Coronavirus

[Stagger]

The search for a vaccine is a red herring.
The stats now show that the virus kills mainly old or ill people.
The death rates in younger healthy people is similar to influenza.i.e. just under 500 per year.
It really is time to release the healthy under 60's back to a normal life.
Everyone else can take precautions ranging from current distancing/masking/hygiene regimes to full shielding.

Brilliant.

But don't tell my employer.

I nipped in the other day to carry out some essential certificate requests.

Got a mega bollocking tell me only to come in when invited.

Perfect. That suits me just fine.

[molehill]

Looking like here in Wales we will be faced with at least another 2 weeks with the (nominal) 5 mile travel restrictions.
I am beginning to become slightly p****d off with this.

[Witton Park]

The tiered system of governance in this country is looking shoddy, including the devolved nations.

We have the 4 nations going at different paces. Some might suggest that is appropriate as local circumstances differ, but does anyone think the situation in Neston and Connah's Quay is markedly different?

We then have similar discrepancies lower down at County and Local Council level where the Govt announced school opening plans several weeks in advance (subject to continued reduction in numbers of CV infections) and then confirmed 24/5.
Throughout my local LA were working against this and continue to drag their heels. The output on the Council Facebook page is unbelievable.
We have the local "Dirctor of Public Health" who "has today written to all head teachers advising that schools in Blackburn with Darwen can begin the planned phased return from 22nd June."
3 weeks later, and because in his assessment the 5 tests of Government had not all been met.
So our local bod knows better than SAGE

We have a national Govt that looks inept at times, but often because as it attempts to move positions and reopen sectors, there is resistance from elsewhere.

We have devolved areas usually with a leadership opposed to the National Govt, throwing spanners in the work and in Scotland and Wales in particular showing the way. The Sturgeon and Drakeford plans appear to be based on whatever the Westminster Government do, they have to handle things differently.

People often ask why can't politicians work together. Well if they cannot work together during this time of national crisis and in fact often appear to be making political capital, it would appear to be a non-starter on any occasion.

I can see there might well be some surprises in the next set of elections we have.

[Fellbeast]

The search for a vaccine is a red herring.

Let's hope not. There's presently what 8.6 million current cases identified worldwide, getting on for 500,000 deaths so far and no idea at all of the real number infected but, with a worldwide population of what 8 billon people to go at, a vaccine would really really help

The stats now show that the virus kills mainly old or ill people.

Often infected by younger people...

The death rates in younger healthy people is similar to influenza.i.e. just under 500 per year.

But that doesn't stop them passing the virus to the more vulnerable...

It really is time to release the healthy under 60's back to a normal life.

'A normal life' won't ever be the old normal, even with a vaccine

Everyone else can take precautions ranging from current distancing/masking/hygiene regimes to full shielding.

No, everyone needs to carry on distancing sensibly. It's not about individuals being comfortable with their own chances of getting the virus but it's all about reducing the chances of them inadvertently passing it on to others if they get it

As a fit 61 year old I think I can manage to keep current hygiene habits and I've NO interest in going to Niketown!!

The government should maybe make more of an effort to stick to their own social distancing and isolation rules? Then others might be more inclined to take them seriously. A basic rule of thumb is that one person in twenty in the normal population is a dipstick and, within the current tory cabinet (and its advisers) I suspect the ratio is much higher than that

[Travs]

Let's hope not. There's presently what 8.6 million current cases identified worldwide, getting on for 500,000 deaths so far and no idea at all of the real number infected but, with a worldwide population of what 8 billon people to go at, a vaccine would really really help



Often infected by younger people...



But that doesn't stop them passing the virus to the more vulnerable...



'A normal life' won't ever be the old normal, even with a vaccine



No, everyone needs to carry on distancing sensibly. It's not about individuals being comfortable with their own chances of getting the virus but it's all about reducing the chances of them inadvertently passing it on to others if they get it



The government should maybe make more of an effort to stick to their own social distancing and isolation rules? Then others might be more inclined to take them seriously. A basic rule of thumb is that one person in twenty in the normal population is a dipstick and, within the current tory cabinet (and its advisers) I suspect the ratio is much higher than that

But you're suggesting we must stick to the government-led instructions re Social Distancing (which we are told are based on science - when science doesn't appear to be in agreement on the virus).

Next paragraph you're suggesting the government are all a bunch of idiots anyway.

I personally agree with everything Wheeze says.

