|
Post by Pilch on Mar 30, 2020 1:51:43 GMT 1
www.thesun.co.uk/news/11057177/coronavirus-brits-chaos-events-schools-closed/"Chief Medical Officer for England Prof Chris Whitty has said the UK will have to consider axing mass gatherings if the "virus intensifies"." www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51693195"Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hancock said there were four phases to the plan: Containment - caring for any infected people and identifying their close contacts Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely Research - constant and ongoing work to inform the three other phases Currently, the UK is in the "containment" phase - which health leaders say may still be sufficient. But the next phase could see broader "social distancing" measures." www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-france/france-bans-gatherings-of-more-than-5000-due-to-coronavirus-idUSKBN20N0MD"The French government on Saturday put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people due to the coronavirus outbreak, as France reported 16 new cases." let us hope the containment measuer's are sufficient and that the number of infections and death be kept to a minimum. www.bi.team/blogs/covid-19-how-do-we-encourage-the-right-behaviours-during-an-epidemic/"There is also some evidence to suggest that far from helping, directly addressing misinformation might instead be counterproductive. Two online experiments in Brazil found that providing corrective information not only did not lessen common misconceptions about Zika, but actually reduced levels of confidence in other beliefs about the virus, both accurate and inaccurate." "When people are concerned about a perceived threat, their ability to process information effectively can become severely impaired which means clear and precise communication is essential. In some cases, less rather than more information leads to more accurate judgements. Communicating simple instructions that are easy to remember makes it more likely that people will follow them. a good example of keeping things simple ; wash your hands whilst you sing happy birthday twice. As understanding of the virus improves, governments should work to communicate this reduction in uncertainty. A survey of 997 British adults in 2009 found people were more willing to adopt preventive behaviours to avoid swine flu when they felt government communications on the topic were honest and reduced uncertainty. " www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/the guidance is clear and sensible . So after the first post in this thread we are now 28 days later
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on Mar 30, 2020 10:00:16 GMT 1
Of course, all hindsight now, but according to the OP 28 days ago, we were in the "Containment" phase then, the next two phases were:
Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread
Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely
Did we "Contain" by screening and self isolating all incoming from abroad, what did we do?
Did we " delay" too long? My old mum used to say "A stitch in time saves nine" Hadn't we already seen how once around, it spread like wildfire through China? 28 days ago I think it was already showing what it could do in Italy too.
Hindsight now, but to be remembered for the next big thing, even if it's a false alarm like SARs pretty much was?
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 30, 2020 10:26:37 GMT 1
Of course, all hindsight now, but according to the OP 28 days ago, we were in the "Containment" phase then, the next two phases were: Delay - deciding what actions to take to slow down the spread Mitigation - damage limitation if the virus spreads widely Did we "Contain" by screening and self isolating all incoming from abroad, what did we do? Did we " delay" too long? My old mum used to say "A stitch in time saves nine" Hadn't we already seen how once around, it spread like wildfire through China? 28 days ago I think it was already showing what it could do in Italy too. Hindsight now, but to be remembered for the next big thing, even if it's a false alarm like SARs pretty much was? www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/28/exclusive-ministers-warned-nhs-could-not-cope-pandemic-three/"The NHS failed a major cross-government test of its ability to handle a severe pandemic but the “terrifying” results were kept secret from the public, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. Ministers were informed three years ago that Britain would be quickly overwhelmed by a severe outbreak amid a shortage of critical care beds, morgue capacity and personal protective equipment (PPE), an investigation has discovered. Codenamed Exercise Cygnus, the three-day dry run for a pandemic carried out in October 2016 tested how NHS hospitals and other services would cope in the event of a major flu outbreak with a similar mortality rate to Covid-19." the goverment also ignored two reports in 2012 and 2018 about the lack of critical care beds . the goverment ignored all three reports , the goverment failed to take this virus seriously enough or take the tough decision soon enough. we have a partial lockdown , i say partial as i have not sen any reports that the euro tunnel is closed and we are still reciving flights from cornoavirus hot spots that is not hindsight just inept leadership
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Mar 30, 2020 10:36:11 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by LetchworthShrew on Mar 30, 2020 10:38:24 GMT 1
Dominic Cummings showing symptoms now and is self-isolating
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on Mar 30, 2020 10:58:08 GMT 1
Dominic Cummings showing symptoms now and is self-isolating How very sad Downing Street seems to have been one of those virus hotspots. Have they been washing their hands? Or has it been a case of do as I say not as I do?
|
|
|
Post by LetchworthShrew on Mar 30, 2020 11:20:11 GMT 1
You can't out run coronavirus !!!!
