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

I do wish people would not compare us to NZ.

NZ 15 people per sq km
UK 275 people per sq km
Largest city 1.5 m and second largest just over 300K

Have you ever been to NZ? For a lot of places your nearest neighbour is at least 500m away. It is easier to social distance. They did a great job but it is like comparing the UK to the success of coronavirus in the highlands.

more people had complied

Where’s your evidence people didn’t comply? We have very strong data about who died and where - most deaths were in nursing homes. Death rates in areas of high population density were much higher, deaths of care workers and health care workers raised. Bus drivers, security high. You know just people doing their jobs or old and in care homes. Once lockdown was imposed death rates went down but agree late lockdown allowed community transmission to be established.

Oh, I'm sure the idiot will do it.

He'll "sell" it to us as "if we do this now, we can have a normal Christmas".

Yeah ok mate, who the fuck believes anything that comes out of his mouth.

The problem is we are in limbo. Lockdown is a short term solution for something we need a longer term solution for.

If a vaccine was imminent I’m sure the idea of locking down and get the vaccine out would be palatable (although whether they would be capable of a decent rolling out programme)

And this isn’t schools - schools haven’t in England being open enough. This was people doing what they want in the holidays and pubs/bars/clubs.

I suppose it depends what the aim is- ultimately I think we will be trying to maintain levels at a higher level than we were post lockdown where there aren’t too many deaths/nhs isn’t overwhelmed but the world can continue. It’s shooting up now but if we could plateau and maintain that would be ok.

We are in an area of local lockdown and I think the balance is ok. Schools open, can go to work, can meet people outside but not inside or in the garden. It’s what I imagined when they talked about the ‘new normal’ and it’s not ideal but it’s bearable until a vaccine etc. Our numbers have plateaued at a higher level but have been the same for a few weeks now so I expect this could be maintained. I’d be happier living long term in local lockdown than having a full lockdown and think it’s fairer across the country.

The basic requirement is to get through this winter without people dying because the NHS is overwhelmed (and the death count, all causes, will be the very worst in those circumstances, as all services could come to an abrupt halt, and the risks of increased suicide and death by other causes will increase hugely)

There is no slack in the NHS in winter anyhow.

The hot summer days are definitely behind us. What everyone chooses to do now will shape what is needed in the coming weeks.

@Friendsoftheearth so not only do we not have enough testing and lab capacity to meet demand, but we can look forward to waiting years for a competent track and trace system. Marvellous !

So we had lockdown to save the NHS. Now people are commenting that we need to lockdown to save test and trace?

They were never brought down far enough in the UK and the border wasn't managed properly. A real mistake because as an island it's much easier to protect the border.

Is the UK is an island? The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is not on the same island as England, Scotland and Wales.

It is annoying that Costello is assigning Whitty’s words to him and we can’t verify.

@PhilCornwall1

Oh, I'm sure the idiot will do it.

He'll "sell" it to us as "if we do this now, we can have a normal Christmas".

Yeah ok mate, who the fuck believes anything that comes out of his mouth.

He's already doing that this morning according to the papers. Another fucking slogan designed to deflect from their abysmal handling of this entire crisis.

Eh? How is this all Chris Whitby's fault?
Do you not know who he is. He's the chief medical officer.

FFS. Blaming Chris Whitty for stuff? You're on a high road to nowhere!

MarshaBradyo If it wasn't true, Whitty would surely have issued a denial by now. I know his ultimate job is to stop further loss of life, but anyone else get the feeling Whitty is on a massive power trip now? He knows the PM is vulnerable to fear because he was hospitalised himself with Covid (allegedly) and I think he'll use that to persuade him to put us in a two-week national lockdown.

Wokesfromhome - S Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong have higher population density than UK and v small number of deaths in comparison.

S korea 500 per sq km
Singapore 8000 per sq I’m
Japan 350 per sq km
Taiwan 670 per sq km
Hong Kong 6600 per sq km

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-china-53596299

Hong Kong’s 2nd wave looked bigger than it’s first.

Long I don’t know but another scientist using Twitter to create headlines which state the CMO says - as the op did - are misleading.

I heard from someone in the know is very poor.

It will be big disruption again and I’m not convinced we’ll sort out to a degree that means we can re open quickly. Plus many people aren’t on furlough in retail etc so will they re-cover or let businesses take the hit.

No bloody way will I lockdown again it's pointless - covid is here to stay for a while so we need to crack on in our new Giiead state with people wearing their masks .. under their nose / hanging off ear etc - it's a mess!!

Also if I were Whitty I wouldn’t actually respond to a rumour

I'm stunned at the selfish views of so many people on this thread!
You realise 'just keep the vulnerable inside' means those with chronic conditions and the elderly will have been in their house, alone for the best part of a year already? They are the only ones actually following the rules!
In reply to an earlier post, the reason we didn't have a huge death toll is BECAUSE of lockdown when we did it properly. This rise now is what happens when people can't even follow the most basic rules, never mind the ridiculous ones set by the idiots in charge.
We frontline NHS are watching hospital admissions and deaths in ITU rise. We are already seeing staffing issues due to contact quarantines.
Please do your part. There's too much 'I'm alright Jack' going on. Really can't understand how bars are all rammed every night like nothing has happened. Think the 10pm curfew is an excellent idea. Feels a bit Orwellian but if people can't follow the most basic social distancing/wash hands/wear a mask, we have zero chance of protecting each other.

CASES not DEATHS this isn’t a zombie apocalypse people

What's CMO? I just finished isolation because of a cough. Another lockdown will send me insane. I need my walks. In fact I need my family support but not getting that because of COVID19.

MarshaBradyo If it's not true but is causing massive upset, then he really should. But he won't, because I bet it's true.

@Longwhiskers14

MarshaBradyo If it's not true but is causing massive upset, then he really should. But he won't, because I bet it's true.

He isn’t causing upset this guy Costello is.

There should be more professionalism across the board. Trying to whip up stories like this is irritating.

Do you think there should be a short lockdown?

Anyone inclined towards power trips would naturally aim to become Chief Medical Officer as a means to achieve that ambition, I’m sure. Not.

If I were Whitty I wouldn't respond - because if you respond to one, you have to do it every time. Otherwise commentators will start trying to read meaning into lack of response. And that's a time consuming game, and he has other priorities

I get the impression from reading this thread that there a quite a few people who seem to think that lockdown was an attempt to eliminate covid??

Is there seriously anyone who thinks we can get rid of this?