Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Burnieman]

58 minutes ago, Steven W said:

BBC website. Troubles me that I'm agreeing with Tories on a more frequent basis. But - correct me if I'm wrong - where's this kind of chat from SG?

 

The UK is "going to have to live with some level" of Covid infection and deaths in the future, according to the Conservative chair of the Science and Technology Committee.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One after hearing evidence from scientists earlier today, MP Greg Clark said: “I don’t think you’re ever going to have a precise figure [for acceptable levels], just as we don’t target a figure for road deaths.

But the key insight from that is that it’s not zero.”

“If we’re going to live with Covid... then we are going to have to live with some level of infection, and not pursue policies that are predicated on completely eradicating it, which is likely to be impossible.”

“It is for Parliament and leaders to indicate through the policy decisions they make, what kind of tolerance they have.

"It’s clearly not zero, otherwise we wouldn’t be driving cars, and we wouldn’t be going out in the winter for fear of flu.”

 

 

Far be it from me to agree with a Tory, but that's the sort of thing I want to be hearing up here, an acceptance that pursuing "Zero Covid" is a futile exercise, and we need to get on with living with it like all seasonal respiratory viruses, and have a plan in the unlikely scenario where a new strain completely evades current vaccines.

[The Moonster]

Just now, Detournement said:

It was the Bi Gal who asked the question I just couldn't be arsed quoting that big post. 

It's a daft question. Surely anyone who is Scottish knows the demographic between Clydebank and Dumbarton compared to Milngavie and Kirkintilloch?

The Bantustan council division in the 90s has a lot to answer for. 

Ah, sorry, didn't realise that was him saying that. You are of course spot on.

Just now, superbigal said:

So one area is a shithole & one is not ?

Pretty much. You get posh folks like @Jan Vojáček (didn't realise @PWL looked down his nose at us too) living in the East whilst scum like me slum it in the West. I do feel WD would be better viewed if that horrible Clydebank mob were moved inside the Glasgow boundary, most of them pretend they're "fae Glesga" anyway. 

 

Just now, Stormzy said:

This is what I don't really get in relation to the vaccine passport stories, how related will any of this be, I've got the impression that if you've been vaccinated you'll be able to travel rather than having to get one within the 8 month period which doesn't make much sense to me. Most the oldies that got vaccinated at the start will be all out of immunity by the time people are allowed back out and about at this rate. 

I think the reason we only know it works for 8 months is because that's how long we've been studying the response. I think most are expecting/hoping it will last much longer than that. It's already established that we will likely need "booster" shots for vulnerable people like we do with other viruses though, and we have the technology to tweak vaccines for any mutations. 

I'm not really sure what the big problem is with getting a vaccine to travel somewhere though. You already need proof of vaccination to get into certain countries, it might be a bit of a pain but I don't see it as a gamechanger in stopping me going somewhere I want to go.

[RH33]

3 hours ago, Gaz said:

The council are claiming the announcement yesterday was that "all mainstream P1-P3 pupils will return from 22nd". It very much wasn't. The announcement was for "all P1-P3 pupils". The council have deliberately input the word "mainstream" into their e-mail to gaslight folk. The word "mainstream" wasn't used in Parliament yesterday.

My friend works in asn school and all way through they’ve felt the guidelines have been very much left to individual schools to interpret, even yesterday.

[Bairnardo]

My friend works in asn school and all way through they’ve felt the guidelines have been very much left to individual schools to interpret, even yesterday.

Falkirk council were already told to wind their necks in on the first return after summer IIRC, as they wanted an extra 2 weeks phased and the govt told them to get back to FT hours.

[superbigal]

Have not quite got my head around this new policy and what it is meant to achieve.  Unless it is to the class more 2nd contacts as the new 1st contacts etc etc when said 1st contact does test positive.

Ms Sturgeon says from tomorrow the advice given to close contacts of people who test positive will change.

As well as being asked to isolate for 10 days they will also now be asked to get tested as well.

Edited February 17, 2021 by superbigal

[Jan Vojáček]

5 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Pretty much. You get posh folks like @Jan Vojáček (didn't realise @PWL looked down his nose at us too) living in the East whilst scum like me slum it in the West. I do feel WD would be better viewed if that horrible Clydebank mob were moved inside the Glasgow boundary, most of them pretend they're "fae Glesga" anyway. 

^^^Pleb

Looking at the local stats though, Clydebank is clearly the biggest issue. Punt it into the sea and the problem is solved.

[The Moonster]

1 minute ago, Jan Vojáček said:

Clydebank is clearly the biggest issue. Punt it into the sea and the problem is solved.

A solid solution no matter the problem, tbqhwy. 

[Detournement]

5 minutes ago, superbigal said:

Have not quite got my head around this new policy and what it is meant to achieve.  Unless it is to the class more 2nd contacts as the new 1st contacts etc etc when said 1st contact does test positive.

Ms Sturgeon says from tomorrow the advice given to close contacts of people who test positive will change.

As well as being asked to isolate for 10 days they will also now be asked to get tested as well.

She wants more positive tests.

[Todd_is_God]

1 hour ago, Detournement said:

At Ayr the bars are inside as are the bogs. 

Yes they are, but they could erect temporary bars / toilet blocks outdoors if need be.

[NotThePars]

For me Labour have potentially come out of this in an even worse light than the Tories. They're not in power in either HR or WM so have no real responsibility for anything and all they ever do is constantly carp and moan with pretty much zero constructive suggestions. It's utterly pathetic. Absolute balloons like Jackie Baillie coming away with all this 2020 hindsight when she knows full well that Labour never said anything about it before the pandemic hit and the SG don't even have the full range of powers to deal properly with a pandemic independently anyway. 

