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But we’ve been told that it’s our duty to test regularly, that we should test before going out socially to protect people, to take daily tests if one of your household tests positively. All of this at the time of year when so many people are mixing so are likely to test a little more. Anecdotally I know numerous people who’ve not tested themselves once during this entire period who have now started as they are conscious of Christmas etc. It seems, to me, it was announced without any thought toward the practical implications.
 
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