Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Tizer]

`UK vaccine approval: Did Brexit speed up the process?' LINK
`Health Secretary Matt Hancock has claimed Brexit allowed the UK to approve a Covid vaccine more quickly than other European Union (EU) countries. "We do all the same safety checks and the same processes, but we have been able to speed up how they're done because of Brexit," he said in an interview with Times Radio. And the Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, tweeted: "We could only approve this vaccine so quickly because we have left the EU."

Because of Brexit? Like that ad on the bus claiming loads of money by leaving the EU, this is just the usual fabrication to buttress the Tory Brexit project. The article explains why the claims are untrue. Lying? Our government ministers, surely not!

[Stanley]

Gavin Williamson is no better. Asked if he could explain why we had approved the vaccine for use before anyone else he jumped straight in and declared it was because the British are best at everything. That has got a cool reception from the EU and one can't blame them. Is Williamson stupid or simply immature?

[Big Kev]

Facebook land is full of people bleating on about not having the covid vaccine. This pretty much sums up a lot of them...

Screenshot_20201203-132611_Metal Pro.jpg

[Tizer]

Kev, it's no wonder that's been happening for so long and has become so common - Facebook have only just said they will start removing false claims about Covid-19 vaccines. Shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted, perhaps? The BBC journalist says: `But fears remain that yet another commitment to tackle misinformation by the social media site will not translate into effective action - or be the right approach.' It's time they were held accountable for all the damage done.
`Facebook to take down false vaccine claims' LINK

[Big Kev]

As fast as they take stuff down someone will post another...

[Big Kev]

My Facebook 'blocked' list is bigger than my friends list. Makes it a much more civilised environment.

[Tripps]

I'm puzzled a bit about a number of issues here. (Ed. No change there then )

I could if I wanted as I understand it, to go into a 'bubble' with my son and his family. I have chosen not to. Today he tells me that they have all got a bad cold. (A type of Coronavirus I think). No doubt from his children who are at school, or his wife who works part time at the same school. What if that had been Covid 19 and I had visited them?

They say - Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. I think Dominic Cummings agrees.

********************************

I noted down the pecking order for vaccination when it was announced.

New Minister for jabs appointed yesterday. Nadhim Zahawi. MP ( Kurdistan West & former close colleague of Jeffrey Archer)

The vaccine priority queue ranked:
1. Residents and staff in a care home for older adults
2. All those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers
3. All those 75 years of age and over
4. All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (not including pregnant women and those under 18 years of age)

I didn't think the order would last long, but expected more than a few days ! There are hints of changes already to the order, now it has been realised that the logistics of this deep frozen drug do not lend themselves to taking tens of doses round to individual care homes. I now hear that the residents will be taken to Hospitals rather than the drug being taken to the home. Good luck with that, and how is 'informed consent' to be obtained from all residents. What of bed bound residents?

I realise that a lot of brilliant people are wrestling with a difficult problem. (Not a challenge - a problem ) I wish them well and I think they will find an answer. Hurry up please - I'm in Group 3 and getting a bit impatient.

[plaques]

It appears the deep freeze drug comes in boxes of 975. (now there's an interesting one for puzzle corner, why and how 975 ?) But there's a difficulty in splitting these boxes, perhaps transferring them to smaller boxes with dry ice in may work, but who am I? So there's a search on for old folks homes with 975 patients. And then a hospital with a catchment area of 975 of over 80s, God help global warming but a nice little earner for the hospital car parks. This is definitely going to be a three pipe problem. Van-Tam said it was going to be a big logistical problem. Meanwhile Boris has got his foot on the throat of the virus so that gives us a bit of time to sort it out.
Seeing headlines quoting 'game over', 'game changer' never realized it was a game, the score so far virus 60,000 humans 0.

[Stanley]

It might turn out that there is a difference between approving a vaccine and actually getting it into someone.... According to Hancock they'll be knocking on my door on Monday. I shall report when it happens.

[Tizer]

But there's a difficulty in splitting these boxes, perhaps transferring them to smaller boxes with dry ice in may work, but who am I?

