New Boris Statement: Where is this going?

[DadAManger]

‘We recommend masks but only recommend them’
‘Deaths will increase and we may reach 100,000 new cases per day’
‘We must open now and if not now, when?’
‘The slower we take it, the smaller number of people will die’
‘Return to the office of you can, otherwise keep working from home’

Just before Boris spoke, there was a BBC piece claiming that 10-20% of all Covid cases (mild, without symptoms, or otherwise) will be long-Covid cases of some sort or another. Now there a million long-Covid cases.

Are we aiming for herd immunity? Anyone else think this is going to be confusing for most and lead to a default setting of ‘normal’? Where is this going?

I’m CEV, have had Covid once - the most ill I think I’ve ever felt. I feel like I’m being thrown to the wolves.

There seems to be a strong correlation between long Covid and over-generous sickness terms in the public sector. I doubt it’s a coincidence.

I worked in the public sector and the term ‘over generous’ is inaccurate. 10 days sick leave a year allowed without a sick note, but not all are entitled to full pay and have to claim ‘SSP. But after that every day off sick is scrutinised and long term sickness (over 4 weeks) is met with a visit from staff welfare to ‘encourage’ you back to work. And Long Covid has to be diagnosed by a clinician, along with a referral to a Covid Hub. Not something easy to fake I would imagine,

They are only going to open on the 19th despite the rise in cases because he won't backtrack and upset his followers. They could do so much differently...the mask fiasco for one. Boris Kemal just doesn't care anymore and has given up.

@Pommie69

1) In the Netherlands they lifted ALL restrictions, they have had a total spike followed by an apology by the PM. 2) Boris for all his training in the Classics has obviously forgotten that delta is only the 4th letter of the Greek alphabet with at least another 20, and that just as the delta variant mutated from an earlier incarnation and is MORE infectious, the delta variant itself can and will mutate. It can mutate in ways, it can mutate to cease having any impact on human beings... but

i) more or less infectious
ii) more or less DEADLY
iii) oh and it can mutate so that all the vaccines we have had so far DO NOT provide any protection from a more infectious MORE deadly covid variant...and then all the efforts so far will have been totally squandered.

Boris is already a KILLER, we had the most warning but have the highest death toll per capita (adjusted for population size).
He should be facing charges of murder and even a charge of treason.
The 19 July 2021 "Freedom Day" is about spinning to his supporters and NOT what is in the interests of our society ie a careful gradual relaxation to see what works and what doesnt. It is grossly irresponsible and I will continue to wear masks and stay home as much as possible.

PS daughter and gdaughter of doctors
PPS: who warned Brighton & Hove CCG (and her GP) in 2017 that... the TOUCHscreens they had just introduced in the doctors waiting rooms were...and I do quote ... " a pandemic waiting to happen"

While our death toll is nothing to be proud of, we do not have the highest death toll per capita. We currently rank as 20th in the list of deaths/1m population, behind countries such as Peru (70k more deaths than us but less than half the population. We have just under 1900 deaths/1m, they are at nearly 6000/1m), Hungary, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Columbia, Italy, Poland... We are only slightly worse than France, Spain and Portugal.

@NannyAndJohn

The vulnerable, pregnant women, and children completely thrown to the wolves.

I could weep.

I could fucking weep.

Oh the drama! Not a single person I know, not my postman, not the Amazon delivery driver, not local doctors or nurses, not the coop workers have had Covid. People are not dropping dead in the street. We need to take our freedom back.

@crocidura

Lucyk1 Don't understand the problem. Even if 30 million people in the UK got a positive covid reading.... As long as the deaths and hospital admissions remain low, then that's all that matters.

What on earth makes you think that deaths and hospital admissions will stay low? How could they when only just over half the population are fully vaccinated and the vaccines aren't 100% effective?

Because the part of the population that have been vaccinated were prioritised by the JCVI because they accounted for ~99% of deaths and 86% of hospitalisations.

But the vaccines only reduce hospitalisations by 80% - if we get back to the point of it ripping through care homes (which it will if cases are high) then hospitalisations will increase. Five times as many cases will result in the same number of hospitalisations - we're at about half the peak of the last wave already so that's only about three doublings to get back to January levels of hospitalisations.

Reading the responses here the government is damned if they do and damned if they don't. It seems certain people would be really pleased if things got so bad we would have to go back to lockdown etc so they could shout ' we told you so'. Talk about vulnerable people seems to ignore the thousands if not millions suffering mental health problems and children missing out on their vital education. Those who keep on about guidelines being confusing, simply use you common sense - stop expecting the government and scientists to make the decision for you. How on earth did you manage before the pandemic or did you blame the government for your problems. If you feel unsure avoid those areas, get on with life.

Plus there are early indications that vaccine immunity is waning in Israel, if that's the case then the very earliest recipients who only had a three week gap between doses are already more vulnerable. If the longer dosing schedule doesn't increase the duration of immunity then people who had their second dose in March are going to be much less protected over the next month or so when cases are at their highest.

