Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[madwullie]

1 hour ago, NotThePars said:

They had a woman on the news yesterday banging on about how she wouldn’t be taking any vaccine that she hadn’t done her own research on. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t in any way a scientist which is so cool. Wish I had the brain that could lead me to 1. think that way and 2. be confident enough to go on the news and just state it with as much self-assurance as she had

Her research will probably involve typing "bill Gates wants to depopulise the world by making us take a mind control vaccine", scanning the results page to find some fruit cake that comes out with this shite, then saying "job done" and if anyone tries to gently explain she's wrong, scream DO YOUR RESEARCH SHEEPLE at them

[NotThePars]

They've got a couple of fancy new techniques in vaccine development that can speed up the testing process massively and pretty well guarantee safety. A big shout out to Bolsonaro for providing a massive human Petri dish to try them out. 

Bolsonaro is class. He’s so disease ridden that I feel fairly confident the Amazon will off him in the near future with some potent new virus that only him and his cabinet will catch.

[Todd_is_God]

16 minutes ago, Marshmallo said:

FWIW I think the schools should be back this week for a number of reasons. What annoys me is the Scottish Government kidding on that this is all being done because risk is low and safety is of paramount importance, while at the same time demonising pubs or laying into some teenagers having a swally in Kelvingrove Park.

Agreed. Given the number of daily cases is currently many times higher than when Swinney was spouting about blended learning likely being in place until next summer, talking about how schools going back this week has only become possible because they have suppressed the virus is laughable.

Whilst it's clear that the overall public health picture of Covid-19 is much better than it was in mid June (as shown by fewer hospital admissions, fewer ICU admissions, and only 1 death in the last 4 weeks) by avoiding having the adult conversation promised, they've dug themselves a hole.

It's similar to the hole WM dug themselves back in May and June. By focusing purely on whatever single statistic best supports what step you want to do next, when that particular statistic no longer best supports your strategy it makes people question your next move.

The SG have not done a particularly good job in being open and frank about the whole picture. Had they done this, perhaps those parents (and teachers) who are apprehensive about their kids returning to school may feel more confident that is the right thing to do.

[NotThePars]

Her research will probably involve typing "bill Gates wants to depopulise the world by making us take a mind control vaccine", scanning the results page to find some fruit cake that comes out with this shite, then saying "job done" and if anyone tries to gently explain she's wrong, scream DO YOUR RESEARCH SHEEPLE at them

I’m so Epstein pilled that I empathise with the anti-Gates lot. The man is definitely evil!

[madwullie]

4 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

Agreed. Given the number of daily cases is currently many times higher than when Swinney was spouting about blended learning likely being in place until next summer, talking about how schools going back this week has only become possible because they have suppressed the virus is laughable.

Whilst it's clear that the overall public health picture of Covid-19 is much better than it was in mid June (as shown by fewer hospital admissions, fewer ICU admissions, and only 1 death in the last 4 weeks) by avoiding having the adult conversation promised, they've dug themselves a hole.

It's similar to the hole WM dug themselves back in May and June. By focusing purely on whatever single statistic best supports what step you want to do next, when that particular statistic no longer best supports your strategy it makes people question your next move.

The SG have not done a particularly good job in being open and frank about the whole picture. Had they done this, perhaps those parents (and teachers) who are apprehensive about their kids returning to school may feel more confident that is the right thing to do.

Eis survey: (more here https://www.eis.org.uk/Latest-News/COVIDSurvey)

Edited August 10, 2020 by madwullie

[welshbairn]

8 minutes ago, madwullie said:

Her research will probably involve typing "bill Gates wants to depopulise the world by making us take a mind control vaccine", scanning the results page to find some fruit cake that comes out with this shite, then saying "job done" and if anyone tries to gently explain she's wrong, scream DO YOUR RESEARCH SHEEPLE at them

How dare you, she's probably got a Masters in Youtubology.

[Todd_is_God]

8 minutes ago, madwullie said:

Eis survey: (more here https://www.eis.org.uk/Latest-News/COVIDSurvey)

That pretty much supports what I was saying.

ETA NS is this very second talking about the prevelance of / mild nature of Covid in young people.

That's not a bad thing, but when you make pretty much no reference to it over the past 4½ months but drop it in only in response to a question the day before schools go back, it looks very much like pulling an Ace out of your sleeve at the last minute.

These discussions should have been had a long time ago.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Todd_is_God

[Steven W]

7 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

That pretty much supports what I was saying.

ETA NS is this very second talking about the prevelance of / mild nature of Covid in young people.

That's not a bad thing, but when you make pretty much no reference to it over the past 4½ months but drop it in only in response to a question the day before schools go back, it looks very much like pulling an Ace out of your sleeve at the last minute.

These discussions should have been had a long time ago.

I was hoping my son could have went back to school in early June. The reasons the SG give as to why he can go back this week, would have been just as valid two months ago as they are now. Covid not affecting the young all that much is something we knew very well months ago, but only now is it being used as a means of allowing the schools to open

 

[Thereisalight..]

Wonder what Swinney has on NS that means he hasnt been punted by now. As if the blended learning fiasco wasnt enough, the SG is now saying the exams results situation let students down. Wonder why they ever thought any of those two situations would go down well

[Todd_is_God]

I don't see how the results situation can be resolved tbh.

It's less than one week since NS stood at the podium and said that the results as predicted would have been "not credible" and therefore moderation was necessary.

