Coronavirus

[JohnK]

I figure we will just have to add it to this list:-

https://www.livescience.com/56598-de...-on-earth.html


and learn to live with it.

[Wheeze]

Mike. If you're in a high risk group you can still get those things in a low risk way.

[Witton Park]

And to refer back to my point made when you last said that, your idea falls down completely when the younger and more probably infected mix with essential workers in the health service (for example) and other hubs where the elderly and/or unhealthy have to go from time to time. If the disease became endemic, as it inevitably would if all youngsters were given free reign, it fairly likely that all of the doctors and consultants in the health sector would get it (many of which aren't necessarily that healthy themselves) which would also decimate the health service's ability to deal with the likely massive spike in cases they're having to deal with

and your point falls down because the idea that the cases of the last 2 months, and more pertinent the local spikes, have been in a bubble of their own and not mixing with essential workers in the health service (for example) and other hubs..... is not tenable.
Yet the only "negative" stat we have seen is an increase in cases and there are plenty out there with great credentials questioning this.
Prof Heneghan for example or Dr Waqar Rashid.


https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...virus-12064151

[Fellbeast]

and your point falls down because the idea that the cases of the last 2 months, and more pertinent the local spikes, have been in a bubble of their own and not mixing with essential workers in the health service (for example) and other hubs..... is not tenable.
Yet the only "negative" stat we have seen is an increase in cases and there are plenty out there with great credentials questioning this.
Prof Heneghan for example or Dr Waqar Rashid.


https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...virus-12064151

I'm all for anything that looks like good news or optimism about covid, don't get me wrong. I just don't think that suddenly opening up the flood gates by unleashing the young is a particularly good idea, especially right now and especially given that there are still so many unknowns about covid. It would just be a massive roll of the dice and, given the government's track record so far, they've surely learned by now that rolling the dice again could potentially be catastrophic.

On a positive note, despite increasing positive tests, death and hospital admissions still remain low. If that's still the case in say 3 or 4 weeks, that would be fantastic news. There was an article a couple of weeks ago or so (either in the Times or the Guardian) that talked about the effect of covid diminishing but, at the same time, they could only speculate that this might be happening and further speculate about possible reasons. Some of the reasons though make sense:

1. That the virus has already picked off the most susceptible 'low hanging fruit'
2. That the virus was evolving to diminish in its virulence so as to survive
3. That, due to social distancing and mask wearing, people might only be picking up 'glancing blow' infections that were of lower effect (rather than the previously 15 or more minutes close exposure to those infected without any protection)
4. That perhaps more people have picked up some form of covid already without knowing (although outbreaks in more confined poorer communities and work places, such as food preparation, seem to fly in the face of that)
5.That the most susceptical are especially hunkering down and keeping themselves isolated
6. That its mainly the young now picking up the current version of covid and they are not, in the main, becoming seriously ill with it

Anyway I'm optimistic that this will all sort itself out in some way or other (ideally a vaccine) and that hanging in there with the current version of opening the economy as far as possible, while controlling the spread with local lockdowns and restrictions and whatnot, is the best way to go about things now.

And definitely not just telling the young to just crack on regardless

[Witton Park]

I'm all for anything that looks like good news or optimism about covid, don't get me wrong. I just don't think that suddenly opening up the flood gates by unleashing the young is a particularly good idea, especially right now and especially given that there are still so many unknowns about covid. It would just be a massive roll of the dice and, given the government's track record so far, they've surely learned by now that rolling the dice again could potentially be catastrophic.

On a positive note, despite increasing positive tests, death and hospital admissions still remain low. If that's still the case in say 3 or 4 weeks, that would be fantastic news. There was an article a couple of weeks ago or so (either in the Times or the Guardian) that talked about the effect of covid diminishing but, at the same time, they could only speculate that this might be happening and further speculate about possible reasons. Some of the reasons though make sense:

1. That the virus has already picked off the most susceptible 'low hanging fruit'
2. That the virus was evolving to diminish in its virulence so as to survive
3. That, due to social distancing and mask wearing, people might only be picking up 'glancing blow' infections that were of lower effect (rather than the previously 15 or more minutes close exposure to those infected without any protection)
4. That perhaps more people have picked up some form of covid already without knowing (although outbreaks in more confined poorer communities and work places, such as food preparation, seem to fly in the face of that)
5.That the most susceptical are especially hunkering down and keeping themselves isolated
6. That its mainly the young now picking up the current version of covid and they are not, in the main, becoming seriously ill with it

Anyway I'm optimistic that this will all sort itself out in some way or other (ideally a vaccine) and that hanging in there with the current version of opening the economy as far as possible, while controlling the spread with local lockdowns and restrictions and whatnot, is the best way to go about things now.

And definitely not just telling the young to just crack on regardless

I don't think anyone is talking of flood gates.

The case of Leicester was discussed this morning and Dr Rashid was part of the debate.

How come Leicester had this spike but no increase in hospitalisation and deaths? Could it due to the Govt and Local authority response?

He thought that unlikely. His opinion was that as the response was after the event (the positive cases when detected had been developing and there for the previous 2-4 weeks) then based on the previous history of the virus we should have expected an increase of hospital admissions for up to two weeks before the additional measures kicked in.
But no - there was nothing.

You can add that to the Northern towns as well.

[Llani Boy]

There seems to be a head of steam building behind saving/subsidising city centre coffee shops and sandwich/snack outlets because office workers are not using them.

So what. These places are more of luxury, rather than being essential, and if the custom is not there, it is not there.
I suspect that, in the future, some office workers might realise how much they have saved during lockdown by not using these places and will become less lazy by making their own sandwiches and take a flask to work.

Having said that, many won't know what a flask is!

[Fellbeast]

There seems to be a head of steam building behind saving/subsidising city centre coffee shops and sandwich/snack outlets because office workers are not using them.

So what. These places are more of luxury, rather than being essential, and if the custom is not there, it is not there.
I suspect that, in the future, some office workers might realise how much they have saved during lockdown by not using these places and will become less lazy by making their own sandwiches and take a flask to work.

Having said that, many won't know what a flask is!

You're missing the point a bit. A huge number of office workers have been able to work really well from home and have at present no need drive/train/bus to work in a city centre office, left alone use a coffee shop

[Llani Boy]

You're missing the point a bit. A huge number of office workers have been able to work really well from home and have at present no need drive/train/bus to work in a city centre office, left alone use a coffee shop

Au contraire, I think I hit the point spot on when I said "because office workers are not using them".

[bigfella]

I would see this as a short term problem, these jobs only exist to support other worker doing their jobs. I would much rather see subsidies going to protect 'first level' jobs like steel works, car manufacture etc. Yet another cultural change that we have to adapt to although it can't happen overnight.

[Fellbeast]

Au contraire, I think I hit the point spot on when I said "because office workers are not using them".

Yeah but for some weird reason you were implying office workers as being too lazy to make sandwiches and carry a flask . My home -> office -> home journey is 100 miles, say 3 to 4 hours travelling time each day; I guess I was somehow unlazy enough to do that but too lazy to make a sandwich though....