To wonder at what point the govt will address the minimal threat from Covid

[TheMurk]

We’re in a position where there have been 6 deaths from (with) coronavirus out of a population of 66.5 million.

In the same 24 hours 8 people died in RTAs.

There were 5 suicides.

So I’m just wondering when the government plans to address the vastly lowered threat from covid-19 and tell us what the next step of the plan is, and when it will start?

Because from a very urgent and vocal few months at the beginning with dramatic televised monologues, suddenly there is a pointed silence about the fact that this simply is not a grave threat to public health any longer.

Is no one concerned by this inactivity?

We should be being told at what point the masks, one way systems, queues and booking systems and other restrictions will be lessened or stopped altogether.

Why are we not being given a timeline?

This winter is the big test.

With transmission likely to occur more readily between contacts in cooler weather, and every country in the world still novice at best ways to stamp out flare ups, and quite a low proportion of the population previously exposed; we are in a pretty similar situation to late Feb/start March

Only instead of clamour being ‘protect us! lock down! close schools!’ as it was then, it’s now ‘open up and devil take the hindmost’

But it remains true that all which stands between us and a 3+ week wave of mass illness (leading to chaos) is hand washing and keeping 2+ metres away (only less if you can wear a mask)

@newgirls Definitely- I have lost quite a bit of weight and started seriously exercising (I’m nearing retirement) because this is so obviously the path to take right now. Think about diet, supplement if needed (and almost all of us are low in vit d during winter months) and take sensible precautions. I will be back teaching in a week, in a class of 30 and I do agree children and young people need to go back to school, so looking after myself when I’m lucky enough not to be vulnerable for any other reasons feels vital - now more than ever.

I know it’s not a guarantee but it could help. Yes, the government should be hugely encouraging this but ultimately this is personal choice. We all know this.

It’ll be the under testing hopsalong. We stopped testing anyone who wasn’t ill enough to be in hospital.

There’s no evidence of any change in the genetics that suggest it’s a weaker strain and while some advances have been made in terms of treatment e.g. dexamethasone there’s still a long way to go.

Freda sounds great 👍 let’s hope it all goes smoothly and we are all far less ill than some fear

It's never going to end

There will never be a vaccine

All restrictions will stay until there's a vaccine

Nobody knows the long term effects yet

BINGO!

I'm in Scotland and STILL, along with thousands of others, not allowed back to work as non-essential office worker. Apparently its not safe. Fortunately it is safe to go to pubs, shops nail bars, bingo,casinos, schools etx so I can at least find some virus free places while my job slides ever closer to oblivion!

while people are still playing nicely (why are we not rioting by now?!), and believing in the virus.

People aren't rioting because the ones that want to carry on as normal when they are out, are doing so. There is virtually zero distancing down here and mask wearing is reducing from what I've seen, which can't be/isn't being enforced anyway and it couldn't be from the day it became mandatory.

If there was a second national lockdown, I think you would see people having a go on the streets then.

I think we need to wait for a month.
With over a 1,000 positive cases, it will be a while before we can confidently suggest the threat of deaths is diminishing and it has mutated to a lesser virus.
It can take several weeks for someone to have a positive test, end up in hospital, deteriorate and then pass away.

You're also ignoring "long covid" or the after effects on people's bodies. Just because someone isn't positive any more doesn't mean they aren't still unwell. I have not been the same since I had the virus very early on. My lungs are shot to bits. I'm constantly tired. My memory is terrible.
So it's all well and good to say no one is dying or the numbers of deaths have significantly decreased, but the virus is still dangerous in other ways

I think the big priority over the next few weeks and months needs to be getting children and young proe back into education and training.

And continuing to play whack a mole with community transmission. Numbers are still fairly low in the NE but there are still clusters. In 2 weeks, my county has grown from a handful of cases in a population of half a million to about 70. One small town is worried about a local lockdown because it has many of those cases after someone with the infection visited 4 pubs and working men's clubs over a weekend.

@Quartz2208

Yep.

The deadline for extending the transition period passed the other week. Ever so quietly.

And they’re in a brilliant position. This is a gift to Boris. Because now, however much of an economic and social car crash Brexit is (and it will be) we’ll blame it all on Covid. Even though Brexit is arguably partly to blame for the severity of our outbreak.

I’m not saying I disagree with the restrictions necessarily, but it’s a gift to our government that we’re all looking the other way.

1/5 of cases died early on because only people seriously ill in hospital got tested. Now you can get tested if someone in your family feels off colour and it's being done routinely where there are known cases.

YANBU
There has been a chaotic mission creep /the Gvt completely overcooked the fear and doom message at the beginning when it should have been clear that there could be TEMPORARY restrictions to control the flow of patient to intense care.
We were at peak 'danger' in March before lockdown and people were not dropping dead in schools or on the streets -even then it was a small category of people who would be seriously ill or hospitalised.
That demographic has now clearly been identified- ie the over 80s/obese/diabetic.
Everyone useless is at less risk than numerous other things that might 'get' you.
The focus on 'cases' has come about because there is not enough now to scare people in the intensive care beds or deaths.
There are some utterly deranged on here who are gleefully talking up the danger to continue to frighten the terminally thick over-anxious types into mask wearing and keeping their children off school, and desperately hoping for a second wave to pursue their bizarre agenda of maximum misery.

