Oct 15, 2020, 6:45 pm
Local lockdowns in the UK
Dec 21, 2021, 6:24 pm
#8401
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Not sure which is the right approach (you can easily see the benefits and risks of each), but interesting that the different approach is agin being taken and that it is (unusually) Scotland which has taken the less dogmatic approach in this instance.
Dec 21, 2021, 11:03 pm
#8402
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For healthcare staff, they are still likely to be subject to requiring a PCR before returning to work as the NHS have to ensure that staff are not infecting patients as much as possible, and mirrors existing practice.
Anything that can help get essential workers back to work as soon as possible will help manage the biggest current risk from this surge, that being the loss of staff availablity due to infection.
Dec 22, 2021, 1:43 am
#8403
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The CDC is also considering reducing the quarantine time (currently at 10 days) for health care workers, and Delta has asked to consider the same for airlines (they want it down to 5 days). I am not sure it is a great idea for airlines...
Dec 22, 2021, 1:54 am
#8404
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Dec 22, 2021, 2:00 am
#8405
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Dec 22, 2021, 2:02 am
#8406
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Dec 22, 2021, 2:12 am
#8407
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Because it is almost pointless trying to be optimistic in this thread. People can draw from it what they want. Crack on.
Dec 22, 2021, 2:45 am
#8408
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the full text of the link:
although it mentions the concern of infections soaring, it's clear they are not soaring from the case numbers, that hospitalisations are not soaring, and deaths are not rising at all yet (they continue to fall daily numbers and 7 day average continues to fall). if anyone is concerned that this is actually a reflection of limited testing, testing per 1000 people has massively ramped up since november and is nearly at record levels, and positivity remains pretty stable in the 4-5% where it has been for months now. remember we were told infections would double every 2-3 days, well this is the oddest looking exponential growth curve i have ever seen.
as usual though the doomsayers will be along soon and say none of this evidence or data counts for some reason.
adding this to the months worth of data from south africa, i am really not sure how much more evidence or data one needs to see omicron is milder. someone less generous than me might suggest that had all the months worth of evidence from south africa shown worse outcomes than delta they wouldn't have the same reservations somehow and be invoking apocalypse without hesitation.
a good scientist doesn't ignore data even if it goes against there own prejudice.
The omicron coronavirus variant is causing a milder disease than the delta strain in most Britons, government scientists are expected to say today.
The UK Health Security Agency is set to publish real-world data on the severity of the disease, which is expected to say that more people are likely to have a mild illness with less serious symptoms.
The political site Politico reported the findings this morning. It says that while omicron seems milder overall, the UKHSA has found it is not necessarily mild enough to avoid large numbers of hospitalisations. The experts have found evidence that for those who do become severely ill, there is still a high chance of hospitalisation and death.
Given that the transmissibility of omicron is very high, there is the chance that even though it is milder, infections could soar to the point that large numbers end up in hospital .
On Wednesday, the health minister Gillian Keegan said there were 129 people in hospital with omicron and there had been 14 deaths. Asked on Sky News whether a circuit breaker lockdown could happen after Christmas, she said: "We are waiting for data on the severity, we'll still have to wait to see where we land on that, but we can't really say, you know.
"What we've said is up to Christmas we're fine looking at the data, looking at the numbers we have at the moment, but, of course, we have to look at where this virus goes, where this variant goes, so we have to look at that data."
The UK Health Security Agency is set to publish real-world data on the severity of the disease, which is expected to say that more people are likely to have a mild illness with less serious symptoms.
The political site Politico reported the findings this morning. It says that while omicron seems milder overall, the UKHSA has found it is not necessarily mild enough to avoid large numbers of hospitalisations. The experts have found evidence that for those who do become severely ill, there is still a high chance of hospitalisation and death.
Given that the transmissibility of omicron is very high, there is the chance that even though it is milder, infections could soar to the point that large numbers end up in hospital .
On Wednesday, the health minister Gillian Keegan said there were 129 people in hospital with omicron and there had been 14 deaths. Asked on Sky News whether a circuit breaker lockdown could happen after Christmas, she said: "We are waiting for data on the severity, we'll still have to wait to see where we land on that, but we can't really say, you know.
"What we've said is up to Christmas we're fine looking at the data, looking at the numbers we have at the moment, but, of course, we have to look at where this virus goes, where this variant goes, so we have to look at that data."
as usual though the doomsayers will be along soon and say none of this evidence or data counts for some reason.
adding this to the months worth of data from south africa, i am really not sure how much more evidence or data one needs to see omicron is milder. someone less generous than me might suggest that had all the months worth of evidence from south africa shown worse outcomes than delta they wouldn't have the same reservations somehow and be invoking apocalypse without hesitation.
a good scientist doesn't ignore data even if it goes against there own prejudice.
