Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Stanley]

Tiz, just when you thought it was safe to come out of the bunker.... First the Leicester cock up which has highlighted the big mistake of centralising testing and tracing and now the threat of an attack from a combined virus! Reminds me of the Seven Plagues of Egypt!

[Marilyn]

Some postcodes in Victoria are in lockdown once again, and our internal borders remain closed to them. If they come, they must self isolate for two weeks at their own expense. They blame the fresh outbreak on lax private security guards that allowed those in isolation to skip out of the hotel. No more private security guards. Now it will be police and military personnel on security duty.

[Stanley]

I hear that a lockdown has been re-introduced in some areas of Melbourne...

[Marilyn]

That is what I was referring to...yes...(and they are making another charge for toilet paper, pasta and paper towels!)

[Stanley]

Sorry Maz, so you did. I missed that! (I'm getting old!)

[plaques]

They blame the fresh outbreak on lax private security guards that allowed those in isolation to skip out of the hotel. No more private security guards.

Impossible, a privately run firm never fails they are more efficient and less costly than any government scheme. Its just propaganda to shift the blame away from government mistakes when everyone knows its their fault by opening up too soon.

► Show Spoiler

Satire

[Tizer]

Another report by the BBC's Medical Correspondent Fergus Walsh. I'm not posting these to frighten people but because he has good insights into what's really happening and I think more needs to be said about the side effects of this virus. Too many people think it's just a dose of what they call `flu' (ie. bad cold).
`Coronavirus: What does Covid-19 do to the brain?' LINK

[Whyperion]

I think flu can mush (figuratively not literally) the brain, effects are less long term (? - no one has looked so no-one knows).

I commented some time back about the Clotting of Blood situation. Further reading actually threw up two ways Blood Clots, and both mechanisms have been found in Covid-19 patients - so no other means of clotting has been found that the virus directly is working - at least the same protein/chemical triggers are in use, therefore appropriate reversing drugs are effective. To me it is not clear if this clotting is indeed ' a result of an over-active / incorrect immune response ("I see damage therefore a temporary plug and repair is needed") or if the Virus protein elements themselves mimic the chemical command to clot process. But as the chemical cause and outcome is the same this is why existing anti-clotting is effective.

Local England Hot spots - I muse that these are areas where a high Indian population many whom are mini-cab drivers are a vector in transmission with fewer people using buses ?

[Cathy]

No Plaques. Dare I say it... they are impatient Morons and Yahoo’s. They think their wants override others safety. If they can’t conform like everyone else, then ‘lock them down’ !!

[Tripps]

A few clues here as to why Leicester is having to stay in lockdown for a while longer. worth a look.

Leicester lockdown

[Sue]

There is talk of a local lockdown in Rochdale, we are 4 th on the list but considerably lower than Leicester but too near the magic number. It seems the figures on June 21st are key but the numbers have dropped substantially this week . I put it on Rochdale facebook page, they took it off implying I was putting old data on and would not accept it was news released today. Council denying it but rumours are rampant! Its a Trump scenario, we have high numbers because the testing was increased. Perhaps we should stop testing! We shall see.

[Marilyn]

The message they seem to be projecting is “ if we had of tested less, our numbers would look better (!) and we wouldn’t know there were so many cases (!) and wouldn’t we all look good and feel so much better about things not knowing that so many people were sick (!)
The vision of an Ostrich with its head in the sand comes to mind.
Testing should be ramped up, not down.

Meanwhile the ( thus far undisclosed) “private security firm/s” that allowed many people to bunk out of quarantine has been accused of filling in false time sheets, claiming they worked on days when they didn’t AND sleeping with the people who were supposed to be in isolation. I was beginning to believe some of it, but the sleeping with people in quarantine took it to another level for me. I would like to see this company ( or companies) come forward and defend themselves...unless it is all true of course...but you would think names would have come up by now.
And people in lock-down postcodes in Victoria are going to extraordinary lengths to change their addresses on line
Meanwhile, toilet paper stocks plummet...

[Stanley]

We are going to see a lot of these secondary outbreaks. My precautions don't need to change.....

[Sue]

Or ours Stanley

[Wendyf]

I follow the daily figures for the North West on the Pendle Today website, there is a second link which breaks down the Lancashire County Council area into areas.

https://www.pendletoday.co.uk/health/co ... 20-2441433

[Marilyn]

But WHY in that area? Is it wayward youths wandering the streets and refusing to stay home, a pub culture, small crowded households, small crowded shops? I don’t really understand. How is living in these areas contributing to the spread of disease?

[plaques]

Most of us in our twilight years will carry on not doing what we have been not doing before. But Tripps link and some BBC reports point out that this is nowhere a level playing field. Some people are desperate for income that they are on the edge of the abyss where they cannot pay their way and worst still cannot afford meals for there families. A small minority of firms are taking advantage of this situation by threatening to sack the workers if they do not comply to THEIR rules. Capitalism at its worst. People are now or should be well tuned to the fact that there is a two week delay between cause, let more people lose for covid fodder, and effect seeing new cases rise because there are more people in the loop. Chopping and dicing numbers into small fragments only hides the problem making it part of the blame game, Its not me its you syndrome.

[Tizer]

I've been reading more about the observation that blood levels of protective T-cells plummets in people with serious covid-19 infection. During infection the T-cells normally rush to the rescue and destroy infected cells but it seems like covid-19 is preventing this somehow. Research on this is being done jointly in London between Kings College and Guys & St Thomas Hospital led by Professor Adrian Hayday. We've just donated money to their research fund. If you want to donate go to this page King's College and click on Make a Donation. You can donate any amount by entering the figure in the £ box or using the little up/down arrows, then tick anonymous (unless you want your name on the web `Donation Wall'). You don't need to fill in any of the personal details. We've also been giving money to our local hospital during the pandemic. Every little helps and we also get a warm feeling by having contributed to defeating the nasty virus!

