Scathing attack on government Covid-19 response

[Adi_Dem]

Prof Deenan Pillay, professor of virology, University College London
The ways these measures are developed and issued will be balancing the urgency of trying to flatten the curve of the peak versus activities that are sustainable and realistic. The purpose of staying at home for seven days if you have a new continuous cough or a high temperature is to blunt the number of people contributing to ongoing transmission, and that is a very important step. It will help reduce deaths, but also reduce the number of people who are admitted to hospital and intensive care. From the situation in Italy, we can see that intensive care is one of the services that will soon become overwhelmed.
It’s very sensible to try to limit the chances of infection in those at high risk of needing intensive care. We can also see around the world that cruise ships are more likely to have older people, but also that the cruise ship environment is an ideal chance for infections to circulate widely.
Banning overseas school trips is a difficult one, but remember that any trips involve groups of people going to airports, going on boats and coaches, and living together, and since this virus is ubiquitous now, anything like that is likely to increase acquisition. We know that children are less likely to get severe disease from coronavirus, but they nevertheless are likely, if they do get infection, to spread it to others. It’s a sensible measure before closing the schools.
Many organisations and businesses are already implementing working from home and reducing meetings. I’m surprised there’s not an emphasis on that, it would be good for government policy to reflect it.
I’m very pleased there isn’t the sort of reaction we’ve seen in the US to close borders. This infection is now circulating in the UK and it’s important that, wherever those infections come from, there’s an understanding that we’re responsible for dealing with all of them and avoid the xenophobia that has emerged and that would be perpetuated by an insular approach.

There's one. Don't want post to be too long so there you go

Have you actually read what you’ve just posted? That’s the ringing endorsement of government policy you’re hanging your hat on?

 

[Cooper6711]

Have you actually read what you’ve just posted? That’s the ringing endorsement of government policy you’re hanging your hat on?

Nope if you see what chappy asked for one was that agreed with the policy. Stated many times I am happy to go along with the chief medical officers advice. It's his job.

 

[Adi_Dem]

Nope if you see what chappy asked for one was that agreed with the policy. Stated many times I am happy to go along with the chief medical officers advice. It's his job.

And as I said it’s telling that it’s the best you can do. I don’t read that as agreeing with the policy at all.

 

[Cooper6711]

It wasn't the best I could do it was basically the 1st one I came across. I'm sure I can do better if I could be bothered looking through all the articles on google but to be honest I can't be arsed to do that. Too busy on the phone to sky seeing I can get a better deal now there is no sport

 

[Adi_Dem]

It wasn't the best I could do it was basically the 1st one I came across. I'm sure I can do better if I could be bothered looking through all the articles on google but to be honest I can't be arsed to do that. Too busy on the phone to sky seeing I can get a better deal now there is no sport

I’m sure.

 

[BoroBosco]

Patric Vallance outlined the thinking this morning on the Today program.

The Spectator has an edited transcript for anyone interested.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-case-for-the-herd-immunity-strategy

 

[Adi_Dem]

Patric Vallance outlined the thinking this morning on the Today program.

The Spectator has an edited transcript for anyone interested.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-case-for-the-herd-immunity-strategy

I understand the thinking. Herd immunity is a euphemism for gambling with peoples lives and hoping for the best.

 

[Chappy112]

It wasn't the best I could do it was basically the 1st one I came across. I'm sure I can do better if I could be bothered looking through all the articles on google but to be honest I can't be arsed to do that. Too busy on the phone to sky seeing I can get a better deal now there is no sport

Why do you need to "bother" as though you need to go and do some research to find people who agree? You said there were plenty of them? So you must have read them already surely? Just look in your history.

 

[Konrad_the_Barbarian]

This thread summed up:

 

[Cooper6711]

Why do you need to "bother" as though you need to go and do some research to find people who agree? You said there were plenty of them? So you must have read them already surely? Just look in your history.

As I don't sit on my works computer all day reading medical articles that wouldn't be very easy to do at this precise moment

 

[Chappy112]

This thread summed up:
View attachment 883

Also this thread summed up:

"I believe the approach is the right one because the CMO said so, I can't tell you why he's right and the rest of the world is wrong but there you go."

 

[Lefty]

Also this thread summed up:

"I believe the approach is the right one because the CMO said so, I can't tell you why he's right and the rest of the world is wrong but there you go."

English exceptionalism strikes again.

 

[Cooper6711]

Italy deaths and cases rise dramatically
The number of deaths has increased from 1,016 on Thursday to 1,266. 250 in 24 hours
Cases in the country have risen from 15,113 to 17,660 - an increase of 2547

Looks like that lockdown approach is working well for them

 

[Adi_Dem]

This thread summed up:
View attachment 883

That would work if Dave from Wigan wasn’t effectively the rest of Europe’s leaders and medical experts.

 

[bear66]

Italy deaths and cases rise dramatically
The number of deaths has increased from 1,016 on Thursday to 1,266. 250 in 24 hours
Cases in the country have risen from 15,113 to 17,660 - an increase of 2547

Looks like that lockdown approach is working well for them

They were far too slow to react. We could learn the lesson, but we've chosen not to.

 

[br14]

Countries that adopted draconian isolation measures early have had far fewer deaths. China ignored and obfuscated the facts around the epidemic when it first started, but once they began to quarantine cities they got the virus under control. The same appears to be true for South Korea.

The sooner you lock things down, the sooner you get things under control. The UK still has a chance if it acts now, but any further delay will mean Italian style images from hospitals. It is horrific reading what is happening in Italy.

The virus spreads far more quickly than the experts predicted and their response needs to be modified or the NHS will be swamped and the elderly will be left to die as younger victims take the available ventilators.

Heavy containment would control the spread, and until a vaccine is developed, travel will have to be restricted.

 

[Millbrook]

I understand the thinking. Herd immunity is a euphemism for gambling with peoples lives and hoping for the best.

Oh no it isn't unless you have an agenda to believe so or a record of exaggeration.

 

[Millbrook]

Countries that adopted draconian isolation measures early have had far fewer deaths. China ignored and obfuscated the facts around the epidemic when it first started, but once they began to quarantine cities they got the virus under control. The same appears to be true for South Korea.

The sooner you lock things down, the sooner you get things under control. The UK still has a chance if it acts now, but any further delay will mean Italian style images from hospitals. It is horrific reading what is happening in Italy.

The virus spreads far more quickly than the experts predicted and their response needs to be modified or the NHS will be swamped and the elderly will be left to die as younger victims take the available ventilators.

Heavy containment would control the spread, and until a vaccine is developed, travel will have to be restricted.

The worry is that heavy containment would lead to a peak which would flood the NHS and then the virus would return. A vaccine is not on the horizon for the foreseeable future.
Our culture is different and I doubt we could do the same as China or South Korea.

 

[Adi_Dem]

Oh no it isn't unless you have an agenda to believe so or a record of exaggeration.

Thankfully I have neither.

 

[bear66]

Containment would lead to a manageable molehill rather than a guaranteed high death rate peak. Taiwan are another country that have contained the virus to good effect.