3497 cases announced on Saturday but so many people going untested.

[LavaSpider]

Another 3497 cases have been announced for the last 24 hours, but given it's been almost impossible to get any kind of test in many areas of the country, I'm assuming the real number of new cases is far, far higher.
Do they think they manipulate the numbers of available tests so the cases don't appear to go up so fast? Nothing would surprise me with this government.

It doesn't really matter. The numbers are what they are.

Hardly anyone is dying.

Maybe the manipulate the test numbers but hospital admissions are increasing as well and that's harder to manipulate.

I am happier listening to the medics rather than the politicians.

It is far higher.
Are these numbers from a week ago too?
As cases rise, so will hospital admissions 😔

225,000 tests processed today, and still they whinge and moan, seems like a hobby. 3500 of those were positive. 220,000 people had a test that didn’t need one, there is your problem.

I do what what the true number is given the amount that can’t get tests and then all those that claim they can tell temps/coughs etc aren’t the virus so don’t even try for tests.

@MrsPerrywinkle

225,000 tests processed today, and still they whinge and moan, seems like a hobby. 3500 of those were positive. 220,000 people had a test that didn’t need one, there is your problem.

Don’t be stupid. Those 220,000 had a cough/fever/loss of taste and smell caused by something that wasn’t Covid. But they needed a test to find that out!

@lughnasadh

It doesn't really matter. The numbers are what they are.

Hardly anyone is dying.

This

@frozendaisy

Maybe the manipulate the test numbers but hospital admissions are increasing as well and that's harder to manipulate.

I am happier listening to the medics rather than the politicians.

Yes. There's only so long they can write it off as pneumonia, 'summer flu', or a heart attack or stroke (both of which can be triggered by Covid).

Instead of desperately trying to cover up something that can't stay covered up, they should be doing something to stop things getting worse. What have they been doing the last few months? How come other countries have a working test, track, and trace system? Why are we still having test problems? Why didn't the government think ahead and realise an opened up summer with unchecked international travel would lead to this mess? If the priority was schools and offices returning, we should've used summer to prepare.

All we can do now is go for third time lucky. We messed up at the start, we failed again in May/June. So now lets aim for December/Christmas. Lockdown for a month or two - with strictly restricted borders for up to a year. Proper quarantine for essential travellers.

Yes. There's only so long they can write it off as pneumonia, 'summer flu', or a heart attack or stroke (both of which can be triggered by Covid).

Oh look, a new conspiracy theory. How interesting

So, with numbers creeping up, is anyone worried about brexit?

I'm only asking as people have been assuming that brexit will occur after Christmas. But, if the UK is in breach of the withdrawal agreement, then that could inactivate the transition period.

So a no deal Brexit could happen quite soon, and it could hit in the middle of a covid spike.

Is anyone prepping? Is anyone worried about shortages?

@MrsPerrywinkle

225,000 tests processed today, and still they whinge and moan, seems like a hobby. 3500 of those were positive. 220,000 people had a test that didn’t need one, there is your problem.

I had a test this week that came back negative.

I have a continuous cough, my temperature which is normally 36.8 has been between 37.3 and 37.9 for 5 days and anything over 37.8 is testable.

I knew it was a cold as also have sinus congestion, a very sore throat and extreme tiredness but I met 2 of the 3 main symptoms so me, DH and DD had to self isolate.

A cold and Covid have lots of cross over symptoms, this is well known and will increase the need for testing, it's been all over the news and public discussion for months that autumn would bring an increased demand for testing. So why can they not cope? Why have they not increased production and processing capacity to account for that need?

Yeah the actual number must be much much higher.
We tried for hours and hours to get a test. It took more then 24hr to get to us and it’s been 48hours since it was received in Glasgow and we still don’t have the result.
We as a family are isolating. There will be many who wouldn’t bother. Especially being it’s probably a temperature caused by a return to school bug.

