We've done that: NHS England doesn't see this exposure notification, so they're none the wiser. Which also means that my OH can't ask for a test, or monetary support, which is mindbogging. As for me they said I can do whatever they want.

She called BA to give the good news, and they were saying that Scottish NHS found one positive that had been on her flight and are basically asking the whole flight to self isolate, including the crews.

Funny how Whitty said it's too early to comment on data about children when this was reported in the Telegraph very low rates found:"Children returning to school has not led to a rise in Covid infections, as the first data shows just 0.05 per cent of secondary students tested positive.

Of the 2,762,775 lateral flow tests that were carried out on secondary pupils, just 1,324 were positive, according to the first official figures.

A detailed analysis by Prof Jon Deeks, an expert in biostatistics at Birmingham University, has found that the number of positive cases among pupils are far lower than ministers expected."

Government are back to form with the mixed messaging and goalpost moving..

——-Government considering 'COVID certificates' to let people to attend sporting events

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said that coronavirus "certificates" are being considered as a way of getting people back to larger events "in significant numbers".

"From June 21, if all goes to plan in the way that I described, we hope to get people back in significant numbers," he told Sky News.

"We're piloting the different things that will enable that to happen - clearly it will have to be done in a COVID-secure way.

"You would expect, and we will be testing these things, things like one-way systems, things like masks, things like hand hygiene and everything else.

"Another thing that we are considering is a COVID certification, and we will be testing whether we can use COVID certification to help facilitate the return of sports."

He added that final decisions had yet to be made and that he was working with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who is leading a review on the issue.

———-

What happened to all rules gone June21, nightclubs open, no more distancing or masks possibly until winter?

Now to go to a football match it might be one way systems, reduced capacity and wearing a bloody mask outside despite having been vaccinated. If there is one thing I despise about this government during this pandemic (besides breaking their own rules), it’s their constant moving of the goalposts. Are they sending mixed messages here so they can bring in only one or two of these things and it seem like a “win” compared to all of it? I wish the media would hold them account to their prior words.

At a high school in West London yesterday there were ~564 tests and 1 positive. Yeah, I know.......

You really don't do patience do you Paula? Schools have been back less than 2 weeks - barely enough time for any viral transmission within the cohort to even register in testing.

The bit in bold is a clue as to why Whitty says it is "too early to comment" - much as one day of 28°C temperatures is insufficient evidence for anyone declare a heatwave. We need 2-3 weeks more data at least before we can start to make a determination. Hence the Government's carefully-spaced 5-weekly interval between various lockdown easing measures.

they never promised this. they only said they HOPED they could remove limits etc etc. this is the problem with their entire message, to your point, they put dates on things then sneak in IT IS HOPED all legal limits on social contact can be removed....

so i agree they have been sending loads of mixed messaging the last few days, but nothing surprises me when it comes to how they frame discussions on unlocking aspects of normal life because their ability to waver has always been there.

I didn't mention the lockdown easing in this post so its got nothing to do with patience, my point was we got fobbed off again, when we know there is almost 2 weeks of data at least telling us how many kids are testing positive when they return, I agree not enough yet to determine if any community transmission, but the daily cases and tests are posted daily and we call all see the very low positivity rate in front of us. Whitty is just so negative all the time and doesn't want us to give us any encouragement so we start running wild.

I think it's his job to be cautious. I'm sure that if I had been in his position, having spent Xmas volunteering in hospitals and seeing first hand the outcome of people's disregard for rules, I'd be going around the Tube slapping those with noses sticking out of the mask with a snow shovel. But I have never been a Gandhi.

well and he has to be the voice of reason because so many people including some of my friends, colleagues and the usual suspects in this thread all continue to whine about unlocking early and there is an expectation that we will unlock on those exact dates. that was never the point of the roadmap and they made a mistake publishing dates for that reason. so he is left to be the one to provide caution and realistic data to indicate how the government is thinking about these points. death and disease is hard to dress up and spin positively.

Today's data looking pretty good:

Cases 4,802 (6,609 last Friday)
Deaths 101 (175)
Patients on ventilation now 879 (1,110)

What's the test take-up rate? And then, I'd be surprised if all 564 tests were genuinely taken or if all putatively positive results were reported as such.

More in the BMJ: https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n706

I'm a volunteer at a couple of pharmacies doing the vaccine in Barnet Borough. HA McParland in Colindale has a waiting list for spares at the end of the day. Its about a two week wait for putting your name down currently. Give them a call.

If they are young and healthy then encourage them to do a few volunteer shifts. Thats how me and my under 30year old partner got ours, and we were giving back to the community at the same time :)

I think that the concern is that the fall in triages and positive tests is beginning to slow down. Deaths and ICU both significantly lag obviously but, this time around, should start to decouple because of most of the most vulnerable will be at least partially vaccinated.

Once the priority group have been fully vaccinated (at least those who want to be), then it's quite likely that hospitalisation will be largely comprised of the unfortunate younger cohorts and the fools who didn't want to be vaccinated and will move fairly rapidly just to the latter group.

The most encouraging thing is that the excess mortality figure is moving towards zero. It won't stay there of course because currently it's being flattered by deaths brought forward by catching COVID which aren't now happening. Also, it will rise significantly for the next few years as those who have missed diagnosis and treatment because of COVID die from non-COVID conditions. This could easily amount, over time, to more people than those who died from COVID.

This is an important and sobering point. Additionally, a GP was telling me that about one in three of her patients at the moment are coming to her as a result of anxiety and stress - she's desperately worried about the impact that coming out of lockdown will have on some in the coming months. Please be kind to yourselves.