@Plunger

Reading the responses here the government is damned if they do and damned if they don't. It seems certain people would be really pleased if things got so bad we would have to go back to lockdown etc so they could shout ' we told you so'. Talk about vulnerable people seems to ignore the thousands if not millions suffering mental health problems and children missing out on their vital education. Those who keep on about guidelines being confusing, simply use you common sense - stop expecting the government and scientists to make the decision for you. How on earth did you manage before the pandemic or did you blame the government for your problems. If you feel unsure avoid those areas, get on with life.

Nobody wants things to get that bad. We want a proportional response early enough to prevent that from happening. If we'd put India on the red list at the same time as Pakistan and kept masks in schools then we would probably be in the position to have a care free summer. We didn't, so we're not. Pretending there's no problem doesn't make the problem any less real

I don't think getting the country into an even worse situation with infections/ hospitalisation/ death is going to help mental health much.

It mainly seems a convenient tag - on used mostly by people who do not prioritise mental health for the most vulnerable all that much in normal times.

Or maybe people aren't thinking "What would helo people with schiophrenia?"

but rather

"I am SO fed up with having to wear a mask" or "I REALLY miss going to a night club".

I could completely understand that, but it's different sorts of mental health situations being conflated.

'Freedom Day' feels more about the government being 'free' of any more responsibility, than us being free of the virus...

I'm keeping my mask on!

Lockdown has done more harm than good, as has the psychological warfare thr government has enacted on the citizenry. We should never have locked down in the first place, the data shows as much
Did you know according to the infectious disease weekly report there were 25 new cases of covid last week. Half the number of new tuberculosis cases. Logically you have double the chance of catching TB yet noone is freaking out about that. Just thought a bit of perspective would help.

Masks on children does a grand total of nothing regarding virus control. It does however cause them serious physical and mental harm, but sure let's put the children in the firing line to protect the old folk who've all been jabbed.

@CosmicHeat

Lockdown has done more harm than good, as has the psychological warfare thr government has enacted on the citizenry. We should never have locked down in the first place, the data shows as much Did you know according to the infectious disease weekly report there were 25 new cases of covid last week. Half the number of new tuberculosis cases. Logically you have double the chance of catching TB yet noone is freaking out about that. Just thought a bit of perspective would help.

Someone talking perfect sense. Thank you.

@herecomesthsun

I don't think getting the country into an even worse situation with infections/ hospitalisation/ death is going to help mental health much.

It mainly seems a convenient tag - on used mostly by people who do not prioritise mental health for the most vulnerable all that much in normal times.

Or maybe people aren't thinking "What would helo people with schiophrenia?"

but rather

"I am SO fed up with having to wear a mask" or "I REALLY miss going to a night club".

I could completely understand that, but it's different sorts of mental health situations being conflated.

What about the mental health of the self employed who've lost their businesses, lost their savings, some even losing their homes (not to mention a few suicides). Not everyone got generous covid support monies - i.e. the circa 3 million self employed who were excluded due to Rishi's inability to understand all the difference nuances of self employment!

@Chris08 lucky you for not knowing anyone. I suppose it’s down to areas.
Well I suppose we will come September, what effect this has had on people’s health wont we. I’m assuming The hospitals will be rammed . Fx there not.

@CosmicHeat

Lockdown has done more harm than good, as has the psychological warfare thr government has enacted on the citizenry. We should never have locked down in the first place, the data shows as much Did you know according to the infectious disease weekly report there were 25 new cases of covid last week. Half the number of new tuberculosis cases. Logically you have double the chance of catching TB yet noone is freaking out about that. Just thought a bit of perspective would help.

And in the real world, cases are 10,000 times higher than that.

Because the part of the population that have been vaccinated were prioritised by the JCVI because they accounted for ~99% of deaths and 86% of hospitalisations.

But not all of the vulnerable have been vaccinated, vaccines are not 100% effective and other people get sick too. Plus hospitalisations are rising already.

Did you know according to the infectious disease weekly report there were 25 new cases of covid last week.

Eh? Why are you posting this demonstrably false load of shite?

I'm just so torn over 'freedom day'. On one hand, we need to open up properly for so many reasons. On the other hand, cases are rising and whilst hospital admissions are less they're still putting a huge strain on the NHS due to having such a backlog. People are still having to wait for critical treatment.

I honestly have no idea what the solution is. Messages seem to be more confusing by the day

I would like more clarification on what's happens August 16th when close contacts don't have to isolate. Will this include household members? If it does it seems bonkers 🤷🏼‍♀️

www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-diseases-weekly-reports-for-2021?fbclid=IwAR2glXHn5TnyyDtGLug_pgONGVnprker74a8t1fvlTe_3oIvYhDdwslIr2Q

Which data do we look at? I daresay your's is based on those oh so reliable PCR and lateral flow tests that can be fooled by lemon juice.

@QueenStromba see above still haven't got the hang of this quoting and tagging malarkey. Never seems to work for me.

How are there 400 admissions to hospital a day when there are only 25 cases?

@Katerurn

I feel exactly the same