Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Billy Jean King]

Havent heard of where its happening in Girvan. Although my aunt and uncle as well as my neighbour have to go to the community hospital to get theirs...on weekend days

I wasn't listening that intently unfortunately. I can check the minutes on Monday although I think it might be common knowledge by then. Apparently the letters are over 65s plus over 70s.

[vikingTON]

48 minutes ago, renton said:

I still have doubts about the tier system as a means of reducing infections over time. Especially for the big urban areas. Edinburgh went into tier 3 and then limped along at the same daily infection level for about 2 months afterwards. It took tier 4 in the West to start to reduce infections there.

On the basis that tier 3 and 2 aren't hugely worth having by themselves, and their only utility is as a means a graduated decrease of cases, and that isn't how it actually works - then is it worth hammering away at case rates in tier 4 until we can get into tier 1, then figure out how to stay there while vaccinations hit the levels required to stunt community transmission?

The straightforward solution to make tiers 3 and 4 effective is to close schools in them instead of pretending that they can be somehow magically separated from community transmission. 

Swinney himself now admits that the 'safe' schools contribute a whopping 0.2 of the overall R rate. You can safely double that for the real figure. That is why tiers have not been as effective as hoped for.

[NotThePars]

4 hours ago, Wee Willie said:

What about whit's his name. The guy with the long hair...looks like a dick. His name's Oliver but no Stan or Jim.

 

10 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

Unlike myself and VT that w@nk is actually an archaeologist, not a historian.

Was gonna say myself that I don't think he fulfils either of the criteria. And who wants to hear what an archaeologist has to say? Nobody, that's right.

[buchan30]

Was gonna say myself that I don't think he fulfils either of the criteria. And who wants to hear what an archaeologist has to say? Nobody, that's right.

Exactly. We need someone who can deal with the present situation. Not someone who is just going to keep digging up the past.

[Glen Sannox]

54 minutes ago, Snafu said:

Why the Tory rage over the SG wanting to be transparent over the supply figures?

Do they have something to hide?

Procurement procedure generally is secretive. It is still prudent to keep certain things under one’s hat. I think the SG have been very churlish with this one.

[tamthebam]

Ma Bam (78) hasn't had a vaccine letter yet 

She's not particularly bothered "oh, I'm just a non-person and it says in the paper if you don't get a letter just phone the doc"

She doesn't get the ordinary flu vaccine so I wonder if that is why she hasn't had a notice yet 

[NotThePars]

3 minutes ago, buchan30 said:

Exactly. We need someone who can deal with the present situation. Not someone who is just going to keep digging up the past.

Can't co-sign this sorry! History is easily top 2 of the humanities.

[Steven W]

3 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

It was either yesterday or Wednesday someone at work mentioned a testing centre, and I cant imagine it being so quick to get set up that it's not in response to figures you already have? 

 

Sounds odd. 

Went to book a test there. Was told symptomatic cases only.

Doesn't sound right, and very disappointing of it is. I'm sure I read it was open to anyone living or working in the town, symptomatic or not.

[superbigal]

I still have doubts about the tier system as a means of reducing infections over time. Especially for the big urban areas. Edinburgh went into tier 3 and then limped along at the same daily infection level for about 2 months afterwards. It took tier 4 in the West to start to reduce infections there.
On the basis that tier 3 and 2 aren't hugely worth having by themselves, and their only utility is as a means a graduated decrease of cases, and that isn't how it actually works - then is it worth hammering away at case rates in tier 4 until we can get into tier 1, then figure out how to stay there while vaccinations hit the levels required to stunt community transmission?

Doubts or not about the tier/level system. It is what is currently the default. As nothing has changed or been offered then the natural progression is back to said system via an announcement on Tuesday.
Level 4 for any council above 200, level 3 for any above 100. That taking into account the levels of bed occupation in hospitals should be the least we deserve for our efforts.
As I said, lockdown cos a couple of sheep farmers on some out of the way island caught the virus, is unacceptable.