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Mar 30, 2020 13:58:07 GMT 1
What is the matter with some people? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8166779/NHS-staff-warned-not-wear-uniforms-outside-work-hide-ID-badges-muggings.htmlAn NHS worker has revealed how a vile yob spat in her face while she walked home from a 10-hour shift, as health bosses warn that the coronavirus crisis has triggered a surge in attacks on doctors and nurses. Sama Shali, 33, fears she was targeted by the unidentified yob as she was still wearing her ID badge for the The Christie Hospital in Withington, south Manchester. It comes as hospitals are warning workers not to wear their uniforms in the street and to cover their security lanyards amid a spike in abuse aimed at NHS staff.
|
|
|
Post by GrizzlyShrew on Mar 30, 2020 14:08:33 GMT 1
What is the matter with some people? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8166779/NHS-staff-warned-not-wear-uniforms-outside-work-hide-ID-badges-muggings.htmlAn NHS worker has revealed how a vile yob spat in her face while she walked home from a 10-hour shift, as health bosses warn that the coronavirus crisis has triggered a surge in attacks on doctors and nurses. Sama Shali, 33, fears she was targeted by the unidentified yob as she was still wearing her ID badge for the The Christie Hospital in Withington, south Manchester. It comes as hospitals are warning workers not to wear their uniforms in the street and to cover their security lanyards amid a spike in abuse aimed at NHS staff. What is this country coming to.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Mar 30, 2020 15:21:04 GMT 1
An American article, dated 26th March, which questions as to why we have placed such reliance on Neil Ferguson and Imperial College London. www.conservativereview.com/news/horowitz-man-spooked-world-coronavirus-model-walks-back-prediction/Before we cause irreparable harm to our lives, liberty, and economy, shouldn’t we first study the nature of the virus, how many people really have it, when it started, and what really works in containing it? These are the questions some of us have already been asking, but our voices were silenced because of the Imperial College of London’s study that said this would kill 2.2 million people in the U.S. and 500,000 in the U.K. Now, the author of that study himself has essentially recanted his projection, whether he admits it or not. Yesterday, Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London told the U.K.’s parliamentary select committee on science and technology that he is now “reasonably confident” there will not be an ICU shortage in London and that the fatalities will not exceed 20,000 in the U.K. He predicts that two-thirds of those would have died by the end of the year due to other conditions anyway. And rather than this lasting 18 months, as he projected in his first paper, which widely drove policies in the U.K. and U.S., Ferguson now predicts the virus will peak in “two or three weeks.” What has changed? As we’ve noted, Ferguson now believes that many more people have already gotten the virus over the past few months, meaning it is much less deadly than previously thought. In order to save face, Ferguson told members of Parliament that part of his calculus is that the lockdown measures are helping. But the problem is, as former NYT reporter Alex Berenson observed, those measures were not implemented until two days ago. The backbone of Ferguson’s new projection is constructed on a fact that has been built into the equation for months. Yet the political elites in Western countries like lockdowns because they enjoy acculturating people to draconian laws that violate natural rights and also like the economic devastation, which engenders more spending, debt, dependency, regulation, and government control.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 30, 2020 15:28:49 GMT 1
What is the matter with some people? www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8166779/NHS-staff-warned-not-wear-uniforms-outside-work-hide-ID-badges-muggings.htmlAn NHS worker has revealed how a vile yob spat in her face while she walked home from a 10-hour shift, as health bosses warn that the coronavirus crisis has triggered a surge in attacks on doctors and nurses. Sama Shali, 33, fears she was targeted by the unidentified yob as she was still wearing her ID badge for the The Christie Hospital in Withington, south Manchester. It comes as hospitals are warning workers not to wear their uniforms in the street and to cover their security lanyards amid a spike in abuse aimed at NHS staff. there is no shortage of stupid disgusting people about fortunately we have many good people
