Corona Virus

[Mike Oxlong]

3 minutes ago, Kopfkino said:

The criticism of both is the same, it's the focus on quantity of tests. The government, at least publicly, fixated on achieving an arbitrary number on an arbitrary date. Badly designed targets just encourage you to achieve them however you can, it can become dysfunctional. But actually there's a point to testing and you should be focussed on a clear idea of that purpose rather than just getting to a number. So crticise the government for the target in the first place and criticise anyone that's been happy to divert their attention from whether the testing regime is effective to whether the government meets an arbitrary target or not. 

 

 

We already see the problem of targets. All you need to do is bung in a bunch of tests not actually done and that helps bump the numbers up so you look better. 

The government set the target and therefore the focus. Hardly surprising then that many judge them according to whether they deliver on their promise. I’m more critical of those that set the deficient criteria than those that judge them by it, perhaps having placed reliance on the ability of those that govern and not being as nuanced in their analysis as you. 
 

 

[yorkie1999]

7 hours ago, Steve_Walsh5 said:

Why do a job if it makes you feel like that? 

Cos if you can’t do...teach! 

[StanSP]

24 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

People want tests, they recieve tests - if they take days to complete and send that is their lookout.

If they attend a test centre, the test is the physical swab (or whatever it is), the processing and sharing of results no doubt take a few days.

Huh? 

 

It's tests done per day which is the figure/target. Sending out a test to someone doesn't mean a test is done, does it? 

[Leicester_Loyal]

10 minutes ago, l444ry said:

The original promise was 100,000 people being tested. Today it was 73,000. Improving all the time but why does the government feel the need to play loose with facts? 

Where has the 73,000 come from? We were testing more than that earlier in the week, how's it gone down?

 

EDIT: Just saw the figures, I thought they were in the original article you quoted.

 

If the people test themselves using the home kit, it's still a test I guess. They have to count those numbers at some point, either when they are sent out or received back.

Edited 1 May 2020 by Leicester_Loyal

[yorkie1999]

kin media questions are daft! When will we lift lockdown yakity yak. I’d be answering with yes, no, not yet just to piss them off

[StanSP]

 

 

[yorkie1999]

2 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Where has the 73,000 come from? We were testing more than that earlier in the week, how's it gone down?

They’ve included the figures from 6 months ago and taken an average so they’ve arrived at minus figures for certain days

[yorkie1999]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

 

 

Might be people getting tested multiple times.

[StanSP]

It's just facts. Literally nothing else needs saying. Just the numbers... 

 

[Leicester_Loyal]

Most of these questions in the daily briefings are so stupid, now I remember why I stopped watching.

[Leicester_Loyal]

Just now, StanSP said:

It's just facts. Literally nothing else needs saying. Just the numbers... 

 

I mean, it's still pretty impressive from where we were originally. I expected 80k by today.

 

Are people being tested multiple times, due to the errors in testing? I've not heard of that.

[Kopfkino]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

It's just facts. Literally nothing else needs saying. Just the numbers... 

 

 

I honestly that's an honest mistake because Matt Hancock announced it as 100000 tests a day. It seems they haven't actually met the target anyway based on that but its always been that the number of people tested differs not unsubstantially from the number of tests carried out. That's just clumsiness. 

[Leicester_Loyal]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-tests-uk-nhs-matt-hancock-latest-a9443936.html

 

Hancock on the 2nd April states 100k TESTS per day...

[Kopfkino]

17 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

The government set the target and therefore the focus. Hardly surprising then that many judge them according to whether they deliver on their promise. I’m more critical of those that set the deficient criteria than those that judge them by it, perhaps having placed reliance on the ability of those that govern and not being as nuanced in their analysis as you. 
 

 

If you want to hold the government to account, you don't let the government set your agenda.

[StanSP]

2 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

I mean, it's still pretty impressive from where we were originally. I expected 80k by today.

 

Are people being tested multiple times, due to the errors in testing? I've not heard of that.

Yeah I think it's great people have been tested and increased day by day for the most part. I don't want people thinking by me posting this tweets I'm taking pleasure in them failing! 

 

By any amount in the scores of thousand is very good. I'd be worried if it went downwards regularly. 

[Freeman's Wharfer]

It’s just really tiresome.

 

We’re in an unprecedented pandemic and thousands of people are dying. Can we not just put aside the political face-saving and be honest?

 

Just a bit of honesty. No fudging the numbers or getting creative.

 

You had a target, you missed it. Just be honest. Tell us what you’re going to do - that you’ve posted out a load of tests and over time will get to the 100,000.

 

If political leaders can’t be honest at a time like this, when will they be? So disillusioning.

Edited 1 May 2020 by Freeman's Wharfer

[Freeman's Wharfer]

3 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-tests-uk-nhs-matt-hancock-latest-a9443936.html

 

Hancock on the 2nd April states 100k TESTS per day...

Honestly mate, give it a rest. It’s not your football team, you don’t have to defend it to the death. It’s fine to support it without trying to paint it as imperfect.