If a load of results are now changed upwards, how can that make them any more credible?

No matter what they do now, in the mid-long term, any qualifications awarded by the SQA in 2019/20 are going to be largely worthless if qualifications are being to be used to compare two people's ability.

[Mark Connolly]

I'd imagine there are plenty of cases over the years where teachers wish they could appeal to have a student's grades reduced.

[ICTChris]

I think the poll about a Covid vaccine was a little misleading, 73% of respondents were either certain, highly likely or fairly likely to take the vaccine. I think that surveys based on hypotheticals can give misleading results -it’s one thing to say no to a survey question but another to actually refuse to vaccinate. The survey said that 16% of people were not very likely, unlikely or definitely not going to take the vaccine. I’m fairly sure that vaccine refusal rates for childhood vaccinations are nowhere near 16%.

Regarding the vaccine conspiracism, it’s extremely damaging but I can’t help think that a lot of people who pile in on it aren’t interested in public health or safety and just want to post on the internet laughing at stupid people. Many of the people you will see rage against vaccine conspiracies are happy to peddle conspiracies of their own when they fit into their own opinions. We live in a world obsessed with conspiracy where wide numbers of people believe things that are completely batshit.

I’m very guilty of the “laughing at stupid people” thing myself, I actually started a vaccine thread on here a few years ago dunking on the Wakefield supporters and anti-vaxxers and one poster, who is/was well regarded said they had paid for their kids to have separate MMR vaccines at the time because they were spooked by the stories. I don’t think I said much in reply because what would I have said? “you stupid c**t, you put your child’s lives at risk?”. That might be strictly accurate but it’s not helpful towards the stated goal, getting people to vaccinate. The people who deserve to be called stupid c***s are the hardcore anti Vaccine campaigners (Wakefield, McCarthy and Kennedy) and even then you shouldn’t do it as it’s engagement. For people who are confused by it and who are perhaps edging towards vaccine hesitant, they should be given cold hard info by a doctor or health visitor. We should be training up HVs, doctors and nurses to have these conversations now.

Also, to bolster my vaccine credentials, I’d happily bar unvaccinated children from public schools and remove state benefits from parents who won’t vaccinate their children.

[Todd_is_God]

5 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Also, to bolster my vaccine credentials, I’d happily bar unvaccinated children from public schools and remove state benefits from parents who won’t vaccinate their children.

I'm not convinced (m)any parents of children who go to public schools are on benefits tbh

[ICTChris]

Any confirmation of what affect a possible extension to the Aberdeen lockdown could have on the schools there?

https://news.stv.tv/politics/aberdeen-virus-lockdown-could-be-extended-as-cases-rise?top&amp&__twitter_impression=true

[vikingTON]

13 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

We live in a world obsessed with conspiracy where wide numbers of people believe things that are completely batshit.

I really don't think that's the case at all tbh; just because these beliefs have an enhanced visible presence online doesn't mean that they're actually a central component to the everyday thinking and behaviour of all but a few nutjobs. 

[Todd_is_God]

10 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Any confirmation of what affect a possible extension to the Aberdeen lockdown could have on the schools there?

https://news.stv.tv/politics/aberdeen-virus-lockdown-could-be-extended-as-cases-rise?top&amp&__twitter_impression=true

Headlines like that have been an annoyance of mine throughout the whole thing tbh.

At first glance you would take that to mean daily cases increasing, when that isn't the case.

The number of cases obviously cannot go down, but describing an increase of less than the level of increase in previous days as "continuing to rise" is clickbait journalism at its best.

However to address your question, I think it would take quite a bit more than what we have seen for the SNP not to open schools there to avoid setting a precedent - the number of cases in the last 2 weeks is around 0.07% of the population of Aberdeen.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Todd_is_God

[ICTChris]

I'm not convinced (m)any parents of children who go to public schools are on benefits tbh

Not directly anyway. I mean public schools in the Yank sense, state run schools.

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Not directly anyway. I mean public schools in the Yank sense, state run schools.

 

I knew what you meant

Edited August 10, 2020 by Todd_is_God

[Cyclizine]

15 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Mentioned it before and it may be stupid, but I don't know why when they found out the containment measures were working after a few weeks and the hospitals weren't getting swamped Bergamo style, that they didn't just bung the Central Belt Covid patients in the Louisa Jordan and let the rest of the NHS run as normal, staffing permitting. And with the extra precautions like masks etc of course.

Because staff for the Louisa Jordan would have had to be pulled from the rest of the NHS. We already redeployed a load of staff to hospital critical care units. If I were proper sick with The Covids, I would want to be treated in an actual intensive care unit, in an actual hospital with all the ancillary facilities, not a field hospital in a conference centre.

[vikingTON]

7 minutes ago, Cyclizine said:

Because staff for the Louisa Jordan would have had to be pulled from the rest of the NHS. We already redeployed a load of staff to hospital critical care units. If I were proper sick with The Covids, I would want to be treated in an actual intensive care unit, in an actual hospital with all the ancillary facilities, not a field hospital in a conference centre.

Which is understandable but what about all the (many, many more) people with chronic or acute illnesses who can't get the required treatment for months on end because every NHS hospital is bricking itself about the risk of spreading Covid? This trade-off is nowhere near acceptable for those other patients, who aren't going to go away unless they do so 'before their time' because of the knock-on effects of obsessing about the pandemic.