Covid-19 pandemic

[Diable Rouge]

Pinched off the BBC

Powys seems surprisingly high, thought it was a largely rural area?

[Sporting]

Apart from the lack of Covid-19 test availability, I am once again blown away by how amazing the NHS is and how much harder the last 24 hours would have been without it.

From the doctor who agreed to see my son last minute, despite it being the end of the day and him being on his own with inadequate PPE, to the friendly EMTs / paramedics who treated him in the ambulance, to the team of doctors who met us at the children's A&E department (his worrying vital signs meant they were pre-alerted and we went there under lights and sirens), to the x-ray technicians, every single person we encountered was kind, professional, and going beyond the call of duty. All the little kindnesses help. Giving my son stickers and colouring packs with mazes and spot the differences and crayons. The wards being decorated with jungle animals. Bringing me a cup of tea and him a packet of mini cheddars when he said he was hungry. Finding me a charger for my phone so I could keep my husband updated and my son could play games. Making up an extra bed for me to sleep beside my son. Giving us a Covid-19 test, even though it wasn't strictly necessary, so that my daughter has a chance of returning to school if the outcome is negative. Doctors who have a wonder woman Duplo torch to keep your child happy. Giving us a pack of Disney top trump cards to play with. Having a free phone to call a taxi to go home and giving my son a mask to wear on the journey. Making sure I didn't lose any of my son's clothes and shoes when caught up in his treatments. Taking the time to make sure I know how to use the equipment I need to use at home properly. Explaining to me every step of the way, what is happening and why. Letting me take a photograph of my son's x-ray as a keepsake. Giving him a certificate for having an x-ray.

And all of this has cost me nothing. At no point have I had to take into account the cost of a treatment. It is purely based on whether my son needs it.

It makes me weep when I think of what this government wants to do to the NHS and that this service might not exist for my grandchildren.

This. Simply this.

[Patrick Thistle]

Powys seems surprisingly high, thought it was a largely rural area?

Yes but you'd only need one family (or caravan of fruit pickers) to come down with it to skew the per 1000 figure because there are so few people there. And a lot work across the border so could be exposed while travelling.

[S. aureus]

I'm actually scared to ask my sister what the protocols at her school (also secondary) are, after reading the horrific posts upthread.

[Patrick Thistle]

Powys seems surprisingly high, thought it was a largely rural area?

I was curious so looked it up. Population of Powys is about 133,000. Current infection rate is 15 per 100,000 people. Which in actual numbers is about 20 people.

That could be a cluster of people in one village really. Or on a farm. There are a lot of seasonal produce pickers living in cramped conditions.

[hobbes]

Once again, I would expect this from BJ and his cronies, but from apparently intelligent educators?

To be fair, the school and staff are really very good generally (administration aside) and I'm sure they're doing the best they can in trying circumstances. You don't get to be an "outstanding" school with the intake it has in the area it covers without doing something right. They can just be a little brusque sometimes (like the time I was berated by the head teacher becuase I amended at length a permission letter regarding use of photographs online. Basically I said they were not allowed to put online any pictures of the cub in any circumstances, but I was happy to have physical copies displayed inside the school. I was told that I would be excluding him from lots of things because of that and perhaps I'd like to explain to him why he couldn't ever be in any photos with his friends etc. Etc.)

[The Red Max]

176 new positive cases have been recorded in Scotland in the last 24 hours, 91 of them in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Significantly, every mainland health board in Scotland recorded a positive case.
Sadly, 3 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours of a patient who had a positive test within the last 28 days - the highest number of deaths since the 30th of June.

[Balderdasha]

If I have a minor complaint, it's that one of the medications my son was given in hospital, was in yummy, liquid sugary form, which he happily gobbled down. But the only version they can give us at home is in bitter tablet form and he needs to take seven of them in one go. We've just about managed to get one dose in him stuffed inside marshmallows, but that method is not going to work for the second dose.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Another decent summary of where we are in the UK and what to expect: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54064339

[S. aureus]

Because you're now out of marshmallows?
Seriously, though, wtf? Seven tablets (even if they aren't bitter) for anyone is a hell of a lot, let alone a young kid.

[Balderdasha]

Another decent summary of where we are in the UK and what to expect: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54064339

My issue with that article was the blithe assumption that "all nations" are faced with the prospect of accepting high numbers of deaths this winter. That's simply not true. China and New Zealand seem to be in pretty good positions for avoiding many deaths this winter, because new cases are so low that they can properly test, trace and isolate.

[Balderdasha]

Because you're now out of marshmallows?
Seriously, though, wtf? Seven tablets (even if they aren't bitter) for anyone is a hell of a lot, let alone a young kid.

