SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

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They don't seem to have prepared any guidelines at all, it's a shambles. We can leave the house to exercise, but does that mean from home or can we drive places? We can meet one person from another household outdoors, but does that have to be the same person or can we see a different person every day? Minor matters compared to the horrors some have gone through I know, but the government's planning and preparation just never seems to improve.
 

Mr Pigeon

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I'm surprised the Beeb is even drawing attention to this
by the time the US Election comes around, stuff like this is all forgotten and disappears in the news cycle
He's being too polite, like we all thought. He needs to fling insults. "That fat faced feck started acting all Billy Big Bollocks when I said we needed a lockdown weeks ago and, wooooah, suddenly now it's going ahead? feck off. I know the twat has trouble pulling out on time but this is the country he's fecking right now, not one of his gormless mistresses."
 

Brwned

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Because the first ones I looked at you were completely wrong on and I don’t know enough about other factors in South Africa to really comment. Which is why I’ve tried to concentrate on what I do know. You’re not considering differences in class sizes etc. Many countries have had staggered schooling. We don’t.

You keep stating these things as fact when they aren’t. Japan re-opened schools on 18 May. Their peak was in July.
Sure, but the core principle remains the same. Kids spread the disease a lot in school, whether it's in South Africa or NI. Nowhere have they found that to be the case, while there are many countries that have had their schools open for much longer that don't seem to fit this simple pattern: schools open, cases rise. If you're smart, you can see the correlation.
Schools have been closed in that time period though. Two weeks up here but not sure about down south. I know you don’t want it to be true but you’re a smart man, surely you can see the correlation?
Japan had a short summer break, and came back in August. There highest point was almost 2,000 cases right on the 3rd of August and they had over 1,000 cases a day between the 3rd - 10th August, while they only surpassed 1,000 in the last couple of days in July. But the point isn't when the precise peak was; again, that's a detail that distracts from the essential point. Since August, when they all came back after a short break, cases haven't spiked. You don't need to quibble about that, the numbers are straightforward.

What it tells us is that schools can be re-opened without leading to the spike that we saw in NI. And we already know that spike that happened in NI has happened elsewhere without schools re-opening. Those aren't theories. What you have is a theory that we know has some holes. I'm not putting forward a theory for why cases have spiked: I'm happy to say it's inconclusive. I'm not advocating to close schools or to keep them open. I'm just pointing out that the theory put forward based on the obvious evidence has a number of obvious flaws.

Anyway, we've exhausted the argument, and people have provided better evidence for you to argue against anyway. I won't pollute the thread any more.

The idea that these governments are just unwilling to admit that schools are a problem is silly. They don't control the narrative in the science community, nor are they manufacturing the research that tells us schools aren't a major problem.
 

Stactix

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They don't seem to have prepared any guidelines at all, it's a shambles. We can leave the house to exercise, but does that mean from home or can we drive places? We can meet one person from another household outdoors, but does that have to be the same person or can we see a different person every day? Minor matters compared to the horrors some have gone through I know, but the government's planning and preparation just never seems to improve.
It is a shambles, they really should of had this as a further tier. Tier 4 - National lockdown and had it all prepared weeks in advance so when it came to roost which was fecking obvious even to me a month ago. Rules all set so people had an idea, time for things to get ridiculed and adjusted.
Obvious they weren't prepared when their pinned tweet from 10 days ago on the offical conservative page was basically mocking the thought of a second lockdown.
 

Wibble

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Even when the scientists provide the evidence?

No-one is saying 14 year olds are properly social distancing at all times and taking all necessary precautions to limit the spread. They're saying that even in purely biological terms, irrespective of behaviour, they are less likely to spread it.

I didn't trust the politicians at all when they were saying it doesn't spread much amount kids teenagers but I don't see why we should doubt the significant number of independent scientists across the world that have come to the same conclusion, with separate pieces if evidence. All of the evidence is imperfect but why should we distrust their conclusions?
In Australia schools have been involved in many of the outbreaks. I'm thinking that primary kids and secondary schools are very different things. The infection data I saw ages ago backed this up.
 

Stactix

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In Australia schools have been involved in many of the outbreaks. I'm thinking that primary kids and secondary schools are very different things. The infection data I saw ages ago backed this up.
All 6 schools in the MAT I work for has had multiple cases, namely staff. 6 of those primary. Not evidence based but I'd guess primary school aged kids are the most likely to not have symptoms but also the least likely to then be tested due to that.
Couple of staff members have had to go off after being confirmed postive. Classes they were in contact with are now isolating for the 2 weeks but none of the kids are being tested. So for all we know, 10 of those kids could have it or zero.