I think it is too early to tell how this will play out with winter coming, schools opening, more people going back to the workplace and flu season. Better to approach all of this with caution until we see how it goes. Personally if the current restrictions mean that the schools will stay open I am happy to continue but agree things should be reviewed in a few months when we see how autumn and winter goes.

@Newgirls

I agree Freda - we should be getting health messages about vitamins and other health advice sent to elderly, vulnerable etc.

It’s very unpopular on here but adults over 50 (inc me!) need to really think about alcohol, weight, fitness etc to be in the best shape pos for this winter.

This has been poorly lacking in the health advice.

The host of the virus is an important part of this. And our population (our hosts) is worryingly unhealthy.

People whose metabolic health is compromised seem to be worst impacted and it’s estimated that only 15% of our population have good metabolic health.

You can reverse your metabolic health in 3 weeks if you have the right advice.
We’ve had so much information and public health messages on the actual virus with every advisor being a virologist etc, yet zero on the role of the host for the virus.

Anyone who hasn’t considered their own role in this and how to get immune healthy in case of infection has been let down by government advice.

There are people trying to reinforce this message, it’s just very quiet under all the ‘deadly virus’ hysteria. One doctor who is very good on this and has had some airtime is Dr Assem Malhotra. He did get a place in the Telegraph on Saturday with his 21 day immunity plan.

This needs so much more coverage....MUCH more sensible than the obsession with masks

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/21-day-plan-boost-immune-system-fight-infections/

England currently has 480 inpatients out of a population of 55 million people, Scotland has over half that amount for a population of 5 million, small numbers over all but still Scotlands hopital rate is very high in comparison And?

And they’re in a brilliant position. This is a gift to Boris. Because now, however much of an economic and social car crash Brexit is (and it will be) we’ll blame it all on Covid. Even though Brexit is arguably partly to blame for the severity of our outbreak.

That's a fair point to be honest.

Covid is the gift that keeps on giving as far as any messaging around the recession and job losses is concerned.

Open the schools first.

Great link hamster

We have some tv shows about losing weight etc but some of the advice needs to be public health broadcasts, like a news conference. Leaflets sent to elderly.

Agree this is now a gift to a diabolical government with a no deal Brexit.

@TheMurk

Is it down to the restrictions or is it because those who were vulnerable to dying from this illness have passed away? So, we’ve moved past that situation and we are now seeing increased cases (and increased testing), but these people are not being hospitalised. Why would that suddenly swing the other way now?

I think it's a mixture of both, the measures have been working, however its younger people and people who are not already vulnerable getting it as they are the ones going out and back to work ect. Many work places arent having vulnerable or shielding back in he work place or have them working at home so they are safe. I'm in my third trimester and due back at work in a school next week, I'm shitting my self as its 'safe' apparently it's not, hand gel is probably the only thing that's different in he setting they cant make classes of 20 wash their hands any better than before covid came into play at lunch and break times its impossible, when all the vulnerable have to get back then there will be more deaths, I just hope I'm not one of them.

hamstersarse the non health protection aspects of public health England, including health improvement have been De prioritised by this government. And the staff involved were informed of the potential uncertainty of their jobs by it being leaked to the Sunday telegraph. So I'm not expecting any national push on health improvement any time soon.

@hopsalong

More people are getting tested, so we are finding more mild/asymptomatic cases, which pushed the mortality rate down.

Also, we've now decided to count deaths differently, excluding deaths after 28 days, although a lot of people take at least that long to die of the illness (especially if on a ventilator). Death rates have been massaged to be kept deliberately lower than they are.

The reality is that no one knows what the threat is come winter. We might have dodged a bullet and, due to some herd immunity, basic social distancing and better treatment, there will be no second wave and the (moronic) ‘we have overreacted’ crew will believe that they are fully justified.

Or, with schools opening, and colder air, we may see exponential growth again and our creaking NHS sorely tested.

If you find a chest which may contain unexploded ordnance or harmless metal, do you evacuate the area until you know that it is safe or just assume the latter and let people carry on as normal?

We will know in 2-3 months what is ‘in the box’ and, hopefully, also start having vaccine available. Patience is required.

Covid trumps everything still. YANBU

@Tumbleweed101

Yes, an idea of what the government think our next steps should be would be good.

For example, we will review the impact of mask wearing in November to decide if it needs to continue over the winter months.

Just so we know what will be reviewed and when and that this isn’t our new normal forever!

I agree with this. Some kind of indication of the endgame.

Masks do not appear to be a panacea either.

He already said they'd review end of October.

He said that back in July/August alongside the delaying opening some sectors.

We can't do much more for 5-6 weeks anyway as need to see impact of local restrictions, more sectors opening, schools opening and change in weather.