Coronavirus in football

I thought it was coming, gonna miss being at the football but I think it’s the right move.

On that background - that is a quote from the Guardian Covid News from some minutes ago - it probably would be smarter...


NHS leaders in England have reportedly been told to make plans for temporary “field hospitals” in hospital car parks in preparation for the expected surge of Covid patients over the next five weeks.

Health Service Journal reports NHS England held a series of calls on Tuesday during which they asked local leaders to review the capacity of their mortuaries.

Leaders were also asked to identify hard standing areas where temporary “field hospitals” could potentially be erected, which would effectively be large “tents” with a capacity for around 100 patients, according to one source.
 
On that background - that is a quote from the Guardian Covid News from some minutes ago - it probably would be smarter...


NHS leaders in England have reportedly been told to make plans for temporary “field hospitals” in hospital car parks in preparation for the expected surge of Covid patients over the next five weeks.

Health Service Journal reports NHS England held a series of calls on Tuesday during which they asked local leaders to review the capacity of their mortuaries.

Leaders were also asked to identify hard standing areas where temporary “field hospitals” could potentially be erected, which would effectively be large “tents” with a capacity for around 100 patients, according to one source.

That’s grim :(. I remember last year the principality stadium was actually turned into a field hospital. Makes sense.
 
They should make it mandatory to be fully vaccinated unless for valid medical reasons.

it won’t stop the spread of covid though. My works shut down with a outbreak of 11 people and every single person Barr two people are vaccinated.

it won’t stop covid. Nothing will stop it from spreading and people getting it. The vaccine makes your symptoms less severe, for sure.. but it doesn’t stop it from spreading. My step dad has had all three jabs and currently has it, he feels pretty awful still.

92% of players and staff in football are vaccinated now.. still had 90 positive cases and your telling me only unvaccinated have it?

it’s the winter. It’s a highly contagious virus.. it was always going to spike this time of year. Watch it improve in the summer, just like this year.

one thing is for sure, it’s not going anywhere and if each and every human on the planet were triple jabbed..covid would still be rife.
 
On that background - that is a quote from the Guardian Covid News from some minutes ago - it probably would be smarter...


NHS leaders in England have reportedly been told to make plans for temporary “field hospitals” in hospital car parks in preparation for the expected surge of Covid patients over the next five weeks.

Health Service Journal reports NHS England held a series of calls on Tuesday during which they asked local leaders to review the capacity of their mortuaries.

Leaders were also asked to identify hard standing areas where temporary “field hospitals” could potentially be erected, which would effectively be large “tents” with a capacity for around 100 patients, according to one source.

If only some of that 300 bn quid spent on Covid restrictions instead went on building new wards and paying docs and nurses 50% more.
Now we’re back to WWII hospital ideas and soon NHS claps! More short term planning is definitely what we need, our leaders have learnt so much.
 
it won’t stop the spread of covid though. My works shut down with a outbreak of 11 people and every single person Barr two people are vaccinated.

it won’t stop covid. Nothing will stop it from spreading and people getting it. The vaccine makes your symptoms less severe, for sure.. but it doesn’t stop it from spreading. My step dad has had all three jabs and currently has it, he feels pretty awful still.

92% of players and staff in football are vaccinated now.. still had 90 positive cases and your telling me only unvaccinated have it?

it’s the winter. It’s a highly contagious virus.. it was always going to spike this time of year. Watch it improve in the summer, just like this year.

one thing is for sure, it’s not going anywhere and if each and every human on the planet were triple jabbed..covid would still be rife.

Jabs won't completely stop it but they do significantly lower how many people catch and spread the virus. This is absolutely key to avoiding further waves and the NHS being overwhelmed.
 
If only some of that 300 bn quid spent on Covid restrictions instead went on building new wards and paying docs and nurses 50% more.
Now we’re back to WWII hospital ideas and soon NHS claps! More short term planning is definitely what we need, our leaders have learnt so much.

Is it just a payment problem? The biggest problem is that there aren't enough people with the right qualifications available - and when you import them from other countries that just puts the problem from one side to the other. For the Covid stations you need people that are already specialised.

Yes, payment is a problem, too - but qualifications and having enough people with an interest into medical jobs is the biggest problem. It is not just hospitals but all kind of caretaking jobs as the population gets older and older. And it is not just a problem of the NHS - Germany and most areas in Europe have the same problem.
 
What's happened to those Nightingale hospitals? Last year that was part of the Governments self-congratulatory narrative. I know they didn't have enough nurses, doctors to staff them but have they all been dismantled?
 
With the vaccinated players still testing positive (I know the vaccine isn't a cure) it means even if every player in the football league was vaccinated, games would still potentially be postponed.

Therefore, my question is, why is there such an uproar regards players who haven't been vaccinated? I know the severity of the virus could be a lot less if you were to get it again, but are you less likely to get Covid if you have been vaccinated? If so, then could you please provide the statistics.
 
