Watford... Sage listens to WHO and Starmer says he listens to SAGE. Maybe I am silly and don't understand? explain?
Whether you agree with lockdowns or not, the last one did work in bringing the numbers down. On the other hand, in my opinion, we were only hiding from the disease. Our fury should be directed at the promise of the test and trace system not being ready to open society back up, despite billions of pounds and billions of promises. This is where its gone wrong. Lock down as many areas as you like, change the curfew to 10.01pm, if you cant test and trace people in sufficient time and numbers then those said people will mingle until they are told not to. Schools have been a breeding ground for this disease. It's not rocket science to work out that one single high school of 1500 pupils could potentially infect 10,000 to 20,000 people under the current guidelines.
Not according to the data. JVT was asked that question yesterday and said it was very low. All the schools are back in my area and we have very low cases. Sorry bob school age is not the problem.
Quite right. Until there's a vaccine, an efficient system of test, track and trace is the only real way forward. It's this government's abject failure to deliver this that will be to its undying shame.
I haven't really. I still don't believe in lock-downs but thought that a short, time-defined break couldn't do much harm and would have some beneficial effect in slowing the spread of the virus. As I've just said above, an efficient test, track and trace system is what's really required.
That's what we were promised and that was the basis for opening up the economy. It's obvious that if it didnt work then the economy wouldnt work.
I understand your premise Ellers. But you know that virus spreading isn’t just about the kids at the schools, it’s about parents, relatives and siblings, social/racial cultures that kids are also touched by. Like all things it isn’t just as simple as schools alone. Schools are and they aren’t part of the problem. Universities are and aren’t part of the problem. Politicians aren’t (and aren’t) helping the problem that’s for sure. That’s why it’s so bloody difficult to solve.
I agree but data has proved that kids are not these superspreaders that some think. However, I do agree that things do go beyond just school.
'Near extinction' of influenza in NZ as numbers drop due to lockdown Mask wearing and social distancing for Covid-19 has all but cut influenza cases in New Zealand this year, with only six flu isolates detected in this country from April to August. please log in to view this image Professor Michael Baker. Photo: Supplied As we move into the spring/summer period where flu is always uncommon in New Zealand, Professor Michael Baker offers his analysis on the flu season numbers and why masks continue to be so important. He said there has been "near extinction of influenza in New Zealand following our very effective Covid-19 response", as numbers vanished from the two standard systems for surveillance - resulting in a 99.8 percent reduction in flu cases. According to Baker, there were usually 1600 more deaths in winter, compared to other seasons, and around a third of those were caused by influenza, mostly in older people with long-term health conditions. "What the Covid-19 response has done has largely eliminated those excess winter deaths and mortality as a whole is down around 5 percent," he said. "So that means an extra 1500 people will survive this year who wouldn't have." Baker said these measures had led to "a revolutionary change in thinking about how to deal with respiratory pathogens" and could be brought back in the event of a serious flu pandemic. "These are not measures you would roll out routinely of course, but if we had a particularly severe respiratory disease like a severe flu pandemic ... and it had the same infection fatality risk as we've seen with Covid, that is half a percent or one percent of people dying, then we could think about using these measures again." However, despite flu numbers being down, lockdown measures had not managed to stop ordinary colds and respiratory illnesses, such as rhinoviruses - which had dropped slightly during lockdown but bounced back soon after. "A lot does come down to their reservoirs and some are so well-adapted for humans and they're so widespread in the population that they are not affected a great deal by the lockdown." He said that during the lockdown, a rise in rheumatic fever cases was observed - and this was likely due to people stay home, often in overcrowded homes which increased their risk. This may have also been affected by less access to routine healthcare for throat swabbing and treatment. "Certainly, some pathogens are not affected at all by lockdown," he said. "These viruses are more primitive, they lack this lipid membrane covering and it means that they're less able to evade the human immune system, but it also makes them survive better in some conditons." As for influenza, Baker said numbers were likely to stay very low as we moved into spring and summer, but what happens next year would depend on the country's ongoing response to border control. "It's likely that rates will stay very low for next winter as well, if our response continues in the same way. "We have learned remarkable things from the Covid response, both that we can keep out these viruses at the borders and that we can also stamp them out if we get clusters of cases."
please log in to view this image Robert Rohde @RARohde Here is an example of current conditions in NZ: Quote Tweet please log in to view this image Kevin Pluck @kevpluck · Oct 12 Kiwis flexing by watching rugby in person please log in to view this image 3
No need to apologise Ellers. Of course schools have been a problem. Every school within 10 miles of me has at least one whole class isolating. Hmmm that's not a problem. Look at the governments own graphs yesterday. Highest infection rates 10 to 19 year olds. Fact mate. It's just common sense that when you ask people not to group in more than 6 yet 30 to 1000 is fine then the virus will spread. I could be wrong and the governments graphs could all be lies like they have been before. Will let you decide.
I did wonder about schools reopening and infections going up. Could be coincidence but it's happened. I would love to see the data on this as my nieces whole year 5 is isolating, my brothers school has 6 teachers and 4 form classes isolating. My other niece is a teacher who is isolating and now her whole class has to. This is just an example from myself, one single person. Now I'm not saying we have to shut schools, but anyone who doesnt think they play a major part in the spread ain't right good at maths.
UK (and most Countries in Europe and the Americas) have failed to lock down and keep it locked down long enough until there was no virus in local areas, and gradually only then reopen up areas that became virus free. So the virus is spreading so much again now.. They should have faced realities, and followed what the Countries who have really contained the virus have done - it was not so difficult when they were shown how. Terrible decision making, and still they aren't doing enough to contain it. Starmer has it half right, but I really doubt that 3 weeks wouldn't be anywhere close to long enough.
A circuit break will not stop Covid just delay it until it starts up again. Especially after seeing last night's disgusting scenes in Liverpool shows us how irresponsible people can be? That had nothing to do with Government T&T or anything else. It came down to Respect (or lack of it). No one can now question why it's spreading in Liverpool? I have listened to members of the emergency services this morning. people who put their lives on the line for these f22twits who have no respect what so ever. We really do have some idiots in our society. This is why we get hit so hard.