Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Thereisalight..]

6 hours ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

There has been a somewhat sneering attitude from some here regards those in the populace who are over-cautious - that they are just "Helen Lovejoys".

Yes there will be drama queens who overplay things or hypocrites who moan about park parties whilst inviting their Facebook maws round for drinks - it happens - but I don't particularly think that they are the majority of the over-cautious.

We should not be surprised when we have governments and the MSM for the past year constantly pumping out the worst case scenario - it should be no surprise that some people genuinely are afraid. It's only recently that the news agenda seems to have shifted but even then we are still getting the overblown negative stories.

And why the hell is our public broadcaster still indulging the likes independent SAGE?

The MSM have a lot to answer for but I have no sympathy at all for people like my Aunt who has brought into the project fear. She’s been vaccinated but still won’t leave her front door without worrying or wearing a mask to walk up the street to see her sister. I think in the early days some people believed they’d step outside breath in fresh air and die. Rather than using their brain and seeing that A - it wasn’t happening and B - 99% of deaths were in people who were elderly/underlying health conditions or extremely obese , they believed if they walked past a stranger for half a second they’d catch it. If these people want to be like that then so be it, but open the world up to those who want to live rather than exist 

[craigkillie]

3 minutes ago, EdinburghPar1975 said:

Did i pick up correctly that as it's the Bank Holiday weekend we won't see hospital number updates till Tuesday next week? If so i'm hoping for a nice sub 200 in hospital and mid-high teens in ICU.

Aye, they're only putting out figures for cases, percentage positive and deaths over the long weekend - the hospital figures will be back on Tuesday (though they will also provide backdated figures for Friday-Monday).

[Thereisalight..]

2 hours ago, Elixir said:

When will testing and self-isolation stop being a thing? Who is going to bother their arse when 90% of the UK population is vaccinated? I get the Government and their pals need to make the most of the money they have spunked away, but surely it will only be hypochondriacs/attention seekers continuing to seek out tests come that point.

The mobile testing unit in south Ayrshire are continuing for months yet. I’d imagine the drive through one at Prestwick airport will be there for the rest of 2021 at least. Personally I’d ditch testing like this once  the elderly/vulnerable have been double vaccinated. Spunking thousands a day to test folk that might have a wee cough and need to stay in bed for a day is insane 

[Thereisalight..]

Got to laugh at “long covid” getting people’s knickers wet. Years ago when I had post viral fatigue for a year after chickenpox I was called a drama queen by some people. Same with those who’ve had ME/CFS it was deemed to be all in the head by the media for years. Yet long covid is given a free pass to keep up the charade of restrictions being in place 

[GiGi]

The hospital numbers aren't that much different this week but 1.8% test positivity is great. That's another measure that says 4 more weeks of no gyms and going for a pint are unnecessary. The good weather coming in with f**k all to do (legally) is going to push a lot of buttons.

[Billy Jean King]

That will be their problem, though. I'm pretty sure many will quickly change their tune once things open up and people are back to enjoying them whilst they are staying safely at home. Or when the option to sit at home being kept afloat by Her Majesty's Government dries up. Or that if they want to grab a quick pint with their mates then, despite being absolutely fine, they are reliant on passing a test which, if it comes back positive, means not only that they won't be getting a pint, but also no wages for 10 days.
Some people might be hesitant at first, but (assuming all goes to plan) I can't imagine there being anyone still panicking about the fact people aren't wearing masks or keeping 2m apart by the start of 2022.
And if there are, then they will simply be left behind.

We say it will be their problem which most of us agree should be the position but if that number is way more than we think then it might not be. If there are opportunities arising from "bending" to a large enough % who have changed for keeps then there will be those in society willing to accept and even exploit it.

If for an example a BnB owner thinks they can appeal to a "scared shitless" element and make increased profits by charging more for a "covid secure" stay I'm pretty sure some will exploit that. Likewise we may see certain (quiet anyway) midweek nights at cinemas given over to a guaranteed socially distanced audience. I really wouldn't underestimate how this might permeate into society longer term.

[Scosha]

“No we can’t because despite all data telling us otherwise, we just don’t know. A variant is out there, that will kill you all. Thank you.” 

