How can they still say nothing?

[Purplegurple]

So numbers today over 183,000. How can BoJo and his cronies still be making no statement? No clear guidance, nothing. I'm not wanting lockdown or anything but can't believe they're so quiet over all this.

I'd like a briefing to see the government explain and justify their plan of letting covid rip and putting the casualties in un(der)staffed tents in hospital carparks.

just find this whole thread so sad, though, really. People who are CEV and people who are loaing their livelihoods fighting each other is not a constructive way forward. Instead we should be working together to hold this government to account. Instead of wasting taxpayer (i.e. our) money giving out dodgy contracts to all their mates they should be using it to support CEV people who need to shield, help failing businesses, put proper ventilation systems into schools, and adequately funding the NHS. But instead they have abandoned us to squabble amongst ourselves and we don't even see it.

Yes agreed completely @NotJustACigar (and @MilesJuppIsMyBitch)

Have a good evening everyone. Here's to a better 2022 for us all. Fingers crossed 🤞

@Againstmachine

Believe me, if I could get the visa and persuade DP to move, my family would be on the first flight out grin Maybe one day.

Don't let the door hit you.

I won't 💉😷

@Tealightsandd most people just say goodbye then go they don’t keep coming back

[quote Lifeisnteasy]@MilesJuppIsMyBitch the vulnerable now know what to do to protect themselves. And they’ve had 3 jabs. Do you not feel 2 years of restrictions, a recession and curtailing basic freedoms isn’t enough sacrifice for ‘the vulnerable’? I do.[/quote]
It was never primarily "for the vulnerable".

It was primarily to protect society from a sudden overwhelming surge of inconveniently ill people & dead bodies piling up, getting in the way of health services running, commerce and so on.

@SunshineCake1

Surely by now people can make their own decisions to keep themselves safe ?

This! People really shouldn't need to be told to take precautions, minimise close contacts, etc. But apparently, they're all carrying on as normal until Boris tells them otherwise!

@herecomesthsun we shouldn’t isolated the vulnerable & let everyone else get on with their lives. Use the money that we sank into the app and furlough to make sure they were looked after.

*shouldve.

It was for healthcare but vaccines change the equation

As does omicron

Which means restrictions may not happen.

I’m still interested in what those who talk about protection would like to see over next period, and for rest of year or so

@Hospedia

Why are people saying that cases don't matter when those cases each represent someone isolating for at least 7 days? That's a lot of people unable to work.

Exactly.

Teachers, HGV drivers, supermarket workers, bus drivers, medical staff, emergebcy services staff, benefits workers, council staff, carers, and so on - we can only have so many off work sick before it starts to impact provision of services and support structures. Even changing rules of self-isolation wouldn't remove the issue as a lot of them would still be unable to come work if actively unwell.

We've only been getting mail deliveries every other day, at best. Sometimes it's every 3rd day.

The postie told my NDN that more than a third of the staff at the sorting office are off sick or isolating. If that's reflected in other workforces, the implications for all sorts of services are quite worrying.

There have been postal problems near us too @LakieLady

Case numbers don’t really mean anything, the number of people in icu and the number of deaths are what’s important and at the moment they are low.

Why do people want more restrictions when death rates are so low? Omicron is not as deadly, it’s similar to a cold yet some people seem to think we should be in lockdown because of it?

People need to except that this is the way things are now, the virus will spread but it’s unlikely to make you really unwell and you have more chance of dying in a road accident than you do from covid.

We don’t need more restrictions, we need to get on with our lives and stop screwing up our children’s futures.

[quote RoyalFamilyFan]@Doris86 Curious. So first cases dont matter, only hospitalisations. Now its only ICU admissions. What next? Those in hospital for over a week?[/quote]
Yes time in hospital does need to be taken into account as well. Evidence from South Africa I believe showed an average stay in hospital with Omicron of 3 days compared to 8 days with Delta. So you could have double the number of people being admitted to hospital with Omicron, but still have a lower overall number of people in hospital each day.

Really we need to be told all of this data in a clear and balanced way, rather than just the scare tactic headline figures of number of new cases and numbers admitted to hospital.

@Lovemusic33

Case numbers don’t really mean anything, the number of people in icu and the number of deaths are what’s important and at the moment they are low.

Why do people want more restrictions when death rates are so low? Omicron is not as deadly, it’s similar to a cold yet some people seem to think we should be in lockdown because of it?

