Whitty warns: Its not over

[palacegirl77]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56334902

Not surprising when you look at the Spanish Flu model. Need everyone to get those vaccines!

He has been brought in to explain in kiddie talk to the group of back benchers screaming "open the pubs" that this has to be done with a slow but steady timeline again.

It is vital, I think we can all agree on this surely, that schools can remain open for as many pupils as possible from now on. This will increase the number of infections this has already been said, fingers crossed it's not too big an increase.

I thought the roadmap and explanations for it were quite clear and easy to understand.

Just think there are a number of politicians who think that if they shout loudest they will win. If they shout loudest regardless of how uninformed they are that is irrelevant, as long as their pub opens who cares eh!

@Beaniecats this 100%.

While I get there is a lot of respect for Chris Whitty, personally I think he has caused a lot of mental damage and anguish fueled by his one dimensional thinking. It’s not all about covid people have lives they need to get on with, businesses they need to rebuild, families they need to see. Yes there will be more deaths but as harsh as it sounds, tough! We can’t keep living like this and we can’t exist solely to prevent people dying. He has a secure job, a salary and apparently wasn’t interested in the social side of life anyway. Not everyone is like that, people are wasting away mentally and it’s got to stop.

He would never have usually had this much air time and I think he is relishing in it a little too much.

He hasn't said it's not over or that it will be a disaster. All he has said is that unlocking too quickly would cause another surge. Which it would! As frustrating as it is (and it is bloody frustrating), it has to be cautious.

@frozendaisy

He has been brought in to explain in kiddie talk to the group of back benchers screaming "open the pubs" that this has to be done with a slow but steady timeline again.

It is vital, I think we can all agree on this surely, that schools can remain open for as many pupils as possible from now on. This will increase the number of infections this has already been said, fingers crossed it's not too big an increase.

I thought the roadmap and explanations for it were quite clear and easy to understand.

Just think there are a number of politicians who think that if they shout loudest they will win. If they shout loudest regardless of how uninformed they are that is irrelevant, as long as their pub opens who cares eh!

Absolutely this.

[quote Katie517]@Beaniecats this 100%.

While I get there is a lot of respect for Chris Whitty, personally I think he has caused a lot of mental damage and anguish fueled by his one dimensional thinking. It’s not all about covid people have lives they need to get on with, businesses they need to rebuild, families they need to see. Yes there will be more deaths but as harsh as it sounds, tough! We can’t keep living like this and we can’t exist solely to prevent people dying. He has a secure job, a salary and apparently wasn’t interested in the social side of life anyway. Not everyone is like that, people are wasting away mentally and it’s got to stop.

He would never have usually had this much air time and I think he is relishing in it a little too much.[/quote]
I agree. I think he's done an excellent job of keeping up the fear factor
And remember his income is substantial and secure.....

They need to ramp up the fear factor for at least two more months so roll him out. Everything is going too well. People will stop complying.

I’m guessing we’ll be hearing about a new mutant variant just before Easter.

The hospitalisation figures, the admissions figures and the vaccination figures don’t lie though. Are we not being driven by the data and not dates? Seems not

@Delatron

They need to ramp up the fear factor for at least two more months so roll him out. Everything is going too well. People will stop complying.

I’m guessing we’ll be hearing about a new mutant variant just before Easter.

The hospitalisation figures, the admissions figures and the vaccination figures don’t lie though. Are we not being driven by the data and not dates? Seems not

Thankfully the tide is turning and most are no longer listening to likes of Whitty

Yes I agree @Beaniecats it’s good to see opinion is changing.

I was grateful for Chris Whitty in lockdown part one! Now a year later, not so much. No country should be entertaining repeated long lockdowns.
It means you’ve failed spectacularly.

I wonder who these tens of thousands that are predicted to die are? If most deaths are in the elderly and vulnerable and they have been vaccinated. We are on to over 55s now. 3 more weeks takes us to Easter. That’s when we should be opening up.

To be fair to CW, every time I've seen him speak he's always very clear to point out that lockdowns etc cause harm and that there needs to be a balance struck but that the level of risk/death that is "acceptable" is a matter for government and not the scientists.

I really, really don't think Chris Whitty is 'relishing' airtime. If anything I suspect he wishes we'd all behave ourselves so he doesn't need dragging out again.

There is a significant portion of the Tory party who have a vested interest in opening everything up asap - either for commercial or influential gain. They don't care that the vulnerable are not vaccinated yet, or that it's sensible to move slowly. They don't care that people will die.

@Elderberry84

I don't honestly care anymore.

Almost everyone I know is experiencing some form of mental health crisis. No exaggeration. People need people. Not raves, not huge parties, not even a bunch of mates down at the local pub, just a little regular close contact with our closest family / friends. A 5 month ban (which it will be before we are legally allowed to socialise with six indoors... Unless you're in an indoor venue with strangers in which case it's up to a thousand people ) which at the moment is the best case scenario (and those goalposts can be shifted at any time) is not in any way sustainable. It's all very well if you're local and can go for walks with your nearest and dearest, although it's not a perfect substitute... My family live abroad, I haven't seen them for over a year. It has very nearly broken me.

