Local lockdowns in the UK
#8716
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,654
Side question. I was bingeing on a podcast about Theranos in the last few days and that got me thinking... Could we ever get to the point where an LFD-like concoction can be built to be reusable and, perhaps, app-based? The LFDs have an enormous amount of wastage inbuilt with all the contaminated plastic that cannot be recycled....
#8717
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
#8718
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,803
Side question. I was bingeing on a podcast about Theranos in the last few days and that got me thinking... Could we ever get to the point where an LFD-like concoction can be built to be reusable and, perhaps, app-based? The LFDs have an enormous amount of wastage inbuilt with all the contaminated plastic that cannot be recycled....
How many days were you positive, going by LFDs?
#8719
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 376
Agreed. Aside from the current shortage, I would use them more often if it were not for the single use plastic. It must be possible to make them with just a strip of card with some coating along the edges. Maybe using two circles instead of lines. Do I need a trip to the patent office?
#8720
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
Still, there's no denying that the idea of Theranos was great. Sure, [SPOILER!] it never worked and it was a scam, but still...
Agreed. Aside from the current shortage, I would use them more often if it were not for the single use plastic. It must be possible to make them with just a strip of card with some coating along the edges. Maybe using two circles instead of lines. Do I need a trip to the patent office?
I must admit after having got through 200 of the things I wonder myself, but I can't see an easy route. The LFD is a plastic shell around a paper or polymer pad, with 2 membranes on it. The C membrane will show the dye when enough liquid gets that far, so it's testing mainly for sufficient fluid. The T line has another small membrane, not much more than a millimetre wide, with antibody reagents, which turn red if it detects the presence of viral fragments - the reagents congregate on the line and thus changes colour. Then there is a wick under the top plastic, which you can't see, buried under the QR code at the top, which sucks up excess fluid. You can't avoid the porous pad that runs most of the length of the plastic, nor the 2 dye membranes. You need to wrap it in something so you get the droplet area, I guess it could be cardboard, and it also needs to be capable of mass production in a sterile factory. So it's not surprising it ends up being plastic. They could be recyled in due course, but clearly the appetite for handling used LFDs isn't going to be high. LFDs would be inert after a few days, so that should not really be a barrier to recycling.
How many days were you positive, going by LFDs?
How many days were you positive, going by LFDs?
As for positive results: having checked my own records, I was positive from the 21st of December to the 25th. On the 25th I began having very faint T lines, and nothing from the 26th. I have to say, my symptoms were super mild. A cough every now and then, a sore throat on the first day or so (which prompted me to test). What hasn't quite returned is my sense of smell, which is annoying. I still am negative, day 2 PCR also reported negative.
#8721
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,654
Hey, I read the news!
Still, there's no denying that the idea of Theranos was great. Sure, [SPOILER!] it never worked and it was a scam, but still...
Just don't say it works with a single drop of blood!
Thanks, that's interesting. Indeed a "mechanical/chemical" solution cannot be re-usable. I wonder if there was some way to AI this thing, like DeepMind did with their AI checking eye scans for glaucoma... but it might be a bit of an overkill. Still, it was a fun mind game.
As for positive results: having checked my own records, I was positive from the 21st of December to the 25th. On the 25th I began having very faint T lines, and nothing from the 26th. I have to say, my symptoms were super mild. A cough every now and then, a sore throat on the first day or so (which prompted me to test). What hasn't quite returned is my sense of smell, which is annoying. I still am negative, day 2 PCR also reported negative.
Still, there's no denying that the idea of Theranos was great. Sure, [SPOILER!] it never worked and it was a scam, but still...
Just don't say it works with a single drop of blood!
Thanks, that's interesting. Indeed a "mechanical/chemical" solution cannot be re-usable. I wonder if there was some way to AI this thing, like DeepMind did with their AI checking eye scans for glaucoma... but it might be a bit of an overkill. Still, it was a fun mind game.
