Covid - coming out of Lockdown 3 - no politics, less opinion and more facts and information.

[Bernard Lamb]

56 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

At £500-odd per course of treatment, I hope the NHS will save it for those who get the virus badly despite getting vaccinated.

 

John

From what I have heard it does not work like that.

It needs to be taken within a few days of showing symptoms.

I would think that it needs to be kept for those people who have other health problems and are more likely to have complications with covid. It looks as though it needs to be given as a preventative measure rather than a treatment.

Bernard

[Neil]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

We are getting offended by the wrong things. Especially important, society would be better if we appreciated rather than got offended by criticism and if we were offended that we’re made to feel scared to be politically incorrect.
It not only stifles our freedom of expression but makes the majority feel in the minority. .....

 

Hmmm; not so sure about this. I'd agree that criticism can be good. It can spur us on to do better but we have to be careful as it can also crush confidence and come across as combative and confrontational. Political correctness is a can of worms; often used to justify stuff that shouldn't be said or to bolster views that are unfairly judgemental at best and discriminatory at worst. I'm glad that we've moved on from the days of the Black and White Minstrel Show and Bernard Manning, I'm glad that my daughters (by and large) command the same respect as my son and I'm glad that my gay friends aren't subjected to the sorts of taunts that were around when I was a young man. 

[Hobby]

Have we moved on from the likes of Bernard Manning? I think not. From what I've seen of many stand up "comedians" the more people they can insult and the more swear words they can use the better many people seem to like them. Only the target they aim at has changed and that tends to reflect their personal and modern views.

[Nearholmer]

1 hour ago, Bernard Lamb said:

It looks as though it needs to be given as a preventative measure rather than a treatment.

That’s roughly what was said by the specialist interviewed on R4 this evening - to be given to higher risk patients pretty much as soon as it is known they have it. He listed risks that might merit its use, diabetes first IIRC, and what surprised me was that being >60yo of itself was one.

 

At a purely monetary level, which I realise is missing the point by a mile, £500 spent on a higher-risk patient to keep them well enough to recover at home, rather than go to hospital, would probably break-even within hours. An ambulance call-out costs the NHS £192, a hospital ‘bed day’ costs c£400, caring for a patient in intensive care c£1000/day, rising to c£1300 if a ventilator is needed, according to something I read the other day.

[monkeysarefun]

So the border between NSW and Victoria opened overnight (to the fully vaccinated) making it one less roadblock to travel around here  in a place that is still pretty complicated. I still  cant go to Queensland, South or West Oz,  Tassie or the NT but they can come here if they isolate on return from what I can gather. 

 

The NSW-Vic border reopening also helps with the Ashes tour, making it one less border complication to negotiate. 100,000 crowd at MCG is hoped for at the Boxing Day test, all masked  and vaccinated.

 

West oz is still hardcore in not letting the unclean in so its test match  is still up in the air.

 

Queensland has low vaxx rates caused by a mixture of complacency through not having an outbreak and the fact that they share many similarities to the US deep south (they arent called our deep north for nothing!) if  you know what I mean so not sure on the test situation there either. 

 

Travel inbound still not open to international tourists, flights are restricted to returning nationals and relatives for the next couple of months so I guess UK cricket supporters will be thin on the grounds but at least there'll be no barmy army  with their cruel chants about our fine  lads unless you sneak them in dressed as returning Australian families. 

 

 If you are unvaxxed here things are still  pretty dreary - no entrance to pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops, cinemas etc or any travel interstate or outside your region.

Edited November 5, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[beast66606]

11 minutes ago, Hobby said:

Have we moved on from the likes of Bernard Manning? I think not. From what I've seen of many stand up "comedians" the more people they can insult and the more swear words they can use the better many people seem to like them. Only the target they aim at has changed and that tends to reflect their personal and modern views.

 

I have an off switch, it solves the problem of anything I don't like.

 

[Nearholmer]

3 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

we’re made to feel scared to be politically incorrect.
It not only stifles our freedom of expression but makes the majority feel in the minority.

Social attitudes change. You may find that you are on the wrong side of such a change, and are now part of a slowly reducing minority.

[monkeysarefun]

23 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Social attitudes change. You may find that you are on the wrong side of such a change, and are now part of a slowly reducing minority.

 

Yes as a member of a cruelly maligned minority this change is a breath of fresh air.

 

I dont drink Fosters and I'm not called Bruce. 

 

Thats my brother in law.

[Hobby]

None of my relatives in Australia are called Bruce... Or Sheila come to that...

[Colin_McLeod]

8 hours ago, Hobby said:

None of my relatives in Australia are called Bruce... Or Sheila come to that...

 

I have two in-laws called Bruce; both Irish though

 

The only Sheila I know is from Dublin

[hayfield]

15 hours ago, alastairq said:

 Hell, no???