Because I think we may have now put him off marshmallows for life...

[S. aureus]

That bbc article does a lot to show why the UK is fucked - talking about an acceptable number of deaths, handicapping children by failing to protect them from the virus, no mention at all of any non-fatal consequences of catching the virus.

[Nocturnal Submission]

My issue with that article was the blithe assumption that "all nations" are faced with the prospect of accepting high numbers of deaths this winter. That's simply not true. China and New Zealand seem to be in pretty good positions for avoiding many deaths this winter, because new cases are so low that they can properly test, trace and isolate.

Yes, that's true. It doesn't acknowledge national differences in terms of current infection levels and preparedness for the next six months, but it's true to say that the situation in the UK is far from unique and that many other large countries face similar changes.

[Fussbudget]

France and Spain are now starting to see a slight uptick in deaths, over 25 each yesterday.

Christ, 30 deaths reported in the UK today! That's a big jump and the highest total since 29 July I think.

[Fussbudget]

Glad to hear Balders and son are ok by the way, that sounded like a frightening night.

[S. aureus]

Apart from the lack of Covid-19 test availability, I am once again blown away by how amazing the NHS is and how much harder the last 24 hours would have been without it.

From the doctor who agreed to see my son last minute, despite it being the end of the day and him being on his own with inadequate PPE, to the friendly EMTs / paramedics who treated him in the ambulance, to the team of doctors who met us at the children's A&E department (his worrying vital signs meant they were pre-alerted and we went there under lights and sirens), to the x-ray technicians, every single person we encountered was kind, professional, and going beyond the call of duty. All the little kindnesses help. Giving my son stickers and colouring packs with mazes and spot the differences and crayons. The wards being decorated with jungle animals. Bringing me a cup of tea and him a packet of mini cheddars when he said he was hungry. Finding me a charger for my phone so I could keep my husband updated and my son could play games. Making up an extra bed for me to sleep beside my son. Giving us a Covid-19 test, even though it wasn't strictly necessary, so that my daughter has a chance of returning to school if the outcome is negative. Doctors who have a wonder woman Duplo torch to keep your child happy. Giving us a pack of Disney top trump cards to play with. Having a free phone to call a taxi to go home and giving my son a mask to wear on the journey. Making sure I didn't lose any of my son's clothes and shoes when caught up in his treatments. Taking the time to make sure I know how to use the equipment I need to use at home properly. Explaining to me every step of the way, what is happening and why. Letting me take a photograph of my son's x-ray as a keepsake. Giving him a certificate for having an x-ray.

And all of this has cost me nothing. At no point have I had to take into account the cost of a treatment. It is purely based on whether my son needs it.

It makes me weep when I think of what this government wants to do to the NHS and that this service might not exist for my grandchildren.

There was a period of a few months when my daughter's asthma issues were costing us more than my wife's cancer treatments. I am lucky in that I have decent health insurance and a well-paying job, so it was never an issue for us, but many people in this country don't and this kind of thing can truly screw them up.

[Diable Rouge]

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1303371565854269442

[Diable Rouge]

182 cases in Dublin.

[Nefertiti2]

I'm sure it has nothing to do with huge swathes of young adults queuing to get into karaoke bars in Cardiff, or all the children going back to school in the last week or so, or the beach being packed on Barry Island.

lots of young people work in hospitality, live in flat shares and use public transport too.

[Patrick Thistle]

lots of young people work in hospitality, live in flat shares and use public transport too.

Yeah, I was being facetious. Apparently the lockdown has nothing to do with pubs. No, not at all. People only go and drink with their household.

[Balderdasha]

Current global death toll of 899,000+ is higher than the population of Columbus, Ohio.

[Fussbudget]

Yeah, I was being facetious. Apparently the lockdown has nothing to do with pubs. No, not at all. People only go and drink with their household.

The government messaging is pretty muddled isn't it. Robert Jenrick today:

There's a responsibility on younger people to not just stay at home, obviously to go out and go to work and to enjoy pubs and restaurants, but to do so in accordance with the guidelines.

'Young people, go out and enjoy pubs and restaurants. No, not like that!!'

[Balderdasha]

Apparently the UK government is sorry that people haven't been able to access tests and will now ensure that people don't have to travel "more than 75 miles" to get one. What the fuck use is that to anyone who doesn't have a car? Except this government is incapable of imagining that anyone like that exists. See also, incapability of imagining anyone who doesn't have a garden and a downstairs toilet.

[Fussbudget]

And 75 miles is a tidy step even for someone with a car, especially if they're sick.