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 30, 2020 15:31:41 GMT 1
An American article, which questions as to why we have placed such reliance on Neil Ferguson and Imperial College London. www.conservativereview.com/news/horowitz-man-spooked-world-coronavirus-model-walks-back-prediction/Before we cause irreparable harm to our lives, liberty, and economy, shouldn’t we first study the nature of the virus, how many people really have it, when it started, and what really works in containing it? These are the questions some of us have already been asking, but our voices were silenced because of the Imperial College of London’s study that said this would kill 2.2 million people in the U.S. and 500,000 in the U.K. Now, the author of that study himself has essentially recanted his projection, whether he admits it or not. Yesterday, Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London told the U.K.’s parliamentary select committee on science and technology that he is now “reasonably confident” there will not be an ICU shortage in London and that the fatalities will not exceed 20,000 in the U.K. He predicts that two-thirds of those would have died by the end of the year due to other conditions anyway. And rather than this lasting 18 months, as he projected in his first paper, which widely drove policies in the U.K. and U.S., Ferguson now predicts the virus will peak in “two or three weeks.” What has changed? As we’ve noted, Ferguson now believes that many more people have already gotten the virus over the past few months, meaning it is much less deadly than previously thought. In order to save face, Ferguson told members of Parliament that part of his calculus is that the lockdown measures are helping. But the problem is, as former NYT reporter Alex Berenson observed, those measures were not implemented until two days ago. The backbone of Ferguson’s new projection is constructed on a fact that has been built into the equation for months. Yet the political elites in Western countries like lockdowns because they enjoy acculturating people to draconian laws that violate natural rights and also like the economic devastation, which engenders more spending, debt, dependency, regulation, and government control. with all aproaches we should always review things rather than blindly follow things, the one thing i would question "once you get the virus you are immune and you wont get it again" Philip Tierno Jr., a professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University, said: “Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant with minimal symptoms” “And then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs”. "Many health care professionals are now seeking to discover whether it’s possible for patients to catch the coronavirus more than once after data from both China and Japan reflect this alarming aspect of the disease." "A Japanese man in his 70s was initially infected while on board the Diamond Princess. After receiving the all clear he came back to the hospital two weeks later when his temperature spiked and he tested positive for a second time. After surviving the disease whilst on the Diamond Princess the man fell ill again with a fever and temperature of 39°Celsius." "In mainland China, where the outbreak originated and where the majority of cases occurred, there have been more than 100 reported cases of patients released from hospitals after recovering only to return later and testing positive for the coronavirus a second time. "In at least one instance, a 36-year-old man died earlier in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak, five days after health officials declared he had recovered and discharged him from the hospital. In China’s Guangdong province, health officials said 14 percent of people who recovered in the province who were later retested were positive."
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 13:06:45 GMT 1
i watched the mayor of los angelese Eric Garcetti give a speech about the cornoavirus ,it was calm ,clear and conscice just what you wont from a public figuer .he also repeated the key points for emphasice and to reinforce them ,whilst giving links for where people can find aditional information.
