Corona Virus

[ealingfox]

4 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Government will announce they have 100k capacity, circa 60k tests actually carried out;  Media/ leties will cry FAILURE! Most people will think it is a miracle they got anywhere near it in the circumstances.  Media rating continue to get worse as publis get more and more fed up with the endless criticism of people doing their best and achieveing miracles.

 

If it required 'a miracle' to hit 60% of the target then 100,000 tests a day wouldnt have been set as the target.

 

Stuff like this is really no better than any criticism.

[reynard]

8 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Government will announce they have 100k capacity, circa 60k tests actually carried out;  Media/ leties will cry FAILURE! Most people will think it is a miracle they got anywhere near it in the circumstances.  Media rating continue to get worse as publis get more and more fed up with the endless criticism of people doing their best and achieveing miracles.

I think it best to wait until this is all over to assess whether our governement has perfomed miracles or not. No doubt many in the NHS, care services and others have but the goverment will have to wait their turn to get any praise which may be forth coming.

At least we live in a country where the press are allowed to ask questions of the government.

[Jon the Hat]

4 minutes ago, ealingfox said:

If it required 'a miracle' to hit 60% of the target then 100,000 tests a day wouldnt have been set as the target.

Stuff like this is really no better than any criticism.

Probably right, but if their failure is managing expectations then we should give them a break.

[Lionator]

8 minutes ago, ealingfox said:

 

If it required 'a miracle' to hit 60% of the target then 100,000 tests a day wouldnt have been set as the target.

 

Stuff like this is really no better than any criticism.

I think 60,000 tests a day is actually quite an impressive effort all things considered. It would mean nearly half a million a week. I hope it's sustainable and that there's room for a further increase. Promising 100,000 by the end of April was a ridiculous, impossible task giving the opposition, rightfully so, ammunition for criticism. 

[nnickn]

8 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think 60,000 tests a day is actually quite an impressive effort all things considered. It would mean nearly half a million a week. I hope it's sustainable and that there's room for a further increase. Promising 100,000 by the end of April was a ridiculous, impossible task giving the opposition, rightfully so, ammunition for criticism. 

Are you sure someone promised 100000 tests, or have you just assumed someone has promised?

[Bryn]

1 minute ago, nnickn said:

Are you sure someone promised 100000 tests, or have you just assumed someone has promised?

Matt Hancock, our Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. 

 

Good edgelording though. 

 

[twoleftfeet]

Testing people only help if those onfected will then self isolate. Continual testing doesnot prevent someone from contracting the virus, just like continually x raying your arm doesnt prevent you from breaking it. The government seems correct in its assuption that we as a nation would start to get (fir want of a better word) bored of self isolation and social distancing. People in the local shop are getting far more forgetful of the need to keep your distance. I had someone walk close to me because they had forgotten something when they walked ip that isle i think what they had forgotten was that COVID19 kills.

 

[l444ry]

18 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think 60,000 tests a day is actually quite an impressive effort all things considered. It would mean nearly half a million a week. I hope it's sustainable and that there's room for a further increase. Promising 100,000 by the end of April was a ridiculous, impossible task giving the opposition, rightfully so, ammunition for criticism. 

Shouldn't just be focusing on Hancock's 100,000 in dismay. Should be focusing on Johnson's 250,000 promised on 19th March. Liars and Spivs the lot of them. 

[Desabafar]

40 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Government will announce they have 100k capacity, circa 60k tests actually carried out;  Media lefties will cry FAILURE! Most people will think it is a miracle they got anywhere near it in the circumstances.  Media rating continue to get worse as publis get more and more fed up with the endless criticism of people doing their best and achieveing miracles.

if they have the capability to do 100000 then the question should be why that is not being used. I think it is fine if they genuinely have that capacity but you are right Beth Rigby will come up to spin it as failure. 

[Wymsey]

Have experienced a bad bout of diarrhoea and fatigue this morning

Not sure if it's something I ate the night before, but anyway dont think it's necessary to get tested (?).