[Glen Sannox]

29 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Odds on Scotland isn't getting supplied as quickly as other parts of the UK so BJ can make the SNP look bad on vaccination rates. Anything related to AZ and the EU is out in the open by now.

Odds on Scotland are getting supplied as quickly as other parts of the UK, they are just as expected, making an arse of it and blaming everyone else.

[vikingTON]

14 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

 

Was gonna say myself that I don't think he fulfils either of the criteria. And who wants to hear what an archaeologist has to say? Nobody, that's right.

Anyone whose idea of a good weekend involves a field dig to unearth the Lost Roman Latrines of Shitstown-on-Sea instead of an away day to Berwick with a slab of cans shouldn't even be allowed to mix with the rest of society. They're only using that experience to work out where to bury their hookers. 

Edited January 29, 2021 by vikingTON

[Left Back]

25 minutes ago, Michael W said:

The EU blocking exports of the Pfizer vaccine might end up buggering everything up. What does this mean for second doses, for example? 

This is a dreadful development, not only for the UK and anyone else that's waiting on deliveries, but because it's probably going to prompt similar elsewhere. 

All because the EU made a c**t of it. 

Where are you seeing that they’re blocking exports?  As fas as I can see the export restrictions announced today amount to filling in a form to tell the EU what you’re up to.  
 

Not saying it won’t come to that but if it does the EU will have wasted a lot of vaccine if we can’t give people their second dose of Pfizer.  No doubt the government won’t waste any time pointing that out to the world.

if it did come to that could we start our Pfizer recipients again on AZ?

[renton]

 

15 minutes ago, virginton said:

The straightforward solution to make tiers 3 and 4 effective is to close schools in them instead of pretending that they can be somehow magically separated from community transmission. 

Swinney himself now admits that the 'safe' schools contribute a whopping 0.2 of the overall R rate. You can safely double that for the real figure. That is why tiers have not been as effective as hoped for.

Is that all?

[Left Back]

2 minutes ago, renton said:

 

Is that all?

Perhaps swinney should get back to school to learn something about numbers.

[ICTChris]

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.

[vikingTON]

4 minutes ago, renton said:

 

Is that all?

The median R rate for the current lockdown is 0.85, so what will happen when we add the 0.2 (and the fucking rest) to that sum?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Braying rap lectures from the SG about why oh why Glasgow has 'stubbornly high' infection rates into June. 

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by vikingTON

[Left Back]

2 minutes 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.

Have you got a link to this?  I’ve missed it.

[Left Back]

3 minutes ago, virginton said:

The median R rate for the current lockdown is 0.85, so what will happen when we add the 0.

0.85 + 0 is 0.85 Mr. Swinney

[renton]

3 minutes ago, virginton said:

The median R rate for the current lockdown is 0.85, so what will happen when we add the 0.2 (and the fucking rest) to that sum?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

Braying rap lectures from the SG about why oh why Glasgow has 'stubbornly high' infection rates into June. 

 

Was this part of a breakdown of R by all sources or was it just the school stuff? 

I guess the thing is that a tier system won't work if you then open up anything greater than an additive effect of R = 0.15 given the current median R, right? So even if you keep the schools shut, if opening non essential retail and restaurants and cafes generates an additive R effect near or greater than schools, then the thing will be fucked anyway.

Which would mean we would need to drive R down to 0.6 (ish) before you could start to think about having the budget for opening up.

 

[craigkillie]

Looking at the daily new infection numbers, the trend would suggest that we could be below 100 new cases per day in Scotland by the end of February.
As you say, if many areas are not at least in Level 3 by that time, nor a route map of how to get to Level 0, then it raises big questions.

Level 0 was specifically described as being the maximum relaxation without an effective vaccine. We now have an effective vaccine, so any roadmap should include a path towards even more relaxed restrictions, a Level -1 if you will.