bojo is king, brexit is on, stuff is fvcked, tomorrow starts here -- new govt new thread new battle

^^^ yes, that.

Also, on a different note:

1) I understand a number of Ministers are becoming concerned that a single “senior government source” is undermining the Government’s Coronavirus communications strategy…

— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) March 15, 2020

Hodges never knowingly leaves an axe unground

Emma Kennedy chipping in too, collect the set

British police to have powers to arrest covid-19 patients not self-isolating
Ministers are planning to give police in the UK the power to arrest people with coronavirus who are not self-isolating, the health secretary has confirmed

But if we're not even testing people until they require hospitalisation then what is even the point? Or maybe this is just being badly reported

Those that require hospitalisation will not be walking around, those that don't will not officially have the virus

My sister in law is immunocompromised and is at home with a ‘cold’ after her GP tested positive and she can’t get a test. She and my brother are holed up at home (near Derby) and hoping for the best.

Was thinking about Cummings earlier and how he might be incapable of shifting from stir up and conquer mode.

The single biggest problem I can see is that there just isn't enough widespread testing going on. A friend of mine has (relatively mild) coronavirus symptoms and has been in a house with people who have been confirmed with it. But they're not coming to test him - which is going to skew the numbers massively but also going to lead to a situation where loads of people come down with similar symptoms that turn out to be a garden variety cold, get over it, think they're immune and go out into the world again. And then either get it properly or spread it about unawares.

Several xposts there.

the testing in this country is a fucking joke at the moment, and that it what needs prioritising before increased powers of arrest and detention etc..

Wishing you the very best NickB, stay strong <3

Yes, all the best NickB.

We are better equipped thanks to the NHS than most other countries

This weird British delusion that no one outside the country has decent healthcare. Citizens of Spain gave a round of applause to health care professionals last night at 10 despite the lockdown, just a lot of ppl going to their windows and verandas and clapping. I know we're supposed to be cynical about that kinda stuff but it moved me.

My sister in law is immunocompromised and is at home with a ‘cold’ after her GP tested positive and she can’t get a test

oof. best wishes to your sister-in-law + brother, Ed

yeah, the testing situation doesn't seem good; lots of reports of people not being able to get tests for whatever reason, people on hold to 111 for hours, being told there's no chance of diagnosis or treatment until it's really quite serious (and yes, we need to prioritise the serious cases, but there are a lot of chances at containment passing us by if we don't identify it early), confusing mixed messages (or maybe just messages I don't like) about when/whether to self-isolate... seems like a bad combination

disclaimer as if one were needed: I have no idea about or qualifications in medicine, epidemiology, etc, so I don't actually know anything, but these are the things that seem bad to me, the uninformed idiot on the street (try to be on the street less for a bit, I think we're saying?)

Thread on the testing approach:

We’ve increased tests in UK for Coronavirus #COVIDー19 5,000 in one day on Friday, and at least 37,746 overall. We’re testing well above most countries (save Italy / China / S Korea).

I’ve had some questions on why we’ve changed the testing approach. I’ll try to explain here 1/

— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) March 15, 2020

This weird British delusion that no one outside the country has decent healthcare.

Had an argument about this at work the other day. One of my colleagues said the NHS is 'the backbone of the country', does this happen anywhere else on the planet?

Canadians are inordinately proud of their healthcare system, the benchmark being 'not-the-US'.

One risk is by testing too early those with mild or fewer symptoms may get a negative test & then stop self isolation and start infecting others.

Even w/a negative test you should still self isolate w/ symptoms or if you have been in close contact with someone with the virus. 4/

(from stet's twitter thread)

This is a good point which I hadn't considered. Still think there should be more testing going on though.

Self-isolating with not even the promise of a test requires a sympathetic employer (as well as the ability to get supplies, and feeling assured you can get help quickly if things take a sudden turn) and if milder cases don't ever get tested then we're not getting an accurate picture of what's going on.