Edited 29 April 2020 by Wymsey

[StanSP]

46 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Government will announce they have 100k capacity, circa 60k tests actually carried out;  Media lefties will cry FAILURE! Most people will think it is a miracle they got anywhere near it in the circumstances.  Media rating continue to get worse as publis get more and more fed up with the endless criticism of people doing their best and achieveing miracles.

Proper Trump-esque post. 

 

Direct failure towards the media. 'fake news'. 'media are against me, media hate me' blah blah blah. 

 

Failure to criticise your own government for missing targets they themselves so confidently set out is where it all goes downhill. 

 

How can it be a 'miracle' to get anywhere near it in the first place? Weird and bold claim to make. It's not even near it, anyway?! Still adrift by 40k/day. 

 

Tell you what is a miracle. Thinking they could get 100k/day when that target was first set. 

[st albans fox]

8 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Have experienced a bad bout of diarrhea and fatigue this morning

Not sure if it's something I ate the night before, but anyway dont think it's necessary to get tested (?).

See how you feel tomorrow 

[The Blur]

4 hours ago, yorkie1999 said:

Just been reading about the planned testing and it say this 

Anyone who has symptoms and is over 65 - or has to leave home for work - is eligible. People in their household with symptoms can also get a test.

 

So, is that only open for anyone in those two categories that have symptoms? Or is it open to people who have to leave home for work whether they're have symptoms or not. And are the tests for anti bodies, or just to confirm you've got it.

 

I work for a local authority in London who have just rolled out testing last Monday-  they have confirmed at present,  it is only for essential local authority workers and their household who present with symptoms.    There is limited number of tests per day so they would be prioritising people with symptoms at the moment.   People who work in care homes or provide face to face care for people who are shielding or have suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases are also eligible as well.

 

The test is just to confirm whether if people have COVID-19.  It is not antibody tests.  

Edited 29 April 2020 by The Blur

[st albans fox]

This 100k tests is a bit ridiculous 

 

we need excess off 100k per day (and the infrastructure to carry them out) by mid may when initial steps of  relaxation of lockdown could take place

 

it makes sense to set a difficult target for end April and not worry about the media etc 

 

then you have a chance of getting where you need to be when you need to be there in may 

 

we know that our testing capacity and infrastructure was woeful when we needed it to be efficient but we were where we were. that should be where any grown up debate should be centred rather than the end of April targets .......

[The Blur]

It is not the case of setting a poorly thought out or unfeasible targets,   Hancock and et all have repeatedly insist that they are on track to hit the target if my memory serves correct.    The government has really nailed their colours to their mast on this one and are fair game to be criticized in this instance I feel.  

[Mike Oxlong]

17 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Have experienced a bad bout of diarrhea and fatigue this morning

Not sure if it's something I ate the night before, but anyway dont think it's necessary to get tested (?).

Did you have roast badger Wymsey ? 
 

I think diarrhoea has a stronger association with this forum than with Covid so hopefully nothing too serious 
 

Anyway, hope you feel better soon 

[foxile5]

7 minutes ago, The Blur said:

It is not the case of setting a poorly thought out or unfeasible targets,   Hancock and et all have repeatedly insist that they are on track to hit the target if my memory serves correct.    The government has really nailed their colours to their mast on this one and are fair game to be criticized in this instance I feel.  

Underestimated the situation, overestimated their own effectiveness and, unforgivably, refused to acknowledge either. 

 

We'll be easing restrictions with the virus still potent, too. 

[BKLFox]

21 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Proper Trump-esque post. 

 

Direct failure towards the media. 'fake news'. 'media are against me, media hate me' blah blah blah. 

 

Failure to criticise your own government for missing targets they themselves so confidently set out is where it all goes downhill. 

 

How can it be a 'miracle' to get anywhere near it in the first place? Weird and bold claim to make. It's not even near it, anyway?! Still adrift by 40k/day. 

 

Tell you what is a miracle. Thinking they could get 100k/day when that target was first set. 

