Do they not give the covid numbers out on Xmas day?

[Flora8203]

Just going to bed and thought I'd quickly look at the covid numbers for last 24hrs as they report everyday but can't see them. Maybe they're saving us from the misery on Xmas day?

No numbers on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, they need a day off too.

No. We need a break

Does it matter? Why do you need to know?

We don't "need" to know but it's hardly surprising people are wondering, given we're on the brink of possible new restrictions.

I knew Mumsnet would know the answer, I couldn't find the numbers so I checked here. Will they retrospectively do daily reports or will there just be a huge bump in numbers on 27th Dec to include the missing days?

Does it matter? Well, yes. Why do you need to know? It's a useful indicator for Ireland in a 'Britain sneezes and Ireland catches cold' sort of way. If the UK has steep increases in numbers then Ireland will likely follow, and that will have consequences.

Apparently the Christmas Day and Boxing Day figures will be misleadingly low anyway as people are less likely to go for a test over Christmas.

It's nice to get a break from the doom and gloom. Nice to see stuff other than bloody Covid in the news.

I've never made it routine to check the Covid figures daily at all.

Omg thank god we aren't, feels like normal life again until they do. No scaremongering press articles!

I wish they would stop reporting it all together.

I'm sure they said on the news that there wouldn't be anything that meaningful until January, because of all the bank holidays I guess

Having a lovely two days off. Back to number crunching on Monday.

I didn't realise people actually check them daily, wow!

It's been really nice having a break from it. Maybe they should just be published weekly now.

I don't want to know numbers any day .. let alone Christmas Day!!!

The data pull on Monday will include yesterday and today, and the numbers will be published showing the results by day.

@Dreamstate

Omg thank god we aren't, feels like normal life again until they do. No scaremongering press articles!

I wish they would stop reporting it all together.

So do I. Surely we've had enough bullshit like this now.

And there are two bank holidays folllowing 25/26. So the data could well be a bit lumpy until about Wed/Thurs

The hospital admissions numbers usually lag about 4 days behind those for new positive tests, so the next lot out will be from 23/12 which was the first day over 100,000.

I have a friend from work who is a lecturer in statistics - we don't work in the same field or department at all, but we both sit on a particular committee. In conversation, he said to me that providing "raw stats" as public information is not considered to be good practice. Everyone reckons they can interpret a graph with a line going up, down or whatever - and of course on a basic level, anyone can. However, to make any meaningful interpretation, you would have to cross-analyse multiple datasets, consider variables, look at historic data just as a starting point. And so, you end up with a situation where everyone is playing amateur statistician and either falsely reassuring themselves or scaring themselves witless with misinterpretations of the data.

Of course, if the media were to stop reporting it altogether, this would rightly be considered suppression of information. But I wonder if they need to encourage people to look at it to quite such an extent as they do!

After all, you would not try to teach your nephew piano just because you have listened to a lot of piano music. In a sense, it is the same. Not sure if I am making so much sense!

@Popplebop

Having a lovely two days off. Back to number crunching on Monday.

Monday and Tuesday are also public holidays.

That's true @Topseyt but they're releasing daily figures again from Monday despite it being a bank holiday.

I know of at least three people who've gone for PCRs in the last 48 hours, just because the stats are paused doesn't mean the infections are!

Other European countries are reporting numbers, unsure as to why we can't. Suspect management of the media and press over Christmas.

@StartingGrid

I know of at least three people who've gone for PCRs in the last 48 hours, just because the stats are paused doesn't mean the infections are!

Yep, Ive been to our local testing centre a few times over the last 2 years. Never seen it like it was this morning at 10.00am. I know some people will have put off getting tests on Christmas Day and gone today instead but even so, it was heaving!