Coronavirus (2021) thread

[Ban-jani]

To be fair I'd quite like to know when I can get married. It's literally not even possible even at a registry office right now and im gonna have to pay a shit tonne more as well when I can finally get hitched. Would be good to know if they have a roadmap or not. Can imagine the whole industry is shitting it too. I'm not moaning, but I certainly get why people want to know. Certainly no harm in asking givne the science stuff has been covered.

I’m engaged too mate but there’s more important things right now.

It can wait.

 

[cleavers]

Not to mention all the venues, caterers, florists, limousine hire businesses, dj’s musicians etc, etc that all depend on weddings and events for their businesses.

Unfortunately these reporters aren't asking these questions for the sake of those in these industries, they're asking them to put the government/officials under pressure, it's been like this for months.

"Shouldn't we lockdown PM", "why aren't we opening up professor", "is it lockdown time again minister", and that is why they are tedious. They know they can't be answered easily, and when they aren't, they then make the next news report all about their "important" question to keep themselves relevant. There is very little else happening in the world right now, and yet all these journalists keep getting paid for working every day reporting exactly what they reported yesterday, just with different numbers.

Meanwhile those in the leisure industries feel like they are not being well looked after (and in many cases they aren't).

The air transport side of things are a long way from normality, in fact it's currently getting worse, as countries ban foreign travel further.

My daughter is in the catering business, and is currently on her 3rd bout of furlough, with no real end in sight, she is a project manager for training and resourcing in her organisation, she's doing various online courses to get better qualifications in her furlough time (not being paid for it), so hopefully she is in a better position when this all "ends".

 

[Ban-jani]

I get that, but what else is there to ask after all the science and vax updates?

Well you’ve said “all the science and vaccine updates” there’s a huge swath of questions within those two topics.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I care if there is a difference in effectiveness against the E484K variants. I wish they would clarify that point because all the current concern seems to focus on this variant and potential vaccine evasion.

The only way you can get a definitive answer on that is by doing a head to head outcome trial in a locality where that variant is dominant. Months, and not even planned.

And even if that showed a significant difference, what then? Stop vaccinating with the poorer vaccine, and leave people completely unprotected while we wait for the supplies of the other?

Jabs in arms ASAP is what we need now. If it turns out down the line there is a significant difference, there's almost certainly nothing to lose by having the weaker jab first.

 

[twosips]

I’m engaged too mate but there’s more important things right now.

It can wait.

Sure, as I said. Not moaning, but I don't think there's any harm in people asking. Especially those wondering about their futures due to their industry being cancelled.

 

[twosips]

Honestly, I don't care at all.

Either is miles better than nothing, and whilst I would agree the Pfizer data looks a little bit better, it's really in the noise in the scheme of things.

It's a bit like having the choice between them getting a lift in a Ford or a BMW when you thought they were going to have to walk in the rain. Sure you might prefer the beemer, but you'd happily them have either.

Well, it's a little different given we're talking about a deadly disease here, not a car trip! Plus you'd be totally fine walking in the rain if you couldn't get in the car ha. Get your broad point though. Of course either is better than nowt, but one is seemingly better than the other and it'd be nice to have less doubts in the back of my mind when i'm hugging my parents that im potentially gonna kill them.

 

[blueparrot]

Unfortunately these reporters aren't asking these questions for the sake of those in these industries, they're asking them to put the government/officials under pressure, it's been like this for months.

"Shouldn't we lockdown PM", "why aren't we opening up professor", "is it lockdown time again minister", and that is why they are tedious. They know they can't be answered easily, and when they aren't, they then make the next news report all about their "important" question to keep themselves relevant. There is very little else happening in the world right now, and yet all these journalists keep getting paid for working every day reporting exactly what they reported yesterday, just with different numbers.

Meanwhile those in the leisure industries feel like they are not being well looked after (and in many cases they aren't).

The air transport side of things are a long way from normality, in fact it's currently getting worse, as countries ban foreign travel further.

My daughter is in the catering business, and is currently on her 3rd bout of furlough, with no real end in sight, she is a project manager for training and resourcing in her organisation, she's doing various online courses to get better qualifications in her furlough time (not being paid for it), so hopefully she is in a better position when this all "ends".

Yes I knew that really is what the questions are about for the media, but thought it’s worth pointing out many things that seem frivolous like weddings, birthday parties, holidays just going for a coffee even going to football and sports or music events on the surface ,are things that support many businesses and jobs. Was talking to somebody that has a port a loo business and hasn’t had any events fo a year now.
Not to mention just making us feel like we’re living a normal life.
Good idea for your daughter to use the time planning for the future too.

 

[worsleyweb]

I’m engaged too mate but there’s more important things right now.

It can wait.

bail out while you can. Trust me one day she will take your house off you.

good day by the way.

 

[Healdplace]

GM Scoreboard:

654 down from 804, 42.8% of North West Total which fell by 286 to 1527. 1.5% fall on yesterday.

