Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

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gbnz
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by gbnz »

Psamathe wrote: 18 Apr 2021, 11:15am I've not been offered anything, no instructions on how to get these tests
Given that it takes approximately 6-7 seconds online to find out how to get the tests, perhaps you should make a little bit of effort. It's a bit unreasonable to expect the governement to do everything for you :wink:
Psamathe
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Psamathe »

gbnz wrote: 18 Apr 2021, 11:45am
Psamathe wrote: 18 Apr 2021, 11:15am I've not been offered anything, no instructions on how to get these tests
Given that it takes approximately 6-7 seconds online to find out how to get the tests, perhaps you should make a little bit of effort. It's a bit unreasonable to expect the governement to do everything for you :wink:
What an unpleasant response
Note: important aspects to my question were
Psamathe wrote: 18 Apr 2021, 11:15am Anybody had any of their 2 free C-19 tests per week?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56632084 wrote:Covid: Tests to be offered twice-weekly to all in England
(widely reported).
A lot of noise about it as easing restrictions started but heard nothing since then, I've not been offered anything, no instructions on how to get these tests (I've not searched online) and not seen anything reporting the usefulness or findings from this scheme (which is not the surge testing in localities).

Ian
So show where Google tells me who on CUK forum has has such tests? And what is wrong with asking about the usefulness of the testing?
And if you do search online you have to get througha load of pages from Gov.uk to NHS find a not very obvious link to get back to Gov.uk to order to home.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... ice-a-week
to
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavir ... 9/testing/
to
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavir ... ronavirus/
to
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavir ... -symptoms/
then back to (where you actually get to request the tests)
https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-ra ... flow-tests

So you pick one aspect about my question with your own assumption about my reason for asking, give thoroughly unpleasant response and ignore that not everybody in the country even has usable internet which is why may aspects of Covid strategy has used additional means to inform everybody (members of my family would never be aware of searching to find, etc.). I've received quite a few printed instructions from Government and local Council through the last year.

Ian
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RickH
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by RickH »

I googled "order covid test kit" & got this as the first non-ad result

https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-ra ... flow-tests

I've not been right through the process yet - it asks if you have symptoms, which country, do you want to create an account (& that's as as far as I've gone so far)...
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
Psamathe
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Psamathe »

RickH wrote: 18 Apr 2021, 1:23pm I googled "order covid test kit" & got this as the first non-ad result

https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-ra ... flow-tests

I've not been right through the process yet - it asks if you have symptoms, which country, do you want to create an account (& that's as as far as I've gone so far)...
My Google gave different results (with the link->link->link->etc.)

Thing is gbnz just assumed that I wanted the tests and that I could not be bothered to Google myself - which is not the case. I don't want the tests but as a public health measure there needs to be publicity beyond an announcement for it to work and do much and since the announcement I'd not seen anything else which is actually what I was thinking about (but some people just assume the worst in others - makes me just want to give up on the human race).

Ian
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mjr
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by mjr »

BBC Look East this morning reports 001Doctor have been sending returning-traveller swab test results quickly: without the test kits being sent back! Reportedly, they told their customers it was an error due to exceptional demand.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Psamathe
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Psamathe »

mjr wrote: 22 Apr 2021, 10:32am BBC Look East this morning reports 001Doctor have been sending returning-traveller swab test results quickly: without the test kits being sent back! Reportedly, they told their customers it was an error due to exceptional demand.
An interesting report
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/covid-certificate-fake-vaccine-passport-b1834590.html wrote:Border staff ‘catching 100 fake Covid certificates a day’ at UK border
...
Under UK rules everyone arriving at the border must show proof of a negative test. The rule applies equally to UK citizens and those who have been vaccinated.

But asked how border agents were able to verify proof of a negative test, Ms Moreton told MPs on the all-party parliamentary group for Coronavirus: "We're not, is the simple answer, it's predominately taken on trust.

"We do get 100 or more a day of fake Covid certificates, that we catch."
...
And my normal thought is they are only catching a %age (probably low %age) so I suspect loads of fake tests getting through.

Ian
Psamathe
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Psamathe »

Interesting report about "Track and Trace" as things stand now, in words from the article "if track and trace was ever going to work and make a difference it would be this time"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/indian-covid-variant-test-trace-b1857390.html wrote:Indian Covid variant surge proves test-and-trace system ‘doesn’t work’, top biologist warns
The dramatic surge of infections with the Indian Covid variant proves that the £37bn test-and-trace system “doesn’t work”, an Oxford biologist says.

The system – hailed as “world-beating” by health secretary Matt Hancock and others – should have been able to curb the spread when cases were originally low, Professor James Naismith said.

“That was certainly the theory and the promise of the track and trace system,” said the professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford.

“With numbers as low as they were and a reasonable amount of lockdown, if track and trace was ever going to work and make a difference it would be this time – but it doesn’t seem to have made a difference at all.”

“The simple answer is that it doesn’t work,” Prof Naismith said, adding: “The evidence is there for everyone to see.”
...
Ian
merseymouth
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by merseymouth »

Hello all, For those who think that Covid is almost done and dusted, and that the young don't pose a problem for the population at large ponder this?
My daughter works in a JMI School in Cumbria, not in a major conurbation. Today she and other members of staff were sent home, the reason was because there was a largish party last weekend in the area attended by many children the school. Some have tested positive in the rough test that schools use, so home they went. They will now undergo a more precise test.
If that test result is confirmed then the 10 day isolation will kick in!
Food for thought for the liberationists. MM
Stevek76
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Stevek76 »

You can pick boxes of lateral flow tests up at most pharmacies and test locations as well.