Down south they went from questioning the government’s herd immunity response and calling for substantial government support before the furlough scheme was introduced to Starmer’s Jiminy Cricket act and a still utterly bizarre demand to open the schools “no ifs, no buts, no equivocations.”

Genuinely think there’s a decent chance Starmer doesn’t see out the year at this rate.

[101]

1 minute ago, Detournement said:

She wants more positive tests.

You make it sound like, a) bad thing, identifying all those with the virus and b) it's something she can artificially increase.

[Detournement]

1 minute ago, Todd_is_God said:

Yes they are, but they could erect temporary bars / toilet blocks outdoors if need be.

Maybe but a completely uncovered day at Ayr races is a gamble a lot of people might not be willing to take.

[PWL]

12 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Pretty much. You get posh folks like @Jan Vojáček (didn't realise @PWL looked down his nose at us too) living in the East whilst scum like me slum it in the West. I do feel WD would be better viewed if that horrible Clydebank mob were moved inside the Glasgow boundary, most of them pretend they're "fae Glesga" anyway. 
 

Family all from Bowling & Milton villages and first house was in Hardgate so it's all an act with me. 

[Detournement]

1 minute ago, 101 said:

You make it sound like, a) bad thing, identifying all those with the virus and b) it's something she can artificially increase.

As Todd has pointed out numerous times and the tweet i linked earlier explains very well the PCR is fine for testing people with symptoms to confirm they have Covid but is likely to generate loads of false positives when testing asymptomatic people.

So you will have large numbers of people with no symptoms taking tests generating false positives leading to more tests and more false positives. It seems particularly mental at this point of the seasonal cycle where people with non infectious inactive virus will greatly outnumber those who are actively infected.

 

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, Detournement said:

Maybe but a completely uncovered day at Ayr races is a gamble a lot of people might not be willing to take.

This is the type of argument that makes me laugh. Imagine being given that option in 2021 as as an either this or nothing choice, and people said no because they might get wet if it rains.

Everyone wants normal back, but it's pretty clear in February that it isn't going to be in 2021. Either we'll need to accept minor annoyances like "might get wet" or end up waiting even longer.

[Detournement]

1 minute ago, Todd_is_God said:

This is the type of argument that makes me laugh. Imagine being given that option in 2021 as as an either this or nothing choice, and people said no because they might get wet if it rains.

Everyone wants normal back, but it's pretty clear in February that it isn't going to be in 2021. Either we'll need to accept minor annoyances like "might get wet" or end up waiting even longer.

I don't mind a bit of rain for hillwalking or running but f**k standing in the rain at a race course for four hours.

Most people who go to the races are there to socialise rather than to see the horses. It's completely different from football or rugby crowds.

 

[Steven W]

15 minutes ago, 101 said:

You make it sound like, a) bad thing, identifying all those with the virus and b) it's something she can artificially increase.

Agreeing with you again.

Its no bad thing at all this surely? Back in September my son's childminder tested positive. I found it bizarre he wasn't entitled to a test until he displayed symptoms.

[Detournement]

Quote

 

Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, has made a point of saying he would be happy to be injected with the “safe and effective” AstraZeneca vaccine, as authorities in the country voiced their growing concern about the German public’s reluctance to be immunised against Covid-19 with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company’s vaccine.

According to German government agencies’ own monitoring, only 87,533 out of 736,800 delivered doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been administered by Tuesday 16 February.

In Berlin, where the senate has promised the public the freedom to choose between different available vaccines, local media reported that out of 30,000 doses of the vaccine delivered last week, only 990 had been administered so far.

The British-Swedish own shaky data from its early trials, as well as some misleading reporting in German media, have created a prominent debate around the AstraZeneca vaccine’s comparatively lower efficacy in Germany, where medical authorities have initially only permitted the vaccine for use among the over 65s.

The health minister of the state of Saarland, Monika Bachmann, this week criticised the reluctant uptake of the vaccine among medical staff, after more than half of those scheduled to be vaccinated failed to turn up to their appointment at a special session for 200 people working in medical care.

Scientists such as the influential virologist Christian Drosten say the scepticism about the AstraZeneca vaccine is misplaced. “We have to do everything we can now to vaccinate as quickly as possible across the board,” the Charité hospital scientist said on his podcast on Tuesday. There’s always a hair in the soup somewhere, and some people are looking at it with a magnifying glass.”

Spahn on Wednesday described the vaccine as “safe and effective”, telling the broadcaster RTL: “I would let myself be vaccinated when I get an appointment – and that expressly includes the AstraZeneca vaccine.”

 

The EU is doing a great job. What did they think was going to happen after they slated AZ?

[Steven W]

9 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

This is the type of argument that makes me laugh. Imagine being given that option in 2021 as as an either this or nothing choice, and people said no because they might get wet if it rains.

Everyone wants normal back, but it's pretty clear in February that it isn't going to be in 2021. Either we'll need to accept minor annoyances like "might get wet" or end up waiting even longer.

Yep - I'd bite your hand off for a day at the races / football. The weather would be immaterial - couldn't care less if it snowed,rained or shined

[ayrmad]

3 minutes ago, Steven W said:

Yep - I'd bite your hand off for a day at the races / football. The weather would be immaterial - couldn't care less if it snowed,rained or shined

All 3 is regular.