With the vaccinated players still testing positive (I know the vaccine isn't a cure) it means even if every player in the football league was vaccinated, games would still potentially be postponed.

Therefore, my question is, why is there such an uproar regards players who haven't been vaccinated? I know the severity of the virus could be a lot less if you were to get it again, but are you less likely to get Covid if you have been vaccinated? If so, then could you please provide the statistics.

Isn’t in part due to the quarantine rules of unvaccinated players? If an unvaccinated player has a close contact who tests positive, they themselves have to isolate for 10 days, even if they test negative.
 
With the vaccinated players still testing positive (I know the vaccine isn't a cure) it means even if every player in the football league was vaccinated, games would still potentially be postponed.

Therefore, my question is, why is there such an uproar regards players who haven't been vaccinated? I know the severity of the virus could be a lot less if you were to get it again, but are you less likely to get Covid if you have been vaccinated? If so, then could you please provide the statistics.
Two things. The first is the issue that an unvaccinated player has to quarantine when they come into contact with a positive case, even if they test negative. So a lot of games will be called off because players who don’t even have the virus are isolating.

Secondly, the whole point of calling games off is for player safety. As the virus spreads, so does the chances of a player getting seriously ill, and that chance is much higher if they aren’t vaccinated. If a situation arises where a Premier League footballer is having to go to hospital because they didn’t get a COVID vaccination, then there should be uproar. Obviously that alone wouldn’t overwhelm the NHS, but these fit and healthy young men can almost elimate that possibility by getting jabbed, so why wouldn’t they?

That’s before you get into other arguments such as them being role models, or that 3 jabs appears to stop symptomatic COVID altogether which would help reduce the spread.
 
Isn’t in part due to the quarantine rules of unvaccinated players? If an unvaccinated player has a close contact who tests positive, they themselves have to isolate for 10 days, even if they test negative.
Two things. The first is the issue that an unvaccinated player has to quarantine when they come into contact with a positive case, even if they test negative. So a lot of games will be called off because players who don’t even have the virus are isolating.

Secondly, the whole point of calling games off is for player safety. As the virus spreads, so does the chances of a player getting seriously ill, and that chance is much higher if they aren’t vaccinated. If a situation arises where a Premier League footballer is having to go to hospital because they didn’t get a COVID vaccination, then there should be uproar. Obviously that alone wouldn’t overwhelm the NHS, but these fit and healthy young men can almost elimate that possibility by getting jabbed, so why wouldn’t they?

That’s before you get into other arguments such as them being role models, or that 3 jabs appears to stop symptomatic COVID altogether which would help reduce the spread.

Thanks for your replies.
 
Is it just a payment problem? The biggest problem is that there aren't enough people with the right qualifications available - and when you import them from other countries that just puts the problem from one side to the other.

Who’s gonna work in the field hospitals? Are they staffing them with Mannequins?
They’ve had 2 years to prep for this, with almost unlimited money thrown at other measures.
 
What's happened to those Nightingale hospitals? Last year that was part of the Governments self-congratulatory narrative. I know they didn't have enough nurses, doctors to staff them but have they all been dismantled?

I think they were never needed and diverting resources from existing hospitals was deemed counter productive. An intensive care unit bed is more than just a bed as it turns out. As you say they couldn't necessarily staff them.
 
Omicron Hospitalization Risk Is Two-Thirds Lower Than Delta, Study Shows

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-22/omicron-hospitalization-risk-two-thirds-below-delta-study-shows#:~:text=Researchers%20in%20Scotland%20suggest%20omicron,though%20it's%20also%20more%20contagious.

Hmmm this could still overwhelm the NHS through sheer infectious volume but it's also at an individual level much less scary. Hard to know how that plays out. People might just stop caring...

We heard this was case thanks to the South African woman who treated omicron patients early on. It is a mild covid she said but that didnt stop the hysteria from people and governments who didnt listen to the doctor. They chose to hear the alarmists instead wich is sad.

Hopefully more people in places where goverments dont want to let go will know about the truth regarding omicron. They wont be able to hide the low rate in hospitalizations for a long time.

And regarding to PL even Klopp has said we have to keep playing, lets keep the negative tests in gates so that we still enjoy sold-out stadiums.

Inmediate future looks great.
 
Omicron Hospitalization Risk Is Two-Thirds Lower Than Delta, Study Shows

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-22/omicron-hospitalization-risk-two-thirds-below-delta-study-shows#:~:text=Researchers%20in%20Scotland%20suggest%20omicron,though%20it's%20also%20more%20contagious.

Hmmm this could still overwhelm the NHS through sheer infectious volume but it's also at an individual level much less scary. Hard to know how that plays out. People might just stop caring...
People stopped caring a long time ago.
 
Vaccination lowers the risk of catching it as well as risk of severe disease. I have seen triple vaccinated people and doctors contracting covid.
 