People need to except that this is the way things are now, the virus will spread but it’s unlikely to make you really unwell and you have more chance of dying in a road accident than you do from covid.

We don’t need more restrictions, we need to get on with our lives and stop screwing up our children’s futures.

This is incorrect.

In a high infection environment critical workers also get infected, and have to stay home sick.

Do you know what happens when you have one nurse for 6 covid patients?

1. More excess deaths
2. Burnout of nurse

This is a problem that has become more serious with Omicron.

In London, 1 out of 16 people is currently infected.

So are people suggesting we should have a lock down so we don’t have late post deliveries and bin collections now

Yes indeed @Mycatsgoldtooth , what other services could possibly be affected? slow handclap

I’m interested that we seem to need so much State intervention in our decision making. And sometimes it feels like the media are supporting this view that we’re all idiots who require absolute instruction in our decision making. Surely, after 2 years, we know what can limit our exposure and need to weigh up the risk based on our own circumstances? And I also get that the nature of certain jobs makes that risk higher but we can’t pretend that we can go on endlessly in lockdown mode with all it’s ramifications...

[quote Lifeisnteasy]@herecomesthsun we shouldn’t isolated the vulnerable & let everyone else get on with their lives. Use the money that we sank into the app and furlough to make sure they were looked after.[/quote]
I agree with you that we shouldn't isolate the vulnerable.

I said we should. Typo. I corrected it.

@Jewel52

I’m interested that we seem to need so much State intervention in our decision making. And sometimes it feels like the media are supporting this view that we’re all idiots who require absolute instruction in our decision making. Surely, after 2 years, we know what can limit our exposure and need to weigh up the risk based on our own circumstances? And I also get that the nature of certain jobs makes that risk higher but we can’t pretend that we can go on endlessly in lockdown mode with all it’s ramifications...

Yesterday a group of people entered a test and trace centre and threw stuff in the bin. A significant % of people have refused the vaccine, for a variety of reasons some sensible some not - including some because they think a microchip gets implanted.

I think you are pretty optimistic if you think everyone is making good decisions.

Isolating the vulnerable doesn't work. IMO people only say it because they are too chicken to openly admit they don't care if the vulnerable die.

@Lifeisnteasy

I said we should. Typo. I corrected it.

You were right the first time though.

There's a scientific consensus that it isn't possible to isolate the vulnerable, we are too interconnected as a society.

Would you isolate parents from their children?

Would you leave the bedbound to look after themselves?

Doesn't work, does it?

Barbie222 and what services will be affected by another lock down? Courts shut again meaning rape/DV trials take three years to come to court so perpetrators still have contact with their kids, social service assessments done over face time, mental health support stopped. Housing officers not visiting tenants in dangerous accommodation.

There is a balance to be found and the lock down fanatics are clutching at straws now. The NHS was not overwhelmed this time last year, it coped. This variant is milder and we are all triple jabbed. COVID patients occupy 7% of the UK hospital beds today.
Sadly the NHS is a shambles. It’s not up to us to suspend our lives, our children’s lives and education and the wellbeing of so many vulnerable children and adults in this country protect it.

The thought we should be having a lock down to stop nurses getting burn out is laughable. I work in social care and have a different view on the costs of lock down. Happy to take my slow hand clap

@Mycatsgoldtooth

Barbie222 and what services will be affected by another lock down? Courts shut again meaning rape/DV trials take three years to come to court so perpetrators still have contact with their kids, social service assessments done over face time, mental health support stopped. Housing officers not visiting tenants in dangerous accommodation.

There is a balance to be found and the lock down fanatics are clutching at straws now. The NHS was not overwhelmed this time last year, it coped. This variant is milder and we are all triple jabbed. COVID patients occupy 7% of the UK hospital beds today.
Sadly the NHS is a shambles. It’s not up to us to suspend our lives, our children’s lives and education and the wellbeing of so many vulnerable children and adults in this country protect it.

The thought we should be having a lock down to stop nurses getting burn out is laughable. I work in social care and have a different view on the costs of lock down. Happy to take my slow hand clap

Lost me at "lockdown fanatics".

I don't actually want another lockdown mind you, but some sort of rational argument or plan would be good.

The chaos ahead is not going to be great for vulnerable children and others, even if schools somehow stay open and we limp on without locking down.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

What does he need to say exactly?

183k caught a bug today which appears from the data to be fairly harmless.

Nowhere near hysterical enough.