Like everything with this virus pandemic, it all comes down to logistics. There probably wouldn't be enough dry ice available, especially if it's needed everywhere. Also dry ice is dangerous - it causes bad skin burns and can cause suffocation if used in unventilated areas.

[Stanley]

Matt Hancock has sent me an eight page letter which tells me nothing useful except where to register for Vitamin D supplement. No mention of vaccines.
Who is going to read and digest eight A4 pages of type?

[Sue]

Matt Hancock has sent me an eight page letter which tells me nothing useful except where to register for Vitamin D supplement. No mention of vaccines.
Who is going to read and digest eight A4 pages of type?

Its a reaction to everyone saying the government are keeping info back. Now its info overload. I had the same problem at work when we were re organised, from getting no mail in my pigeon hole to having to empty it three times a day. Management could always say then ‘ well you were told’ . I had a two box and a bin system under my desk . Box 1 this weeks garbage mail, box 2 last weeks garbage mail , which was left after anything important had been removed. The bin was for Friday night clear out of box 2 so it could be box 1 the next week. Worked a treat!

[Sue]

Oh yes, if by any chance box 2 had anything relevant it went into a similar two tier in tray ! Current and waiting, waiting for the bin

[Tizer]

Ever since the start of the pandemic I've been ranting about the need to know the accuracy of tests. There have been some warnings in the last day or so about the new fast tests, especially when used to screen students before they leave university for Christmas. Now there's more concerns about care homes too...

`City stops care home tests over accuracy fears' LINK
`Greater Manchester councils have become the latest to pause rapid testing for care home visitors over concerns they fail to detect enough infections. Data suggests the rapid kits miss about a third of the most infectious cases picked up by conventional lab tests....Their speed, and the fact they don't need to be taken to a lab, mean these tests - in theory - can be used to make on-the-spot decisions such as deciding if someone can go into premises like a care home or event venue. Manchester's decision follows similar assessments by Sheffield and Liverpool..'.

[Sue]

Ever since the start of the pandemic I've been ranting about the need to know the accuracy of tests. There have been some warnings in the last day or so about the new fast tests, especially when used to screen students before they leave university for Christmas. Now there's more concerns about care homes too...

`City stops care home tests over accuracy fears' LINK
`Greater Manchester councils have become the latest to pause rapid testing for care home visitors over concerns they fail to detect enough infections. Data suggests the rapid kits miss about a third of the most infectious cases picked up by conventional lab tests....Their speed, and the fact they don't need to be taken to a lab, mean these tests - in theory - can be used to make on-the-spot decisions such as deciding if someone can go into premises like a care home or event venue. Manchester's decision follows similar assessments by Sheffield and Liverpool..'.

My feelings exactly Tiz. First we are told that the UK is sticking to the lab tests because they are more accurate next thing they rolled out the fast ones that had just been discredited . Right from the start these were described as only 60% accurate and often missed the highest viral load, plus had a very high rate of both false positive and false negative

[Stanley]

I agree with both of you. I think the sudden reverse ferret on the quick tests was the heat the government were under on the grounds of care home visits. They were desperate because they know their track record on care homes is dire. Like many knee jerk actions real life got in the way like people saying sensible things about the tests like you two and the relaxation isn't happening.

[plaques]

The vaccines re coming, then there's problems of distribution which looks like they have been solved.
Vaccines.
The chief commercial officer for BioNTech, Sean Marett, said there would be more shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is made in Belgium, next week.
He said the first batch arrived on Thursday via the Eurotunnel and they were then transported to a storage facility.
Mr Hopson said the vaccines will by now have reached the hospital hubs to enable vaccinations to begin on Tuesday.
Hospitals were working out how many care home residents, care home staff and over-80s they can get it to, he said.

We can only hope that local deliveries are organised through local networks. I'm sure there are plenty of volunteer services who would be all too willing to speed this distribution up. Even the local pizza man could do better than the dead hand of No10s involvement.

Personally I would be quite happy to wait another month if they gave priority to the front line NHS staff and care homes.

[Tizer]

More on the radio this morning about the so-called `lateral testing' and false negatives. People who should know better saying `It's worth having the tests because then we pick up the infected people before they go into care homes or back to families' etc. They don't seem to grasp that all those false negative people are, by definition, infected yet will be allowed to spread the virus into care homes or families or other groups.

