Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Cyclizine]

9 hours ago, superbigal said:

Freeman now using the historical problems in Barra to cast a shadow over the progress in the rest of the country.

The only place left that more restrictions can be added too.

I despair of these tactics. 

You do not hear her saying Edinburgh and fife are back to levels associated with Level 2.

 

 

The Western Isles Hospital has just over 100 beds. It has no intensive care unit, patients must be transferred by air to Inverness or Glasgow. The medical staffing is a few consultants and very junior doctors on rotations from Aberdeen and Inverness. They are becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients as numbers in the Western Isles increase.

As I've said to you before, this isn't about infection rates. This is about numbers in hospital. There will always be a lag until we can discharge more patients than we're admitting.

Edited January 29, 2021 by Cyclizine

[Distant Doonhamer]

19 minutes ago, Cyclizine said:

The Western Isles Hospital has just over 100 beds. It has no intensive care unit, patients must be transferred by air to Inverness or Glasgow. The medical staffing is a few consultants and very junior doctors on rotations from Aberdeen and Inverness. They are becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients as numbers in the Western Isles increase.

As I've said to you before, this isn't about infection rates. This is about numbers in hospital. There will always be a lag until we can discharge more patients than we're admitting.

Agree with much of that.

That said the numbers in hospital in Scotland are decreasing and have been for a week now.

Of course the Western Isles will be under real pressure and the national stats don't change that. 

[tamthebam]

3 hours ago, ICTChris said:

The issue with publishing the figures on vaccines is that there is considerable controversy about the contracts and supply.  The UKG, reasonably enough, think keeping that information secret is best, I think they are right here.  Especially as the EU has now introduced unilateral controls on the export of vaccines to Northern Ireland, under the Brexit agreement.  This has been condemned by Northern Irish politicians and the UK government have said they are monitoring and considering next steps.  It's a really worrying development but I'm not sure if we know exactly how this will affect vaccine supply to the UK.

The BBC R4 news tonight said the DUP had threatened to use the particular clause relating to NI a few weeks ago. The clause seems to work both ways and it's the EU who have blinked first.

I'm not sure an international row is of particular help in fighting Covid which, if we have learned anything in the last year, does not respect borders.

Or on the other hand as the UK had made the biggest pig's arse in dealing with this and has the most cases as a result perhaps we should get the biggest share of the vaccines.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

My parents are getting jagged next week thank f**k. Both of them are 76. Quite a relief as my old man spent most of last year dealing with bowel cancer which he then topped off by falling and breaking his hip when going for a pish after his bowel op. 

I was also offered a vaccination today, annoyingly it was a text scam message. Baws. 

[Mr Tourette]

Meanwhile, here in the UK...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9202691/amp/SAGE-urges-No10-make-face-masks-compulsory-outdoors.html?__twitter_impression=true
 

I like how The Mail have to explain to their readers that China’s leaders are “communist”

Who knew?

[MP_MFC]

NHS Lanarkshire have just published they have 2 clinics this weekend for over 80s who haven't been contacted yet. Details are on their Facebook for anyone who knows someone who is waiting.

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, Cyclizine said:

The Western Isles Hospital has just over 100 beds. It has no intensive care unit, patients must be transferred by air to Inverness or Glasgow. The medical staffing is a few consultants and very junior doctors on rotations from Aberdeen and Inverness. They are becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients as numbers in the Western Isles increase.

As I've said to you before, this isn't about infection rates. This is about numbers in hospital. There will always be a lag until we can discharge more patients than we're admitting.

Along with numbers of staff needing to self isolate.

Edited January 29, 2021 by welshbairn

[Todd_is_God]

I wonder if Devi will be spamming the WHO trying to get them on board with her #ZeroCovid pish now.

Leo Varadkar also trying to cool desire for #ZeroCovid in Ireland by explaining what that would really look like.

NS would do well to distance herself from Sridhar now tbh. Her goal is an absolute fantasy that not even the WHO think is realistic, or should be used as a measurement for success. As any guidance she gives will no doubt be tailored towards the aim of achieving this fantasy, her input becomes largely useless.

Edited January 30, 2021 by Todd_is_God

[Michael W]

2 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

Meanwhile, here in the UK...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9202691/amp/SAGE-urges-No10-make-face-masks-compulsory-outdoors.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

Never ceases to amuse that they come out with stuff like this when infections have seen a day on day decrease for the last two weeks. 

