Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

[The Artful Dodger]

One clear thing is how dilapidated , underpaid and broken the NHS has been for 10 years of Tory rule. Not to say the strain wouldn’t be there, it obviously is testing all countries in the world but please anyone votes for this verminous party, reconsider now? If not now then never.

[Cicero]

FDA approved the pill. 

[The Artful Dodger]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/risk-of-hospital-stay-40-lower-with-omicron-than-delta-uk-data-suggests
 

British press starting to reluctantly talk about what has been said for a few weeks now. Lot of gutted people seeing their high horse edging towards the door.

[Ploughendplonker]

16 hours ago, The Artful Dodger said:

One clear thing is how dilapidated , underpaid and broken the NHS has been for 10 years of Tory rule. Not to say the strain wouldn’t be there, it obviously is testing all countries in the world but please anyone votes for this verminous party, reconsider now? If not now then never.

I'm no Tory, but the amount of pointless desk jobs doesn't help (e.g. I recently saw a role advertised for 'Director of Fairness' at 75k a year, around 5 times what a nurse earns). If another party was in charge they'd just throw money at the issue, meaning there'd be more desk jobs like this and very little (if any) of the money would actually filter through to front line care, and the front line care workers. 

Firstly someone needs to either make these pointless desk jobs obsolete or, probably more doable, cap any HR, administrative, etc.. desk jobs at no more than £30,000 p/a (more than generous). Once this is done, then investment is key because significantly more of the money will be going to help those on the front line.

 

 

[The Artful Dodger]

I presume you work in the NHS yourself, to know how ‘pointless’ these jobs are?

[Ploughendplonker]

38 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

I presume you work in the NHS yourself, to know how ‘pointless’ these jobs are?

I can't help but wonder what a 'Director of Fairness' does and why it commands a 75k a year salary. I think it's right to question the necessity of these jobs considering it's taxpayers money that pays for it and, more importantly, it commands a salary roughly five times what a frontline nurse earns.  

 

 

[Stan]

5 minutes ago, Ploughendplonker said:

I can't help but wonder what a 'Director of Fairness' does and why it commands a 75k a year salary. I think it's right to question the necessity of these jobs considering it's taxpayers money that pays for it and, more importantly, it commands a salary roughly five times what a frontline nurse earns.  

 

 

I know it's not the point you're making, but nurses start on approx £20-24k/a. 

[Ploughendplonker]

10 minutes ago, Stan said:

I know it's not the point you're making, but nurses start on approx £20-24k/a. 

Well that's nice to hear, and I know talking about too much bureaucracy is a bit angry-red-faced-bloke-on-Question-Time behaviour but when you see desk jobs that pay north of 70k p/a you can't help but wonder whether that could be better used. 

[Bluebird Hewitt]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59768366

We might as well say that if you're not 100% healthy, you've got Covid now.

[The Artful Dodger]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/hospital-admission-risk-up-to-70-less-with-omicron-than-delta-ukhsa-finds
 

70% less. The icy grip of the lockdown lovers is slowly receding. But beware, they will try to lock us down before New Year. 

[The Artful Dodger]

34 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/hospital-admission-risk-up-to-70-less-with-omicron-than-delta-ukhsa-finds
 

70% less. The icy grip of the lockdown lovers is slowly receding. But beware, they will try to lock us down before New Year. 

This news is literally the best we’ve heard for 2 years. But the gloom, the fear still presses on.

[Tommy]

17 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

This news is literally the best we’ve heard for 2 years. But the gloom, the fear still presses on.

Replying to yourself, huh?

[The Artful Dodger]

1 minute ago, Tommy said:

Replying to yourself, huh?

Well nobody else will. We're all so addicted to thinking we're in 28 days later.

This is brilliant news, it means we're nearly out of it. But still the fear factory continues.

[LFCMike]

On 22/12/2021 at 13:26, LFCMike said:

Had to get a PCR test today, woke up with a bit of a cough and sore throat. Headache this afternoon as well. Lateral flow was negative, hopefully PCR is as well

Positive Shit that we won't get to have the Christmas we wanted but never mind.

[RandoEFC+]

16 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Well nobody else will. We're all so addicted to thinking we're in 28 days later.

This is brilliant news, it means we're nearly out of it. But still the fear factory continues.

We've had victory laps before though followed by a step back. This is good news of course but this virus has mutated every few months in a way that has completely changed the risk profile. It does mean that England have probably made the right call this time, helped by the public increasing their personal levels of caution in the last few weeks, and Scotland and Wales have taken the plunge to the next level of restrictions a bit too quickly.