i cant say i am a fan of khan he irritates me( not sure why) but to be fair to him his twitter page has all the neccesary information for all londoners
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on Mar 31, 2020 13:27:51 GMT 1
i watched the mayor of los angelese Eric Garcetti give a speech about the cornoavirus ,it was calm ,clear and conscice just what you wont from a public figuer .he also repeated the key points for emphasice and to reinforce them ,whilst giving links for where people can find aditional information. i cant say i am a fan of khan he irritates me( not sure why) but to be fair to him his twitter page has all the neccesary information for all londoners They used to do those "Have dinner with" type things. I would like to have dinner with Boris, (when is is no longer contagious), then Khan and see how much is down to what the media tell us.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 13:35:59 GMT 1
i watched the mayor of los angelese Eric Garcetti give a speech about the cornoavirus ,it was calm ,clear and conscice just what you wont from a public figuer .he also repeated the key points for emphasice and to reinforce them ,whilst giving links for where people can find aditional information. i cant say i am a fan of khan he irritates me( not sure why) but to be fair to him his twitter page has all the neccesary information for all londoners They used to do those "Have dinner with" type things. I would like to have dinner with Boris, (when is is no longer contagious), then Khan and see how much is down to what the media tell us. most of the press are pro conservative so they will run anti khan stories , saying htat he does not help himself at times either.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Mar 31, 2020 14:30:06 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/coronavirus-uk-labs-could-test-tens-of-thousands-more-people-says-expertThe UK has the capacity to process tens of thousands more tests for coronavirus but has failed to organise itself properly, a former director at the World Health Organization has said. Anthony Costello, a global health professor at University College London, called for the UK to make use of testing machines in every university and big hospital around the country, setting up mobile testing units like Ireland, which is testing far more people per head of population. There is growing political concern that the UK was still only managing to test 5,000 people a day by Sunday morning, despite aims to increase tests to 10,000 and then 25,000 a day - which is still far short of the 70,000 a day that Germany is managing. Critics are also questioning the UK’s decision only to test people in hospitals and NHS workers, arguing that a return to testing more widely will ultimately be necessary to suppress the virus. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Costello said a policy of mass community testing was essential to identify new hotspots and eventually end the lockdown, as has happened in South Korea.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Mar 31, 2020 14:41:10 GMT 1
Meanwhile, over in Germany: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8170903/Germany-100-000-people-coronavirus-antibody-tests.htmlGermany will give 100,000 people coronavirus antibody tests in the next few weeks as part of a major trial to get millions of workers out of lockdown. The mass study will allow officials to determine who has already caught the deadly infection and is therefore immune to being struck down again. British health chiefs have still yet to approve coronavirus antibody tests, despite the promises that the DIY kits would be ready for use by mid-April.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 16:28:53 GMT 1
Meanwhile, over in Germany: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8170903/Germany-100-000-people-coronavirus-antibody-tests.htmlGermany will give 100,000 people coronavirus antibody tests in the next few weeks as part of a major trial to get millions of workers out of lockdown. The mass study will allow officials to determine who has already caught the deadly infection and is therefore immune to being struck down again. British health chiefs have still yet to approve coronavirus antibody tests, despite the promises that the DIY kits would be ready for use by mid-April. i just watched an interview with a german scientist who said Italy was unlucky and germany was lucky in that it had a window of time to implement a strategic responce, to ramp up preperation for labs to rapidly increase capacity for testing, engage with the public so they fully understod the plan, trace evry one who had contact with people who were infected, roll out testing to people who felt ill and that they had the critical care beds for the worst cases. so in short germany did what we should have done , germany did not give out empty promises but carried out the necessary actions. the only cloud on the horizon for germany is that up to now most people infected have been in the younger age group and there has been an increase in the older age group testing posative.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 16:35:15 GMT 1
