Off Topic Coronavirus

As a Boris-hater (what with him being totally unfit for the role for so many reasons and all that) it’s been a huge success so far. I doubt it’s one of the things he’s “personally taken charge of” somehow.

So much can be achieved with the resources in the right hands.

 

Whatever Watford... things are running well so stop moaning.

 

I’ve said it’s been a huge success. Well done whoever didn’t choose to outsource it to Serco.

 

We do now have the highest death rate in the world so that does temper the vaccine joy somewhat.

 

Really? Blimey!

 

Only for the latest week but we don’t do country comparisons any more except the ones we do.

 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

 

I don't believe that is correct although we do have a high death rate.

 

Just 25 doses given in low income countries, all of them in 1 country Guinea, compared to 39 million in the World's wealthier counties, according to the WHO, who warn of hoarding, and richer Countries going round Covax, a global vaccine sharing fund.

 

You wonder why certain areas always seem to be virus 'hotspots'? This company should have their licence revoked...

 

This is indeed shocking, but there is no way many of the poorest countries can deliver the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, they just don’t have the deep freeze infrastructure. Even the Oxford one might be a challenge in some places, but the vast production in India is aimed to go to poorer countries as well as India.

Ultimately it’s in everyone’s interest for everyone, wherever they are, to be vaccinated. Pockets of remaining virus will not only restrict travel but up the chances of a new, vaccine resistant, variant emerging.

 

It seems the Covid-related hiatus on cancer surgeries was short-lived, at least in North-West London. I just had a call from my consultant to say that they're now using private hospitals for some operations and that I should be notified in a couple of weeks when mine is scheduled to take place.

 

BBC trailers for their now daily harrowing visit to the ‘frontline’ ie a hospital now features melancholy music. This is for an item by Clive Myrie which will be featured in its news bulletins.

I think I may have lost track of what ‘news’ actually is and how it should be presented.

Now watching the item on the news. It’s not news, it’s intended to manipulate our emotions to both fear the virus and love the NHS. Fair enough, but a series of human interest stories are not my idea of what a ‘hard’ news programme should be about. Why not have another programme dedicated to Clive’s time in the Royal London? Apparently he and his camera crew have been getting in the way there for ten days, that must be worth a couple of hours of new programming. At least they didn’t use the music on the actual news.

 

Wow. Sadly the testing seems to be very hit and miss. Fingers crossed. However have you really not seen any of Breaking Bad yet? I thought I was a latecomer two years ago. You're in for a treat. But the follow up 'Better call Saul' is even better

 

I stopped watching news bulletins in the first lockdown due to their levels of propaganda. I can see that it serves a purpose, but like you I would prefer that they stuck to actual news. Report the facts - deaths, hospital admissions etc. - but the leave the melodrama to Eastenders.

 

Same here, not seen the news for coming on close to a year now

 

I too have avoided a lot of news programmes for a few months.
They're full of depressing scaremongering and seem to revel in all the gloom.

On the vaccine, it seems that everyone over 50 is planned to have theirs by the end of April.
Have I got that right?
I thought those under 60 were going to have to wait longer than that?
It would be nice to think that me and the missus will get ours by then.

 

From Thursday I’m only interested in the over 60s mate.........

Seriously, I’m getting the impression that it depends a bit on where you live, but April doesn’t seem out of the question the way things are going, if the aim is all the over 70s and clinically vulnerable done by mid February. Just been saying at home I’ll be mightily pissed off if, after a year of avoiding it, I get the virus between now and vaccination day.

 

Army called in to help up here, assume something similar is going on down where you all are?

Covid in Scotland: Army helping set up 80 new vaccine centres

British Army soldiers are helping to establish 80 new Covid vaccine centres across Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said 98 soldiers were being deployed to identify suitable sites and aid deliveries of the vaccine.

More than 200,000 people in Scotland have already received their first dose.

The UK's vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi said the Army would be setting up the sites before conducting a "smooth handover" to NHS Scotland.

The soldiers are from the Royal Army Medical Corps and Leuchars-based Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

The Scottish government has said it wanted to vaccinate the over-80s, care home residents and staff, front-line health workers and social care workers by the beginning of February - about 560,000 people.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55695133

 

Happy Birthday for Thursday Stan.......60 is ok, it's the new 40 or will be when we get the vaccine......

At least the UK have done a good job on that......we're trundling along at the moment worried about the delivery of vaccines. Some uproar here in the media as a couple of weeks ago one of the hospitals had 16 doses left over and rather than waste them used them to vaccinate family members of hospital staff, 7 of whom were over 70 and a couple were the teenage kids of the hospital master as they call them here........well he's apologised profusely but said that at 9:30pm at night he could not get hold of anyone in the top tier category to give the vaccine to so rather than waste it gave it to those who made themselves available........personally I don't have a problem with that as at least someone has benefited and it wasn't thrown away.......

Only real concern I have at the moment is that I'm so far down the pecking order that it will be late summer before I get the jab, so looks like any holiday plans are buggered.......

Numbers of new daily infections are dropping so lock down seems to be working........