Tiers on my pillow

[Cismyfatarse]

As requested.

Happy to help with home es queries about English up to AH level.

I think the issue with it spreading is due to the amount of people not following the rules.
And no amount of extra restrictions will change that.
So is following the rules are continuing to be punished.
Iv had one neighbour (a couple) who have had their daughter/husband/kids around the last three days for a few hours at a time.
Out a walk yesterday with one person. And passed a group of around 15 people from four families!
This isn’t me being nosy just what I see when out and about.

We had an outbreak in dc's class so a fair number of kids and parents got it including dc. She barely had symptoms, fortunately.

1m a cases a day - let's hope so! Let's hope we get vaccine news at 2pm...

Not cases, vaccines obviously! too early for me to be posting.

I just think it will spread no matter what.

That’s why vaccination is the answer

@runningpink I agree. Other kids at school are having sleepovers, kids in their house all the time. There’s no point adding new rules when people aren’t following the existing ones.

However we went for a walk a few days ago with a friend and their kids and accidentally met another two families we know half way round the walk. The kids all got very excited and ran off ahead and we must have looked very dodgy to all the people around us. I was really embarrassed but it’s not like you can completely ignore people 😬

@Rae36 I only know one person who has had it for sure, some suspected from March but not tested. Our cases in this area have stayed fairly stable too

@WouldBeGood I think it will just spread now too. They’ve closed everything they can now. They surely don’t think stopping outside mixing and restricting travel further will actually stop the spread?

I have had Covid. DH caught it from his dad, who can only have caught it from one of the carers coming in because he was housebound. His dad was dying in hospital (not of Covid, he was asymptomatic) and therefore DH was allowed to spend full nights and days there. DH then gave it to our toddler DS who gave it to me and my parents (who look after him while I work PT). It was horrible but kind of reassured me that basically following the rules all year and maintaining a tight wee bubble, still going to playparks and shops, had actually been pretty safe and what it took in the end was prolonged contact with someone who had it.

My estate has very much stuck to the rules, no kids in each other's houses. But I know other areas where kids are in each other's houses constantly.

@runningpink and @goodname I agree also.
The COVID cases I know of now are due to people breaking the rules.
Before the Christmas break I did not know of anyone who had contracted the virus.

I am fairly sure I got covid from DS (back in March so I was clinically diagnosed, no testing available) who came down very poorly with a fever and cold-like symptoms, nausea and then gastric issues. DD and I then both got the main symptoms (cough, fever, respiratory issues and fatigue). Our house is small and you cannot self-isolate from a poorly child. I had not been put the house as my office had already advised us to work from home. So I also think i got it from prolonged contact rather than say, in a supermarket, and I also think DS got it from school. No proof of either of these things, it is just how it seems to me.

There have been a few cases since September in DD’s school but she has not been one of the contacts. There was a case in dS’s school just before Christmas. We have been sticking to the rules so the only thing new restrictions will change is schools for us. Not looking forward to that and wishing that they would actually use the blended learning ‘contingency’ rather than fully online learning. Too much to hope for that in the announcement?

Actually I know two families who've had it recently one was kids got it at school. The other was a result of someone going to work while waiting on test results. How stupid I know.

Why can't people not just follow the rules and stop mixing as that appears to be where the spreading is happening? I'm fed up of all this and maybe we could be a lot further down the road to normality if they did.
I agree about if taking ages to recruit and train vaccine staff. The minute the vaccine was announced NS should have got a plan in action.

I think it’s very much a seasonal virus, and the hospitals are full of elderly people as is usual at this time of year. I think it’s also very much a hospital acquired infection.

No measures will really stop it. I don’t think it’s really spread by rule breakers, though it’s comforting to think that, I think it’s just a virus doing it’s thing.

The issue with the blended learning seems to be teachers are then still exposed to 30 kids in a week.
Schools need extra teachers to so it, 66 kids in a year, 15 kids in blended learning bubbles, means 4 bubbles and a composite bubble needs formed with the 6 kids left over.

