Covid-19

[TheFamilyCat]

No, he has maintained he did nothing wrong

Combination of the two I think: he admitted to doing something that most people would consider to be a breach of the lockdown rules yet maintained he did nothing wrong.

[martin_p]

No, he has maintained he did nothing wrong

But he’s admitted he went and that his reason can’t possibly be considered reasonable. In fact in normal times I doubt anyone would consider it reasonable to drive a car if you weren’t sure your eyesight was up to it, let alone with passengers.

[Zlatan]

But he’s admitted he went and that his reason can’t possibly be considered reasonable. In fact in normal times I doubt anyone would consider it reasonable to drive a car if you weren’t sure your eyesight was up to it, let alone with passengers.

I know... next time I’m shitfaced I’ll take the car for a spin to see if I’m sober enough to drive eh

[Erasmus]

Hi Paul, I very much appreciate the tone of your comments on these threads, but I have to say that when I was listening to Cummings and Johnson today, I just felt sick at heart. It's like all the cheating in the Premier League, I just loathe it. How much more so for the blatant, bare-faced dishonesty of these people. They are lying, I know they are lying, and they know that I know they are lying. At this time in particular, we need honesty and we need to feel that we are all in it together. Today that couldn't be further from the truth. How depressing it is.

[Joe Buck]

Hi Paul, I very much appreciate the tone of your comments on these threads, but I have to say that when I was listening to Cummings and Johnson today, I just felt sick at heart. It's like all the cheating in the Premier League, I just loathe it. How much more so for the blatant, bare-faced dishonesty of these people. They are lying, I know they are lying, and they know that I know they are lying. At this time in particular, we need honesty and we need to feel that we are all in it together. Today that couldn't be further from the truth. How depressing it is.

Just logged in to like this. We might as well give up thinking that they care what we think.
It’s said that the older you get the more right wing you get. I’m not I’m just getting more disappointed by all politicians.

[Swizzlestick]

Erasmus has put it perfectly.

[CombatClaret]

Cummings today: “Last year I wrote about the possible threat of coronaviruses and the urgent need for planning".

This is a lie.
His 2019 post on pandemic risk was edited in March/April of this year to include a section on MERS & coronaviruses. Easily found on website archiver Waybackmachine.

[bfcjg]

Does life imitate art or art imitate life?
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2u8q4f

[Foreverly Claret]

Cummings...a privileged mam in a privileged position taking advantage of privilege .Sadly Johnson's government is so bereft of talent that he can't do without him...and Mr.Snake Oil is just coming on TV as I post...no doubt we'll get another blanket whitewash from a privileged man out of touch with my cohort

[Foreverly Claret]

Just watched Snake Oil...talk about rats in a barrel...these people are just so out of touch with reality My mother in law is seriously ill...we can't see her ;my elderly aunt is locked in a nursing home in Colne and we can't see her ; my best friend has just been diagnosed ( after a 10 week wait ) with pancreatic cancer and I won't see him because I don't wish to hasten his passing...why because I've been adhering to the basic advice given...stay at home . So angry and disillusioned .

[FactualFrank]

Doing the rounds on social media...

scamdemic.jpg (78.61 KiB) Viewed 3036 times

[BurningBeard]

First ministerial casualty announced. Douglas Ross minister for Scotland has resigned.

[Zlatan]

Doing the rounds on social media...


scamdemic.jpg

Yanks have always had trouble with simple things like spelling and counting (like votes in Florida...)

[FactualFrank]

I'm sure some of you will have been reading about the potential link between Vitamin D levels and Covid-19 mortality. It may play a part as to why there's a drop in cases, as people are getting more sun exposure and why people with darker skin (where it takes longer for Vitamin D to be absorbed) are more at risk. Interesting stuff.

[bfcjg]

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/here-are-the- ... 59616.html
Just need one of these to work.

[tiger76]

As the thread got overwhelmed by Cummings mania yesterday i didn't get the chance to post good news,i'd definitely class this as good news from yesterday.

Coronavirus: No new deaths in Republic of Ireland

There were no new Covid-19 linked deaths in the Republic of Ireland in the last 24 hours.(this is the first time in 65 days that's been the case)

In the same period there were 59 confirmed cases of the virus. The Republic has had 1,606 Covid linked deaths and 24,698 confirmed cases.

Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the Republic has "suppressed Covid-19 as a country".

"It has taken strict measures to achieve this," he said.

"It will take another week to see any effect on disease incidence that might arise from the easing of measures in Phase One."

The chief medical officer said that although the recording of no new Covid-19-related deaths has not been seen since mid-March, there is always a "weekend effect" in terms of reporting and believes that this can result in delays.

The first phase of the Republic easing its lockdown measures got under way on 18 May.

Some construction firms returned to work and businesses such as garden centres and hardware stores reopened.

The Irish government will decide on 5 June whether to move to the second phase of the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Work has begun on preparations for a possible second wave of Covid-19 this autumn or early winter.

[keith1879]

As the thread got overwhelmed by Cummings mania yesterday i didn't get the chance to post good news,i'd definitely class this as good news from yesterday.

Coronavirus: No new deaths in Republic of Ireland

There were no new Covid-19 linked deaths in the Republic of Ireland in the last 24 hours.(this is the first time in 65 days that's been the case)

In the same period there were 59 confirmed cases of the virus. The Republic has had 1,606 Covid linked deaths and 24,698 confirmed cases.

Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the Republic has "suppressed Covid-19 as a country".

"It has taken strict measures to achieve this," he said.

"It will take another week to see any effect on disease incidence that might arise from the easing of measures in Phase One."

The chief medical officer said that although the recording of no new Covid-19-related deaths has not been seen since mid-March, there is always a "weekend effect" in terms of reporting and believes that this can result in delays.

The first phase of the Republic easing its lockdown measures got under way on 18 May.

Some construction firms returned to work and businesses such as garden centres and hardware stores reopened.

The Irish government will decide on 5 June whether to move to the second phase of the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Work has begun on preparations for a possible second wave of Covid-19 this autumn or early winter.

Our 7 day moving average of new cases has finally got down to half what it was at the peak. Bearing in mind the huge increase in testing this has to be seen as a major positive milestone.

[Quickenthetempo]

Professor Karol Sikora‏

Really encouraging to read Dr María Neira, the WHO Director for Public Health, say their models are showing a second wave being increasingly ruled out.

Caution required, but she thinks that the virus will have a hard time surviving.

The most optimistic the WHO have been!


More great news but the pant wetters on here will ignore it.

[tiger76]

Professor Karol Sikora‏

Really encouraging to read Dr María Neira, the WHO Director for Public Health, say their models are showing a second wave being increasingly ruled out.

Caution required, but she thinks that the virus will have a hard time surviving.

The most optimistic the WHO have been!


More great news but the pant wetters on here will ignore it.

That's great news if correct,but we still need to exercise caution,is that due purely to warmer temperatures or is it not quite that straightforward?

[Quickenthetempo]

That's great news if correct,but we still need to exercise caution,is that due purely to warmer temperatures or is it not quite that straightforward?

I don't know but the virus has been around many countries with hot temperatures.

[Swizzlestick]

Hasn't that professor guy been outed as a bit of a quack?

[mdd2]

Wow the Chinese have tested 6.5 million folk in Wuhan in the last 9 days

[bfcjg]

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-v ... 33995.html
More vaccine good news.
A treatment now approved by the NHS.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52805828

[tiger76]

Global vaccine campaign hits fundraising milestone

A global pledging campaign has raised more than €9.5bn (£8.5bn; $10.4bn) for the development of vaccines and therapies against Covid-19, the EU Commission's president has announced.

Ursula von der Leyen said the funding “milestone” showed the world was demonstrating solidarity in tackling the pandemic.

The appeal, which was launched by the EU Commission earlier this month, is designed to ensure that affordable vaccines and treatments are available worldwide.

An initial £6.5bn was pledged by 40 countries and donors when the initiative was launched at an online summit hosted by the EU.

The US and Russia did not take part in the initiative. China, where the virus originated in December, was represented by its ambassador to the EU at the May summit.

[Bfcboyo]

Missing posts from this morning . Did somebody throw the toys across the room and drop their do do?

Seems a bit over moderated from my perspective unless something drastic happened between 9 and 1.