This was the recent BBC news story: `Coronavirus: Immune clue sparks treatment hope' BBC

[Stanley]

Essentially you are right Ken. Some will nit pick about local testing and better information but the need to survive is at the root of the problem. What do you do if you have hungry kids, household expenses and rent and you aren't eligible for any of the extraordinary Treasury schemes. Don't forget that many of the schemes are coming to an end shortly so there will be even more desperate people.

[Marilyn]

Is it that people have so little self worth that Covid restrictions are beyond their daily grasp?

[Tripps]

and you aren't eligible for any of the extraordinary Treasury schemes.

I am guessing the sweat shop workers in the area of Leicester that has seen a surge in infection recently did not qualify to be put on the 'furlough' scheme. You need a P.A.Y.E record to qualify for it.

I'm struggling to keep up at the moment, and like Stanley I'm making my own plans for the near future. I'm in a better position than most to cope, but it's starting to 'get to me'.

[Tizer]

Don't miss the latest episode of Americast to find out how the US is coping (or not) with covid and the coming election... Americast
`Four months until the election and lots to discuss. Trump’s poll numbers are falling, and coronavirus cases are rising. Americast is back.'

[Whyperion]

I've been reading more about the observation that blood levels of protective T-cells plummets in people with serious covid-19 infection. During infection the T-cells normally rush to the rescue and destroy infected cells but it seems like covid-19 is preventing this somehow. Research on this is being done jointly in London between Kings College and Guys & St Thomas Hospital led by Professor Adrian Hayday. We've just donated money to their research fund. If you want to donate go to this page King's College

I thought the virus is less preventing, more works in steath mode so not detected as hostile ( wonder what is true - offense is easier to combat, cloaking with a useful think is not ).

No numbers out for 01/07 as yet so far as I can see.

Other thing - should Starmer pick this up - for the clothing and food factories sick/isolating have choice of work on full pay or home sick on SSP or employer sick pay schemes - surely the Furlough scheme needs tweaking - to be those that are fit to work and employer needs them, 100% pay and work, those that are ill 60% of pay plus housing costs 14 days from govt , likewise if commanded to isolate on suspicion from contact testing. Unfit to work due to underlying conditions min £200 per week per person UC plus uplift premiums (rent/ mort int) all from Govt per household. This may seem generous but with cash in people will spend back out in due course.

01/07 numbers 576 / 89 deaths
02/07 numbers 544 / 137 deaths
03/07 numbers 624 / 97 deaths
04/07 numbers 516 / 22 deaths
05/07 numbers 352 / 16 deaths
06/07 numbers 581 / 155 deaths
07/07 numbers 630 / 162 deaths
08/07 numbers 642 / 85 deaths
09/07 numbers 512 / 46 deaths
10/07 numbers 820 / 148 deaths
11/07 numbers 650 / 21 deaths
12/07 numbers 530 / 11 deaths
13/07 numbers 398 / 138 deaths
14/07 numbers 538 / 85 deaths
15/07 numbers 642 / 66 deaths
16/07 numbers 638 / not given deaths

[Whyperion]

I've been reading more about the observation that blood levels of protective T-cells plummets in people with serious covid-19 infection. During infection the T-cells normally rush to the rescue and destroy infected cells but it seems like covid-19 is preventing this somehow. Research on this is being done jointly in London between Kings College and Guys & St Thomas Hospital led by Professor Adrian Hayday. We've just donated money to their research fund. If you want to donate go to this page King's College

I thought the virus is less preventing, more works in steath mode so not detected as hostile ( wonder what is true - offense is easier to combat, cloaking with a useful think is not ).

Read the article (had noted before but forget mentally about it- again if its ppmml are there more of other things, or if virus is killing of t-cells (or the t-cell production plant ) is that not similar to AIDS ?

No numbers out for 01/07 as yet so far as I can see.

Other thing - should Starmer pick this up - for the clothing and food factories sick/isolating have choice of work on full pay or home sick on SSP or employer sick pay schemes - surely the Furlough scheme needs tweaking - to be those that are fit to work and employer needs them, 100% pay and work, those that are ill 60% of pay plus housing costs 14 days from govt , likewise if commanded to isolate on suspicion from contact testing. Unfit to work due to underlying conditions min £200 per week per person UC plus uplift premiums (rent/ mort int) all from Govt per household. This may seem generous but with cash in people will spend back out in due course.

[Marilyn]

I'm struggling to keep up at the moment, and like Stanley I'm making my own plans for the near future. I'm in a better position than most to cope, but it's starting to 'get to me'.
[/quote from Tripps]

I think it gets to us all now and then Trippy. When Lockdown first began, I had good days and bad days ( I call them bad days, but they were days when I simply didn’t want to do much...which is unusual for me. I found most people had similar days too).
Now, I’m pretty much used to it, but the occasional desire to hit the shops or see something different ( a day out with lunch etc!) would be nice. I do get a bit bored of watching the rain run down the windows at this time of year. Sometimes I wonder what we used to do with our time.

Raining again today, so I pulled everything out from under the stairs and sorted through it. Now there is little left under there beyond some boxes and packaging ( should we ever decide to move house!). A bit of a mindless exercise, but all tidy below stairs now. I have developed the habit of cleaning out drawers and cupboards quite regularly nowadays...