Lots of good news at the moment!

[FrugiFan]

www.bbc.com/news/health-53467022
A trial of a drug which could reduce ICU admission by 79%, and is already in use for other things so doesnt need human trials for side effects etc.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839
Promising news about one of the many vaccines in production.

Hospital admissions have not increased, more than 2 weeks after pubs and restaurants reopened.

Lots of reasons to think positive at the moment

And yet there are teachers on here terrified about returning to school full time from September.

There needs to be some very public statements by high profile people to reassure them. The link above from the SAGE epidemiologist is a great start

@openplankitchen

And yet there are teachers on here terrified about returning to school full time from September.

There needs to be some very public statements by high profile people to reassure them. The link above from the SAGE epidemiologist is a great start

Well I just saw it posted on another thread and someone straight away told them it’s not true

The sniffer dogs will be a game changer too.

It would be nice to have another positive thread - the last one was great.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/no-known-case-of-teacher-catching-coronavirus-from-pupils-says-scientist-3zk5g2x6z?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1595348184

That isn't good news, it's an opinion piece. No evidence is not the same as evidence something doesn't happen, there is no link to actual studies there and it's a government scientist making those pronouncements. Many teachers have died from covid around the world including in the uk. What we don't have is evidence about where they caught those infections. Maybe they caught it from children, maybe not, we don't know.

The recent large scale S Korean study shows that children over 10 (to 19) transmit the virus more than adults. Which seems to contradict what this government scientist is saying www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/20/children-10-transmit-new-coronavirus-easily-adults-south-korea/

The quote from Gabriel Scally - member of Independent Sage - in the article is very selective. I'm sure it's true that he thinks schools should be a higher priority for opening than pubs and nail bars but he also has stated we should be aiming for 'zero covid' with a better test and trace system. I doubt he thinks teachers are being unreasonable in being scared given the government's appalling plans for reopening - Indie sage in general are very critical of the government not doing more to ensure schools can open with lower risks. Things the government could do but aren't: more space found / reallocation of space to allow more social distancing, money for extra sinks and cleaning products, masks where appropriate, extra money for heating to allow better ventilation.

In most countries schools have closed until recently, so there can't be much data. In Sweden, they stayed open (but with much lower class sizes than here - so more social distancing) but they didn't track outbreaks, unfortunately. This is a good article - in Sweden teachers also died from covid. www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/how-sweden-wasted-rare-opportunity-study-coronavirus-schools

I'm all for good news. Blind optimism (which the times article above is) is a different matter.

I really hope that it's true, but we really don't have the evidence. We do know that poorly ventilated spaces which are crowded and where people stay for many hours are the best places to transmit covid. That is classrooms in the UK, unless we make some changes.

FFS. I give up.

@Drivingdownthe101

FFS. I give up.

Really positive news about this new treatment and thanks for sharing that it’s a drug that is used currently. I didn’t know that.

Fingers crossed about vaccine too!!

Well JR Rowling just put a bag of shit on this thread now obs a 2nd waver ffs

Ignore her.

There has been no deaths at my local trust (2 hospitals) for 30 days now

www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/22/antibody-mix-trialled-as-potential-coronavirus-treatment?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Good news coming thick and fast now. What’s particularly heartening is that there are positive developments from a variety of directions.

Between vaccination and the various treatments being trialled, we should be in a much better position soon.

I’m sure someone will be along soon to spread some doom around though.

I'm actually quite positive we can avoid a second wave if everyone takes appropriate measures, but that doesn't mean we should throw teachers under the bus. Schools can open if proper measures are put in place, like in shops, like in other workplaces, like has been done in many other countries.

But the government isn't giving schools any money in order to achieve proper measures.

I don't think crossing fingers and hoping is a good strategy. I also don't think we should post things as 'good news' which aren't evidence based. As seen with the new treatments and vaccines, there is enough good news without making stuff up.

Great. I feel similarly proud of the scientists here too.

@IloveJKRowling there was money within the existing budget for the pay rise for teachers. I'm sure some money will be found to implement the government guidelines.

We all have to tighten our belts with the record level of debt but hopefully getting everyone back to work and school will help kickstart our economy.

