Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Marilyn]

Slept like a log. Nothing like one’s own bed.
Doesn’t help me much though, because now I can’t find what I am looking for! I now remember how to take a screen shot on the iPad, so I shall catch it next time I see it.
Gremlins!

[Stanley]

There are more scams and false information feeds than you can poke a stick at Maz. That item you have seen is too ridiculous to be true so don't worry about it, just look after yourself!

[Marilyn]

The wording in this paragraph has now been altered from what I was referring to, and is now much more benign. It previously said that the numbers were not accurate because people presenting with symptoms were not being tested.
I thought I was going mad not being able to find it, when I had been watching the updated graphs and stats for weeks on this site ( Guardian UK) and had read the same wording day after day. I thought that surely it was not right.
Anyway, it has been changed now.

[Tizer]

Thanks for clearing up that little conundrum, Maz. The Guardian is a great newspaper and I admire the work done by many of its journalists, particularly in dealing with issues that the right wing papers won't touch - but they have always had a reputation for editorial mistakes, which is how they got the nickname `The Grauniad'. Sorting this out has also been useful in making me aware of the existence of that spoof blog - which claims to have `all the latest newts'! It's a jungle out there in Webland!

It's good to see this trial getting positive results with interferon, which is a long established and well researched therapeutic substance. Sue mentioned it some time ago.
`Coronavirus: Protein treatment trial 'a breakthrough'' LINK

Kate Bingham, chairwoman of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce, was interviewed on the radio this morning. A marvellous lady, they should get her out of the cupboard more often! She's full of sensible information, easy to listen to and handled the interview very well. The interviewer kept pushing her to say when a vaccine would be ready and she calmly explained several times that there's no way anyone can give a sure answer to that but she expected the Oxford vaccine could be ready by Christmas if results are positive. It's very difficult to get journalists to understand that there are many potential confounding factors in a drug or vaccine trial. If we knew the outcome in advance life would be much easier but biology isn't like mathematical calculations!

[Tripps]

It's good to see this trial getting positive results with interferon,

Not for me it isn't. I have had a lot of experience with this drug, quite a while ago. I'm not sure if I mentioned the detail earlier. The behaviour of the drug company involved, and the results varied from bad to horrendous.

My immediate reaction is - where has this come from - do they just go back to the 'old drug' cupboard and pick one? 'Let's try this - we''l make a fortune if it does any good at all'. Can the trial group, who I guess were all very ill with the virus at the time, be said to have given voluntary informed consent to the trial?

Finally spraying it deep into the lungs is uncannily similar to what the Orange One said a while ago - to a reception of total derision. In fairness he did suggest bleach rather than Interferon.

PS Kate Bingham - Is she the lady I heard a snip of this morning saying "there never has been a vaccine for coronavirus , and there may never be one" ? Someone did.

[Whyperion]

Part of the point of Coronaviruses, Difficulties of Vaccine - Generally, in the West, Symptoms mild and deaths written off as old age pneumonia, so little money in selling a vaccine. Speed of mutations - faster than Flu Viruses ? . Means to hook into host body - too close to other beneficial things - so no clear marker to hitch a normal immunune respons to (T-Cell work MIGHT work?)/ Fear of the vaccine actually making it easier for the virus to infect ( happens with some blood-fluids transmitted viruses I dont think it is clear why ).

Interesting that supposedly the virus has changed from the intial Chinese observations into one that has addition spike protein arrangment to make it (even more?) efficient in using the ACE-2 receptor.

[Big Kev]

Some positive news from the Oxford bods
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839

The vaccine still needs further testing and 70% had side effects, fever or headache, which was controlled with paracetamol. Sounds promising.

[Stanley]

Early days for any certainty with the vaccines. Yesterday had the smack of good news management to me, but then I am a cynic aren't I.

[Tizer]

Yesterday I commended The Guardian for bringing out stories missed or ignored by other rags. Here's today's example....
[Also noted by SCG in Politics Corner that it was on the Today programme - now we know where Today got it from.]
`Chief nurse was dropped from briefings after refusing to back Cummings' Guardian
`Ruth May tells MPs she was told she was no longer needed after failing to back Johnson adviser. England’s chief nurse has confirmed she was dropped from the Downing Street daily coronavirus briefing after refusing to back Dominic Cummings. Ruth May said that in a trial run for the 1 June briefing, she was asked about Boris Johnson’s chief adviser’s decision to drive his family from London to Durham during lockdown while his wife had suspected Covid-19. After she failed to back Cummings, she said, she was told she was no longer needed for the televised press conference taking place later that day, and she was never given an explanation why. Ministers and No 10 have denied reports that May was stood down over Cummings. Aides to the prime minister briefed journalists at the time that she may not have made it to the briefing because she could have been stuck in traffic..'.

[Marilyn]

We have escalating problems here with idiots sneaking over the border in the boots of cars etc. Also, about 200 people who gave false details at the border and are now out in the community, untraceable.
I think the only way forward is a true lockdown, with jail time anyone flaunting the rules. ( fines are no good.)
These idiots will not be told and we are all going to suffer for their recklessness.
Just to top it off, another Black Lives Matter Rally planned for next week I think. The government should have the balls to ban it, but they are just releasing a simpering statement advising people against attending.

[Stanley]

Bring back the birch Maz?
Yes Peter, I heard her on Today.