Teachers can't teach, half the class, provide support to half the class and deal with keyworker/ vulnerable kids at the same time.

Where does Swinney say a school announcement will be made?

I know many people who have had it. In April DH's team was wiped out (tested due to sector and not NHS), he didn't get it. School where I teach, school where DD4 attends. DD3's flat in uni halls, in 2 stages, she never got it but has spent a worryingly long time in isolation. Also because colleagues are taking part in the antibodies survey there are people who had their suspicions that they'd had in March/April confirmed. Other who were sure they had it - no antibodies. Some with antibodies and were surprised that those couple of off colour days in spring resulted in antibodies.

That news about the vaccine recruitment in Scotland has really depressed me.

I was looking to find out where I could volunteer - I work 4 days a week so for a few months I'd have been happy to do something like car parking marshall a couple of days a week - anything to get the vaccine out faster. But no, the only positions I can see are the paid ones and as posters have said passing all the checks and things can take weeks if not months .

It highlights the intrinsic difference between UK and Scottish way of doing things. SG good on the restrictions, clear messages and communication, less good on moving us quickly out of this mess.

UK government has messed up many things, but they invested heavily in getting vaccines even when it seemed like a pie in the sky waste of money, and now they fundamentally understand that fast vaccination is the way out of this.
I'd rather be in Scotland at the minute as at least DPs know where they stand with regard to schools, but 3-4 months down the line when a rump of vaccination should have taken place and we should be in a position to start lifting restrictions- then I'm not so sure.

I was mulling this over - I've been quietly frantic the last two days about the rumours school returns are going back further, so what did the extra certainty of knowing not before 18 jan gain me? Yes we got some early certainty we were not going back til at least 18, then more uncertainty has still been heaped on.

It's more money and prospects lost whether I know now or in two weeks time.

I agree rookie I am not a fan of Boris whatsoever but he invested early and heavily in the vaccine and looks like nearly 1m vaccinated in the UK already.

What's concerning me is the UK gov's decision to change the vaccination schedule to the 12 weeks before the second dose. I'm really worried it's not going to be effective, numbers of those sick will go back up and we'll have to start the vaccination programme again, on those who survived. I see the logic, but definitely feel they should be going with the vaccine manufacturer's instructions.

I know one person whose definitely had it (lost sense of taste/smell but otherwise absolutely fine), and I suspect I might have had it in March (mild fever/cough) but no diagnosis as not ill enough. I agree with pp that this is a seasonal virus that is going to do what its going to, which is why it dropped off faster than expected in the summer but is proving harder to control than expected now it's winter.

I don't know how its spreading so out of control, but as the average incubation period is about 5 days it clearly isn't schools or shops or gyms etc. as all have been shut for too long. In fact all these very harsh society level restrictions seem to have barely made a dent in the spread so clearly something else is going on - whether its hospitals, care homes or masses ignoring rules I don't know. Agree with pps that harsher restrictions will just cause more misery for very little benefit.

I guess the good thing about a seasonal virus is that it should drop off naturally in the spring anyway, just in time for NS to claim victory before the May election

I can understand the concerns on the vaccine schedule but given the risk of death in vulnerable groups it seems a good call to go for more first doses to me.

Both of my parents are highly vulnerable and in high risk areas - I'd rather they both got a first shot by end Jan.

We're in fairly uncharted territory here so I'm sure there will be more decisions that with hindsight could've been optimised.

Its definitely a seasonal virus. Spreads easily in cold conditions (look at the meat processing factories). Which is another reason it will drop off in spring

My bestie had it, my cousin had it, DHs boss, his boss' boss, and DH's colleague all had it (but not DH yet).

I think DM may have had it in February as she was really ill for about a week but who knows?

@Groovee, the hovag would have been our first choice (our daughter has it), but it has been out of stock in our size for ages. It was supposed to come back mid December, but nothing. In the end we gave up.

Has anyone seen that the MMR might be providing some protection to covid?