The Health Secretary has said that the ‘infrastructure’ for testing the UK’s frontline workers has always been ‘fine’ but that people just haven’t turned up to test sites.

 

 As i mentioned above its a 2-way street if people don't turn up they can't test & therefore won't meet the target.

Also its noted that all the daily home testing kits are being requested but how many will be actually used & returned or is it another case of the toilet roll saga where people are just ordering them in just to have 1?

 

All we see is a daily figure but like most of the other figures with no context behind that figure coming from the media.

[fox_up_north]

I used the BBC's official figure calculator to check out how many confirmed cases in my county (Derbyshire) and relatives. Even if I take the official figure with a massive pinch of salt (1,100) and multiply it by 5, it still only comes out to about 0.6% of the population being infected. 

Testing needs to be done, particularly antibody testing, to give us a true understanding of where we're at with infection rates. If it turns out that the infection rate is much higher than predicted - up to about 5%, then that massively puts into perspective the mortality rate. 

[Guest Fktf]

5 hours ago, Lionator said:

The whole point of lockdown was to give healthcare providers and governments chance to ensure they’re prepared for what happens next. Increases in cases are inevitable and we all have to keep our nerve. We cannot stay locked down until a vaccine is ready. It’s why I tend to agree with what the Swedish chap says about how this will all play out. 

 

4 hours ago, Nuge said:

I can see the basis of that strategy, we just have to hope a second wave doesn’t overwhelm the preparations they’ve put into place. 

 

4 hours ago, Nalis said:

Exactly, we've all bought time which is the important thing. We're in a vastly better position now for a second wave than we were 2 months ago.

 

4 hours ago, filbertway said:

Agreed - the 2 months or so that we will have been in lockdown should be when we've bolstered capacity, improved PPE provisions. When you ease restrictions you'll obviously get an increase of cases, the idea will be then to see if the NHS can handle the increase.

 

Assuming that we do develop immunity, each wave should be less dramatic than the last as there will be more people that are immune. Who won't catch it and also won't spread it

 Did someone say managed herd immunity?

[Kopfkino]

6 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

The Health Secretary has said that the ‘infrastructure’ for testing the UK’s frontline workers has always been ‘fine’ but that people just haven’t turned up to test sites.

 

 As i mentioned above its a 2-way street if people don't turn up they can't test & therefore won't meet the target.

Also its noted that all the daily home testing kits are being requested but how many will be actually used & returned or is it another case of the toilet roll saga where people are just ordering them in just to have 1?

 

All we see is a daily figure but like most of the other figures with no context behind that figure coming from the media.

 

Yes, you really need to understand the crux of why actual performed tests might not be at 100k if the capacity is there to do it. Which bit of the process has stopped them getting to that point; capability, getting tests to people, messaging, lack of demand etc etc? 

 

But why do that when you can flap around in a world of gotchas, that politicians can easily work around? 

 

Testing has been a mess for 2 months now, I'm not going to heap praise on the government/public bodies for getting somewhere they should have been long ago but I can already tell the chat if they miss the target is gonna be so inane. 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/drive-through-coronavirus-testing-centre-4089009

 

Drive-through coronavirus testing centre will open at city park and ride site
The site will be appointment-only for key workers and NHS staff

ByAmy OrtonLocal Democracy Reporter
14:19, 29 APR 2020UPDATED14:28, 29 APR 2020

A drive-through coronavirus testing facility is to open at the Birstall Park & Ride site.

The new facility is part of the government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS and other key workers.

The site will operate on an appointment-only basis for NHS staff and other key workers. A government spokesperson said that the facility will be piloted for its first few days of operation.

Today the site off Loughborough Road is a hive of activity, with containers and supplies arriving and tempeorary buildings being erected. Army personnel have been seen by passers-by at the site.

Testing is expected to start tomorrow.

Before now NHS staff and key workers from Leicester have told LeicestershireLive they have been sent to Giltbrook, Nottingham and a site in Birmingham for tests.