[Alert Mongoose]

There appears to be a lot of people in low risk groups quick to criticise those in higher risk age categories for not sharing their viewpoint.  Try and step out of your own narrative for a minute or two.

[Billy Jean King]

If folk are sceptic over returning to even a 'new normal' then that's absolutely fine. They can choose to be like that. However that should not in any way impact the ability of my mates and I to go to the football, have a game of fives or spontaneously decide to go for a night in the pub or snooker hall.
When the vulnerable groups have all been vaccinated and thus Covid has been reduced to something that will affect the country no more than a bad cold / flu season would then all restrictions should be lifted.

I'm not saying for a minute it should or will but I can see some businesses being adapted to exploit it.

[gav-ffc]

42 minutes ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

Yes the decrease in hospital numbers is great to see.

On 1st March it was 824. Today 215.

I make that a 74% reduction in just one month. Marvellous.

Edit to add ICU number down by 70% over the same period (71 down to 21).

 

[Todd_is_God]

2 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

We say it will be their problem which most of us agree should be the position but if that number is way more than we think then it might not be. If there are opportunities arising from "bending" to a large enough % who have changed for keeps then there will be those in society willing to accept and even exploit it.

If for an example a BnB owner thinks they can appeal to a "scared shitless" element and make increased profits by charging more for a "covid secure" stay I'm pretty sure some will exploit that. Likewise we may see certain (quiet anyway) midweek nights at cinemas given over to a guaranteed socially distanced audience. I really wouldn't underestimate how this might permeate into society longer term.

That would be up to the BnB owner to make that choice, I agree.

I suspect that the only BnB owners who might do that, though, are those with low occupancy rates anyway, desperately looking to find a quick way to try and balance the books rather than properly looking at the root cause of why they have little custom.

Any business who tries to cash in on the post-covid re-opening fear period might find those increased per head profits dry up fairly quickly, though, and the long-term damage to their business irreparable.

[effeffsee_the2nd]

pre pandemic you could already socialy distance at the Falkirk Cineworld 80% of the time it was open, the same goes for pretty much every pub from sunday - Thursday. and around 60% of them 7 days a week.  things that were already quiet aren't going to just suddenly become constantly heaving

[superbigal]

23 hours ago, superbigal said:

 

Daily Cases Update:   Public Health Scotland are going on holiday again till next Tuesday !  Aye the union would no doubt moan if they do not get their days in the sun. Pandemic or not.  So probably last figures for a while. 

What a sensational day. infections down nearly 5% in 24 hours. Over 79% lower than when we entered lockdown.  Positivity now down to 2.5%.  Catching up now with the rest of the UK at our 63.0 cases per 100K.  The last date we were at these levels was 26th September. Positivity then was 3.5% and we are testing 25% more people.

Headline really has to be Glasgow's progress in the last 72 hours. Never been below 100 cases per100K for over 6 months and now down to 80.7

I suspect if we were all supposed to be going into Level 3 today that Clach's would probably be denied. Small council but reasonable outbreak in Sauchie. It is the worst council currently in the UK by far.  On that metric West Lothian is 7th & North Lanarkshire 9th.

At the other end we have 7 of the 10 councils in the UK with rates under 15.

Scotland peaked at 301.9 for figures 29th Dec to 4th Jan, (UK was 642.1)    Cases that day were 16,496 and test positivity rate was 11.9%  

Total Cases 7 days from 23rd March to 29th March were  3610 now 3440 down 4.71%. Positivity was 2.6% now 2.5%.   Cases per 100k were 66.1 now 63.0

Home Nations Daily update:  UK Average  56.2 to 55.4, England  55.8 to 54.9,  Wales 38.6 to 37.8, Northern Ireland 56.2 to 56.7

NHS Progress   Lanarkshire 106.2 to 102.0, Forth Valley 92.3 to 97.5, Greater Glasgow  86.2 to 78.6,   Lothian  71.6 to 68.8,  the rest all under Scottish average.

European (Above 2 Million Population) Shockers: Hungary 625 to 637, Poland 427 to 501, Serbia  504 to 494, Czech 557 to 425, France 392, Bulgaria 360 to 361, Sweden 328 to 346, Belgium 258 to 341, Bosnia 324, Slovenia 318, Netherlands 262 to 292.  Italy 264 to 258, all over 250 and showing how much worse it is in Europe.  The UK only has below it  Denmark 43, Portugal 28 (Who were top recently !!!) and Russia 43.   

