Westministenders: A Year of Johnson

[RedToothBrush]

So having given the benefit of the doubt...

... whats your reflections?

Good (and yes do have some thoughts on the positive - challenge yourself on this one as its important) and the bad (and yes this is the easy bit but keep it within reason)?

An senior clinician I work with had a moderate case, but I don't know anyone else who did. I was ill myself for a week in mid March with what could have been a mild case, but testing wasn't available at the time. (I had several sustained interactions and meetings the week before with a young coworker who had just returned from skiing in northern Italy so it's a possibility if he was asymptomatic.)

I do think that because of the clustered nature of the disease and the way it spreads primarily via our social links, it's very plausible that many if not most Britons don't know anyone who has tested positive or died of COVID19.

TBH
I know of several people who have died around the country
and I know multiple people who have had what was almost certainly COVID but were never tested
but then again the cough I had for 6 weeks at the end of last year may or may not have been COVID or a random other coronavirus

the UK's testing has been utterly dire
for ideological reasons

I know of one death. (99 year old grandparent in law of a friend)

I know two people who have probable Covid who are still struggling. They caught in in March. One 50 very fit, now out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs- confirmed I think as she was in hospital. One 45 year old- had to go into hospital after a few weeks of illness, did not test positive. However diagnosis was Covid. Still relapsing every so often.

I think I had it. However was pretty lucky as did not seem to affect breathing. I was poorly for about a month. Still struggling with exercise though- however did not need hospital. So no test. And had they been available I would have been too poorly to drive to get a test- do probably would not have gone. (Although there are now tests the post to you). Or I could have had a run of the mill virus and it was coincidence.

I would be really scared of getting it again. I was completely floored by it.

In laws in another area don't know anyone who has had it.

(And a friend who did die over Lockdown died because of mental health.)

Its interesting to see how many people know people who have had it.

I live in an area which has low infection rates (but i suspect it was around here earlier). I know quite a few people who have had it, including serious cases and one death. I don't know whether this reflects DH's social circle.

A close friend who we went a LOT of time around pre-lockdown has had his antibody test this week which will be interesting.

I had an a & e trip shortly before lockdown with some worrying symptoms. I was told it was 'all in my head'. Im now seeing numerous articles about how other women have had exactly the same experience. It now transpires that the symptoms ive had are indicative of a post viral reaction. Whether it was covid or not i dont know and may never know, but its fascinating to see.

A school friend had it, and sadly lost a few colleagues to it. She was very ill too. A few other friends have had it too, but no tests. I don't live near any of these people. A neighbour has lost his Dad, but despite the ONS data showing 25-30 deaths in my large village, I don't know of any others. We do have two large care homes within our boundaries which may be skewing data.

I know one person who's had it tested, several friends of friends tested positive too, many who were suspected of having it but no tests. A fair few deaths within friends extended families. It's not been invisible round our way sadly.

I'm far from a Government supporter as you well know Red. So I object to you supposing I am. It was aimed at those that moan about more lockdown no one Pacific. I may not be so eloquent as some and but I don't appreciate being insulted. Most people know me on here. I've been on here a long while. I'm sorry you took offence at my post. It was not intended to offend anyone. You don't have to remind me about disadvantaged people either after all I've been one all my life. I won't bother to comment anymore. That way it won't piss you off even if it was unintentional.

Three colleagues had it ( not health care) . All recovered. I may have had it, back in March just after community testing was stopped.

A person in my wider organisation died, as did several in my mother's nursing home.

My friend's brother worked in ICU was very ill, admitted to his own hospital and he and his partner now have 'long Covid' . Kids got it too, but not too badly.

"the UK still has 247,000 test results from March and April that have no identity or location data attached to them"

Listening If so, that's disgraceful and ¼ million that needs subtracting from the total tests and % calculations

• do you have a linky, please

sos Please keep posting
red felt overwhelmed and had a vent, as we all need to do sometimes

SOS, I wrongly crossed swords with you a while ago under another username and subsequently apologised.

Please stay. Lockdown is affecting all of us in different ways so I think we should try to give each other some slack if at all possible, especially if people seem to be saying things that are a bit out of character.

sos I thought reds post was rather ott but we are all struggling in different ways. Red has kept these threads running for 4 years now? And I'm very grateful to her for that.

red was rather curt with me yesterday/day before. Meh. Don't take it to heart. Don't stop posting!

I tend to have mn breaks when I feel I've had enough...saves me being a twat to others.

I haven't broken any lockdown "rules" "guidance" whatever the Govt is calling it today...🙄

I don't blame others for doing their own risk assessments, bearing in mind their particular circumstances.