As for positive results: having checked my own records, I was positive from the 21st of December to the 25th. On the 25th I began having very faint T lines, and nothing from the 26th. I have to say, my symptoms were super mild. A cough every now and then, a sore throat on the first day or so (which prompted me to test). What hasn't quite returned is my sense of smell, which is annoying. I still am negative, day 2 PCR also reported negative.
#8722
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,803
As for positive results: having checked my own records, I was positive from the 21st of December to the 25th. On the 25th I began having very faint T lines, and nothing from the 26th. I have to say, my symptoms were super mild. A cough every now and then, a sore throat on the first day or so (which prompted me to test). What hasn't quite returned is my sense of smell, which is annoying. I still am negative, day 2 PCR also reported negative.
#8723
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,529
Agreed. Aside from the current shortage, I would use them more often if it were not for the single use plastic. It must be possible to make them with just a strip of card with some coating along the edges. Maybe using two circles instead of lines. Do I need a trip to the patent office?
#8724
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,666
#8725
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,237
So at the outside you may have tested weakly positive on 20 Dec - and probably got the infection on 18 or 19 December. You seemed to have a lot of virus to be positive for so long, so in a sense a bit of a danger with vaccines: they presumably allowed it to be quite mild in your case, but you would clearly have been an infection risk to anyone from say 20 December to Christmas Day. Had you been clobbered with COVID you'd have been in bed anyway.
Luckily I managed not to pass it to anyone in the family and I was by myself from the 21st onwards.
#8726
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LHR/ATH
Programs: Amex Platinum, LH SEN (Gold), BA Bronze
Posts: 4,489
Looks like no more restrictions in England, and maybe plan B being cancelled end of Jan?
Now hopefully they remove the pointless travel covid testing bureaucracy and things will be looking much better over the next coming weeks.
#8727
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,654
Daily data:
Cases 218,724 (129,471 last Tuesday)
Deaths 48 (18)
Patients in hospital 14,216 (8,526 on the 24th)
Patients in ventilation beds 883 (835 on the 24th)
People vaccinated up to and including 3 January 2022:
First dose: 51,820,652
Second dose: 47,482,789
Booster: 34,363,986
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now up 50.9% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is up 51.8%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 129.9 today. It is another catchup day today with cases and deaths covering a few days for Wales & NI. Cases in England are up very slightly, from around 142k to 148k.
Cases 218,724 (129,471 last Tuesday)
Deaths 48 (18)
Patients in hospital 14,216 (8,526 on the 24th)
Patients in ventilation beds 883 (835 on the 24th)
People vaccinated up to and including 3 January 2022:
First dose: 51,820,652
Second dose: 47,482,789
Booster: 34,363,986
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now up 50.9% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is up 51.8%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 129.9 today. It is another catchup day today with cases and deaths covering a few days for Wales & NI. Cases in England are up very slightly, from around 142k to 148k.
#8728
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Club, SIA KrisFlyer, Qantas FF, Emirates Skywards
Posts: 1,850
Daily data:
Cases 218,724 (129,471 last Tuesday)
Deaths 48 (18)
Patients in hospital 14,216 (8,526 on the 24th)
Patients in ventilation beds 883 (835 on the 24th)
People vaccinated up to and including 3 January 2022:
First dose: 51,820,652
Second dose: 47,482,789
Booster: 34,363,986
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now up 50.9% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is up 51.8%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 129.9 today. It is another catchup day today with cases and deaths covering a few days for Wales & NI. Cases in England are up very slightly, from around 142k to 148k.
Cases 218,724 (129,471 last Tuesday)
Deaths 48 (18)
Patients in hospital 14,216 (8,526 on the 24th)
Patients in ventilation beds 883 (835 on the 24th)
People vaccinated up to and including 3 January 2022:
First dose: 51,820,652
Second dose: 47,482,789
Booster: 34,363,986
The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now up 50.9% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is up 51.8%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 129.9 today. It is another catchup day today with cases and deaths covering a few days for Wales & NI. Cases in England are up very slightly, from around 142k to 148k.
