Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[s_dog]

2 hours ago, Cyclizine said:

To be fair, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a basic level of knowledge about safe storage and administration if the vaccine and a refresher on possible complications. I can see why folk think some of the other modules are excessive though.

Problem is most of the generic ones are statutory, so unless there's a dispensation, the health boards can't employ new staff without them. Our Board got in trouble a few years ago for medical staff not keeping modules updated and it caused no end of trouble as the Health & Safety Executive rocked up and started interrogating us on how to put out fires, clean up blood spills and dispose of waste, etc. Managers panicked as HSE have legal powers to prosecute them as individuals.

Fair enough, and it's true that for the most part these e-learning modules shouldn't take that much time for most experienced healthcare professionals to complete, but radicalisation & conflict training just seems utterly bizarre? Given the current situation, things like H&S training, euality & diversity should be if you've had any of this training in the past five years, you're good to go. 

 

1 hour ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Yet the drive through test centres are open from 8am-8pm Mon to Fri and were also open Christmas and New Years Day. You’d think vaccinating the elderly/vulnerable and actually getting on with life would be more important than asking people with no symptoms and who feel perfectly fine to get tested 

Well there's your answer, they're clearly not just doing it Mon-Fri 9-5pm: 

1 hour ago, doulikefish said:

My mother and neice both got the first dose of the Vaccine on a Sunday so it must be different in each health board area.

My Nieces was done at 7pm in the care home she works in,mothers was at 1445 at the local health centre 

 

 

3 hours ago, renton said:

If there is to be a return to a full March lockdown, then it has to go hand in hand with a schedule for vaccinations. Even if it means plowing f**k tonnes of money at AZ to guarantee supply. Otherwise it won't stick. I do think restrictions need to stay in place at least until they can get enough of the vulnerable groups vaccinated to bring down hospitalisations. Otherwise we run the risk of crashing the NHS at the point where it is trying to manage a massive vaccination program. The stories coming out of SE England are not exactly cheery.

Definitely agree with the lockdown going hand in hand with vaccinating far more quickly than they are doing so currently. If cases are rising much faster due mainly to a more contagious strain, and even with fairly strict restrictions, they have to stay in place until at least the most vulnerable & frontline health/care workers are vaccinated. Don't think throwing any more money at it can make any difference though, there is not a limitless supply.  Despite what's been reported about Pfizer saying there's not a supply issue, it was said there would be 10 million delivered by the end of the year (though that was maybe the government overpromising as usual and not what Pfizer said?). There's no exact figure been given by anyone but there is definitely a suggestion that there's been nowhere near as many delivered. Same with the Oxford/AstraZenica vaccine. 

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-qa-how-much-coronavirus-vaccine-do-we-have

[Rugster]

2 minutes ago, Jedi said:

I feel a charity bet on my prediction of NS announcing a full school return on the 18th, while keeping the whole country in Tier 4 tomorrow....£10 to the charity of your choice if wrong?

I’ll take that bet. 

[Billy Jean King]

Loads of talk of massively ramping up vaccination. That needs supply and both AZ and Pfizer don't appear to be able to provide anything like the volumes initially mentioned. So far AZ says it will take them "several weeks" to ramp up to the 2m a week initially talked about. Blame laughably seems to be a worldwide lack of glass vials !
UKG said 10m doses of Pfizer by end January. Pfizer says they will deliver 2m by end January " as per UKG contract".
All talk of delays and 9-5 by authorities is irrelevant if they simply cannot get the supplies to enable a ramp up.
Pfizer has supplied Israel with more vaccine so far than the UK which Pfizer say is down to orders placed. It looks like other countries either paid more or got in before us.
All this talk of NS can resign etc is wild given widely available media coverage of the real problem. We are comfortably administering what we are receiving so far. That will be ramped up when supply ramps up and so far that doesn't look like happening overnight.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Just as an aside, can there be justification in travelling from somewhere, say, Brora to Falkirk, while another group go from Cumbernauld to Huntly?

[Billy Jean King]

I feel a charity bet on my prediction of NS announcing a full school return on the 18th, while keeping the whole country in Tier 4 tomorrow....£10 to the charity of your choice if wrong?