[plaques]

Just to top it off, another Black Lives Matter Rally planned for next week I think. The government should have the balls to ban it, but they are just releasing a simpering statement advising people against attending.

I agree they should ban it then we could withdraw from our special agreement with America just like we are doing with China over Hong Kong.
By the 'government' I assume you mean the State Governor or the Mayor. Trump is doing his best by sending in private armies to show them who is boss by putting the boot in and shooting a few of them. That should calm things down. If China or Russia were doing this sort of thing it would be wall to wall coverage in our right-wing press but what do we get, pictures of Prince George.

[Marilyn]

Plaquey, I just want it recorded that I am not against a Black Lives Matter rally.
But can’t we/they do it when things are safer for all of us.
ALL Lives Matter, at this point of proceedings! ( please...don’t put ANY lives at risk. This Virus doesn’t care about skin colour)

[Sue]

I have just been reading a french article about spikes in France, Brittany in particular. There are a number of local outbreaks in areas that did not have many cases in March. This is due to the areas being tourist places. They say the outbreaks have not come from other countries but as a result of the population moving around with the start of school holidays, eg family reunions, birthday parties, seasonal events and activities. A particular problem is the youth up to 25 years of age, who are not prepared to stay for in 14 days if approached by a contact trace team . The spikes are in quite specific localities. Increased testing over the last few weeks has identified more cases, and there is concern over the number of asymptomatic cases. It reads just like the issues in the UK

The authorities in Brittany say there is no need for alarm. As a matter of interest the R factor throughout France is and has always been above 1.0, whereas apart from London and the SWest the R factor here in most cases is between 0.8 and 1 or even lower. I believe it is above 1 in many European countries, though it is 10 days since I read that. Are we doing so bad?

[Stanley]

Looking back at Kate Bingham's responses to impossible questions reminds me that the predilection of interviewers to ask questions seeking a headline rather than proper investigation is a waste of time. Why do interviewees try to answer them when what they should do, a la Bingham, is simply say "Your guess is as good as mine'.
Is it because they are enjoying the public exposure on the air and feel they have to say something?

[Tizer]

Here we go again...another minister caught out. I've just noticed this photo of Rishi Sunak in a new BBC article. He appears to be wearing a bypass mask which is not recommended in the covid crisis. The valve on the side lets out expired air, bypassing the filter. So Rishi is safe but if he had the virus he would be contaminating people around him. He's not the Messiah, he's a naughty boy!

[Big Kev]

It'll be interesting to see how the wearing of face coverings will be enforced...
'Shop staff and security guards can already detain shoplifters while waiting for the police to arrive. However, the general power of the citizen's arrest is only exercisable to apprehend criminals committing offences that would go before a judge and jury. A penalty ticket for being socially obnoxious would not cross that high bar.'

Is 'being socially obnoxious' the terminology that will be used to shame people into wearing them?

The other 'anti-maskers' argument that wearing them should have been brought in months ago doesn't seem a valid argunet to me, weren't we all supposed to be 'staying at home' months ago?

I'll just carry on as I am...

[PanBiker]

The entire situation is not helped by the fact that the shopkeeper is not obliged to wear a mask. How does that work? Looks like an instant get out of jail free card situation for those that wont comply.

Three folk in a shop, one shopkeeper two customers, all sharing the same space and air, customers have masks, shopkeeper doesn't. What if the shopkeeper is the asymptomatic "Typhoid Mary"?

[Big Kev]

I did notice that staff in Aldi were wearing masks, not sure if that was personal choice. Just a shame that only a few of the customers were wearing them.

[Tripps]

I listen to Oldham Community Radio on the interweb. A presenter on his day off, has just phoned in to express dismay that in Royton this morning in the market, and at the shops, almost no one is keeping to social distancing at all. He has forecast that Oldham will soon be joining Leicester, Blackburn etc at the top of the infection tables.

[Big Kev]

Some people just don't get it...

[Tizer]

I went into a Tesco Metro today while visiting a small local town. I only wanted to visit the toilets - there''s nowhere else to go except behind the bushes! I put my mask on before entering and the lady on the door was telling everybody to remember they would need to wear a mask as from tomorrow. She told me that hardly anybody else is wearing a mask and she expects loads to turn up tomorrow without bringing a mask. She's not looking forward to tomorrow's door duties!

[Big Kev]

Perhaps the lady on the door could mention, to coronavirus, that it's not allowed to infect anyone until tomorrow...

[Tizer]

I see Sainsbury's and Asda say they won't enforce the mask rules, it's not their responsibility (it's in a Telegraph front page headline today). Surely they have a responsibility to do their best to protect the health of people entering their stores and who are responsible for them having a profitable business?

I noted the news this morning `Most people in England to be offered flu vaccine' BBC In my opinion that's wrong - they should be told to get vaccinated against flu (and covid-19 when it's available) and face prosecution if they don't. It's time to face up to the anti-vaxers. I know there might not be enough flu vaccine to go around at first but we need to rectify that problem too. The government needs to go further with its preparation against a possible flu epidemic next winter. It seems they haven't yet realised that a flu outbreak later this year won't only cause more health problems but it will be another nail in the coffin of our economy. They didn't prepare in advance for the economic effects of covid and they're still not doing it for flu. The wombles could govern us better than the present lot!

[PanBiker]

It said on the radio report this morning that it would be expanded to the over 50's.