Am I a conspiracy theorist? I prefer to self describe as highly cynical. I don't know whether we've had Covid cases wrongly written off as other conditions. Not necessarily as a deliberate coverup even, but possibly just that Covid wasn't considered. I don't think it's a definite fact (unlike conspiracy theorists). I just wonder whether perhaps.

What's certain is hospital admissions (for confirmed Covid) are increasing now.

How accurate are the current tests?
What's the percentage of false negatives?
It's sensible to be cautious with any of the symptoms.

Hospital numbers are creeping up. It's naive to imagine the virus won't start to cause serious problems as the infected young people pass it on to their older relatives. The positive side is that we have better treatments now and hopefully not nearly so many will die. But it is worrying and we ought to take it seriously and act accordingly.

@LavaSpider we have NEVER and will NEVER know how many cases there are - those who don't want to get tested (for reasons of their own) or asymptomatic cases that are not picked up. It's not telling us a thing. What is important to watch is hospital admissions and death figures (28 days from test and looking at FROM covid NOT WITH). France for example have been giving recovery figures for months - why have we not been giving this information?? Fear.

@lughnasadh
@HesterShaw1

It doesn't really matter. The numbers are what they are. Hardly anyone is dying.

We had 1 death reported on 12 March... over 1,000 per day a month later. Are you really that forgetful? Or are goldfish now on MN?

If you were pushed out of a plane without a parachute would you think “what’s there to worry about, the wind’s rushing through my hair and I have a great view!” because you are somehow unable to comprehend what may happen beyond the immediate here and now?

They’ve already said numbers are starting to increase in the over 85s. They haven’t blamed this on them attending illegal raves yet but give it time.

People in their teens had twenties don’t live completely separately from older people/those who have health conditions so I don’t see how deaths can stay low unless they can get cases way back down again.

But it seems to be being assumed that the trajectory will be identical to March, when circumstances are very different. In March we'd had the virus running unchecked through the population for weeks, even months, before the government realised it was a problem. We had football matches, race meets, Crufts, clubbing, pubbing, concerts, theatres, cinemas, skiing holidays, conferences, gigs etc all going on through January and February.

We have had nothing of that nature for 6 months.

We are no longer in lockdown though. People are meeting up, sometimes in large numbers and giving the virus the chance to spread. You're right that if we are careful and sensible we shouldn't have an identical trajectory, but an awful lot of people seem to have decided they're bored with it now, and are trying to life normally.

Almost impossible to get any kind of test? Has it really? Or have you just read that in the paper? Yes, if you're online at the wrong time it may tell you to travel 300 miles away for one, but keep trying and you'll get an appointment when the next slots are released. Many towns have walk in centres without any appointment needed. I don't think there is realistically anyone with a bit of brain and some determination failing to get a test when they need one. There are plenty of school children 'needing' a test at the moment with obvious colds but who can't access education without the negative test, because they are coughing. Nearly all of these will be negative. The demand on testing may miss a few positives, but nothing like thousands.

Absolutely - we haven't got a clue. Hospital admissions are the only numbers that count.

Maybe if people just isolated instead of being tested we wouldn't be heading for another lock down i understand some people need to know for work/personal reasons but if you can stay at home and just isolate instead of being tested then the numbers will stay low an no 2nd lock down an no scaring every1 silly getting tested does not change the outcome just isolate. The majority of these people will recover if not all of them so why do we need to know they have it.

It can take a long time to die of covid. If numbers are rising then deaths will start to rise too

@HesterShaw1

But it seems to be being assumed that the trajectory will be identical to March, when circumstances are very different. In March we'd had the virus running unchecked through the population for weeks, even months, before the government realised it was a problem. We had football matches, race meets, Crufts, clubbing, pubbing, concerts, theatres, cinemas, skiing holidays, conferences, gigs etc all going on through January and February.

We have had nothing of that nature for 6 months.

We've just had several months of jetting off on summer holidays, packing pubs, bars, and restaurants, going on mass gatherings protests, raves, house parties, and now the schools are back.

It's very similar to March, and now just like then we're seeing hospital admissions start to increase. If we don't act fast, this time next month will be the same as April.