[tiger76]

Our 7 day moving average of new cases has finally got down to half what it was at the peak. Bearing in mind the huge increase in testing this has to be seen as a major positive milestone.

Latest UK figures for Covid-19 deaths are the lowest for six weeks, with 4,210 registered in the second week of May. Deaths in care homes in England and Wales accounted for almost half of the total number

Details here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52807376

The Bank of England said the UK economy could still bounce back from the pandemic with a "V-shaped recovery". But the bank's chief economist, Andy Haldane, said the V might be "lopsided" -- suggesting the recovery might take longer than hoped

Death figures falling to their lowest for some weeks has to give rise to optimism.

Economic recovery is harder to gauge,and we'll have to wait at least a couple of quarters before any definite predictions can be made,but the potential for a quick bounce back is there as long as there isn't mass job losses.

[tiger76]

First case in South Australia in weeks

South Australia has seen its first confirmed coronavirus case in almost three weeks.

Officials said an overseas traveller had come to Victoria where she was quarantined for less than a week before then traveling on to South Australia. The quarantine was shortened because she was given an exemption "for compelling family reasons".

She tested positive on arrival at Adelaide Airport.

The woman in her 50s is now isolated and authorities are trying to trace whoever she was in contact with while travelling.

I'd still class this as a positive development the case was imported and if the tracing works the outbreak shouldn't have spread widely into the community if at all.

[UnderSeige]

That's great news if correct,but we still need to exercise caution,is that due purely to warmer temperatures or is it not quite that straightforward?

It's possible that the virus could run it's course and eventually fizzle out of it's own accord. This is my hope. Summer might help this.

• Some scientists are saying that the virus cannot survive as long on surfaces that are exposed to daylight - especially if it's sunny. We are now entering the two months at which the amount of daylight is the maximum.
  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 3971.html

• The virus doesn't like warm weather. It takes around 58 degrees C to kill it immediately but high summer temperatures would ensure that it survives for shorter periods on surfaces.

• People can get out more in the summer. Fresh air dilutes the virus.

• Someone above mentioned Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can have a negative impact on the immune system. "The government health agencies of Great Britain have recommended that people take vitamin D supplements through summer and autumn during this pandemic".
  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/land ... 2/fulltext
  
  https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-e ... tem-boost/

Other things that could also help this process are:

• People staying within the government guidlines.

• Track and trace

• etc

Failing this there is a good chance of a vaccine later in the year or early next year.

The other side of the coin is the possibility of a second wave as restrictions are lifted - particularly when we get into winter. Iran may already be seeing the start of their second wave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auj9yt5SrMk

[tiger76]

New Zealand has only one virus patient in hospital

And across the nation, there are only 22 active cases.

In total, the Kiwis have reported about 1,500 infections and 21 deaths in a population of around five million.

Officials are confident they've "broken the chain of domestic transmission", with no new cases reported for most of May.

With the nation having largely lifted out of lockdown, the main threat will come when it reopens it borders.

[Spijed]

New Zealand has only one virus patient in hospital

And across the nation, there are only 22 active cases.

In total, the Kiwis have reported about 1,500 infections and 21 deaths in a population of around five million.

Officials are confident they've "broken the chain of domestic transmission", with no new cases reported for most of May.

With the nation having largely lifted out of lockdown, the main threat will come when it reopens it borders.

Interestingly the scientist in Sweden reckoned that's where New Zealand will have problem in that any tourists will always have to go into quarantine whereas he said with Sweden's approach they won't.

[RingoMcCartney]

Government just announced that 90% of those that were sleeping rough at the start of the Coronavirus crisis are now off the street and in b and B's and other accommodation.

Theyve announced the building of 6000 new properties built specifically to house the homeless,and hopefully, help to give them a fresh start in life. They'll be all over the country, focusing on homelessness black spots like London , Manchester, Brighton and Bournemouth.

Reasons to be cheerful.

[randomclaret2]

Yanks have always had trouble with simple things like spelling and counting (like votes in Florida...)

Its a wonder then that they're the richest, most powerful nation on earth, quite incredible really...

[fatboy47]

Whenever I see a post from Rongo I now read it in the voice of Lord Haw Haw....and it all starts to make sense.

[tiger76]

Interestingly the scientist in Sweden reckoned that's where New Zealand will have problem in that any tourists will always have to go into quarantine whereas he said with Sweden's approach they won't.