She's recalling Parliament to announce "as you were" you reckon ! She has stated publicly this morning this isn't going to be the case. You fully expect her to announce nothing changes tomorrow ???

[Gaz]

6 minutes ago, Jedi said:

I feel a charity bet on my prediction of NS announcing a full school return on the 18th, while keeping the whole country in Tier 4 tomorrow....£10 to the charity of your choice if wrong?

I'll take that.

[mizfit]

[renton]

2462 cases today, 15.2% positivity rate.

Chances of a full March style lockdown until February?

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Regardless, there will be no students in School until the 18th at the earliest. That was announced prior to Christmas. The current mood music doesn't make a return on that date look particularly likely at this point.
What else is there? Back to 5 mile travel restrictions? 30 mins of outdoors exercise? No meeting up outside?

With the Education Recovery Group also meeting tomorrow school restrictions will very much be on the agenda at the Scottish Cabinet meeting.

They'll be panicking that their proposed timeline for estimates will be shown for the fucking fantasy that it was.

[Guest Jedi]

Rugster first in on the bet.(sorry Gaz)....so Rugster my prediction stands at NS opening schools at full capacity on the 18th for 'children's mental health' while the rest of us need to make more sacrifices (Tier 4 until the end of Jan).

Your predicition?

Edited January 3, 2021 by Jedi

[Rugster]

6 minutes ago, Jedi said:

Rugster first in on the bet.(sorry Gaz)....so Rugster my prediction stands at NS opening schools at full capacity on the 18th for 'children's mental health' while the rest of us need to make more sacrifices (Tier 4 until the end of Jan).

Your predicition?

My prediction is she will extend the school closure until at least the end of the month. 

[Lurkst]

1 hour ago, DiegoDiego said:

I'm just thankful there hasn't been a second spike of people making terrible corona beer jokes.

Unfortunately no second spike in MILFy nurse pics

 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

My prediction is she will extend the school closure until at least the end of the month. 

My guess too - schools won't return until Monday 1 February.

[Gaz]

My prediction would have been the same as Rug's. Schools to remain closed with blended learning until the 1st.

[vikingTON]

If they want people to stay at home then they should be closing all places of work that are not absolutely essential, running a skeleton public transport service for key workers and restricting supermarket visits per household. This idea of telling everyone to stay at home but oh btw make sure you all still work from home as usual to keep all our beloved neoliberal capitalist masters happy is intolerable. 

[Guest Jedi]

Bet accepted. The SG have a record of 'floating' the idea of school closures in June, October and December...doing a bit of polling off the back of the leaks on social media, and then announcing business as usual on schools.

[craigkillie]

6 hours ago, Jedi said:

Okay....you are right, craig...its a whole week and a half...you were out by 2 days, and I was out by 3..cudos to Nicola for being ahead of the game again.

You're comparing the Tory government, which is still planning to send kids back to school tomorrow, to the SNP government, which has closed schools for at least 7-9 working days, and basically implying that they're both the same. Even with your own arbitrary choice of two weeks being the amount of time for closing them (no idea why everyone always wants stuff shut for two weeks as though that's the magic period that's going to solve everything), clearly the SNP are much closer to your position than they are to the Tories' position.

Edited January 3, 2021 by craigkillie

[dirty dingus]

34 minutes ago, Jedi said:

We shall see... NS has constantly said that she is following the 'science' on keeping schools open, and that they are perfectly safe, and its about the mental health of young people etc etc...same lines as Johnson tbh. Would take one massive u-turn to change that now. Return dates for schools vary between local authorities...some were due to return this Thursday 7th, as they were still open on the 23rd.

National debt...not a good thing indeed, but...costs of Covid, and Brexit are not going to be pretty in the next few years. Tories are tied to keeping taxes low, so they will end up pedaling further austerity budgets to try and bridge the gap.

f**k the national debt, just move to the EU....oh wait.

[welshbairn]

37 minutes ago, Jedi said:

NS has constantly said that she is following the 'science' on keeping schools open, and that they are perfectly safe, and its about the mental health of young people etc etc...same lines as Johnson tbh.

The new variant seems to infect children more easily.  The very real negative consequences of closing schools still exist.

[dirty dingus]

 

Even the Kiwis are ripping the pish