So much positive news recently. We are in a much much better place than March

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/health/covid-antibodies-herd-immunity.html#click=t.co/OCbnhXfkqw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/health/covid-antibodies-herd-immunity.html#click=t.co/OCbnhXfkqw

Very interesting article, thanks for posting.

But the government isn't giving schools any money in order to achieve proper measures.

Bang on.

The coming winter isn't all about Covid. It's the prior disastrous state of U.K. education with no money plus Covid, and no additional money.

I love positive news; I've been told by a medical friend about the coming vaccine and also about ideas for mobile testing units for schools as well as the potential for saliva tests which will be huge.

Not concretely happening, yet. Track and trace won't be fully operational till sept.

I'm rolling up my sleeves to do my duty in class (Sen) which involves constant spraying and washing of equipment and hands. All this talk of catch up; teaching will be bare basics. We will do our best. I don't feel as secure in the community doing their best, nor the government either tbh.

WITH a possible vaccine possibly on the horizon, it’s time to ignore all official advice on the pandemic and do whatever you like. Try these excuses:

‘I’m outside’

Being outside dramatically slows the spread of the virus. It does not confer complete immunity and nobody’s ever said it did, but feel free to use it as your catch-all excuse for an all-day drinking session and barbecue with 20 other households.

‘Nobody I know’s had it’

Must be a myth then, if nobody in your small circle of acquaintances contracted it while the entire country was on lockdown. Just like swine flu and bird flu were bollocks because they didn’t kill anyone you knew personally. Get out and mingle.

‘I watched this bloke on YouTube…’

The perfect sentence to tune out immediately afterwards. In this case you watched some half-witted conspiracy theorist assemble misleading media clips about Covid and have decided that gives you enough cover to go to an overcrowded illegal rave in a car park.

‘I’ve probably had it’

Loads of people are asymptomatic, and who’s to say you’re not one of them? You did feel really hot back when there was all that sunny weather in April. In which case you’re perfectly safe and can do the TransPennine Real Ale Trail.

‘They’ve got a vaccine’

By interpreting news stories extremely selectively and ignoring all caveats, you can convince yourself there’s a vaccine ready for injection by September. Why else would the government open all the schools? Ayia Napa, anyone?

Not the place for you ohthegoats. Plenty of dementor threads to go hang out

Why go and randomly burst into negativity on a 'positive news' thread. So people not read the title?

The sniffer dogs will be a game changer too.

I see we don't yet have a photo of the dogs, so continuing the feel good theme, here they are.

Of those, I would most like to be sniffed by Asher (as soon as she comes down from whatever the he'll she's on).

@ohthegoats

WITH a possible vaccine possibly on the horizon, it’s time to ignore all official advice on the pandemic and do whatever you like. Try these excuses:

‘I’m outside’

Being outside dramatically slows the spread of the virus. It does not confer complete immunity and nobody’s ever said it did, but feel free to use it as your catch-all excuse for an all-day drinking session and barbecue with 20 other households.

‘Nobody I know’s had it’

Must be a myth then, if nobody in your small circle of acquaintances contracted it while the entire country was on lockdown. Just like swine flu and bird flu were bollocks because they didn’t kill anyone you knew personally. Get out and mingle.

‘I watched this bloke on YouTube…’

The perfect sentence to tune out immediately afterwards. In this case you watched some half-witted conspiracy theorist assemble misleading media clips about Covid and have decided that gives you enough cover to go to an overcrowded illegal rave in a car park.

‘I’ve probably had it’

Loads of people are asymptomatic, and who’s to say you’re not one of them? You did feel really hot back when there was all that sunny weather in April. In which case you’re perfectly safe and can do the TransPennine Real Ale Trail.

‘They’ve got a vaccine’

By interpreting news stories extremely selectively and ignoring all caveats, you can convince yourself there’s a vaccine ready for injection by September. Why else would the government open all the schools? Ayia Napa, anyone?

Why would you do this on a positive thread!! The people on here are looking for somewhere to share positive news away from all the doom

*hell, not he'll.

Ah those dogs what a lovely mix

They are an arsehole or possibly been asked to come back to work and enjoyed furlough too much.

Bloody hell ohthegoats talk about pissing on everyones chips.