My opinion, while I hate that schools are open because I loved working from home as a large part of my job is definetly fully possible wfh. In terms of primary it's the right decision, I do the content upload for our remote learning.. many families won't have the tech or the knowhow to utilise the material. Teaching via zoom for a primary school... again has the same issue. Year 5-6 might be a possibility but below that..? it definetly isn't an adequate replacement for in person learning. I mean my girlfriends Uni course is entirely remote and that's an utter shite show, technical issues galore and lazy dull lecturers, 9k a year and it's a crock of shite and she's struggling due to it. Primary kids have little chance..

Personally think parents should be able to keep kids off like before.
Secondary schools have kids that can work from home but if they aren't adequately doing this they'll have to return
Uni's should be fully remote if possible.
 
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Brwned

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In Australia schools have been involved in many of the outbreaks. I'm thinking that primary kids and secondary schools are very different things. The infection data I saw ages ago backed this up.
Yeah that's beyond question at this point. Here's the data from the ONS' swabs on random samples of the UK population.

Throughout September, 0.17 - 0.21% of those aged 2-10 had the virus, increasing to 0.17% - 0.58% of those aged 11-14, and 0.27% - 1.39% of those aged 15-24. So young kids are half as likely as early teens, and early teens are half as likely as young adults.

We've seen increases among all age groups since then, but that hierarchy has basically never changed. So that's essentially the easy problem: we know they get infected less often. That's despite our general assumptions about young kids not adhering to most of the precautions as often, which might well lead to them having more close contact, and therefore being proportionately even more unlikely.

The harder question is whether they pass it on as often. But then you don't need to know that when you're talking about primary schoolkids sharing it among themselves in school: if they are less likely to get infected (because of ACE receptors or whatever theory we have), then even if schoolkids pass it onto people as often, they'll find it harder to pass it onto their peers. The evidence would suggest they also pass it onto people / adults less often too, though.

People of university age or just below lead the way at all times. Purely in biological terms they are as likely to get infected and as likely to infect others, and they get into more situations where they can do either, and because they tend to suffer less severe symptoms, they presumably are at higher risk of passing it on unwittingly. I don't get the university situation at all.
 

DavidDeSchmikes

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The media should be jumping all over this point but they won't. Hope Labour back the good work Andy is doing and hammer it home.
At times our media don't go far enough

Labour need to raise their game and give the government a kick up the backside
 

acnumber9

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Sure, but the core principle remains the same. Kids spread the disease a lot in school, whether it's in South Africa or NI. Nowhere have they found that to be the case, while there are many countries that have had their schools open for much longer that don't seem to fit this simple pattern: schools open, cases rise. If you're smart, you can see the correlation.


Japan had a short summer break, and came back in August. There highest point was almost 2,000 cases right on the 3rd of August and they had over 1,000 cases a day between the 3rd - 10th August, while they only surpassed 1,000 in the last couple of days in July. But the point isn't when the precise peak was; again, that's a detail that distracts from the essential point. Since August, when they all came back after a short break, cases haven't spiked. You don't need to quibble about that, the numbers are straightforward.

What it tells us is that schools can be re-opened without leading to the spike that we saw in NI. And we already know that spike that happened in NI has happened elsewhere without schools re-opening. Those aren't theories. What you have is a theory that we know has some holes. I'm not putting forward a theory for why cases have spiked: I'm happy to say it's inconclusive. I'm not advocating to close schools or to keep them open. I'm just pointing out that the theory put forward based on the obvious evidence has a number of obvious flaws.

Anyway, we've exhausted the argument, and people have provided better evidence for you to argue against anyway. I won't pollute the thread any more.
And for every article that says it’s not an issue you can find one that says it is. Depends what you want to believe. In the meantime all we have are case numbers and theories. When cases increase a smart person looks at what’s changed in the meantime.
 

jymufc20

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One thing that strikes me about this is does the mean that wearing masks had little affect? The vast majority have been wearing them here, but did they do any good?
Based on nothing but my own assumptions I would say they have had pretty much feck all effect.
 

NYAS

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What’s all this about international outbound travel being banned? Meanwhile people who are booked to enter the UK in November can still do so? What’s the point?

And this specific point on travel has only come in the form of tweets and leaks and nothing officially announced in the press conference?

Can anyone clear this up for me? I’m planning to fly out of the UK in the first part of December and back a month later. Is it likely I’ll be affected?
 