thebfd.co.nz/2020/03/chinas-global-pillage-its-worse-than-we-thought/" Chinese-owned property developer alerted English-speaking media to the fact that, through January and February, workers at the company were ordered to scarf up face masks, hand sanitiser, hazmat suits and thermometers, and ship them back to China." "A second Chinese property company based in Sydney flew more than 80 tonnes of medical supplies on a corporate jet to Wuhan in late February, at the time coronavirus was devastating the regional city. “The chartered plane with 90 tons (82 tonnes) of medical supplies, including 100,000 most needed protective coveralls and 900,000 pairs of medical gloves, has successfully departed from Sydney and arrived in Wuhan on 24 Feb,” Risland Australia posted on its LinkedIn page." "Beijing knew that other countries were going to need their stockpiles and didn’t care. By late January medical experts were worried about the lack of available masks. “The thing we need most as GPs is some masks,” said Dr Harry Nespolon, president of the Royal Australian College of GPs. “They are not readily available.” www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/coronavirus-doctors-issue-protective-equipment-warning-after-report-china-backed-firm-sourced-bulk-supplies-from-sydney"The Australian Medical Association is warning that the nation needs to protect its stocks of face masks, suits and other protective equipment amid reports that a Chinese property company in Sydney diverted its staff to purchasing medical equipment during January and February." www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-bulk-bought-medical-supplies-abroad-before-crisis-hit-556gj7gn3"As the coronavirus hold in Wuhan in February, staff of a Chinese government-backed global property giant were ordered to buy up vast quantities of western medicines and medical equipment to send to China. Sources within the company told the Sydney Morning Herald that it was an international endeavour by the Greenland Group to scour the world for bulk supplies of surgical masks, thermometers, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitisers, gloves and paracetamol for China’s health system. According to a company newsletter, the Greenland Group’s overseas offices brought up three million protective masks, 700,000 hazmat suits and 500,000 pairs of protective gloves from “Australia, Canada, Turkey and other countries”. The entire Sydney accounts department, contract managers, the human resources team and even receptionists were ordered to source equipment" whilst you cant blame china wanting and needing to purchase these products ,the industrial scale of the purchases showed little concern for how the countries they bought from would be able to resupply there own countries at a time when the true scale of the virus was not fully known. there is growing reaiisation in Australia how many key indiustries , from mining to agriculture china now owns , concerns have been raised that australia needs to put in place measuers fromchina hovering up undervalued companies who are struggling www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-29/foreign-investment-restrictions-australian-assets-coronavirus/12101332"All foreign investment in Australia will now require approval in a Federal Government move designed to prevent international raids on struggling companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic." to balance things out China has provided medical equipment to some countries in europe as well as sending medical teams. www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-italy-china-supplies/Italy’s fight against coronavirus has received desperately needed doctors, supplies and equipment from China. time.com/5812015/china-medical-aid-pakistan/(ISLAMABAD) — China sent a plane loaded with medical personnel and supplies Saturday to help Pakistan fight the spread of the coronavirus in one of the world’s most populous nations. www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/china-assists-asia-in-fighting-coronavirus/1782309China has sent medical supplies to several South and Southeast Asian nations to help them stem the fast growing coronavirus pandemic.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 16:37:53 GMT 1
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-faces-criticism-for-sending-16-tonnes-of-personal-protective/"The UN agency had warned that “all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management.” By Feb. 7, the WHO also predicted “severe coronavirus-related disruptions” in supply of personal protective equipment" yet another example of the uk been given a warning and failling to respond properly. this should have been a wake up call to either source the required equipment or look at ways to manufacture vital equipment in the uk. it the uk goverment far to long to react and there incompetence is a factor as to why we dont have the equipment we need or the ventilators.
|
|
|
Post by aghabullogueshrew on Mar 31, 2020 20:11:10 GMT 1
This "Protect the NHS" slogan is getting on my bloody nerves! The best way to protect the NHS is to invest in it and not cut costs so you can go and balls up Brexit! People on this forum are saying all we do is whine and moan and come up with no suggestions. Well here's a crazy one, why not test people nowhere near a hospital! In Ireland, you get tested at GAA pitches and other open spaces without having to get out of your car! You can't infect anyone because all the testers are wearing PPE and test takes 5 minutes tops! If I lived the UK I wouldn't ley my kids out of my sight in case they had an accident and ended up in a hospital! The UK Government has ballsed this up from the start! No early testing, herd immunity, lack of PPE, lack of testing kits, refusing assistance from the EU! Just because we are leaving the EU, doesn't mean we have to cut of our nose to spite our face! Stay home, stay save!
|
|
|
Post by salop27 on Mar 31, 2020 20:21:03 GMT 1
The wife has returned to work today as have all asthma sufferers at her hospital as its been deemed low risk. Pregnant ladies have remained signed off though. Interesting bit of gossip though. One of her colleagues is friends with an English based Chinese chap born whose parents still live in China. The parents have been stock piling food in China since the start of November. We all know China are hiding stuff but makes you wonder how much???