There's no perfect solution to fighting covid-19,but NZ have seemingly coped far better than most countries thus far,whether in the event of a 2nd wave their tactics hold up we'll have to wait and see,but with community transmission virtually nil,they start from a good base compared to many.

New Zealand numbers https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir ... -zealand/

Sweden numbers https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir ... y/sweden/

On the tourists question it could become a problem if a vaccine isn't discovered soon,NZ is one of the countries hoping for this CV pandemic to be short-lived and then fade away.

It is interesting to compare and contrast completely different methods of tackling this virus,NZ locked down early,whereas Sweden never locked down at all.

Which of them was right will be revealed in the course of time.

[tiger76]

No deaths recorded in Northern Ireland in last 24 hours

Chris Page

BBC News Ireland correspondent

The Stormont Department of Health has recorded no deaths linked to Covid-19 since Monday.

It is the first day since 18 March that the department’s daily figures have reported no deaths.

The figures, which are released every day, mainly relate to deaths in hospital.

They include some, but not all, fatalities in other settings.

Another set of figures is released every Friday by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, which includes all deaths in which Covid-19 is listed on the death certificate, and therefore gives a fuller picture of the mortality rate.

Today’s statistics from the Department of Health also show there’ve been 28 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total to 4637.

[Billy Balfour]

Net Approval of how Boris Johnson has handled Coronavirus:

25th March: +44%

25th April: +26%

25th May: -1%

[TVC15]

It’s good that the government have announced building 6,000 new homes for the homeless. They’ve made a few other new build announcements in recent years too - let’s hope we actually see bricks delivered with this one.

There’s also the case now that because of their actions and indecision you could argue if you are such inclined (and I am !) that there are around 50,000 people since March who no longer need housing.

[TheFamilyCat]

Net Approval of how Boris Johnson has handled Coronavirus:

25th March: +44%

25th April: +26%

25th May: -1%

Fortunately, as we keep being told, these things are irrelevant until we know all the facts.

That's ALL the facts.

[Bordeauxclaret]

New Zealand has only one virus patient in hospital

And across the nation, there are only 22 active cases.

In total, the Kiwis have reported about 1,500 infections and 21 deaths in a population of around five million.

Officials are confident they've "broken the chain of domestic transmission", with no new cases reported for most of May.

With the nation having largely lifted out of lockdown, the main threat will come when it reopens it borders.

They did all that without having a lever that has a sign above it saying- "for perfection response to unprecedented global pandemic pull here "

Really makes you think.

[ksrclaret]

They did all that without having a lever that has a sign above it saying- "for perfection response to unprecedented global pandemic pull here "

Really makes you think.

I think that's because the lever does not exist.

REPEAT THE LEVER DOES NOT EXIST.

[tiger76]

They did all that without having a lever that has a sign above it saying- "for perfection response to unprecedented global pandemic pull here "

Really makes you think.

There's no magic bullet,but Germany,New Zealand and South Korea certainly deserve gold stars for their response,what links all three is their rapid reaction to the threat,they were pro-active and didn't wait for the virus to take hold before acting.

And due to this swift action they've limited the deaths in their countries to the bare minimum.

Contrast this with the muddled approach by the UK government and the lack of urgency and you can see why we've got one of the worst death tolls in Europe.

[Lord Rothbury]

According to Worldometer the total number of test for the virus carried out in the UK now exceeds the number for Germany.

[tiger76]

Couple of snippets from the briefing amidst all the Cummings nonsense there is good news to be had.

England's coronavirus hospital admissions lowest on record

National Covid-19 testing coordinator Prof John Newton says the number of coronavirus hospital admissions in England was down to 471, adding: "That's the lowest number recorded since we started collecting this data."

He also says the seven-day rolling average of the number of new cases of coronavirus continues to decrease.

Deaths in care homes declining
Prof John Newton, national co-ordinator of the UK's Covid-19 testing programme, says the number of deaths occurring in hospitals and care homes is declining.

The trend in deaths in care homes occurred later and was smaller, he says. In total, 28.3% of deaths have occurred in care homes.

And credit where it's due they're finally getting their act together on PPE.

