Chris Whitty to hold briefing tomorrow

[molifly14]

According to sky news, Chris Witty is to hold a briefing tomorrow and will not be joined by any members of the cabinet or Boris Johnson and won't take questions. He will apparently discuss different scenarios.

Does that sound odd to anyone else and does this maybe mean no further restrictions this week, let's just try and scare us all into being good instead?

Link: Coronavirus: 'Critical point' in pandemic as UK infection rate heading in wrong direction, says chief medical officer news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-critical-point-in-pandemic-as-uk-infection-rate-heading-in-wrong-direction-says-chief-medical-officer-12077482

11am on Monday isn’t going to be seen by many people - start of the working week. Perhaps a way of getting news out with only a small number hearing it live?

[quote TheMurk]@Piggypower the number of 21 reported today includes deaths dating back to April. Your point is moot.[/quote]
It’s deaths within the last 28 days.

Huge tensions with Whitty pushing the public health message on one side, and Sunak/Sharma the economy on the other. Boris frozen into inaction.

I suspect tomorrow will be the scientists giving us a big telling off (for generally doing the things the government asked of us).

I predict college students are about to be publicly demonised (and somewhat rightly so) because they don’t give a shit about older people catching Covid from their lack of social distancing. Mind you, the guidelines for their behaviour are totally far fetched. Good luck getting teenagers to follow any of them.

I wonder if there is any early data in about how kids return to primary and secondary schools has effected Covid deaths. But death data lags behind a month or so. Some grandparent fatalities might be expected.

I suspect it's one last go at saying behave yourself or else (while going back to work, spending money etc etc) Then a few days later Boris will come on and say 'right, nobody behaved, we did warn you, lockdown.'

(not that we encouraged you to enjoy summer safely, and get back out there spending money, it's all entirely the public's fault 🙄)

11am on a Monday! Who exactly will be watching. I'll be at work. With hundreds of teenagers.

Hospitalisation and death take weeks to peak after cases climb. If we wait for those to go up before we act we will be. Ruins control.

I don't think school spread is to be blamed. Locally we have had one or two cases in schools but easily contained. Most of the spread I've heard about is due to people not isolating when symptomatic or waiting test results.

The rise in the fine amount is going to put people off testing and push it into wider circulation if we aren't careful.

I am dreading another lockdown. Not so much for me (though I've finally got back into the office and I am loving seeing other human beings) but more for my son's education.

I also think people are so pissed off (they haven't forgotten Cummings and his County Durham antics) that they'll take sod all notice.

That said, note that deaths lag increases in case numbers by 2 to 3 weeks, and take a close look at what's happening in Spain/France now - if (three ifs) deaths start to go up in line with the increase in cases, and cases continue to rise at the present rate, and community transmission takes hold such that cases start to spread back into the older age groups, then we will see deaths at the same sort of level as back in April.

👍

Their intervention comes after ministers were accused of eroding trust

This from the Guardian link makes sense. Government has lost credibility for many people, so when they make the latest contradictory statement people at best eyeroll.

This is what happens when MPs treat honesty as optional and twist and lie for their little power games. Claiming they never said xyz even as a video of them saying xyz is played to them.

I'm tired of big announcements being made at deliberately stupid times. It does not build trust. Bunch of arrogant fools.

What a stupid time to announce it!

I’ll listen to Whitty. He is educated and has people’s health from the virus at the forefront of his mind. However, the economy is not where his concern is. What he has to say will be interesting and will be backed up with evidence or else a good educated prediction.

Boris hates to be the one giving bad news. He thought he was born to be PM and could breeze in and deliver Brexit to thunderous applause. Shutting down large parts of the country and hiding in a fridge was not in his plan!

Boris considered Cummings more important than being seen to stick to guidelines. Getting Whitty and Valance to deliver the bad news is just what Boris would do, no need for him to be seen leading the country being the bearer of bad news.

I'll be crossing many body parts for Whitty to resign on the spot but it won't happen . Or start his briefing with 'Boris is too gutless to tell you this himself but ...'

@StatisticalSense
This is extremely worrying. The scientists cannot be allowed to run the response without the involvement of economists as there is a need for the country to balance competing objectives in a way that the scientists alone wouldn't consider (as their job is simply to reduce the impacts on health).

Uh what?

Do you actually believe that whoever will be making that announcement (in that case, Whitty) will be making policies on the spot, and then, that's it, whatever they say is now law? (so for God's sake, let's send an economist to argue back and stop them!?)

Or don't you think that all these things have already been discussed with the government, and that the government also talks to economists, and that decisions have been made based on all that, and that Whitty will just be a spokesman[] delivering the official government-approved plan?
[] See also, scapegoat, fall guy

Why all the hate directed at Whitty?

Thing is people just don’t trust what they are being told. I simply don’t believe it’s “people not following the rules” causing the increase and would like them to explain why it is and not the economy opening up, schools and offices going back etc. I’d also like them to explain the difference between a positive test and someone actually being ill with the virus. And also the point of masks. They can’t just keep talking shite at us and expect us to follow it without query.

Seems a very odd time. I suspect it might be like Murk says, laying the groundwork for Boris announcement tomorrow. I guess it's really for the media to get the details of it out.

@ThatDamnScientist
It isn't as simple as saying one death is one too many as the only way to get to zero Corona related deaths would cause numerous other deaths. As long as the number of Corona related deaths is lower than the deaths that would be caused by the implementation of the measures necessary to reduce this number it is entirely right to do nothing to prevent such deaths (as sad as this will be for the families involved).

Just a quick read of threads on here shows how an Idiots Guide to Pandemics, which is obviously what Whitty and Valance are doing is actually much needed.

There’s so much ignorance and misunderstanding about what’s happening they’ll stand there with their graphs trying to explain it.

Unfortunately neither are great communicators and there’ll still be the idiotic posts on here saying “my local hospitals empty I don’t know what all the fuss is about”

11am tomorrow gives times for companies to make changes ready for further restrictions starting Tuesday.

If Boris was making decisions over the weekend, it's the quickest they could reasonably expect companies to make changes. Back to work from home if you can, giving everyone chance to take hardware home with them?

Go on then Oaktree, explain it to the idiots...

I hope they all have good bodyguards

Of course (most - not all, I understand that) people can watch at 11am.

Anyone working on a laptop/computer (or phone) - at home or in an office, or out on the road.

Anyone with access to the internet (and that includes in schools - watch it in your class, it could be educational)

It's an important announcement to give people important information. Most of us will have the means to watch it.

Yes the Government is an absolute shit show. But stop saying most people can't watch it because that's rubbish.

I don't get why its rising with SD and masks.

I wonder if he'll just be warning us and then lockdown follows.

I dontnlikenhow ideas are leaked a week or so before hand. Id realky rather just honesty about the situation and hearing what their actual plan is.

Winter cant be a surprise. S hools and unis going back. Not a surprise as they explicitly told schools they couldn't put covid measures in.

If they could have said their plan ages ago schools could plan. We coild plan etc.

@StatisticalSense

This is extremely worrying. The scientists cannot be allowed to run the response without the involvement of economists as there is a need for the country to balance competing objectives in a way that the scientists alone wouldn't consider (as their job is simply to reduce the impacts on health).

Totally agree with this Ok for whitty etc to lockdown as they have a nice salary and pension. More fucking people are dying of other things not covid

I don't get why its rising with SD and masks

Because people are passing it within households when they gather with friends and family. Overwhelmingly that is where/how it is spreading.