Are we expecting a press conference today?

[StealthPolarBear]

Presumably today the dashboard will resume. Is there an announcement planned or just rumours so far?

@MerryChristmas21 yes, mostly severe immune suppression (certain blood cancers) or very elderly (late 80s and above). People who didn’t make great response to vaccines. Most are recovering. Far, far fewer admitted are triple vaccinated than those single or double vaccinated. Triple vaccinated admissions are quite a rarity and seem to recover quickly.

I thought previously you weren’t meant to test 90 days after having COVID unless you get new symptoms. So how do you get negative LFT on day 7?

@Onandoff

The London hospital I work in has had steady numbers of covid cases with no rise at all in the last couple of months. Thus far rising cases don’t seem to be translating into admissions. Most coming in are unvaccinated, almost all ICU admissions are unvaccinated. Much smaller numbers admitted are very elderly (80+) or with serious immune suppression so didn’t make adequate vaccine response. A tiny amount of triple vaccinated admissions but they are recovering quickly and normally home within a week. Just one snapshot but it’s a big organisation.

That's good to hear - thank you for sharing that info.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59798814

A scientific briefing followed by Government decision, according to the BBC.

He will hold off doing anything unless the situation turns very dire.

I am quite hopeful that omicron is not going to be the challenge that it was initially predicted to be. (Touch wood and🤞).

Are they eve gonna publish the last two days numbers?
Or is it a state secret we will never know?

@Motorina

The rumour is Boris is reviewing the data today. Presumably with someone who doesn’t have to remove their socks to count to 20. And will make a decision from there.

I’m guessing that decision will be leaked during the day. We’ll know more then.

Haha brilliant

Getting a pcr is a bit of faff and around here the venues move place to place , so it might be a bit of a drive and I'm not in the sticks either
If you haven't got to worry about work or wfh all the time and don't have to go out then of course people won't bother with a pcr and just do the lft etc
The figures are probably sky high, but it's hospital admissions that count.
Most unvaccinated people I know won't bother doing any tests either if it's only a few days with a cold.
Not sure what will happen though. Depends on how many are off all at once in jobs where you can't wfh.

@Onandoff

The London hospital I work in has had steady numbers of covid cases with no rise at all in the last couple of months. Thus far rising cases don’t seem to be translating into admissions. Most coming in are unvaccinated, almost all ICU admissions are unvaccinated. Much smaller numbers admitted are very elderly (80+) or with serious immune suppression so didn’t make adequate vaccine response. A tiny amount of triple vaccinated admissions but they are recovering quickly and normally home within a week. Just one snapshot but it’s a big organisation.

That's good to hear. Thank you for sharing!

@toomuchlaundry

I thought previously you weren’t meant to test 90 days after having COVID unless you get new symptoms. So how do you get negative LFT on day 7?

I think that the 90 days refers to the PCR which picks up smaller 'bits' of the virus remains. It still has to be very much present to be picked up by an LFT.

At least, that is my layman's understanding of the different tests!

@toomuchlaundry

I thought previously you weren’t meant to test 90 days after having COVID unless you get new symptoms. So how do you get negative LFT on day 7?

You don't get a PCR within 90 days, you use lfts to end a 7 day isolation

Google is your friend if you want to know the science behind this.

@herecomesthsun

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59798814

A scientific briefing followed by Government decision, according to the BBC.

The government cannot introduce new legislation without a vote in parliament. Recalling parliament takes a minimum of 48 hours at the best of times - and today and tomorrow are both bank holidays with highly disrupted train travel. It's very unlikely that anything other than "guidance" could be issued this week.

@BellaChagall

Almost every family I know has had someone test positive for covid over Xmas, meaning plans had to be changed (London). I've not heard of a single person being anything other than very mildly ill. So hopefully hospitalisations will be low. This could be good news.

Yes me too including my two children,so I'm thinking even though people were allowed to mix over Xmas because of isolations ,etc there might have been far less Xmas mixing than expected ?

@Onandoff that’s interesting to hear as in the north east we have been told elective activity will stop and staff redeployed to cope with predicted cases and staff sickness from January.

[quote GreatBigBeautifulTommorow]@Onandoff that’s interesting to hear as in the north east we have been told elective activity will stop and staff redeployed to cope with predicted cases and staff sickness from January.[/quote]
Yes and the wave leading to increased admissions may well be coming. I just haven’t seen any evidence of it yet. Normally by now these numbers would have translated into a big surge in admissions. And London is very affected by omicron (1 in 20 Londoners I read) and high numbers of unvaccinated. I can’t see a lot of staff sickness where I work as we have good booster vaccination take up and a high % of staff previously infected so natural immunity on top. Isolating numbers will have an impact I’m sure.

@Onandoff I really hope that wave doesn’t come and omicron is milder and less hospitilisations.
I’m not ready to do it all again

If I was an MPs partner, family I would be royally pissed off at this limbo they're in when we're supposed to be enjoying Xmas this year.

It would make sense for us to follow Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Seems strange to be crossing borders and having different rules. I'm expecting some rules about indoor mixing, possibly that's it. I have a feeling there will be a major panic in January when Boris realises that there's a new mutation because of the sky high cases in December.

Same @GreatBigBeautifulTommorow. If there has to be a lockdown, please can it be after half-term? I cannot face another winter lockdown, it traumatised our family.

I guess they are hoping that the vaccines and boosters work and the elderly ( who had all their ones ages ago ) don't start becoming poorly again because it's worn off now or any new variants appear or any other number of things that might or could go wrong.
Still a waiting game.
The data thread on here had good news today

@FantasticCrete I hope your family are ok

I wasn’t referring to lockdown but the impact high cases and hospitilisations had on me and my NHS colleagues

If your married to an MP you must know that they can have leave stopped at any time and be recalled to your job . It's not like a normal job at all , especially during a pandemic!
A few are probably on holiday too.
Although I doubt that this will happen to be honest this week , but who knows?

@justasking111 its surely an inevitable part of a job like that though. I know I accept it as part of my job that I could have to switch into work mode if there's a crisis.

Who feels sorry for MPs. They could be recalled to parliament at any time and it has always been thus. They are adequately compensated for this "flexibility"

Not sure why people keep saying “lockdowns” 🤔. There won’t be a lockdown like we had last year because we have vaccines and hospital deaths are now pretty low. There could be more restrictions but I think it’s unlikely they will be anything like we saw last year.

The issue is with people having to isolate for 10 (now 7) days meaning businesses and services are going to come to a stand still, bus drivers, care workers, retail workers etc…, so they either have to change the isolations rules or some businesses will be forced to close, bus services and train services limited?.