COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[meltonblue]

Thought the interesting bit in the US conference last night was the curve in California and Washington and how low they've been able to keep it. That might be because there's still a spike yet to come for them, but that looked encouraging.

New York and New Jersey however, that's going to be a very bad couple of weeks.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Test our fucking front line staff.

We should be throwing all the money we have at testing and PPE.

The celebrities buying their own kits should be donating them to the NHS.

If 85% are able to return to work, it will save many lives.

The other week I said that testing NHS staff would be a waste of time because if they had it but were Asymptomatic we would be sending resources home when they could work. I was wrong because I didn't look at it from the other way i.e people who think they may have it so are isolating. If they don't have it, they have 2 weeks off but could then catch it when they return resulting in at least another 2 weeks off - 1 month down because no-one tested them. It's lunacy

Test, test and test. Has been the message for at least a month. I reluctantly accept we may not have the capabilities to do the majority of the population but not testing the staff, particularly those who are self-isolating is madness

 

[bluetonium]

Also massively effecting key worker families is a lack of childcare options. BBC running a story in it now

BBC News - Lack of childcare 'forcing key workers to stay home'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52093697

This is exactly the issue we have now. Both key workers, nursery shut unexpectedly at 6pm on a Friday via short email, and we were left with three options.

1 - Hand the kids over to our 70 year old parents with existing health issues. We have friends who have done this and now haven't seen their kids for a week.

2 - Find a new nursery. They're over subscribed and want £65 per day and £250 registration fee, not to mention throwing a 3 year old into a room of strangers.

3 - Take time off work and take away from the operational ability of a key industry, which between us we've done for now, but it creates a sense of great guilt.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

The other week I said that testing NHS staff would be a waste of time because if they had it but were Asymptomatic we would be sending resources home when they could work. I was wrong because I didn't look at it from the other way i.e people who think they may have it so are isolating. If they don't have it, they have 2 weeks off but could then catch it when they return resulting in at least another 2 weeks off - 1 month down because no-one tested them. It's lunacy

Test, test and test. Has been the message for at least a month. I reluctantly accept we may not have the capabilities to do the majority of the population but not testing the staff, particularly those who are self-isolating is madness

Yesterday it seemed to be pressed heavily by the media in such a way that there was no way to not face it head on.

The previously reported figures for tests/day were targets without much of a specific timeframe; my impression is that the govt have been complicit in allowing those figures to be quoted without correction.
I assume it must have been govt figures that they'd done 8000 once, and were a long way off the 25k proposed earlier.

Gove was probably a reasonable person to have out there yesterday evening, and did okay.

 

[blue oli]

To put it into perspective
Burnley’s ground capacity is 21,000 so if you can imagine the ground being full and every one dying out of 60 odd million people who live in the uk it is still a very small number.
The chances of you dying at that satis-tic is very very slim if under 21,000 is achievable

A bit harsh on Burnley though

 

[grunge]

Also massively effecting key worker families is a lack of childcare options. BBC running a story in it now

BBC News - Lack of childcare 'forcing key workers to stay home'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52093697

This is exactly the issue we have now. Both key workers, nursery shut unexpectedly at 6pm on a Friday via short email, and we were left with three options.

1 - Hand the kids over to our 70 year old parents with existing health issues. We have friends who have done this and now haven't seen their kids for a week.

2 - Find a new nursery. They're over subscribed and want £65 per day and £250 registration fee, not to mention throwing a 3 year old into a room of strangers.

3 - Take time off work and take away from the operational ability of a key industry, which between us we've done for now, but it creates a sense of great guilt.

Wasnt the plan to keep some schools open for kids of key workers?

 

[bluetonium]

Wasnt the plan to keep some schools open for kids of key workers?

Schools yes, but not nurseries.

Our 8 year old can go to school but not much point as the 3 year old has nowhere to go. Her nursery shut and we have no childcare for her, so to help the primary school we just kept the eldest off too.

We're waiting on a new nursery confirming availability but had to take this week off, then soon hopefully both have places sorted.

 

[squirtyflower]

Wasnt the plan to keep some schools open for kids of key workers?

It sounds like a private nursery.
Although, I believe, child care for key workers was to stay open, my daughter can still send her son to the child minder but the others can’t.

 

[squirtyflower]

Schools yes, but not nurseries.

Our 8 year old can go to school but not much point as the 3 year old has nowhere to go. Her nursery shut and we have no childcare for her, so to help the primary school we just kept the eldest off too.

We're waiting on a new nursery confirming availability but had to take this week off, then soon hopefully both have places sorted.

Are you a key worker?
The nursery should remain open for key workers.

 

[BlueAnorak]

NHS and PHE senior management is a pile of shite. Always has been and always will. If ever there was a truism for big organisations "Lions led by Donkeys" is it.
An interesting article on why facemasks were never part of the strategy on fighting epidemics/ pandemics.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-.../face-masks-have-asking-wrong-question-along/

A strategy that is just about to change in the US as they now understand that public transport simply cannot run when fighting an epidemic unless you protect travelers from others breathing on them at relatively short range.