I'm confused as the match day thread isn't updating. Is our Newcastle game still on?
 
That's a bit of a weird one. Presumably it's driven by Leeds but I thought their issues were around injuries rather than covid as they have a high vaccination rate.
BBC article says that their training ground has been closed, so have to presume its covid mainly.
 
BBC article says that their training ground has been closed, so have to presume its covid mainly.

This seems a bit tenuous. Their issues appear to be mainly due to injuries but closing the training ground is likely what swung it.

Leeds Statement:

“We are disappointed to confirm our Boxing Day fixture with Liverpool has been postponed following five new positive Covid cases within the first-team squad and staff.

“All of the cases we have experienced are asymptomatic, which we believe is due to our high vaccine take-up.

“The positive cases, combined with our well-documented injury issues, means we would not have enough recognised first-team players to meet the Premier League requirements for the fixture.

“The training ground at Thorp Arch will be closed for a period of two days on the advice of Public Health England.

“We would like to thank the Premier League for the support and advice they have provided during this period.

“All tickets and official travel booked for the Liverpool game will be valid for the rearranged date. Further details to be announced in due course.”
 


We requested a postponement too as we have 5 positive cases on top of our injury woes and it was rejected.
 
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PL needs to follow the NFL and update it's testing protocol to focus on symptomatic players.
 
5 cases between staff and players seems pretty low to be rescheduling. Feels like some teams are using this to help if they have some injuries in the squad
 
If only some of that 300 bn quid spent on Covid restrictions instead went on building new wards and paying docs and nurses 50% more.
Now we’re back to WWII hospital ideas and soon NHS claps! More short term planning is definitely what we need, our leaders have learnt so much.
Get your hands ready, your claps will power the NHS
 
That actually works in our favor. We'll be fresh for Leicester on the 28th whilst they have to play on Boxing Day against City. It does mean that Robertson misses the Chelsea game now though.
 
We heard this was case thanks to the South African woman who treated omicron patients early on. It is a mild covid she said but that didnt stop the hysteria from people and governments who didnt listen to the doctor. They chose to hear the alarmists instead wich is sad.

It's not that simple. If it's a third of the virulence but three times the infectiveness, mathematically you can end up in the same place in terms of hospitalisations and deaths. And if you then refuse to lock down on top then you can end up in a world of trouble.

But that's theory. What actually happens is a lot more complicated again. So caution is logical.

My hunch is that Omicron will turn out to be overblown. But would I risk tens of thousands of lives on a hunch? No.
 
Did Everton have to close their training ground a couple of days before that match?

We haven’t closed anything but we are training with an ultra thin squad, having to use our youth team and having to rush back people like DCL just to play which doesn’t seem fair as he will be classed as one of our ‘fit’ players when he is nowhere near match fit. Doesn’t seem fair to me but we just have to do what we can if it still goes ahead.
 
That actually works in our favor. We'll be fresh for Leicester on the 28th whilst they have to play on Boxing Day against City. It does mean that Robertson misses the Chelsea game now though.

You think not having a game against a depleted Leeds team works in your favour? It was a home walkover, probably 5 or 6 nil job.

Instead You'll have it moved to a midweek in a packed schedule later on with Leeds back to full strength.
 
We haven’t closed anything but we are training with an ultra thin squad, having to use our youth team and having to rush back people like DCL just to play which doesn’t seem fair as he will be classed as one of our ‘fit’ players when he is nowhere near match fit. Doesn’t seem fair to me but we just have to do what we can if it still goes ahead.

I suspect you'll suddenly get a couple more covid cases to sneak over the postponement threshold.
 
You think not having a game against a depleted Leeds team works in your favour? It was a home walkover, probably 5 or 6 nil job.

Instead You'll have it moved to a midweek in a packed schedule later on with Leeds back to full strength.
Yeah but I'd still back us against Leeds at home. That game will take place at a time after AFCON and we now have a break until the 28th, then a five day gap before we play Chelsea.

We would've been without Fabinho, Thiago and Van Dijk on Boxing Day due to Covid.
 
Yeah but I'd still back us against Leeds at home. That game will take place at a time after AFCON and we now have a break until the 28th, then a five day gap before we play Chelsea.

We would've been without Fabinho, Thiago and Van Dijk on Boxing Day due to Covid.

Van D has missed 2 games (3 with yesterday) already hasn't he?

Newcastle was on 16th December, so surely unless he went down with it on the day, he'd have been back for the 26th?
 
Games go ahead if there is 13 fit players and 1 fit goalkeeper.

Not hard to understand the threshold.

It's a silly threshold though.

What if our fit players were Heaton, AWB, Jones, Matic, Bailly, Maguire, Dalot, McTominay, Fred, Shaw, Telles, VDB, Lindelof and Varane? We'd have to play an incredibly weak and lopsided team with hardly any attacking options. Unlikely but just an example.