3 wks v 2 wks v last wk v Today:- 1013 v 941 v 641 v 654 - Slowing a little flatly.


Pop Score is cases across whole pandemic v 100,000 people - rises daily but lower the better.

Weekly Pop is same measure across last 7 days only. Can rise or fall depending on if more cases or less occur today v the same day last week.


Either way Up is bad, down is good.



Manchester 137 – down from 160. Total 48, 296. Weekly 1021. Pop score up 25 to 8736. Weekly Pop up 2 to 185.

Wigan 88 up from 75. Total cases 26, 340. Weekly 585. Pop score up 26 to enter the 8000 club at 8014. Weekly Pop up 8 to 178.

Bolton 68 - down from 76. Total cases 23, 207. Weekly 675. Pop score up 24 to 8071. Weekly Pop down 6 to 235.

Bury 66 - up from 46. Total cases 15, 656. Weekly 405. Pop score up 34 to 8197. Weekly Pop up 4 to 212.

Stockport 65 - down from 82. Total cases 18, 680. Weekly 554. Pop score up 22 to 6366. Rise week to week in cases means Weekly Pop up 6 to 189. A worse weekly Pop than Manchester and Wigan shows how Stockport is not doing as well as it should.

Oldham 57 down from 78. Total cases 21, 002. Weekly 448. Pop score up 24 to 8858. Weekly Pop up 5 to 189.
Same score and same reason as Stockport - up week to week.

Salford 49 - down from 103. Total cases 20, 988. Weekly 540. Pop score up 19 to 8109. Weekly Pop down 2 to 205.

Trafford 44 - down from 54. Total cases 15, 148. Weekly 331. Lowest weekly total in GM still. Pop score up 18 to 6382. Joint lowest rise of the day. Trafford eats another 4 from Stockport's almost gone overall pop score lead - now just 16 and when it gets there will give Trafford all the 'best in GM' titles for first time. However, week to week is up so Weekly Pop rises 7 to 141. Best weekly Pop score easily. But not much down to go to now.

Tameside 41 - down from 78. Total cases 16, 229. Weekly 433. Pop score up 18 to 7165. Shares lowest rise with Trafford and Rochdale. Weekly Pop down 2 to 191.

Rochdale 39 - down from 52. Lowest score here in some time. Total cases 19, 140. Weekly 386. Closing in on Trafford for best weekly numbers. Weekly Pop down 7 to 174




Pop Scores Today v 7 Days ago // Up/down over past week (lowest numbers best - numbers going up bad and going down good)


Trafford 141 v 169 // down 28

Rochdale 174 v 232 // down 58

Wigan 178 v 209 // down 31

Manchester 185 v 245 // down 60

Stockport 189 v 213 // down 24

Oldham 189 v 212 // down 23

Tameside 191 v 186 // UP 5

Salford 205 v 262 // down 57

Bury 212 v 204 // UP 8

Bolton 235 v 287 // down 52


Seven of the 10 boroughs now in the 100s and nobody in serious trouble. Trafford heading for a sub 100 weekly pop number last seen for any extended period in GM in September outside just before Christmas for a few days in Trafford.

Bolton has started to fall too but Bury and Tameside up week to week.

 

[Healdplace]

Well, it's a little different given we're talking about a deadly disease here, not a car trip! Plus you'd be totally fine walking in the rain if you couldn't get in the car ha. Get your broad point though. Of course either is better than nowt, but one is seemingly better than the other and it'd be nice to have less doubts in the back of my mind when i'm hugging my parents that im potentially gonna kill them.

As I said at the time I decided the trade off was between a better chance of avoiding hospital and death versus a better chance of avoiding catching Covid at all. That seems the main way the two vaccines differ. Avoiding catching it is always going to look more attractive to anyone looking at it without much understanding of the difference. As that is why most people have the Flu jab. To stop you getting the flu. Though in truth its efficacy in doing that is much like the AZ jab. And what matters more is how bad you are IF you catch it. And if it stops too many people needing hospitalisation thus killing others by default who cannot be treated.

Globally that is the big deal here and if AZ is effectively downrated it will massively slow the rest of the eradication around the world given the cost differential between the two.

They started trials today in Liverpool - it was on Granada Reports - giving a second dose of the other vaccine not the one they had first time around - to see if this combination works in the volunteers.

Results not due until June so not to eliminate the use of the same vaccine in both jabs this time round but may well be to ensure the October booster they are likely to give could indeed be a different kind as by then we may have 4 or 5 vaccines not just 2.

There is wider picture here that needs to not do down the AZ vaccine needlessly in public perception as there simply is not going to be any opening up in the near future if too many refuse the vaccine we will have in the greatest numbers over coming weeks.

That's why I am concerned about the impact of these comments. I did seriously think about saying no myself when I first heard the stories about AZ. But all these factors have to be balanced together not just selfish desire for the best.

If you are lost in the Sahara and would rather have champagne when you find a pool of water you do not walk on by and hope for better. You take your best chance to survive there and then.