I will be taking my children to see their vaccinated grandparents (my in-laws) at Easter, whatever the rules state.

We cannot keep living like this.

Yes same. I'm done with it and don't care. I've seen family this week, and will continue to do so. Enough is enough now, people need to see others.

Any relaxing of the rules, will always mean that some people will take too much advantage of things, and decide to do what they like, as in, they know best.

And remember his income is substantial and secure.....

Yeah the Government should have brought in a care assistant on minimum wage to advise them shouldn't they...?

Wonder if anyone on this thread realises the Government decides the rules not CW...

@Sunshinegirl82

To be fair to CW, every time I've seen him speak he's always very clear to point out that lockdowns etc cause harm and that there needs to be a balance struck but that the level of risk/death that is "acceptable" is a matter for government and not the scientists.

Yes exactly.

He will also make statements around it being a mild disease for the majority.

There is a campaign to get us to comply but looking to Whitty isn’t the right place. He is doing the job of CMO.

The rest is multifaceted and the government and media play a big role. If you listen he is very clear on his remit.

For me, where we are compared with typical 'excess deaths' for the time of year is key, as that is a realistic measure of how close to 'normal risk' levels we are.
In my area we are almost at normal levels.

And in fact, I made the point to DH today that NOW is probably the lowest level of infections we are going to be for a while as schools opening will result in increases again.

A man asked me this week (i.e. came up and shouted in my face) if I was mad, as I stood at a bus stop with my mask on. He was really aggressive. I am not happy with this pressure pressure, open up - its all a sham. I choose to protect others still. If you press like this and start insinuating crap about limelight and secret interests, some of us will get hurt.

[quote Katie517]@Beaniecats this 100%.

While I get there is a lot of respect for Chris Whitty, personally I think he has caused a lot of mental damage and anguish fueled by his one dimensional thinking. It’s not all about covid people have lives they need to get on with, businesses they need to rebuild, families they need to see. Yes there will be more deaths but as harsh as it sounds, tough! We can’t keep living like this and we can’t exist solely to prevent people dying. He has a secure job, a salary and apparently wasn’t interested in the social side of life anyway. Not everyone is like that, people are wasting away mentally and it’s got to stop.

He would never have usually had this much air time and I think he is relishing in it a little too much.[/quote]
I hugely admire him. I think he has almost certainly saved thousands of lives by persevering with a sensible approach in the face of the government's whimsicality.

If we have even more deaths and disruption with covid, can't you see that it would damage our economy and our society even further?

The countries that have coped best have been the ones that were on it at the beginning with tracking and mitigations.

Does anyone really begrudge the CMO his secure income during a pandemic?

Become a top doctor then, I mean it's a piece of piss just takes continuous exams and training from uni until you pass into your Royal College only takes about 15 years! Sheesh..........

@Sunshinegirl82

To be fair to CW, every time I've seen him speak he's always very clear to point out that lockdowns etc cause harm and that there needs to be a balance struck but that the level of risk/death that is "acceptable" is a matter for government and not the scientists.

This. Although I also suspect that he’s well aware that Boris and co are likely to put him and Vallance in the firing line and escape any blame themselves. I think the ‘scientists give advice, politicians make the decisions’ line has been very carefully chosen.

@frozendaisy

Does anyone really begrudge the CMO his secure income during a pandemic?

Become a top doctor then, I mean it's a piece of piss just takes continuous exams and training from uni until you pass into your Royal College only takes about 15 years! Sheesh..........

Not to mention he’s got economics qualifications on top of that.

Why does no one blame the test and trace for repeated lockdowns? They should be in control of it by now surely?

I’m happy that Chris Witty understands the consequences of restrictions and lockdowns and the economic/health relationship. If we’d followed his recommendations/advice throughout instead of trying to make the virus fit into our economic and social ideals until there was no other option but to act I believe we’d have had a much easier ride than we have done.

The parties that have called for restrictions to be eased ASAP each time never seem to address the health aspect whereas it’s at least acknowledged vice versa. I can’t bring myself to put trust in people who have no answer to the health aspect except for ‘deal with it’; doesn’t exactly convey a lack of bias.

@ComtesseDeSpair

Well, he’s basically saying we can’t remove all restrictions at once because we need to monitor progress at different stages of relaxing them... which is what’s happening, so why do we need warnings?

Because some people (like my PIL) are saying i've had my first jab I can see and do what I like now. They need a reminder that its still a collective effort.

@Cornettoninja

I’m happy that Chris Witty understands the consequences of restrictions and lockdowns and the economic/health relationship. If we’d followed his recommendations/advice throughout instead of trying to make the virus fit into our economic and social ideals until there was no other option but to act I believe we’d have had a much easier ride than we have done.

The parties that have called for restrictions to be eased ASAP each time never seem to address the health aspect whereas it’s at least acknowledged vice versa. I can’t bring myself to put trust in people who have no answer to the health aspect except for ‘deal with it’; doesn’t exactly convey a lack of bias.

What do you think he has advised that hasn’t been followed?

Or do you see SAGE as the same as him, so more there advice as not followed

I tend to keep them separate so I’ve agree with Whitty but not always SAGE

On warnings this was less to the public and more direct to MPs