#8729
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Vale of Glamorgan
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,991
And no disrespect to DaveS, who brings these figures to us every day, but you can find all this information on the government's covid dashboard so you don't have to rely on Sky News (or any other news outlet).
Newly-reported figures of tests conducted, cases and deaths for Northern Ireland cover a 4-day period, and for Wales cover a 2-day period.
Data for deaths in Scotland have not been updated. The UK total therefore includes only newly-reported deaths in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Data for deaths in Scotland have not been updated. The UK total therefore includes only newly-reported deaths in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
#8730
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,845
One thing that is becoming quite apparent is that NHS Trusts throughout the country are really beginning to struggle with people off sick with Covid. My other half is a doctor and has just been asked to work nights over this weekend to cover shortages, and I know a lot of others in similar situations across many different Trusts.
The issue isn't simply that there are "x%" of doctors or nurses off at any given time, but one of resource allocation at appropriate levels, specialties and hospitals. These rotas tend to already be very 'lean' - there is typically very little spare capacity, and sometimes there were already gaps. Covid makes this situation very difficult.
One situation I am familiar with is a good example: for a given ward in a particular hospital there are 6 'juniors', and three more senior non-consultant doctors (registrars) on the rota - which has to cover nights, weekends etc. Presently 50% of the former and one of the latter are off with Covid - and a second registrar is just back having had it. By the time you try to cover nights/weekends, you're into "battlefield rostering" and at serious risk of simply not having enough doctors to provide care and oversight. You can't simply shift people from other wards when they face similar issues.
We can hope that this is very much a temporary problem and that after a few cycles of 7-10 days things will get better. But for patients needing hospital treatment for anything in that time, this is not a good situation to be in at all. Similarly for already exhausted healthcare staff who are stepping up as much as possible to cover rotas.
Edited to add: this Twitter thread yesterday by Chris Hopson, CEO of NHS Providers (which represents trusts), is worth reading in full. It is a sensible and balanced summary of the situation as it stood yesterday morning
I've quoted some of the relevant bits on staffing below
The challenges trusts are reporting to us centre around three familiar issues. Growing number of covid patients. Rapidly increasing staff absences, as covid infection rates rise in local communities. All against backdrop of huge wider pressure in the health and care system
Wider pressure: Busy emergency care pathway. Significant numbers of planned care cases that cannot be delayed any longer. Complex and resource intensive extension of booster campaign. Big increase in pressure on social care due to staff absences/care home outbreaks
Many trusts saying biggest challenge is rising staff absences. Each individual trust’s ability to meet this challenge will vary. We know that, outside London, there are a number of trusts that have had long running problems trying to adequately staff full range of services
...
we need to recognise that “coping” under-plays degree of pressure trusts and their frontline staff are under. And the fact that, in many cases, trusts are having to delay planned care cases again, with impact on patients
...
Increasingly clear, therefore, that the issue for NHS is not acuity/size of very ill older people covid caseload. But the number of staff absences and general admissions with covid on top of existing pressures. This is still stretching the NHS very significantly
Wider pressure: Busy emergency care pathway. Significant numbers of planned care cases that cannot be delayed any longer. Complex and resource intensive extension of booster campaign. Big increase in pressure on social care due to staff absences/care home outbreaks
Many trusts saying biggest challenge is rising staff absences. Each individual trust’s ability to meet this challenge will vary. We know that, outside London, there are a number of trusts that have had long running problems trying to adequately staff full range of services
...
we need to recognise that “coping” under-plays degree of pressure trusts and their frontline staff are under. And the fact that, in many cases, trusts are having to delay planned care cases again, with impact on patients
...
Increasingly clear, therefore, that the issue for NHS is not acuity/size of very ill older people covid caseload. But the number of staff absences and general admissions with covid on top of existing pressures. This is still stretching the NHS very significantly
Last edited by squawk; Jan 4, 2022 at 11:23 am