Do you think they will extend the lockdown or stick with 21st June As Freedom day?

[ihatebindweed]

I hope they don't extend, because it moves the goalposts and then could lead to another extension. As it optional to go to certain places like clubs, when they open, then people vaccinated or not can make their choice.

I sadly think they will extend it and ruin my party planned for the end of June.

@Lochelant

There was no mention of outdoors just that restrictions on weddings are expected to be lifted. Going of that I assume weddings indoors will go ahead.

If everyone tests negative and contact tracing details are available then I don’t see why organised events like weddings can't go ahead at this point.

@RedcurrantPuff

Half of ICU beds might only be 4 or 5 beds though

Indeed.

Have to say, over the last year I tend to disbelieve any poster who claims to be an ICU nurse, or a consultant, or some other healthcare professional who only wants to say how awful it is, and how everyone's at breaking point, and how they just spend all their shift crying.

I'm sure there are nurses and doctors posting on here.

But there are a lot of billy bullshitters too.

After reading in the Mail that all Euro 2020 matches at Wembley will be given an exemption from lockdown rules because the FA was required to give UEFA a commitment that at least 22,500 fans will attend each of the eight games hosted in London I think I am past caring.

Hospitals have apparently now been told to differentiate between those actually sick with coronavirus and those who test positive while seeking treatment for something else.
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-hospitals-nhs-england-data-b1862804.html According to the article the move would reduce the overall number of patients in hospital for coronavirus as until now data from hospitals has included all patients who tested positive for Covid-19 regardless of whether they had symptoms or not.

Interesting timing ..... It will also be interesting to see what this does to the hospital figures.

Thanks for that @BellaintheWychElm

What surprises me is that the govt are only asking for this now?? When making policy decisions based on the NHS covid data for the last 16 months why on earth has this not been done before now?!

@LivinLaVidaLoki

Thanks for that *@BellaintheWychElm*

What surprises me is that the govt are only asking for this now?? When making policy decisions based on the NHS covid data for the last 16 months why on earth has this not been done before now?!

My thoughts exactly @LivinLaVidaLoki!

The tide is slowly turning again ‘over there’ Here’s hoping the wave continues outside of the internet too.

The government can't hide the hospital admissions like they hide the school outbreaks, so I guess massaging the figures Soviet-style is the next best thing.

@PrincessNutNuts

The government can't hide the hospital admissions like they hide the school outbreaks, so I guess massaging the figures Soviet-style is the next best thing.

"Hide outbreaks"

Hahahhahhahahhahha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

More like vastly overstate them

I can’t believe the figures haven’t been differentiated from the start.
How are we meant to plan for the NHS without proper deep data?

Relative of mine tested positive for covid whilst being treated for something else in hospital. Asymptomatic at first.

Then ten days later she died of covid.

It’s not really inflating the figures.

@WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly

Relative of mine tested positive for covid whilst being treated for something else in hospital. Asymptomatic at first.

Then ten days later she died of covid.

It’s not really inflating the figures.

Sorry to hear you lost a relative but not really sure how your anecdote is relevant tbh

@HelloMissus

I can’t believe the figures haven’t been differentiated from the start. How are we meant to plan for the NHS without proper deep data?

It doesn’t make a huge amount of difference to planning I’d have thought.

A patient with Covid is a patient with Covid. They still need to be on a red ward. The difference is that you might be isolating the ward they were on previously, so you lose the use of the beds on that ward for emergency or elective admissions.

More circulating Covid means fewer available beds whichever way you look at it and that’s before you consider the impact of how Covid in the community affects staffing levels

Why haven’t the staff been vaccinated?

Staff have been vaccinated but (so far) vaccination status doesn't affect whether you need to isolate after being a close contact. So if your child gets COVID, or your partner, or someone you had a meal in a restaurant with, or someone you were standing next to in the park... you still need to isolate and, for frontline NHS staff, that means you can't work.

@WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly

Relative of mine tested positive for covid whilst being treated for something else in hospital. Asymptomatic at first.

Then ten days later she died of covid.

It’s not really inflating the figures.

I'm sorry to hear that happened.

But not everyone in hospital for another reason but tests positive for Covid then dies. So actually they are inflated in the sense that unless you dig a bit deeper you might take the stats on the news at face value and assume that Covid killed all these people. It's the propaganda with all this that has bothered me from the start.

I am not denying that Covid has killed people and killed some people unnecessarily where they otherwise would have lived a longer life. However the Covid deaths for the UK are only an indication of people who died having had a positive test in the last 28 days. The govt and media have used the latter to scare us into thinking the former has happened.

@Morred

Staff have been vaccinated but (so far) vaccination status doesn't affect whether you need to isolate after being a close contact. So if your child gets COVID, or your partner, or someone you had a meal in a restaurant with, or someone you were standing next to in the park... you still need to isolate and, for frontline NHS staff, that means you can't work.

This. Not to mention the odd doubly vaccinated case that has covid.

We’re not likely to go back to the levels of staff absence that we saw in Oct/Nov last year but that doesn’t mean rising community spread doesn’t have an effect on how well we can deliver treatment and catch up on the backlog.

However the Covid deaths for the UK are only an indication of people who died having had a positive test in the last 28 days. The govt and media have used the latter to scare us into thinking the former has happened.

You know the number of people that had covid as a primary cause of death on their certificate is higher than the number of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, don’t you? And that most of the deaths removed when they rejigged the stats last summer were people dying from covid. You do seem to have fallen for the propaganda.

Call me cynical, but I doubt this latest manipulation of the stats, is anything more than more government propaganda to appeal to the people who bang on about dying with Covid rather than from covid.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

However the Covid deaths for the UK are only an indication of people who died having had a positive test in the last 28 days. The govt and media have used the latter to scare us into thinking the former has happened.

You know the number of people that had covid as a primary cause of death on their certificate is higher than the number of people who died within 28 days of a positive test, don’t you? And that most of the deaths removed when they rejigged the stats last summer were people dying from covid. You do seem to have fallen for the propaganda.

Call me cynical, but I doubt this latest manipulation of the stats, is anything more than more government propaganda to appeal to the people who bang on about dying with Covid rather than from covid.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay - where are you getting your data/stats from that can prove more people have died from rather than with covid?

The country with the most cases of Delta variant is the USA.

This variant is 60% more transmissible.

Schools are now the main vector for the Delta variant in the UK. The rise is exponential and the spread to other places other than the North West is worrying.

UK Government to make a statement on Monday.

With the older variants and Cov19, long Covid was 1 in 4 of those who got it.

Black fungus has started to spread outside of India.

www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3136487/hearing-loss-organ-failure-fungus-gangrene-indias

Figures from the PHE briefing (including transmisability) are being discussed in the data thread just in case anyone wants facts...

The ONS, Inastatus. It’s fairly widely published data.

It’s also on the government dashboard.

Deaths within 28 days of Covid test - 127,884

Deaths with Covid listed as cause of death on death certificate - 152,289

The report released by PHE when they removed the deaths after 28 days from the official stats last summer also said that most of the deaths removed had Covid listed as a primary cause.

Deaths with Covid listed as one of the causes of death on death certificate - 152,289

Just fixed that for you.

Not the Primary cause as you state, but one of the causes.