[Witton Park]

Let's hope not. There's presently what 8.6 million current cases identified worldwide, getting on for 500,000 deaths so far and no idea at all of the real number infected but, with a worldwide population of what 8 billon people to go at, a vaccine would really really help



Often infected by younger people...



But that doesn't stop them passing the virus to the more vulnerable...



'A normal life' won't ever be the old normal, even with a vaccine



No, everyone needs to carry on distancing sensibly. It's not about individuals being comfortable with their own chances of getting the virus but it's all about reducing the chances of them inadvertently passing it on to others if they get it



The government should maybe make more of an effort to stick to their own social distancing and isolation rules? Then others might be more inclined to take them seriously. A basic rule of thumb is that one person in twenty in the normal population is a dipstick and, within the current tory cabinet (and its advisers) I suspect the ratio is much higher than that

You spoil a valid and well put counter opinion by your last paragraph. No need for it and I'm also with Wheeze.

A normal life can be the new normal even without a vaccine because no one can say for sure that this virus won't eventually disappear as many others have.

[Muddy Retriever]

We have devolved areas usually with a leadership opposed to the National Govt, throwing spanners in the work and in Scotland and Wales in particular showing the way. The Sturgeon and Drakeford plans appear to be based on whatever the Westminster Government do, they have to handle things differently.

A good example of what you are saying is the wearing of face masks on public transport. By and large Scotland's approach to easing the lockdown has have been more cautious than that of England. So you might have thought they'd have made wearing face masks on public transport compulsory sooner, Sturgeon had hinted as much. But the Government got in there first and made it compulsory in England before any announcement had been made in Scotland. For no obvious reason other than sheer petulance, Sturgeon didn't follow suit and decided to wait two weeks before doing the same anyway. Pathetic really.

[Fellbeast]

A good example of what you are saying is the wearing of face masks on public transport. By and large Scotland's approach to easing the lockdown has have been more cautious than that of England. So you might have thought they'd have made wearing face masks on public transport compulsory sooner, Sturgeon had hinted as much. But the Government got in there first and made it compulsory in England before any announcement had been made in Scotland. For no obvious reason other than sheer petulance, Sturgeon didn't follow suit and decided to wait two weeks before doing the same anyway. Pathetic really.

To be fair to Wales and Scotland, they've only got limited wiggle room to play with. Scotland and Wales alone couldn't have come close to funding business support and furlough schemes without the UK Government so would've definitely towed the line on the timing of introducing lockdown. Wales still has the 5 mile travel rule which now seems bonkers and Scotland have been piss poor at protecting care homes as has England and Wales, albeit it if not quite so piss poor. I think excess death figures for all three have been higher than most other European countries but, from the non-English perspective, its fair to say England have the worse track record and I guess from the devolved governments' points of view, that's all they need to be able to prove. To be honest its all a bit of a red herring as England will have been hit hardest because of its huge travel hubs surrounding London and also the packed population down there.

I'm absolutely no fan of Boris and co and they have so screwed up in so many ways really (cheltenham races, the Liverpool game, ignoring early lockdown advice from Italy and Spain, f**king up testing and tracing, not testing or quarantining at entry points, not having sufficient protective gear in the NHS, dumping infected elderly patients on care homes, setting a gob smackingly shameful example to the country asking them to swallow the Dominic Cummings bollocks, wasting valuable time 'developing' a now dumped, unusable smartphone app through a crony firm linked to Cummings etc etc) but despite of all that, you can't really say Wales and Scotland have done any better. Northern Ireland have though I guess

[bigfella]

wasting valuable time 'developing' a now dumped, unusable smartphone app through a crony firm linked to Cummings

Not heard that before, do you have a link?

A little bit of digging unearthed this https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-f...-idUSKBN2322VB. This says that Alice Cummings who works for a company that has nothing to do with the track and trace app is not Dominics sister, hardly convincing.

[Llani Boy]

A normal life can be the new normal even without a vaccine because no one can say for sure that this virus won't eventually disappear as many others have.

Hopefully when normality returns we will see an end to all this pretentious, and over the top, hugging that seems to have crept into society. Even blokes do it. On a couple of occasions, people I have been introduced to have tried to hug me. Creepy or what. Now if I see them coming I quickly step to the side at the last minute in the hope they fall over. Only a couple of stumbles to report so far!

As for footballers, they hug each other in the centre circle before kick off as if they've not seen each other for months, having just come out of the dressing room!

Very strange behaviour hopefully destined for Room 101.