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Mar 31, 2020 22:16:58 GMT 1
from the mail a very brave doctor who told the truth at great personal risk "A Wuhan doctor who was among the first to alert other medics to the spread of coronavirus has disappeared sparking concerns that she has been detained, reports suggest. Dr Ai Fen said she faced 'unprecedented, extremely harsh reprimanded' by officials at Wuhan Central Hospital after she shared a picture of a patient report labelled 'SARS coronavirus'. The image was widely circulated and made its way to whistle-blower Li Wenliang who raised the alarm about the bug, which has killed more than 41,000 people worldwide. Dr Li was reprimanded by authorities for 'illegally spreading untruthful information online'." whilst our medical staff may not have to worry about disapearing, some of the nhs trusts seem determined to supress information related to the ongoing lack of equipment. www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/31/nhs-staff-gagged-over-coronavirus-protective-equipment-shortages"NHS staff are being gagged from speaking out about widespread shortages of personal protective equipment that they fear could risk their lives from the coronavirus, frontline medics claim.Protective equipment being diverted from care homes to hospitals, say bosses Doctors and nurses are being warned by hospitals and other NHS bodies not to raise their concerns publicly, according to a dossier of evidence collated by the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK). Tactics being used to deter staff from voicing their unease include “threatening” emails, the possibility of disciplinary action and in two cases being sent home from work. Some doctors have been given a ticking-off after managers were irritated by material they had posted on social media. “Doctors across the frontlines are extremely concerned about the lack of personal protective equipment [PPE]. Many have told us they have tried to raise concerns through the proper channels but have been warned against taking these concerns further,” said Dr Samantha Batt Rawden, DAUK’s president."
|
|
|
Post by SeanBroseley on Apr 1, 2020 1:27:27 GMT 1
A letter from a GP surgery in Wales reveals the truth and then hs to apologise for the upset that the letter caused and not for containing any inaccuracies. link
|
|
|
Post by shrewder on Apr 1, 2020 6:14:12 GMT 1
Maybe the way forward further down the line, when restrictions start to be lifted is to make the wearing of masks compulsory when leaving the home for a period of 6 months.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Apr 1, 2020 8:52:45 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Apr 1, 2020 9:19:50 GMT 1
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8175037/Testing-shambles-spirals-desperate-Boris-Johnson-blames-chemical-shortage.htmlMinisters were accused of 'complacence' and snubbing offers of help from labs today as Boris Johnson struggles to get a grip on the UK's coronavirus testing shambles. The government is desperately trying to ramp up the number of checks carried out, with experts warning that is the only way to end the lockdown threatening to dismantle the economy. But the PM faces mounting fury over the failure to get anywhere near the levels being carried out in countries like Germany - which is carrying out more than 70,000 a day, while the UK is still well below 10,000. Cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed a global shortage of chemicals at a press conference last night, saying Mr Johnson was taking personal control of trying to source the material. But within hours he was extraordinarily contradicted by firms, with a statement from the Chemical Industry Association saying despite an 'escalating demand' the 'reagents' for tests 'are being manufactured and delivered to the NHS'. One of the government's own scientific advisers, Peter Openshaw of Imperial college, said in an interview last night that he 'wasn't aware' of the problem. 'As far as I know there isn't a great shortage of supply,' he said. Meanwhile, there are complaints that logistical blunders are hampering efforts to increase capacity. The 'centralised' approach by Public Health England (PHE) meant that labs have been left 'sitting on their hands', while Germany has authorised any institution with the right capability to get on with checks. The consequences of the lack of testing for who currently has the virus was laid bare last night when it emerged that in initial trials 85 per cent of NHS staff who were isolating did not in fact have the virus - meaning they could have been working. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick today admitted that the level of screening had only been rising slowly, but suggested it would 'accelerate'. However, he confirmed it will be weeks before the UK hits 25,000 tests a day, by which time the outbreak might be peaking. In an increasingly frantic bid to quell the backlash, hospitals have today been ordered to use any spare lab space to test self-isolating NHS staff for coronavirus.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on Apr 1, 2020 9:30:40 GMT 1