What makes me 🙄 is the arseholes who try and politicise this disaster. BJ and Trump - too "tough" to wear a mask and made jokes about the virus. Hoax?
Dom cum - the leader of our country who the rules don't apply too.
The "celebs" who post anti vax and hoax covid shit on sm.
Grrrrr.

Right now I'm concentrating on me and mine. Fuck em.

Snap big choc

.....and of course of we are all squabbling with each other we aren't holding those fuckers to account!

Quite Yoikes.

These threads have been a beacon of intelligent debate and information from the start.

We all owe RTB hugely for this, as well as the other regular contributors.

Don't know about anyone else, but I have a clear minds eye view of many of us, as have been here so long, under different guises, but don't regularly post.

We are a tribe of sorts, complete with dissidents.

Fall outs will happen; we are all only human. But don't walk out into the cold and dark.

Dh works ina london hospital. Two of his colleagues have died of Covid. Apart from that, we know of noone who has even had symptoms and we live in a london commuter town.

Steve Bannon hails Dominic Cummings and predicts lurch to right for No 10

No surprise

• but BJ wants to be liked, so may not fall into line. Does he have any independence ?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/01/steve-bannon-hails-dominic-cummings-and-predicts-lurch-to-right-for-no-10

Shows Bannons level of intelligence - predicting something that's already happening

@Sostenueto
Stay.
I came back.
This place (and the inner pages of Private Eye) are sanity

I am really, really struggling at the moment
DH and my kids do not like the time I spend on these threads
but they are the balance that keeps me on an even keel

I think

@Sostenueto
Stay.
^^ this
but they are the balance that keeps me on an even keel LQ

And yoga ... (and whisky...)

LQ (hugs)

I feel very...odd. Lots going on here with mum/dc and trying to figure out how to prepare for a no deal brexit during a global pandemic.

No wonder we are all feeling a bit tetchy.

Did anyone see this today?

Roland Smith
@rolandmcs
Ok this is anecdotal (so usual caveats) but a clever friend who lives in Headington, Oxford, says a consultant at the John Radcliffe told him that no one now needs to die from COVID-19 in an Oxford hospital because they now know how to treat such patients.

twitter.com/rolandmcs/status/1289529187955544069?s=20

And this re local lockdowns

Jane Merrick
@janemerrick23
Something really interesting is happening in Liverpool. In the past week public health officials noticed a surge in cases in one ward - so a few dozen streets - Princes Park in Toxteth. There were 20 new cases, out of 49 across the whole of Liverpool. Not a huge quantity but
enough to suggest a spike could be happening. To avoid the need for draconian lockdowns, or blanket measures that have been seen in other northern cities/towns, they’ve implemented an “enhanced outbreak control action plan” on just those streets. People who have been shielding

are told to continue until 14 August. No one is allowed overnight stays. Care home visits are suspended except for those at end of life. Local restaurants reminded of precautionary measures. The action is so targeted it allows volunteers to knock door to door telling people

to get a test if they have symptoms and to remind them of the rules. A pop-up walk-in test centre has opened up in the ward. They can do this because of new powers given to local authorities to impose targeted restrictions at a hyper-localised level.
North-West England residents banned from visiting family and friends amid lockdown confusion
Local leaders backed the measures but claimed they should have been communicated better
inews.co.uk

And also credit to
@lpoolcouncil
for this rapid response plan which avoids affecting the whole city

Late addition to this thread: credit should also go to Liverpool’s director of public health Matt Ashton
@DPH_MAshton

twitter.com/janemerrick23/status/1289487182877659136?s=20

Relatives/friends of friends/colleagues - I know of five deaths, three who've had if confirmed by anti-body tests (two in their 20s and only one had symptoms). I've had a neg anti-body test. One who's displayed all the symptoms at the right time and has lots of contacts who've since displayed symptoms/had it. I feel like I know of more but they are the stats I can remember right now.

@Sostenueto Ah, don't go. Your comments are as welcome as anyone else's except trolls, obvs.

@Sostenueto please stay. But please appreciate the stressdd othersvare under and that the blame gane does not help the interests of those in the ground without power.

People need to do what they need to do. This is going to go on for some time and everyone will deal with this in a variety of ways.

I genuinely believe that the majority of people are well meaning. Its just how they think the best way to deal with things differs. Ultimately we need a degree if tolerance and understanding of various different circumstances and how different people are coping to various degrees.

There is no easy way out of this. Its about risk management of a number of different concerns. That largely depends on your political priorities.

Please dont get into the blame game. You are bright enough to realise that narrative is about playing you. Dont fall for it.