Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

What has happened to the Press Conferences?

55 replies

PurpleVerbena · 18/08/2021 17:17

With numbers of cases, hospitalisations and deaths going up again, isn't it about time that Whitty and Valance and JVT were wheeled out again to give us some facts and figures. Also, whatever happened to Jenny Harries? She seemed to disappear some time in February and not been seen since.

OP posts:
Whatever9999 · 18/08/2021 17:44

Although I was half expecting one on Sunday, they really aren't necessary right now, seeing as nothing much is changing. And none don't count the very slight uptick in cases as particularly significant. We're still hovering at around 30000 cases/day average and for very much the vast majority of those cases symptoms are no worse than a heavy cold.

Aposterhasnoname · 18/08/2021 17:52

It’s part of the push to normalise things, and rightly so in my opinion. We don’t have press conferences for flu, or norovirus, so why should we with Covid. This is as good as it’s going to get, this is what living with Covid looks like. Get used to it.

eddiemairswife · 18/08/2021 17:53

Wasn't £3,000,000 spent on a special room for Press Conferences?

nordica · 18/08/2021 17:53

Covid is over now as far as the government is concerned... Hmm

RubyGoat · 18/08/2021 17:55

They realised we've largely cottoned on to what a crap job they're doing, & that they've usually nothing new to say.

OliveTree75 · 18/08/2021 17:57

I don't know many people who would tune in anymore tbf

RobinPenguins · 18/08/2021 17:59

What would it be for? What message would it be to impart? Numbers have been bumbling around the same levels for a few weeks now, a slight uptick but not a massive increase, so I don’t see what there is to say. Also parliament is in recess so the PM and cabinet are on holiday (note how they had to be specially called back for the Afghanistan debate).

Tealightsandd · 18/08/2021 18:01

They're not bothering. They've noticed that (unlike most other parts of the world) the British public is content to 'live with', aka many people killed and disabled by, Covid. Nearly 200 deaths a day, goodness knows how many long term disabled with Long Covid. But...no matter...it's 'just' Other People. Nothing to see here.

The USA is going to give booster jabs to everyone regardless of age - to protect against possible waning immunity. Not really possible for the UK (constrained by supply limits), but we should at least booster all 45+ and clinically vulnerable.

The good news is data from America and other countries including Norway, suggests that mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) work very well at preventing serious illness and death. Some fully vaccinated people are getting breakthrough infection but it's usually mild. Almost all their deaths are in the unvaccinated.

RoseRedRoseBlue · 18/08/2021 18:02

@nordica

Covid is over now as far as the government is concerned... Hmm
That is so true! They seem to be overlooking the fact that hundreds of people are still dying every week. I guess that’s now deemed as acceptable then?
Againstmachine · 18/08/2021 18:15

There are no new conferences as nothing much new to say, deaths are at a acceptable level. And long covid isnt as big off a worry for many in real life than on here.

QueenStromba · 18/08/2021 18:18

@Tealightsandd

They're not bothering. They've noticed that (unlike most other parts of the world) the British public is content to 'live with', aka many people killed and disabled by, Covid. Nearly 200 deaths a day, goodness knows how many long term disabled with Long Covid. But...no matter...it's 'just' Other People. Nothing to see here.

The USA is going to give booster jabs to everyone regardless of age - to protect against possible waning immunity. Not really possible for the UK (constrained by supply limits), but we should at least booster all 45+ and clinically vulnerable.

The good news is data from America and other countries including Norway, suggests that mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) work very well at preventing serious illness and death. Some fully vaccinated people are getting breakthrough infection but it's usually mild. Almost all their deaths are in the unvaccinated.

The stats coming out of the CDC are extremely dodgy. They've massively skewed the numbers by including deaths from the whole year in the stats. Since most of the deaths were from before March when barely anyone was vaccinated, their numbers are essentially meaningless.

nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/breakthrough-covid-19-cases-may-be-a-bigger-problem.html

Tealightsandd · 18/08/2021 18:18

deaths are at a acceptable level

No they're really not. For many other countries, it's a level that constitutes genocide. Sadly this is the UK.

long covid isnt as big off a worry

No, but it should be. Pretending it isn't an issue doesn't make it go away.

Tealightsandd · 18/08/2021 18:24

Well it's not just USA. Norway is also saying data indicates it's currently a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

In USA, the CDC has definitely reported on data up to June and July. And there's nothing skewed about the very simple and basic fact that...right now, those in hospital and dying are almost all unvaccinated.