[st albans fox]

DOES IT REALLY FOOKING MATTER ??????
 

i mean people are dying by the hundreds every day and the country should be debating the pros and cons of a relaxation of the restrictions...........

BUT instead, they are debating the difference between this test or that test or another  test and when is a test not a test??

 

yesterday we tested 73,000

 

it was only the beginning of last week that this was 20,000

 

we need to be testing min 150,000 to lessen restrictions somewhat 

 

so we are making real progress towards that and that is what matters , not the bloody naval gazing at whether it’s a 100K  tests available or 100k tests done 

if Hancock hadn’t set an unrealistic target then there wouldn’t have been the urgency within the govt machine to try and get there ......

 

and if it’s only really 80k today but it will be 100k next week then what does it matter ....we are actually making progress with something !

 

please stop being distracted from what actually matters .........

[Mike Oxlong]

31 minutes ago, Kopfkino said:

If you want to hold the government to account, you don't let the government set your agenda.

The government sets an agenda and a pretty important one given that it affects how I can live my life and also the health and well being of many. Understandably,  many give credence to it as they trust in our elected representatives. You can criticise the government for setting the wrong agenda but also for not meeting their own as a failure of purpose 

Edited 1 May 2020 by Mike Oxlong

[brucey]

21 minutes ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

I mean, it's still pretty impressive from where we were originally. I expected 80k by today.

 

Are people being tested multiple times, due to the errors in testing? I've not heard of that.

I am aware of someone who has been tested 6 times (all negative).

 

But yes, many inpatients are getting multiple tests. If initially negative, but high clinical suspicion, they get retested after 3 days, as tests can give false negatives, or the viral load may be not high enough yet. If initially positive, some get retested after a few weeks if they are still in hospital to check if they have recovered.

Alternatively someone may be unwell, test negative, get better, then get unwell again, so you have to retest them as you don’t know whether it’s the same bug the second time round.

 

Their 3 testing targets so far, they’ve managed to achieve them albeit a few days late each time (if you don’t count the mailed out kits as real completed tests). It’s a decent effort either way.

Cases have plateaued where I am. Not decreasing. Less people in ICU, less deaths but also less recoveries. It seems there are a group of people who recover or die quickly (within a week) but another group who simply remain in hospital as unresolved cases for many weeks.

 

Edited 1 May 2020 by brucey

[ithuriel]

My brothers wife works for the NHS and he told me that she knows a nurse who currently has symptoms but has tested negative but her husband also has similar symptoms but has tested positive.

Rushing things might not be the best idea.

[Leicester_Loyal]

12 minutes ago, Freeman's Wharfer said:

Honestly mate, give it a rest. It’s not your football team, you don’t have to defend it to the death. It’s fine to support it without trying to paint it as imperfect.

Read back through the thread you absolute pervert. I've clearly stated prior to you writing that this I didn't think they were going to hit the 100k target. I'm merely pointed out that Hancock said 100k tests, which has been achieved. If the target is 100k people, that hasn't been achieved. Stick your snide comments elsewhere.

[Leicester_Loyal]

8 minutes ago, brucey said:

I am aware of someone who has been tested 6 times (all negative).

 

But yes, many inpatients are getting multiple tests. If initially negative but high clinical suspicion, they get retested after 3 days, as tests can give false negatives, or the viral load may be not high enough yet. If initially positive, some get retested after a few weeks if they are still in hospital to check if they have recovered.

 

Their 3 testing targets so far, they’ve managed to more or less achieve them albeit a few days late each time (if you don’t the mailed out kits). It’s a decent effort either way.

 

Highly unlikely people would get tested multiple times on the same day then. I was curious if they'd test people 2 or 3 times possibly in the same day, for whatever reason.

 

14 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

DOES IT REALLY FOOKING MATTER ??????
 

i mean people are dying by the hundreds every day and the country should be debating the pros and cons of a relaxation of the restrictions...........

BUT instead, they are debating the difference between this test or that test or another  test and when is a test not a test??

 

yesterday we tested 73,000

 

it was only the beginning of last week that this was 20,000

 

we need to be testing min 150,000 to lessen restrictions somewhat 

 

so we are making real progress towards that and that is what matters , not the bloody naval gazing at whether it’s a 100K  tests available or 100k tests done 

if Hancock hadn’t set an unrealistic target then there wouldn’t have been the urgency within the govt machine to try and get there ......

 

and if it’s only really 80k today but it will be 100k next week then what does it matter ....we are actually making progress with something !

 

please stop being distracted from what actually matters .........

We are making progress, that's the key

Edited 1 May 2020 by Leicester_Loyal

[Mike Oxlong]

I’m more troubled by the government altering the method of counting as opposed to whether they did or didn’t hit the target.

 

We really need to be able to rely on the honesty and integrity of the decision makers at a time like this. 

[Guest ttfn]

Whichever way you look at it having 100,000 tests administered on one day when we couldn’t seem to string together more than a few thousand six weeks ago is great progress.

 

Fingers crossed they don’t stop there. We need a lot more capacity to properly track and trace this.