Tibs

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If Boris and cnuts want to make this work, they need to actually enforce it, and not bow down to the back bench cnuts

None of this gyms stay open in defiance or whatever...it needs to be strict as feck with it...otherwise 4 weeks could easily become 4 months of lock down, as I doubt that by the end of the 4 weeks the cases will have started dropping - at best, level off
 

BluesJr

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If Boris and cnuts want to make this work, they need to actually enforce it, and not bow down to the back bench cnuts

None of this gyms stay open in defiance or whatever...it needs to be strict as feck with it...otherwise 4 weeks could easily become 4 months of lock down, as I doubt that by the end of the 4 weeks the cases will have started dropping - at best, level off
Agree. It’s too soft as it is. Close schools for a few weeks ffs it’s not a huge deal. If this is for the NHS then literally everything needs to be done. All these half measures is the reason the UK/Europe has been in this mess for so long. You need to take tough action for a short period of time.
 

Wibble

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One thing that strikes me about this is does the mean that wearing masks had little affect? The vast majority have been wearing them here, but did they do any good?
No. It means things would have been worse without them.
 

Garethw

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This lockdown won’t end on the 2nd of December. 4 weeks will become 8 weeks. Forget about seeing any family outside your household this Christmas.
 

Heinzesight

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So frustrating but just got to get through this and agree with it. It’ll be even longer until I see my parents but yeah, feel free to do a load of property viewings if you fancy a mooch round some strangers gaff.
 

Lj82

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Woke up to see news that the UK has started another round of lock down. Haven't been following the developments there for a few months. Hope you guys overcome this spike.

On a sidenote, have you guys also started using the term "circuit breaker "?
 

Ludens the Red

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And for every article that says it’s not an issue you can find one that says it is. Depends what you want to believe. In the meantime all we have are case numbers and theories. When cases increase a smart person looks at what’s changed in the meantime.
Not following you around threads agreeing with you but I agree :lol:
And I’m completely staggered by the theories going around that schools and colleges aren’t having a large effect. These studies and graphs that claim to show it hasn’t I can only dismiss as complete garbage.

It is so far beyond reason, common sense, logic and evidence that schools/colleges haven’t caused a major upturn in cases. I actually think it was right for them to open and to remain open but honestly claims it’s not had a big effect is just.. I dunno wow.

I was actually in a college a few weeks back and was alarmed by how little the teens were keeping distance. They were huddled in numerous groups, bunches of half a dozen to a dozen, shouting over each other at basically face level.
Teens mostly live at home with other family members. We also know they are less attentive to cleanliness. Pretty much 95% of the people I’ve seen not wearing masks have been people below 16.

Schools/colleges open and LITERALLY six weeks later cases are surging and we’re heading into lockdown, bars/restaurants opened in fecking July but somehow despite all this the schools are apparently not the main cause. As in what? Seriously what? When did so many people abandon reason for madness?

I got a D in my GCSE Science but I would happily discredit with 100% certainty any article/study that tries to say schools and colleges weren’t a main cause of an upsurge in cases.
 

acnumber9

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Not following you around threads agreeing with you but I agree :lol:
And I’m completely staggered by the theories going around that schools and colleges aren’t having a large effect. These studies and graphs that claim to show it hasn’t I can only dismiss as complete garbage.

It is so far beyond reason, common sense, logic and evidence that schools/colleges haven’t caused a major upturn in cases. I actually think it was right for them to open and to remain open but honestly claims it’s not had a big effect is just.. I dunno wow.

I was actually in a college a few weeks back and was alarmed by how little the teens were keeping distance. They were huddled in numerous groups, bunches of half a dozen to a dozen, shouting over each other at basically face level.
Teens mostly live at home with other family members. We also know they are less attentive to cleanliness. Pretty much 95% of the people I’ve seen not wearing masks have been people below 16.

Schools/colleges open and LITERALLY six weeks later cases are surging and we’re heading into lockdown, bars/restaurants opened in fecking July but somehow despite all this the schools are apparently not the main cause. As in what? Seriously what? When did so many people abandon reason for madness?

I got a D in my GCSE Science but I would happily discredit with 100% certainty any article/study that tries to say schools and colleges weren’t a main cause of an upsurge in cases.
I can see why people want schools open and want to believe it’s not a problem. It’s obviously far from ideal to have kids not at school but I think they at least need to consider either closing schools or staggering attendance to limit spread while not completely leaving kids adrift.