It's cause for cautious optimism but that's the maximum I'll allow myself for the immediate future. Anyone celebrating this as if it's the end of the pandemic is equally as misguided as the perpetual doomsday crowd.

Everyone reacts differently though. Some people feel the need to release their elation. Others are terrified of the beacon of hope in case it gets taken away from them again. The media we know are at least slightly biased towards bad news because it sells better for them, that part is what it is. There's a lot of psychology and emotional fatigue going on though, you can't expect everyone to always react the same as each other to each piece of news.

[Stan]

11 hours ago, Tommy said:

Replying to yourself, huh?

Misery loves company right? Funny how good news is always complimented with such misery. 

[Stan]

11 hours ago, LFCMike said:

Positive Shit that we won't get to have the Christmas we wanted but never mind.

Get well soon mate, hope you don't get any bad symptoms.

[The Artful Dodger]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

Misery loves company right? Funny how good news is always complimented with such misery. 

What’s miserable about wanting an end to this cycle of restrictions and yes, misery?

Everyone holds onto the numbers surrounding deaths, infections etc. Stuff that keeps us locked down and able to hector others. Then some good news and nothing. 

We’re on way out, just in time for New Year too. 

 

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

What’s miserable about wanting an end to this cycle of restrictions and yes, misery?

Everyone holds onto the numbers surrounding deaths, infections etc. Stuff that keeps us locked down and able to hector others. Then some good news and nothing. 

We’re on way out, just in time for New Year too. 

 

The fact you just have to continually mention such misery and doom and gloom. 

 

13 hours ago, The Artful Dodger said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/23/hospital-admission-risk-up-to-70-less-with-omicron-than-delta-ukhsa-finds
 

70% less. The icy grip of the lockdown lovers is slowly receding. But beware, they will try to lock us down before New Year. 

 

12 hours ago, The Artful Dodger said:

This news is literally the best we’ve heard for 2 years. But the gloom, the fear still presses on.

 

12 hours ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Well nobody else will. We're all so addicted to thinking we're in 28 days later.

This is brilliant news, it means we're nearly out of it. But still the fear factory continues.

 

Cases in point above. I don't see much 'fear factory' or 'doom and gloom' on here. In fact quite the opposite. Your pessimism knows no bounds. 

[LFCMike]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

Get well soon mate, hope you don't get any bad symptoms.

Cheers. Just a sore throat and a little cough now and again at the moment.

[Inverted]

My symptoms from the booster are a bit more varied and longer-lasting than from the first two. The pain in the arm is a bit less mild but has lasted two days so far, and yesterday morning after the jab, I woke up at 5am feeling a little unwell - sweating, drowsy, and thirsty. 

I seem to have got a way with almost no symptoms for the first two, so maybe I was just the opposite way round from other people.

[Waylander]

1 hour ago, Inverted said:

My symptoms from the booster are a bit more varied and longer-lasting than from the first two. The pain in the arm is a bit less mild but has lasted two days so far, and yesterday morning after the jab, I woke up at 5am feeling a little unwell - sweating, drowsy, and thirsty. 

I seem to have got a way with almost no symptoms for the first two, so maybe I was just the opposite way round from other people.

Which country are you in, most in England reacted to the first vaccine rather than the later ones.

 

[Inverted]

6 minutes ago, Waylander said:

Which country are you in, most in England reacted to the first vaccine rather than the later ones.

 

I'm in the UK, but I got Moderna for my first two and then a Pfizer booster. I think almost all of the jabs in the UK were Astra-Zenica and Pfizer, and then a relatively small number of Modernas.

[Waylander]

Just now, Inverted said:

I'm in the UK, but I got Moderna for my first two and then a Pfizer booster. I think almost all of the jabs in the UK were Astra-Zenica and Pfizer, and then a relatively small number of Modernas.

I thought that too, an ex-solder I know from a current affairs program has a younger wife by about 10 years. They go mountain biking and now in his early 60s he is struggling to keep up with her. 

He said he was ok after the first vacc just a bit weird, said his wife said she would never take another vaccine again in her life.

They both took the later boosters without incident though don't think that was Modena.

[Tommy]

My mother and one of my aunts had their first two jabs with Pfizer/Biontech, and then the third jab with Moderna. No side effects at all besides a bit of pain around the injection site for a day.