Dec 22, 2021, 2:59 am
#8409
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I am afraid this is true. I actually saw the amending SI which implemented this and tbh I thought it was so ridiculous that I didn't bother reporting it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680
Until now, it has been guidance for employees to wok from home.
Fines will be handed out to employees in Wales who go to work when they could work from home.
From Monday, workers will receive a £60 fixed penalty notice and companies hit with fines of £1,000 every time they break the rule.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680
Covid: Fines for Wales employees not working from home
Until now, it has been guidance for employees to wok from home.
Fines will be handed out to employees in Wales who go to work when they could work from home.
From Monday, workers will receive a £60 fixed penalty notice and companies hit with fines of £1,000 every time they break the rule.
Dec 22, 2021, 3:00 am
#8410
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I am afraid this is true. I actually saw the amending SI which implemented this and tbh I thought it was so ridiculous that I didn't bother reporting it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59741680
Dec 22, 2021, 3:10 am
#8411
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,238
And it's my turn! I've just had the two C-T lines on a LFT (done twice just to be sure). I was at the in-laws for Xmas and this might be the last one for a while given what happened next. I apologised for having endangered them, did my bags, my wife tested negative, and I booked an AirBnb nearby until the 26th just to be on the safe side. My father-in-law, who is an anti-vaxxer, went mental. He was adamant I should stay in, have a Christmas meal tomorrow with the entire extended family (one son with a liver condition, him who's 60+ and overweight, the mother-in-law, my wife, her sister, husband and 3 kids).
I'm now obviously self isolating in the AirBnB, with very little symptoms and, frankly, mildly relieved not to be there. How moronic can people be?
I'm now obviously self isolating in the AirBnB, with very little symptoms and, frankly, mildly relieved not to be there. How moronic can people be?
Dec 22, 2021, 3:14 am
#8412
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Breaking.. Manchester Evening News reports self isolation period reduced from ten days to seven. This could be a game changer in terms of hospital staff availability (my big concern with Omicron).
In other news.., My sister took a lateral flow a few hours ago; positive. Once PCR confirmation comes through, she will be taking considerable pleasure filling in test and trace with all the maskless morons she has to work with closely at a further education college.
In other news.., My sister took a lateral flow a few hours ago; positive. Once PCR confirmation comes through, she will be taking considerable pleasure filling in test and trace with all the maskless morons she has to work with closely at a further education college.
Although the Government will be required to change the law to formally alter the rules, existing regulations make provision for positive cases with a “reasonable excuse” not to isolate.
The Government now considers testing negative for the virus after seven days as a “reasonable excuse” to leave isolation.
Ministers will change the isolation regulations in Parliament in the new year.
The Government now considers testing negative for the virus after seven days as a “reasonable excuse” to leave isolation.
Ministers will change the isolation regulations in Parliament in the new year.
Telegraph paywall in place.
Dec 22, 2021, 3:26 am
#8413
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The expectation is that our good scientist assesses data, rejects them or accepts them ..... or weights their contribution to research.
Dec 22, 2021, 3:57 am
#8414
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Though as should be pointed out, if said workers grab their laptops and go to the pub instead, that's totally legal, so long as they start drinking and don't have a "business meeting", with or without cheese.
Dec 22, 2021, 4:04 am
#8415
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The UKHSA report will be online here in a few hours, I'm still embargoed until then. The summary you provided isn't way off beam, this was circulated to ministers late yesterday evening (also on embargoed status.....) except that London is still seeing big rises and the NHS in London has a lot of people self isolating. Some Pfizer and Moderna deliveries in London can't be made today because we are short of drivers, we have a backlog in blood analysis and 200 similar minor things which are all adding up. So it does fulfill the requirement of a Major Incident with Gold oversight. So lots of infections, not serious, death rate shouldn't rise, but the NHS is on a knife edge in certain spots - but to be fair, not nationally at this point.
The report hugely reiterates the importance of Boosters, by the time you work through the risks and benefits of the various competing factors.
https://www.gov.uk/search/all?organi...ecurity-agency
(I think it's a 12 o clock release, not totally certain).
The report hugely reiterates the importance of Boosters, by the time you work through the risks and benefits of the various competing factors.
https://www.gov.uk/search/all?organi...ecurity-agency
(I think it's a 12 o clock release, not totally certain).