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

@RancidOldHag

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

Yep many scientists could easily use I heard from someone in the know Whitty said this. Get headlines

He isn’t causing upset this guy Costello is

Do remember that Costello is a senior, well connected scientist, both nationally and internationally. Why would he post recklessly, or deliberately misleadingly?

MarshaBradyo I think if people can't obey the simple social distancing rules we have at the moment, then yes, we have to. You only have to read SweetpeaOrMarigold's post to see why.

On R4 right now. Would be a mistake just push it further into winter - Heneghan

Even if he did recommend it to the PM, Boris isn't going to listen is he. He didn't listen in time before and that was when he was following the science. They are not following the science so it is irrelevant.

I don't think the public goodwill is there anymore.

This petrifies me. I already can't earn money on my zero hours as son "had a high temp" and we've had to fight for a Covid test just to get the whole fucking household back into work and school (they measured him in the 27'c heat we had the other day whilst hed been running in the playground in his full winter uniform, for fucks sake). I've lost hundreds of pounds already. I'm fucked. Another lockdown...I mean, I feel sick just thinking about it. There's no support in place for those of us who have children getting colds but being demanded to get covid tests which aren't even available.

@Oblomov20 Whitty is the chief medical officer and as such he will advise the Government. The Government makes the decisions, Whitty does his best to explain them to the public. Advise the Government and explain the Governments decisions are within in his remit. He can suggest health related policy changes, but the Government doesn't neccessarily have to agree or implement those changes.

Chris Whitty? I want to know what Jon Claude Van-Tam's view is.

Lol 😆

@SweetpeaOrMarigold I'm not cased as vulnerable. Our family did lockdown. My world turned 2D. We're still wearing masks, distancing. Just having quiet walks and isolating when we have a cough.
Some of the vulnerable aren't isolating. Elderly have just as much desire for suicide as the younger generations. They just die more easily. Thusly the first spike where majority didn't isolate ''because they felt fine and their friends don't mind dying as a result of their visit''
Mental illness is real. Mums can go insane when they are made to stay in and Handle baby 24/7. They need breaks. Even walks to get healthy. Can you be sure this will be included in the next lockdown? Can you be sure that everyone can have walks because some people have to argue it over with their partners when their healthcare worker says you can go for walks.

Localised lockdowns is the way to go, I’m in a rural area of Scotland that had very few this whole time. Currently 0 people in our hospital with covid. Why is it fair to lockdown every area then? My DC have also been back at school for nearly 7 weeks, both primary and secondary, no rise in cases, no teachers dropping dead

As for long covid every virus has the potential to drag on long after the initial infection. I had pneumonia at 20, I was ill enough to be in HDU with the possibility of ventilation which wasn’t needed thankfully, it took more than a year for me stop feeling breathless all the time and I still get breathless in some exertions

@scaevola

He isn’t causing upset this guy Costello is

Do remember that Costello is a senior, well connected scientist, both nationally and internationally. Why would he post recklessly, or deliberately misleadingly?

Because he’s part of ‘Independent Sage’, a group which has an anti government agenda.

Let me guess. Over October half term and the postponed 11+ exam date?

If this is true, I have a lot of respect for Whitty but will not adhere to any further lockdown. I did the first one properly, as a once off, but I am not doing it again.

MyPersona exactly. A quick look at Twitter confirms this

@SweetpeaOrMarigold

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.

I agree. Personally, my mental health is being affected by the uncertainty and having to go to go to work seeing people everyday not wearing masks correctly, moaning about guidelines that they aren’t even following, going on and on about being ‘sick of it all now’ and how they would ‘rather get it than carry on this way’.

I can’t imagine how hard it is to see these people everyday when you have lost relatives to Covid, like some friends of mine have.

Can you back up that twitter link with actual evidence rather than social media scare tactics?

Given that this board has been fuelled almost entirely by scaremongering, hearsay, and "my friend who works for the NHS" since about February, that's quite an ask!

Its ok Whitty advising another lockdown, he will be being paid no mattr what. As far as the rule of 6 goes im pretty sure I wont be breaking it during my every day life until Christmas day. (if the rule is still in place)
If it comes to another lockdown I wont be staying at home.

Yes let’s have another lockdown so that is office workers can continue to wfh and get paid. But oh, I still need my food delivered so let’s get the shop workers in and the bin men, and the care staff and the NHS acute care staff and the bus drivers etc etc. We are becoming a divided society - those that have to work out of the home irrespective of a lockdown and those that can stay safely at home.

@Thanksitsgotpockets

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

The fucking clapping will start again, probably for T&T this time

“It’s like comparing the Uk to the success of coronavirus in the highlands”

Erm, are the highlands not part of the UK or did I misunderstand the vote in 2014?

frumpety, thank you, I'm well aware. Big Chris Whitty fan here.

I know very well that anything he advises Government can be ignored, Boris is under no obligation to take on any of Whitty's advice.

I think you're preaching to the converted. It's the rest of the posters who don't seem to understand the system and how Boris seems to be able to do what he wants!

Because he’s part of ‘Independent Sage’, a group which has an anti government agenda

Like a shadow Cabinet? Isnt it a good thing that there's a group of senior scientists who are not under Govt aegis?

Genuine question: What have they been saying that is wrong/mischievous/misleading?

Oh, the ol' 'selfish' term flung around. Talk to the hand. Won't be doing another lockdown. There isn't the manpower to enforce it, anyway.

If you were Whitty, and wanted to get something into the public domain with plausible deniability, how would you go about it?

Especially if you wanted the timing of that part of the debate/warning to be post hoc discoverable?

(Sorry, I read too many thrillers)