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.

@SheepandCow I don't think you're right but I guess we'll find out soon.

I hope I'm wrong!
Perhaps it will, afterall, be different this time round, but I'd prefer to see action taken to ensure that.

If cases rise dramatically, it’s only a matter of time until this is converted into deaths.
Some people have no clue

You need to know because
A&e would likely take you more seriously
People with long term symptoms are being ignored or worse
It shuts down the school bubble -possibly saving the life of vulnerable teacher or parent and saving possibly the rest of the school getting infected.

@lughnasadh

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

Hardly anyone is dying.

This.

@Oly4

If cases rise dramatically, it’s only a matter of time until this is converted into deaths. Some people have no clue

positive tests have been slowly rising since the beginning of July. In the same period the numbers of deaths has been falling.

I think deaths have been low because shielding and older people have not been getting infected. That is only just changing now, give it a month from here.

Tbh in some ways I’d be delighted if cases were higher than reported as that would mean even fewer people as a proportion are dying or being admitted to hospital.

Cases have been rising for 6 or 7 weeks now, yet still we have a very low number of deaths (single figures) and hospital admissions are low in most of the country.

So long as this remains the case- which the situation in France suggests it might (they are seemingly around 6 weeks ahead of us but only 17 deaths today), there is no need for panic.

I wonder if it's because only the deaths that have happened within 28 days of a positive test are reported now. If it takes 5 weeks for someone to die of it then it won't be counted

@SophieGiroux

I’m pretty sure the few people who die following a long bout of COVID will me more than balanced out by the fact that the vast majority of COVID positive patients who end up in hospital are elderly with multiple other health conditions, so COVID is not necessarily due cause of death.

Remember if someone is hit by a bus or does from dementia or heart disease 3 weeks after testing positive, they will be included in the figures.

I suspect the number of people who have died as a direct result of Coronavirus would be a lot smaller if we had the data available.

13 people died in our local hospital last week alone. It’s a lockdown area. People are dying. The hospital admissions look low on comparison to April but they are steadily climbing too.

[quote Ecosse]@SophieGiroux

I’m pretty sure the few people who die following a long bout of COVID will me more than balanced out by the fact that the vast majority of COVID positive patients who end up in hospital are elderly with multiple other health conditions, so COVID is not necessarily due cause of death.

Remember if someone is hit by a bus or does from dementia or heart disease 3 weeks after testing positive, they will be included in the figures.

I suspect the number of people who have died as a direct result of Coronavirus would be a lot smaller if we had the data available.[/quote]
This isn’t true. They changed the figure to only include those who die within 28 days. Even though many are on ventilators for longer. The more reliable figure is within 60 days. Which sees only a couple of thousand as possibly unreliable figures (but not definitely)

The figures we see now every day are the 28 day figure.

And just to add, Covid does affect the heart, brain etc because it causes blood clots and many other effects. You can’t say someone didn’t die of Covid when it caused complications with other illnesses. Many of those who died could have lived for many more years.

@Bluelinings

I appreciate that some people are keen to scaremonger and make out that we have a virus equivalent to Ebola on our hands and so will look for the highest possible figure, but the 28 day figure is far more accurate than the 60 day one.

Given that the vast majority of people who die following a positive COVID test are elderly (the average age in Spain is now 86), they will be highly likely to have or develop numerous other health conditions.

All of these people will unfortunately die at some point and would have done so regardless of COVID- so it is just not accurate in many cases to suggest that an individual who had heart disease, diabetes and dementia who dies 2 months after testing positive did so because of the virus- it is highly likely that one of their other conditions was the cause.

Where did I mention Ebola?

Don’t be so dramatic.

I think the open ended date is too long and the 28 day is too short. The 60 day is more accurate.

You could also look at the ONS figures which ONLY include deaths with Covid on the death certificate hit those hit bit a bus (which they is no record of having ever happened).

My relative died after five weeks. Doesn’t she count?

“
All of these people will unfortunately die at some point and would have done so regardless of COVID- so it is just not accurate in many cases to suggest that an individual who had heart disease, diabetes and dementia who dies 2 months after testing positive did so because of the virus- it is highly likely that one of their other conditions was the cause.”

We all die at some point.

You’re saying a 50-year-old mum I know with diabetes died and could have lived Another 20 years but I shouldn’t grieve because she would have died anyway.

My daughter had a hole in her heart. If she does doesn’t she count.

Eugenics is kind of wrong you know.

dies

If someone had long Covid because of one of these illnesses then dies as a result of these illnesses and Covid complications after 28 days then that’s ok?

It’s the fault of the illness they wrote managing very well.

Seriously?

In some cases you may be right but in many... no.

In those cases we refer to the death certificates and that figure is much higher than the 28 day one.

@Bluelinings

‘Long COVID’ does not exist. There are a small number of people who suffer after effects- this happens with every virus in the world. It is not a new thing.

Apologies for typos. Sometimes I forget to proof when I’m so incredulous at how callous people are about those with other conditions who would have lived long lives.

60,000 people have long Covid. But whatever,

I’m done playing chess with a pigeon.

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/08/60000-may-have-long-covid-for-more-than-three-months-uk-study

“ 300,000 people had reported symptoms lasting for more than a month.”

“Up to 60,000 people in the UK may have been suffering from “long Covid” for more than three months, unable to get the care they need to recover from prolonged and debilitating symptoms.”

I agree this happens with every illness.

But it’s happening much more with this one.