Also on the radio this morning, a lady I think from somewhere like Public Health England said that a survey has shown that of all the people who are contacted by Track & Trace and told to isolate only 11% obey the instructions. Tell me if my maths is wrong but I calculate that means 89% carry on as normal even though they may well be infected! We almost choked on our corn flakes!

[Cathy]

D8DC4633-E47F-4F03-990E-D38640614D4C.png

Were you thinking something like the above Tize?
Definitely worrying.

[Whyperion]

Gavin Williamson is no better. Asked if he could explain why we had approved the vaccine for use before anyone else he jumped straight in and declared it was because the British are best at everything. That has got a cool reception from the EU and one can't blame them. Is Williamson stupid or simply immature?

I think it is a hope to try an talk up a German Company, (led on the vaccine by an Eastern European?) Made In Belgium thing as best of British, keeping the flag waving in place for the blue wall

[Tizer]

Were you thinking something like the above Tize? Definitely worrying.

Could be, Cathy. That cartoon reminds me of one of my all time favourite Larsson cartoons. A scientist (white coat, mask, gloves etc) is leaning over a very large, fat bomb that's sitting on the table in front of him. He's using a screwdriver to apply the final touches. Behind him his colleague, with a big grin, is holding an inflated bag and is about to clap his hands on it!

[Stanley]

"Personally I would be quite happy to wait another month if they gave priority to the front line NHS staff and care homes."
I'll join you in that one Ken. Much of the perceived problems with distribution of the vaccine are centred round the push to get good news into the economy as soon as possible. I see the latest version is that old farts like me will be summonsed to the surgery from Monday week onwards. Let's wait and see.
I heard that woman as well Peter and wondered if it was Dido Harding. I had exactly the same reaction, she was not addressing the lamentable failure of the system but defending it. Far too much of that going on. That's why straight answers to questions are so thin on the ground.

[plaques]

The covid vaccines are now ready to be rolled out, good news all round and well done those researchers and manufactures who have been involved with this enterprise. Unfortunately there are some caveats to this euphoria my analogy of vaccines is like that of using parachutes. 1 in 10 chutes may not deploy properly and you could hit the ground with fatal consequences. Many will land and walk away with no ill affects others may suffer affects but will recover from them. You may also need to repeat the parachute jump every year. My comment to those anti-vaxxers is do you feel lucky and wait until the plane crashes or take a parachute?

[Tizer]

Distribution of the vaccine is difficult not only because of the temperature constraints but also the security aspects. Interpol has warned that there is a serious risk from powerful criminal groups who regard the vaccine as `liquid gold' and are planning to steal supplies. It's not an over-statement, there will be people ready to make their fortunes (or further fortunes) from stealing and selling on large quantities of the vaccine. Therefore the transport and all storage facilities have to be made very secure. The government now says military aircraft are on standby to fly in the vaccines from overseas if Brexit causes blockages at the ports. I guess they may choose to send it that way for the sake of security and faster delivery.

Meanwhile, our own National Cyber Force (NCF) is warning the public to beware of scams based on the vaccine. it's not simply misinformation that we've already seen but now includes attempts to sell false vaccines online or to use it as a lure to get people's personal and bank information etc.

We know the university research departments and vaccine manufacturers have been under repeated cyber attack from foreign agents trying to access useful technical information and the NCF and GCHQ have been `on the case'.

So the moral is BEWARE THE VACCINE SCAMS!

[plaques]

For those who like to ponder over statistics the list below shows the number of people in Pendle for each age group. These numbers become relevant when considering the distribution logistics of the covid vaccine. The over 80+ at 4,256 may be more difficult to reach because of their location in care homes or restricted mobility. Other groups although larger may be more mobile and easier to reach.


Age Distribution (E 2019) (Pendle Statistics )
0-9 years 12,500
10-19 years 10,966
20-29 years 10,354
30-39 years 12,581
40-49 years 11,209
50-59 years 11,891
60-69 years 10,386
70-79 years 7,969
80+ years 4,256