Council progress in last 24 Hours as follows.

Click cases by neighbourhood to see the spread on the geographical map. 
https://public.tableau.com/profile/phs.covid.19#!/vizhome/COVID-19DailyDashboard_15960160643010/Overview

Bad boys over 100 cases club

Clackmannanshire  164.9 to 196.0  Sauchie 929.7 virtually 50% of all cases romp back to the top.  Very small council. 

West Lothian 143.6 to 133.3   Dropping  but  Breich Valley still 997.8

North Lanarkshire  140.0 to 131.5  Down 6% and this should continue.

Renfrewshire  103.3 to 105.5   

Under 100 Club

Falkirk  93.2 to 92.0

North Ayrshire  84.6 to 85.3

Glasgow City  91.1 to 80.7  Unbelievable Geoff. Down another 11.42% drop as it cements it's place below 100 for 1st time in 6 months.

Dundee City 73.7 to 77.0 

East Dunbartonshire 77.3 to 74.6

South Lanarkshire 70.2 to 70.5 

West Dunbartonshire  78.7 to 69.7  Falling again excellent 11.44%

East Renfrewshire   81.6 to 69.1  Great day down over 15%

Moray 81.4 to 67.8  

Under Scottish Average club 63.0

East Ayrshire 53.3 to 61.5 

City Of Edinburgh  55.2 to 53.9

Stirling  51.0 to 53.1

Midlothian  53.0 to 53.0

SUB 50 Good Guys

Perth & Kinross  50.0 to 42.1 Nicely down over 15%

Fife  49.5 to 43.9 Nicely down over 11%

East Lothian  43.9 to 43.9

Aberdeen City 44.6 to 41.5

Angus 43.0 to 40.4 

Aberdeenshire  27.9 to 30.2

Havana & Malt Whisky club Sub 30.0

Inverclyde 30.8 to 24.4

South Ayrshire  27.5 to 26.6

Shetland Islands  8.7 to 13.1

Dumfries & Galloway  17.5 to 12.8

Scottish  Borders   11.3 to 12.1 

Highlands  10.2 to 8.9

Argyll & Bute   5.8 to 7.0

Western Isles   11.2 to 0.0

Orkney Island  0.0 to 0.0  

[GiGi]

8 minutes ago, superbigal said:

Havana & Malt Whisky club Sub 30.0

Inverclyde 30.8 to 24.4

This one flying under the radar a bit pal. Just the 20% and back into the premium suite for the Riviera.

[jessmagic]

24 minutes ago, Scosha said:

“No we can’t because despite all data telling us otherwise, we just don’t know. A variant is out there, that will kill you all. Thank you.” 

In normal times I would rather slash my wrists then listen to Clyde 1, but having “we won't wear masks due to cultural norms“ boy on it means you can increase this by a factor of 100000000000000000000000000000.

[Lyle Lanley]

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-confirm-high-efficacy-and-no-serious

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Lyle Lanley

[Lyle Lanley]

27 minutes ago, Scosha said:

“No we can’t because despite all data telling us otherwise, we just don’t know. A variant is out there, that will kill you all. Thank you.” 

Can you ask your own questions? 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

18 minutes ago, Lyle Lanley said:

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-confirm-high-efficacy-and-no-serious

 

Ive never even tried smoking but the urge to go buy a big cuban cigar is approaching overwhelming. 

[Have some faith in Magic]

23 minutes ago, Lyle Lanley said:

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-confirm-high-efficacy-and-no-serious

 

Terrifying South Africa  Variant pummeled. 

[die hard doonhamer]

1 hour ago, Todd_is_God said:

I made it the 20th of April yesterday, based on around 25% reduction per week. It would take a huge acceleration in weekly decrease to get to 100 in 8 days.

Yes, I was using the very flawed method of using a single data point and extrapolating forward. Today's drop is just under 10%, if that level was sustained every day then it would be next Friday.

As I say, I know it's flawed, but it illustrates just how good today's figure is.