The UK gave up on containing the coronavirus outbreak 'too soon' because scientists assumed most people would become infected anyway, a leading expert has claimed. Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the Edinburgh University, said the assumption led officials to abandon measures that could help slow the pandemic. Those measures include mass testing and stringent contact tracing - two actions which have helped South Korea keep COVID-19 fatalities below 200. Early on in the UK's outbreak, the Government suggested one way of beating the virus was by allowing 80 per cent of Britons to get infected to build 'herd immunity'. Professor Sridhar tweeted today that this kind of thinking 'resulted in the UK giving up on containment too early.' 'Planning and preparing for unprecedented testing and using big data/apps for tracing were taken off the table. In my view, we went down the wrong path,' she said. Britain has been slow to test - less than 5,000 daily swabs were being carried out until March, compared to South Korea's 15,000. The UK also gave up on tracing infected patients' close contacts as cases began to surge and had to impose a nationwide quarantine to stop the virus' spread. Whereas South Korea tracked down associates of infected patients and isolated them immediately, meaning it has not needed to enforce such draconian measures. In a separate series of tweets she added that the UK's current lockdown was like 'pressing pause' on the virus' spread and 'playing catch up'. 'Each day in lockdown: kids fall into poverty, domestic abuse increases, social fabric comes apart, major economic hit. Lockdowns are expensive. We need to use the time. 'We will be stuck in lockdown until we get test, trace, isolation plan. We are basically pressing pause on the spread of virus while we race to catch up. 'If we're not using the time now, then we're just wasting days/months in lockdown not aggressively figuring out where virus is.' www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8172797/Britain-gave-containing-killer-coronavirus-outbreak-SOON-claims-leading-scientist.html
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on Apr 1, 2020 9:38:49 GMT 1
The UK gave up on containing the coronavirus outbreak 'too soon' because scientists assumed most people would become infected anyway, a leading expert has claimed. Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the Edinburgh University, said the assumption led officials to abandon measures that could help slow the pandemic. Those measures include mass testing and stringent contact tracing - two actions which have helped South Korea keep COVID-19 fatalities below 200. Early on in the UK's outbreak, the Government suggested one way of beating the virus was by allowing 80 per cent of Britons to get infected to build 'herd immunity'. Professor Sridhar tweeted today that this kind of thinking 'resulted in the UK giving up on containment too early.' 'Planning and preparing for unprecedented testing and using big data/apps for tracing were taken off the table. In my view, we went down the wrong path,' she said. Britain has been slow to test - less than 5,000 daily swabs were being carried out until March, compared to South Korea's 15,000. The UK also gave up on tracing infected patients' close contacts as cases began to surge and had to impose a nationwide quarantine to stop the virus' spread. Whereas South Korea tracked down associates of infected patients and isolated them immediately, meaning it has not needed to enforce such draconian measures. In a separate series of tweets she added that the UK's current lockdown was like 'pressing pause' on the virus' spread and 'playing catch up'. 'Each day in lockdown: kids fall into poverty, domestic abuse increases, social fabric comes apart, major economic hit. Lockdowns are expensive. We need to use the time. 'We will be stuck in lockdown until we get test, trace, isolation plan. We are basically pressing pause on the spread of virus while we race to catch up. 'If we're not using the time now, then we're just wasting days/months in lockdown not aggressively figuring out where virus is.' Daily Mail. all of which showes vividly the lack of strategic planning . in contrast Germany reacted quickly and they have all the ventilators they need and we are still waiting. from the mail "More than 10,000 frontline NHS staff have written to the Prime Minister to demand proper protective equipment amid growing anger that a lack of supplies is putting lives at risk." www.ft.com/content/2f2845b3-a1ed-44cb-90af-e04d8d712403 Tobias Buck in Berlin and Michael Pooler in London MARCH 30 2020 "One of the world’s largest makers of ventilators, Drägerwerk, has warned that global demand for the machines that help severely ill coronavirus patients to breathe will outstrip supply, despite being on course to quadruple production this year. The German government placed an order for 10,000 ventilators from Drägerwerk this month, but the group expects to ship at least the same number of devices to other countries. “The [German] federal health minister acted especially quickly and decisively and immediately ordered 10,000 devices. Deliveries will be stretched across the whole year,” Mr Dräger said." "The [German] federal health minister acted especially quickly and decisively and immediately ordered 10,000 devices." the words"acted especially quickly and decisively and immediately" stand out for me somthing totaly lacking from the goverment ,the other thing lacking is strategic planning
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on Apr 1, 2020 9:50:08 GMT 1
If you are going to think along the lines of letting a lot of people get it and develop herd immunity as we originally did, anyone with half a brain could see that a good proportion pf those with existing weakness would need hospital beds and respirators.
|
|