[madwullie]

1 hour ago, Todd_is_God said:

I wonder if Devi will be spamming the WHO trying to get them on board with her #ZeroCovid pish now.

Leo Varadkar also trying to cool desire for #ZeroCovid in Ireland by explaining what that would really look like.

NS would do well to distance herself from Sridhar now tbh. Her goal is an absolute fantasy that not even the WHO think is realistic, or should be used as a measurement for success. As any guidance she gives will no doubt be tailored towards the aim of achieving this fantasy, her input becomes largely useless.

I've posted in her threads a couple of times now trying to find out why vaccines don't trump zero covid. 

Had a few people (not her) engage, but it's always "just in case" stuff - pointing out that people ultimately aren't going to accept just in case as a reason for restrictions in place well into the summer, especially if the numbers end up in a similar place they did last summer, which, although new mutations etc, as a layman I would imagine vaccines plus summer living would quite easily get us too. Yeah, so pointing that out tends to stop the convo which is frustrating. Not looking for a gotcha, more some answers. 

I don't subscribe to the idea that she's thick as two short planks that many on here do (and looking big picture, other scientists are proposing similar (if not zero covid, then defo longterm restrictions)) so I'd like to get to the bottom of the reticence to be optimistic. 

I mean, there's a drive here to ignore the new mutations stuff, but looking at it honestly and objectively these variants (and yep, potential undiscovered variants) ARE a cause for concern, (it's a fact that current jags aren't performing as well against the SA one in trials, and there were others identified that were *more* concerning than that one) but as justification for possible restrictions once levels are low, they're not enough. Public opinion won't stand for it in August if figures like last August mo. 

However, we do need to face up to the problem that mutations can cause - tweaking the vaccine is great and will undoubtedly solve this, but what happens to restrictions in the meantime. Its an easy call if the numbers are causing concern, but if they're not, even if models are, people just aren't going to accept a form of lockdown while we wait and see. 

Sorry a bit rambly, it's 2am stream of consciousness stuff. Arrest me  

[Theroadlesstravelled]

As someone asked a few pages back is the reduction in infections due to the vaccine or the lockdown?

I guess no one knows.

[TheScarf]

Both you’d imagine.

[madwullie]

37 minutes ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

As someone asked a few pages back is the reduction in infections due to the vaccine or the lockdown?

I guess no one knows.

I saw this yesterday which is a bit beyond me stats wise, but seems to.imply both

 

 

[Jacksgranda]

9 hours ago, Left Back said:

EU now allegedly backing down on blocking vaccine shipments to NI to close down the “back door” route to the UK.  That escalated then de-escalated quickly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55865539

The fact that Ireland told the EU they'd f***** up (they probably used more diplomatic language than that) probably helped.

And the EU didn't "back down". It's only the UK who backs down. The EU showed "statemanship".

[renton]

https://mobile.twitter.com/NHS_Lothian/status/1355224205856546819

EICC setup for vaccinations. Seems like they should be able to ramp up vaccination rates with these types of venues now.

[Ron Aldo]

[ICTChris]

Are we starting to see herd immunity effects?

 

[Steven W]

I find it peculiar, troubling even, that the announcement of high efficacy in not one, but two vaccines in the last 24 hours, that will 'soon' (using some of Sturgeon's favourite open-ended language myself there) be available to the Scottish public, hasn't been deemed fit for comment by the First Minister. 

[madwullie]

11 minutes ago, Steven W said:

I find it peculiar, troubling even, that the announcement of high efficacy in not one, but two vaccines in the last 24 hours, that will 'soon' (using some of Sturgeon's favourite open-ended language myself there) be available to the Scottish public, hasn't been deemed fit for comment by the First Minister. 

What do you think her motive is? 

[LongTimeLurker]

6 hours ago, madwullie said:

... I mean, there's a drive here to ignore the new mutations stuff, but looking at it honestly and objectively these variants (and yep, potential undiscovered variants) ARE a cause for concern, ... 

There are people posting on here who are scientifically literate so you are going to encounter perspectives that differ from tabloid level fear porn. Viruses mutate. There were always going to be variants and a need over time to adjust the vaccines to reflect that. The real cause for concern would be something different enough from the Wuhan bat soup patient zero virus type to be referred to as a new strain.