Hancock: UK PPE production 'ramped up'

He says there are two areas he'd like to talk about: Personal Protective Equipment and treatments.

He says they have been "working hard" on PPE provision amid a "global scramble" to acquire it.

He says there has been a "mammoth effort" and they have "ramped up" production of two billion items of PPE here in the UK.

And there are contracts for a further 3.7bn gloves.

"These new supplies mean we are not simply keeping up with demand, we are able to begin to replenish our stockpiles."

[Tall Paul]

According to Worldometer the total number of test for the virus carried out in the UK now exceeds the number for Germany.

Two World Wars, one World Cup and a Covid testing trophy!

[tiger76]

I don''t think this has been posted,if not then it's further hope in the vaccine race.

Pharmaceutical giant Merck joins vaccine race
Merck, one of the largest vaccine makers in the world, is jumping into the race to find a coronavirus vaccine.

The US company announced on Tuesday that it was pursuing two paths towards a vaccine.

Merck is buying Austrian company Themis Bioscience, which is currently tweaking an existing measles vaccine for possible Covid-19 use. Clinical trials are expected to begin in weeks.

The second track is a partnership with research firm IAVI, which is adapting Merck's Ebola vaccine.

It comes after President Trump announced "Operation Warp Speed" with promises of a vaccine “by the end of the year or shortly thereafter”.

But on Tuesday, Merck CEO Ken Frazier cast doubts on the US government's 12 to 18-month timespan.

“It is not something I would put out there that I would want to hold Merck to,” he told the Financial Times, warning that "very large" clinicals trials would take months or even years to complete.

Meanwhile, US-based biotechnology firm Novavax has announced that human trials for a possible coronavirus vaccine have begun in Australia.

The trial includes 131 volunteers from Melbourne and Brisbane, the company says.

[FactualFrank]

I don''t think this has been posted,if not then it's further hope in the vaccine race.

Pharmaceutical giant Merck joins vaccine race
Merck, one of the largest vaccine makers in the world, is jumping into the race to find a coronavirus vaccine.

The US company announced on Tuesday that it was pursuing two paths towards a vaccine.

Merck is buying Austrian company Themis Bioscience, which is currently tweaking an existing measles vaccine for possible Covid-19 use. Clinical trials are expected to begin in weeks.

The second track is a partnership with research firm IAVI, which is adapting Merck's Ebola vaccine.

It comes after President Trump announced "Operation Warp Speed" with promises of a vaccine “by the end of the year or shortly thereafter”.

But on Tuesday, Merck CEO Ken Frazier cast doubts on the US government's 12 to 18-month timespan.

“It is not something I would put out there that I would want to hold Merck to,” he told the Financial Times, warning that "very large" clinicals trials would take months or even years to complete.

Meanwhile, US-based biotechnology firm Novavax has announced that human trials for a possible coronavirus vaccine have begun in Australia.

The trial includes 131 volunteers from Melbourne and Brisbane, the company says.

I hope it's safer than their NSAIDs such as Vioxx that had to be pulled.

[Chuckypad]

Professor Karol Sikora‏

Really encouraging to read Dr María Neira, the WHO Director for Public Health, say their models are showing a second wave being increasingly ruled out.

Caution required, but she thinks that the virus will have a hard time surviving.

The most optimistic the WHO have been!


More great news but the pant wetters on here will ignore it.

Not sure how this marries up with this from the WHO:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/0 ... ould-face/

[Quickenthetempo]

Not sure how this marries up with this from the WHO:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/0 ... ould-face/

Maybe the WHO are keeping warnings up to attract more funding? Who knows? Maybe different doctors have different opinions.

There's plenty of positive news about but the mainstream media keep ignoring it.

[Bullabill]

What seems to be being missed in the discussion about New Zealand's success is that they shut their border to prevent more introduced cases. They then only had to deal with what was already there. The same applies to Australia where, apart from a notable breach of the closure policy, they've had similar success.

[jackmiggins]

What seems to be being missed in the discussion about New Zealand's success is that they shut their border to prevent more introduced cases. They then only had to deal with what was already there. The same applies to Australia where, apart from a notable breach of the closure policy, they've had similar success.

Hasn't been missed at all - however, the happy holiday makers from the cheap March excursions don't like it to be mentioned.