The self testing part of t&t did strike me as reasonably well publicised.

Re t&t more generally, while I have little doubt that ms Harding couldn't organise the proverbial brewery event, it's unlikely to have been helped by the consistent failure of the government to restrict incoming travel. Effectively peppering your country with covid cases is only going to make a tough job harder. Similarly lack of government support for those having to isolate is unlikely to be helping matters. Someone on the breadline has considerable incentive to not isolate (as they'll not be on anything more than statutory sick pay)
The contents of this post, unless otherwise stated, are opinions of the author and may actually be complete codswallop
audaxjk
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by audaxjk »

I'm an anaesthetist in Birmingham, we had to down tools from theatres and go to ICU for both waves 1 & 2. Believe you me I am used to hard graft. When I started as a Junior doctor in the 90s, we were doing 70-90 hours a week, weekends were 56 hrs with next to no sleep. Covid was something completely different, mentally and physically much more destructive.

Easter 2020 was something else, we had never seen such a level of ICU admissions in our lives, along with fear for us and our families. And then we had the surge in Dec-March, that was even worse. Our makeshift ICU expanded 5 fold to a capacity of 45 and this was not enough. Every day patients were shipped out by ambulance and aircraft all over the country (Newcastle to Southamptom) to keep our heads above water. As a doctor, we had it easy - the nursing staff had to cope with intolerable conditions, but they did it. In wave 1 some of the ICU patients were our colleagues and some didn't make it.

Now there is real fear about the 3rd wave, regardless of the positive spin promoted by the government. Already, our respiratory wards are filling up with Covids again. A cohort of that group are going to ICU. They are mostly younger (<40) and either not vaccinated or partially vaccinated. We have had the odd "vaccine failure" too.

I know of people who pre-covid were super fit (ex-olympic or international level atheletes) who have long covid symptoms that have severely affected their functional ability.

Now we are back in theatres, we are seeing advanced diseases which are much harder to treat and unfortunately in some cancer cases too advanced to cure.

Debate what you want on this topic, but want to reduce your risk of being sick or dying of covid? I'll suggest 2 pieces of advice:

1. Get vaccinated to protect yourself, your family and the greater population and maintain that vigilance of hands/face/space.
2. About 70-80% of our ventilated patients are/were big BMI (35+). Use your time wisely if you are in this group and trim off some fat.
merseymouth
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by merseymouth »

With regards to Cumbrian School scare - Second more accurate test completed, result confirmed!
Swathes of staff and pupils now required to self isolate.
All staff must have proper test PDQ! So 21st June "Freedom Day" now looking doubtful? MM
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by [XAP]Bob »

merseymouth wrote: 11 Jun 2021, 8:20am With regards to Cumbrian School scare - Second more accurate test completed, result confirmed!
Swathes of staff and pupils now required to self isolate.
All staff must have proper test PDQ! So 21st June "Freedom Day" now looking doubtful? MM
No - it's in Cumbria.

And besides Mr Hancock revealed that the decision has already been made, so there is no chance of any data changing the approach.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
merseymouth
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by merseymouth »

Hi again XAPBob, So you don't care about getting struck with Covid? Well, it scares me greatly, maybe that is because I'm a sick old sod who wants to carry on living a reasonably active life.
Even when I have to face further investigation over health issues I have to run the risk to attend?
I have a procedure booked for the end of the month, so have been advised to isolate. But before that I have to go to a awkwardly located hospital for a Covid test, 3 days ahead of appointment. With no car I must use either buses or taxis, to far to walk, to risky to leave my cycle, not helping me isolate is it?
No, Covid scares me, it should scare you??? MM
Psamathe
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by Psamathe »

Interesting report given how active Dido's App is at pinging people at the moment
[url]https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jul/16/uk-covid-live-hospitalisation-numbers-chris-whitty-coronavirus-latest-updates[/url] 10:56 report wrote:Of those people who self-isolated after coming into contact with a positive coronavirus case, around a third (34%) said they had gone on to develop Covid-19 symptoms.

This is broadly unchanged from the previous month’s survey (35%) but is up from around one in five (21%) in the survey taken in early May – a “statistically significant” increase, the ONS said.
Which to me suggests it is doing what is expected of it and all the "pinging to self-isolate" is down to the number of new cases and that those exposed are as likely to become spreaders as they were e.g. last month so maybe should be self-isolating.

I wonder if what has changed is that people are looking to "Freedom Day" and are a lot less tolerant of having to e.g. self-isolate as we are now meant to be "living with Covid" rather than trying to get through a pandemic.

Ian
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mjr
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Re: Covid-19 : 2nd Lockdown 2020 : 3rd Lockdown 2021

Post by mjr »

Chris Whitty is now also warning that we will be back in lockdown by September if people keep spreading the virus. Of course, he says nothing about the government and their MPs' pathetic attitude towards public safety contributing to this spread: https://www.joe.co.uk/news/chris-whitty ... ral-280810

It's also been revealed that half of hospitalised covid patients in the first wave suffered complications. No data yet on whether that's reduced during later waves: https://www.ukri.org/news/one-in-two-ho ... plication/

I see from a link on Psamathe's link that 1.6m have been told to isolate this week, closing some businesses and severely damaging others. Is surrendering and "letting the virus rip" during the usually-profitable summer season really good for business, or just good for Boris? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... -in-a-week

Would anyone like to bet whether Boris's government takes realistic steps to reduce the exploding case numbers, rather than taking the easy way out of simply reducing isolation requirements and making the exposures app send fewer notifications?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
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