Outbreaks being kept secret.

[itsgettingweird]

Right now we are at a precarious stage of the pandemic.

We must return to some sense or normality and to do this we must have track and trace up and running and being effective.

People are concerned we are opening too fast and T and T isn't effective.

From what I've seen in MSM the handling of this local epidemic was effective. Immediate mobile testing, track and trace, closure of site for cleaning.

Surely we need to see that we can be open and handle potential outbreaks.

Right now the country needs confidence and to feel they are getting the truth.

So surely keeping outbreaks a secret is counter productive?

[pigsDOfly]

If outbreaks are being kept secret, how do you know about them OP?

Makes no sense.

[MRex]

something similar isn’t available for current outbreaks
The trouble is that you can't know what postcode somebody got infected in. Even at county level they may have been infected elsewhere, but is a more decent proxy.

[lljkk]

What is an outbreak... I mean, is it 1 case? 10 cases? how do you keep the information confidential if numbers are low -- is anyone saying the infected persons must forfeit privacy as well as liberty?

I want to suggest any location-specific 'outbreak' info published, needs to be minimum 20 persons to be described down to town or school level, else just aggregate by county.

[CKBJ]

The ons link does provide detail on the whereabouts of deaths, As far as I’m aware something similar isn’t available for current outbreaks. PHE could release data (again referring to schools) eg 2 school outbreaks in West Sussex affecting 4 staff and 6 children. Just to be clear, I’ve made this example up.

[MRex]

I don't honestly see how they can make data more precise without identifying individuals. This postcode map is really a small number of streets for my area, with only 3 deaths: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/deathsinvolvingcovid19interactivemap/2020-06-12.

[onlinelinda]

There definitely is insufficient localised information. Some countries are larger than others and the number of cases can refer to too wide an area, and several unconnected towns. Fine for planning health services (the cases data is by local authority) but unhelpful if it doesn't actually give cases where people live.

[CKBJ]

I agree the “other” category is far too vague and no doubt more categories will need to be created

[CKBJ]

I agree it’s a “sound bite” however specifically looking at schools, PHE would have information on the area(s) the affected schools are in as well as number of people and whether this is staff, pupils or both. I believe an incident of 2 has to be reported and considered an outbreak. Such information should be ready available.

[Barbie222]

Things like the meat packing outbreaks presumably come in as "other" in that weekly surveillance report. They chose care homes, hospitals, schools and prisons to report on specifically - anything else goes into "other" so you css as n see where they anticipate the big outbreak numbers will be, but maybe they'll have to
split that "other" category to be useful.

[Enderthedragon]

Whenever anyone starts going on about 'MSM' I always switch off.

[MRex]

(That was about schools, not meat packing.)

[MRex]

Possible outbreaks in less than one in a thousand settings = top news. Really? When we know that at least some cases are clearly not even involving children too! Sorry, I don't think this tells anybody anything at the moment, PHE need more time to confirm if there is or isn't any issue from schools, I wouldn't put faith in instant soundbites.

[Nicedayforawedding]

There is currently an outbreak of Covid at a local primary school that had recently reopened. I only know about it because my friend works there, those that don’t attend the school don’t know though.

[Redolent]

[quote CKBJ]Public health England reported in their update this week, 24 outbreaks in schools, 12 of which confirmed as Covid (and possibly more to follow) in last 2 weeks. I haven’t seen this in the news or mentioned at the briefings. Doesn’t exactly “fit” with the government’s rhetoric. Certainly don’t won’t to scare people or go back to lockdown but do feel all news whether positive or negative should be shared.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/893216/Weekly_COVID19_Surveillance_Report_w25.pdf[/quote]
That’s interesting, I had no idea. My impression has been that there’s been nothing in schools because I hadn’t heard otherwise. Thanks for sharing.

[user1493494961]

Would Matt Hancock report on the outbreaks in the meat processing plants in North Wales as they come under the jurisdiction of the Welsh Government.

[CKBJ]

Public health England reported in their update this week, 24 outbreaks in schools, 12 of which confirmed as Covid (and possibly more to follow) in last 2 weeks. I haven’t seen this in the news or mentioned at the briefings. Doesn’t exactly “fit” with the government’s rhetoric. Certainly don’t won’t to scare people or go back to lockdown but do feel all news whether positive or negative should be shared.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/893216/Weekly_COVID19_Surveillance_Report_w25.pdf

[itsgettingweird]

Of course the media is t always accurate. We also know there's bias which is why I read various sources.

But I wondered about people's thoughts on this.

Should there be local warnings of 'outbreaks' to local people or is it fine to announce it at a briefing a few days after the fact?

It's no different to people asking same question about schools etc who find out info via briefing.

It's clear this pandemic seems to have rendered some people unable to just take information and discuss their opinion on it without everyone thinking everyone needs to be each end of a mile long stick of opinion.

[ragged]

Tell us more about how "MSM" lets you down, OP.
And the "secret"s, and the "inaccurate media"...

Has the world ever not had those problems in your eyes, OP?

[Thisdressneedspockets]

My local council have never stopped claiming we haven't reached a peak. I'm sure we'd soon know if there was a new cluster as they could gleefully close carparks and toilets again.
The stats are available daily and we are fortunate that we are a small local authority so can check for ourselves whether council hysteria is warranted or not..

[itsgettingweird]

Ragged. Bit of a judgement?! I asked a question based on various informations i'd read. I'm not local and this has no effect on me whatsoever.

[itsgettingweird]

Thanks bol it's helpful to hear from someone local about this. Certainly you'd think GP's would be informed?

[itsgettingweird]

*If the media would accurately report and keep in perspective then publicity surrounding local outbreaks would make sense but they don't - the Leicester "outbreak" is a number of cases connected to one school, the problem is that I know from a friend who lives a few doors from the school that the kids have been in and out of houses, bbq's with neighbours, parties family gatherings etc plus it's an area with some deprivation, multi generational living ... The press don't mention this so it implies the outbreak is generalised rather than warning those in the specific area. There's also a rise in another neighbourhood with high deprivation, multi generational etc and they have sent in a mobile testing unit and are inviting people to be tested.
*
The problem is that I've heard people saying they won't get tested, won't isolate, none of governments business and best one, it's all a trick. Parties were in full swing last night, must have been 30 cars at my neighbours!

See that's what I was wondering. What the other side of this maybe.

Where I live last time I checked my town and adjacent one have had no reported cases in 10 days.
I just thought if an outbreak occurred I'd want to know and what the taxi driver said in the article made sense - it wasn't about her but that she could be responsible for spreading it and could take precautions.

I also know someone (who is also an anti Vaxer) who thinks it all a conspiracy. Yet when I ask what she thinks caused 65k excess death in 3 months - doesn't actually have an answer.

[Bol87]

Our outbreak was in a meat packing factory.. a common theme it seems!

[countrygirl99]

If the 1st case was on the 8th it would probably have taken a few days for it to become apparent that there was a cluster so possibly only a delay of a couple of days delay in official notification. The meeting was probably called once they were sure. I'm no fan of this government but can't see a basis for a conspiracy here.

[ragged]

People like you are Never confident you are getting the truth, OP. It isn't possible.