 

 

 

But there are many who think its their job to tell others what is and what is not funny, then wrapping in up as not to offend people. Some of the best comedy has been satire, which has made valuable social or political comment.

 

[Neil]

12 hours ago, Hobby said:

Have we moved on from the likes of Bernard Manning? I think not.  ....

 

You may have a point there, I believe that Jim Davidson is still working.

[hayfield]

15 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

At £500-odd per course of treatment, I hope the NHS will save it for those who get the virus badly despite getting vaccinated.

 

John

 

John

 

This seems a very lot of money, however I assume the NHS gets it at a very big discount and the alternative sometimes is a lengthy stay in hospital starting at £2000 per day. May well be a very cost effective solution, and possible well worth in in lives saved or changed

[hayfield]

Back on covid watch

 

The situation in Northern Europe seems to be mirroring what we are going through, infections in Germany are just below ours and Poland seems to be suffering badly, however the southern countries are fairing much better.

 

Infections are still declining albeit at a slower rate, sadly this has not yet been transferred to hospitalizations or death rates. Of soon to get my top up jab

[boxbrownie]

13 hours ago, Neil said:

 

Hmmm; not so sure about this. I'd agree that criticism can be good. It can spur us on to do better but we have to be careful as it can also crush confidence and come across as combative and confrontational. Political correctness is a can of worms; often used to justify stuff that shouldn't be said or to bolster views that are unfairly judgemental at best and discriminatory at worst. I'm glad that we've moved on from the days of the Black and White Minstrel Show and Bernard Manning, I'm glad that my daughters (by and large) command the same respect as my son and I'm glad that my gay friends aren't subjected to the sorts of taunts that were around when I was a young man. 

It is all a matter of degree…….sledge hammers destroy, door knockers inform. 

[beast66606]

15 minutes ago, Neil said:

 

You may have a point there, I believe that Jim Davidson is still working.

 

Jeez, you never stop do you.

[Reorte]

34 minutes ago, hayfield said:

Infections are still declining albeit at a slower rate, sadly this has not yet been transferred to hospitalizations or death rates. Of soon to get my top up jab

There's always at least a week's lag between changing infection rates and hospital admission rates, and another week or so before deaths change (and infection rates probably lag a week behind date of infection although obviously that's much harder to measure). So I'm hopeful we'll see hospital admissions stopping going up soon. The real question of course is whether or not this is just another temporary down or will be sustained. Obviously hope for the latter.

[EddieB]

17 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Surprisingly, it isn’t. Most studies seem to show 2% to 8% excess of human male births where no deliberate selection is going-on, and lots of scientists have spent decades trying to work out precisely why that happens.

Er yes, but I was talking about ratios at conception (more or less 50:50).  There are factors (natural and interventional) that lead to an excess in male births, despite lower survival rates in the first three months.  Larger excesses usually point to elective intervention.

[Nearholmer]

Ah, I missed the point that you were looking nine months earlier than I was. 
 

Need to read more carefully.

 

 

[Hobby]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46597323

[hayfield]

Just back from getting my booster, used the Pharmacy in Tesco's. Very professional and on time. Topped up with Pfizer which was the make we had for the first two injections

 

We had our messages to get the booster jab last week, initially we decided to wait for our local health centre to contact us. But after the messages in the media to get it done as quickly as possible and after talking to one of the local covid volunteer group, who's advice was to get it done wherever we could get booked in first.

 

Tuesday we went online via the NHS link, a choice of local venues popped up. Chose Tesco's for the ease of access and parking, also had spaces for today (Friday). This must be the way forward using Pharmacies, allowing the doctors/surgeries to see those seeking medical advice.       

[hayfield]

A second covid prevention Pill has passed its initial trial early

 

A bit like waiting for a bus they come in two's, Pfizer today announced the success of their own pill. Fromm the BBC's news website, lets hope it gets approved as quickly as the other one

 

"An experimental pill to treat Covid developed by the US company Pfizer cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by 89% in vulnerable adults, clinical trial results suggest."

 

Great news for the world at large

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, hayfield said:

Just back from getting my booster, used the Pharmacy in Tesco's. Very professional and on time. Topped up with Pfizer which was the make we had for the first two injections

That seems unusual, I thought the consensus was the booster should not be the same as the original shots to give better span of resistance.

[Dunsignalling]

My 182 days is up tomorrow, booster booked for Sunday 20th, while I was at Surgery for something else. Maybe should have chased it up sooner...

 

John

Edited November 5, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

That seems unusual, I thought the consensus was the booster should not be the same as the original shots to give better span of resistance.

 

I have an idea I have read that the Pfizer gives a longer protection than others, but I think the research on topping up various brands/types with others is still  ongoing.

 

It seems the best practice is to get the boosters as quickly as possible and in my case it takes the pressure off the medical centre, 6 or 7 miles journey not really an issue especially as I called into Wicks and the wood yard on the way back