This thread looks at the 1957 pandrmic. Over after roughly three years:

The 1957 pandemic ended as people became immune over a period of three years. Possibly the virus became less virulent too. We can expect COVID19 to similarly become 'endemic,' but probably after several waves of affliction, alas. https://t.co/pmO8awFKNq 19/

— Nicholas A. Christakis (@NAChristakis) March 14, 2020

My sister in law is immunocompromised and is at home with a ‘cold’ after her GP tested positive and she can’t get a test. She and my brother are holed up at home (near Derby) and hoping for the best.

Hope for the best too Ed - really does not help that there are so many other bugs going round at the moment

Damming piece on herd immunity

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/15/epidemiologist-britain-herd-immunity-coronavirus-covid-19?

Good luck UK.

'Natural selection' was coined by an Englishman iirc.

BREAKING. According to @Le_Figaro, also French President Macron is silently supporting the "HERD IMMUNITY OPTION" to fight #CoronaVirus, in a similar approach to the UK#coronavirusUk #COVIDー19 #france https://t.co/83V9zZqod7

— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) March 15, 2020

Hey Ed, O’s wife very much in my thoughts - and so is everyone else currently worried about relatives, immune-compromised status and... all of it, really.

I’m not going to the US now - there’s no way I want to risk getting stuck somewhere with only private health care.

Central London supermarkets and independent shops are fairly well stocked right now, but this will all change when the commuters return tomorrow.

Paracetamol has become the new toilet roll it seems. Totally wiped out in my local stores and every online supermarket in my area is totally sold out.

Still hung up on this plan to have everyone making ventilators. If they did have a plan all along, why wasn't this initiative announced a month ago considering the potential long lead time on these? I know we all made bombs during WW2 and all that, but a batch of not very good bombs is a lot less of an issue than a stockpile of shonky lifesupport

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b725127e5e64d7b5a0283d633a172246af152dc4/86_0_4684_2811/master/4684.jpg

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b725127e5e64d7b5a0283d633a172246af152dc4/86_0_4684_2811/master/4684.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=46985088570a15e532ac885c87ffb004

Lol there's someone from my running club there, prick

"These events are the golden bullet to inspire people to exercise and get them healthy and stop being a burden on the NHS."

the organiser of the Bath half marathon seems like a real charmer.

isn't snacking on half a delicious bat what caused the outbreak in the first place

a tasty bat ate a marathon

That wanker could do with a golden bullet.

Fucking hell

more criticism of uk strategy:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/15/coronavirus-health-experts-fear-epidemic-will-let-rip-through-uk

Under revised health advice Boris Johnson unveiled last Thursday, anyone with a cough should self-isolate for at least seven days.

wait is this right? I missed that

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
a new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

I'm fine then, I'm coughing but not repeatedly.

I really struggle to know what continuous means. Someone said it means “for six hours” but I don’t know how frequent. Once an hour?

I imagine more frequent than that.

investing in a digital ear/head thermometer if you don't have one is a good idea. That is if all the usual cunts aren't trying to sell for a grand now rather than 20 odd quid.

Was looking online for one earlier but seem to be sold out everywhere...

Yeah and instore too

God the inability to define what a continuous cough is enraging - thousands of lives depend on this and they can't even express themselves clearly.

We bought a digital thermometer on Amazon this week and it's arrived but that was before everything went crazy.

Anyone else with kids wondering about whether to take them to school tomorrow? I am in two minds about it, my wife is set against them going.

I'm keeping my autistic young adult out of college, fuck this shit!

xp
yeah just looked on e-bay the only ones left are expensive infrared ones or the ones designed to go up babies arses!

My younger son was "star of the week" this week and had the prize of taking home the class teddy bear, he had to do various activities with us, I took photos, printed them at Boots, stuck them in the book, etc. Tomorrow I will take the bear to school, but not the boy.

I've got to be careful because my son has a place in a NAS private school in S Yorkshire paid for by the local authority. If it looks like I'm removing him from the school I'm worried it might have implications on his next term there. idk ... this is why I'd prefer not to have such an untrustworthy, indecisive jittery govt during a crisis like this.

Think schools will close on let's say Wednesday at the latest - government are def too spineless to stick to their plan even if it were a good one.