As extra reassurance USA has noted the potential of waning immunity after a certain period of time. Hence their booster jab plans.

Againstmachine · 18/08/2021 18:25

Deaths are at an acceptable level maybe not for you but for.most of public they are, restrictions will cost many more life's.

Ahh you cut the bit about mumsnet off, for most ok UK it isn't a worry.

MNmonster · 18/08/2021 18:27

@nordica

Covid is over now as far as the government is concerned... Hmm
All about Afghanistan now innit
user1487194234 · 18/08/2021 18:29

We just have to get on with it now
We can't afford any more lockdowns
Most people are vaccinated
It's not over but it's as over as it going to get for the foreseeable

idontgetpaidenoughforthis · 18/08/2021 18:40

Deaths are now at the average rate for flu/pneumonia in any given year so It's probably just what we have to live with now

QueenStromba · 18/08/2021 18:41

@Tealightsandd

Well it's not just USA. Norway is also saying data indicates it's currently a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

In USA, the CDC has definitely reported on data up to June and July. And there's nothing skewed about the very simple and basic fact that...right now, those in hospital and dying are almost all unvaccinated.

As extra reassurance USA has noted the potential of waning immunity after a certain period of time. Hence their booster jab plans.

But they haven't split the data into months. The data they have reported on consists mostly of deaths from the previous wave where almost nobody was vaccinated until right at the end. Their data tells you absolutely nothing about how effective the vaccines are against death and hospitalisation from delta. Their 99.2% figure that everyone quotes is complete bullshit.
RobinPenguins · 18/08/2021 18:44

@Tealightsandd

They're not bothering. They've noticed that (unlike most other parts of the world) the British public is content to 'live with', aka many people killed and disabled by, Covid. Nearly 200 deaths a day, goodness knows how many long term disabled with Long Covid. But...no matter...it's 'just' Other People. Nothing to see here.

The USA is going to give booster jabs to everyone regardless of age - to protect against possible waning immunity. Not really possible for the UK (constrained by supply limits), but we should at least booster all 45+ and clinically vulnerable.

The good news is data from America and other countries including Norway, suggests that mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) work very well at preventing serious illness and death. Some fully vaccinated people are getting breakthrough infection but it's usually mild. Almost all their deaths are in the unvaccinated.

Average daily deaths here are currently 90 on the 7 day average. So you’re just casually inflating them by in excess of 100%.
Tealightsandd · 18/08/2021 18:48

Rishi, Boris, and Sajid all over this thread... Hi boys! 😷

WTF475878237NC · 18/08/2021 18:51

Deaths are now at the average rate for flu/pneumonia in any given year so It's probably just what we have to live with now

I've never known so many people in their 30s get Long Flu though.

GoldFrankensteinAndGrrr · 18/08/2021 18:57

The daily death figure isn't the number of people who have died in the last 24 hours. It also includes a proportion of historic deaths, which may have occurred days, weeks or even months previously.

@Tealightsandd the daily death numbers are nowhere near what you hyperbolically say they are.

TheGenealogist · 18/08/2021 18:59

Well I don't miss the daily death count and Whitty's graphs of DOOOOOOOM.

When there's something important to say, hold a press conference. When there are no changes happening, no new rules to get your head around, no new developments about vaccines - what's the point?

The overwhelming majority of people in the UK are not poring over every figure and analysing them. People who want to have a myriad of sites offering every form of number crunching. There is no demand for press conferences every day, or every week, or every month.

SpringRainbow · 18/08/2021 19:21

I hadn’t even noticed they hadn’t done a press conference. I stopped watching them ages ago as the news outlets leak everything before hand. I do suspect in time they will stop the daily stats as well. My guess would be by next year they will just fizzle out. Most people probably won’t notice.

I don’t actually watch the news on the TV but I have noticed recently that the daily figures are rarely ever prominent on news outlets websites anymore. Most of the time if I want to know what the stats are like I have to go looking for them.

My local authority rarely ever publicise the local figures anymore and unless it’s to do with vaccine clinics, they rarely post anything about Covid on their social media pages.

In my day to day life Covid really barely features at all anymore. It’s been a really weird month to be honest.

newnortherner111 · 18/08/2021 20:44

I had sympathy for Chris Whitty and other medical professionals who have the patience of a saint to appear alongside the worst Prime Minister in history, or one of the incompetent ministers (the only vaguely competent one the Defence Secretary has not appeared, for obvious reasons). I'd have long ago said my piece in no uncertain terms about Mr Johnson who I view as a serial killer in all but name had I been on one of the podiums.