The site will be one of what the government said will be "a rapidly expanding network of testing sites being set up around the UK".

A hive of activity at the Birstall Park and Ride as workers take delivery of equipment and construction materials (Image: Leicester Mercury)
The network will provide thousands more PCR swab tests - which are used to identify if people currently have the virus - for critical key workers. This means those who test negative for coronavirus can return to work as soon as possible, and those who test positive are able to recover.

Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “ The government is rapidly scaling up the national effort to boost testing capacity for coronavirus to protect the vulnerable, support our NHS, and ultimately save lives.

“This new service will help end the uncertainty of whether NHS and social care staff and other key workers need to stay at home, meaning those who test negative will be able to return to work.

“This is a national effort and we are proud to be working with a number of partners to turn this ambition into a reality and roll out additional capacity to where it is needed.”

Professor John Newton, national coordinator for the UK Coronavirus Testing Strategy, added: “New testing sites such as this one are a key pillar of our five-pillar plan to scale up testing, and are critical in supporting NHS staff and other frontline workers who are isolating at home to return safely to work if the test is negative.

“This is a brilliant example of industries and businesses turning their resources to creating and rolling out mass testing at scale, which will help to deliver on our aim of carrying out 100,000 tests a day across the UK by the end of the month.”

Park and Ride facilities in the city have been temporarily closed since lockdown measures were introduced.

A hive of activity at the Birstall Park and Ride as workers take delivery of equipment and construction materials (Image: Leicester Mercury)
Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: “The county council owns the park and ride site, operated jointly with the city council.

"We are pleased to be able to make it available to assist the response to the pandemic and to make it easier for our key frontline workers to get tested.

“It is being set up in a really short time and it’s a great partnership effort with the Government and its contractors.”

The testing centre is being operated in partnership with G4S, and will offer assisted and self-administered tests. Those tested will receive their results within a few days.

Gordon Brockington, G4S director said: “We are proud of our important role in setting up and managing this Covid-19 testing site, and other similar sites across the UK. It has been inspiring to see the enthusiasm of our employees to step up and support the government, our health services and the public during this crisis.”

A Boots UK spokesperson said: “Boots has been at the heart of UK healthcare for 171 years and has always come forward to support the community in times of need. Our team in Leicester is no exception. Some of our colleagues have already stepped forward to volunteer to run this COVID-19 testing station, which will start testing its first critical workers on Thursday.”

 

The Government has also set up a home-testing service for critical key workers, supported by Amazon's logistics network and other commercial partners.

Leicestershire County Council's public health director, Mike Sandys, yesterday told a meeting that a new centre was being planned for the area, but he could not confirm where.

He also said that a testing drive through at the Meridian McDonald's would "close" and testing would take place elsewhere.

Last week the fast food firm said it had handed over use of its Meridian Business Park Drive Thru in Leicester for use by DHU Healthcare for Covid-19 testing for NHS workers

When LeicestershireLive contacted the Department for Health and Social Care about the claims, a spokesperson said "there is currently no testing facility in Leicester" suggesting that no tests had been carried out at the McDonald's site.

[yorkie1999]

I thought the whole point was that if you were showing symptoms, then you have to self-isolate for 7 days etc. So what is the reasoning behind a test that you go and have done, knowing you have the symptoms, that confirms you have what you probably know you already have. you're still going to have to self-isolate.  Is it for data collection purposes.

[Corky]

1 minute ago, yorkie1999 said:

I thought the whole point was that if you were showing symptoms, then you have to self-isolate for 7 days etc. So what is the reasoning behind a test that you go and have done, knowing you have the symptoms, that confirms you have what you probably know you already have. you're still going to have to self-isolate.  Is it for data collection purposes.

Surely if it's a negative result you don't have to self-isolate? Self-isolating was done before the wider availability of tests occurred.

[davieG]

I'm not convinced these out of town sites like the P&R and airport car parks are conducive to mass testing. I'm sure the Key workers don't fancy a long drive after doing long work shifts.