Costello's tweet re Whitty & lockdown Now retracted *edited by MNHQ at OP's request*

[mac12]

Anyone heard anymore on this? Apparently amid the testing chaos, we’re now thought to be at 38,000 cases a day & CMO wants a 2 week national lockdown
twitter.com/globalhlthtwit/status/1306351773356118022?s=21

WhentheDealGoesDown1

it seems like a tacit acceptance that their "eat out to help out" has created the virus to spread, hmm. Was it ever a good idea to underwrite this scheme, to later kill the hospitality sector off. What a waste of money, and lives potentially. Might have been better to pay a decent level of benefits to individuals, rather than pour millions into the pockets of bosses and shareholders.

MH on R4

Interviewer very annoying as usual

It'll be over half term to prevent families from areas with high rates visiting extended family or taking holidays across the UK
but I bet they still let people fly freely into and out of the country, just like they did during the full lockdown, and not enforce the quarantine in any meaningful way.

If they believe a short sharp lockdown can work then they need to institute this now if they want to prevent their predicted huge hike in deaths.

I agree with you (although I am far from convinced that it's the solution). If it is needed and they're waiting until half term (which isn't always the same dates across England or the UK anyway), why not go the whole hog and implement night-time lockdowns only (for all except essential night-workers), so that it inconveniences us as little as possible?

On a different note, I've just noticed that my house is on fire - would somebody please be so kind as to pop a letter in the post to the fire brigade for me some time over the next week....

I have a sense of dread that I have heard this sentence before, 'just locking down for a few weeks' back in the spring when the lockdown was only supposed to be for three weeks to help the NHS. Over three months later we finally emerged! I do feel a keen sense of deja vu, and not in a good way.

I listened to the same interview marsha and it was extremely annoying. Matt Hancock has practised his breathing techniques. I find it infuriating to listen to when I am interested in the content of what is being said, and it is constantly interrupted with pointless smug remarks. We can be left in very little doubt how serious things are now, though, that did shine through. The summer party is most definitely over if ever there was one.

Friends agree. I thought he did well. I’m so glad he didn’t fall for the ‘report’ question and answered it was serious. And the interrupting is ridiculous. It’s not useful in any way whatsoever.

marsha I always feel rather tense listening to Matt Hancock, he can be like a coiled spring, not surprising given his in tray load.

I shall never forget the day he lost it on R4 after being so ill himself from covid, and clearly the sleepless nights had caught up with him that day. It was absolutely marvellous radio, we shall probably never hear it again - as it did not cover the BBC in glory in the midst of a pandemic and national crisis.

Agree with @Friendsoftheearth

You don’t have to lock people away to protect them. Have amazing infection control in care homes for example with constant testing. One idea!

That is a good idea given what happened last time delatron and also maybe setting up covid secure medical clinics for older /at risk people so that they can receive medical treatment without having to mix with younger age groups. Covid secure shopping delivery slots for everyone over the age of 70 and so on.
It would not be hard to build a shield around older people and those at risk, that allowed some degree of normal life to continue.

However unless they are just scaring us into conforming, it looks like the gov are opting for yet another sweeping lockdown again

Whatever became of the Nightingale Hospitals? Have they just been quietly forgotten about too?

@HesterShaw1

Whatever became of the Nightingale Hospitals? Have they just been quietly forgotten about too?

Decommissioned, I think.

@HesterShaw1

Whatever became of the Nightingale Hospitals? Have they just been quietly forgotten about too?

Their purpose was a back up of the NHS was overwhelmed

The NHS wasn’t overwhelmed hence they weren't required

Being dusted down as we speak, according to a friend in London

Ok. So they are there and ready to go.

So IF hospitalizations increase to April levels, we are in better position to tackle it.

I stand by my assertion that the idea of pushing back the release of Covid to time it flawlessly with flu and norovirus when we've had a whole summer to proactively deal with it, was the most almightily stupid cock up of the lot.

@HesterShaw1

Ok. So they are there and ready to go.

So IF hospitalizations increase to April levels, we are in better position to tackle it.

I stand by my assertion that the idea of pushing back the release of Covid to time it flawlessly with flu and norovirus when we've had a whole summer to proactively deal with it, was the most almightily stupid cock up of the lot.

I don’t think they’re there and ready to go. From what I’ve read the buildings (such as the NEC) will go back to their normal purpose shortly.

I stand by my assertion that the idea of pushing back the release of Covid to time it flawlessly with flu and norovirus when we've had a whole summer to proactively deal with it, was the most almightily stupid cock up of the lot

100% agree with this.

Me too. Utter insanity.

I suspect their first plan was to let covid through in summer before they ballsed up by not slowing international travel and it arrived too quickly.

Hindsight and all that but I feel like we are sleepwalking into another fiasco

I know they're not really ready to go. They were a massive exercise in Being Seen To Be On Top Of Things.

As soon as it became clear the curve was flattened, a normalish summer should have been resumed. To some extent, not totally of course. We could have really ben preparing for the autumn in terms of proactively managing people's health, encouraging fitness and exposure to natural light. We could have properly looked after the people who needed looking after, restricted sensibly the kind of indoor events where spreading was likely and allowed life and commerce to continue.

But no, we chained up playgrounds, reported people out for more than one walk/run/cycle per day taped up benches, closed leisure centres and swimming pools, and prevented healthy people from having the kind of contact with others which lets their immune system function as it should.

Great job.

@HesterShaw1

Whatever became of the Nightingale Hospitals? Have they just been quietly forgotten about too?

I suspect using Nightingales as Covid hospitals, whilst trying to keep other hospitals running as ‘normal’ a service as possible will be an option if/when ventilator requirements increase again.

Not if they’re reopening for events from October. Surely after spending millions turning them into hospitals, then millions turning them back again, they won’t spend further millions turning them back into hospitals?

Nightingales are on stand-by, ready to open within at a few days' notice. But main problem is the staffing. There are no extra staff for them. Staff have to be taken away from existing hospital roles (those hospitals are not always supportive) and in the last lockdown dentists and vets etc were not at work and some were willing to help with Nightingales but this time they will be working in their normal roles. Student nurses and newly qualified nurses could have been trained in intensive care since the last lockdown, but no-one organised that.

I suspect using Nightingales as Covid hospitals, whilst trying to keep other hospitals running as ‘normal’ a service as possible will be an option if/when ventilator requirements increase again.

I thought that was the whole idea of building them! Though, treatment has moved on from ventilating when they discovered that actually it was killing people.

Student nurses and newly qualified nurses could have been trained in intensive care since the last lockdown, but no-one organised that.

Another absolutely unforgivable failure to prepare.

We will be asked to lockdown again to atone for this failure, and this summer of wasted opportunity? And people are ok with that?

@HesterShaw1

I know they're not really ready to go. They were a massive exercise in Being Seen To Be On Top Of Things.

As soon as it became clear the curve was flattened, a normalish summer should have been resumed. To some extent, not totally of course. We could have really ben preparing for the autumn in terms of proactively managing people's health, encouraging fitness and exposure to natural light. We could have properly looked after the people who needed looking after, restricted sensibly the kind of indoor events where spreading was likely and allowed life and commerce to continue.

But no, we chained up playgrounds, reported people out for more than one walk/run/cycle per day taped up benches, closed leisure centres and swimming pools, and prevented healthy people from having the kind of contact with others which lets their immune system function as it should.

Great job.

Great post.

Birmingham Nightingale back on standby, ready to be reopened, according to this:
mobile.twitter.com/RoyLilley/status/1306958036859322369