Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[RossyG]

]

Sad to hear that. I hadn't realised until I saw it on the BBC today that Cineworld are the parent company of Picturehouse, whose cinemas include the Duke Of York's and Duke's @ Komedia. Not good news

Ooh, blimey, that’s a point. I was hoping the arthouses will be ok as they get arts council grants.

I hope Britain’s oldest cinema doesn’t shut.

 

[The Wizard]

The ‘new normal’ will become a true new normal at this rate, there is going to be nothing left of the hospitality industry. Even after all this is ‘over’ it’s going to be a ghost town, I’ve not felt further away from the ‘old normal’ than I do now to be honest. If big businesses are going under, I can only imagine how many small businesses in Brighton are going to be closing forever.

 

[atomised]

Real slump for me the last 24 hours. Feels never ending and there seems no desire from those in charge to change things

 

[RossyG]

In March, I was predicting it'd be all over by the summer. And I think it was, but those in charge have decided otherwise. I think they want this going another six months at least.

Thankfully, after losing my job in March because of Covid, I've managed to get one back in the same place. I shall be using shops in Rustington and Brighton more often. Independent ones for the most part. Those of us who can afford to need to keep using the likes of City Books (Hove, actually), Dave's Comics, Infinity Foods, The Pump House, The Font etc...

If you are in work, use these businesses or lose 'em, would be my advice. And don't use Amazon.

(And I'll be buying stuff from the BHA pop up shop too.)

 

[beorhthelm]

In March, I was predicting it'd be all over by the summer. And I think it was, but those in charge have decided otherwise. I think they want this going another six months at least.

no one wants this, unless you subscribe to batland theories, its not going to resolve until there is a vaccine or the virus changes to a benign strain.

 

[RossyG]

no one wants this, unless you subscribe to batland theories, its not going to resolve until there is a vaccine or the virus changes to a benign strain.

Or... Sweden.

 

[The Wizard]

no one wants this, unless you subscribe to batland theories, its not going to resolve until there is a vaccine or the virus changes to a benign strain.

And if there is no vaccine or the virus doesn’t change? We just live like this forever? This is the point I’ve tried to make on here to people before, pinning hopes on a vaccine for a virus family that is notoriously hard to vaccinate against is purely a fools game, I think there is more chance of the virus naturally mutating and becoming weaker than there being a viable vaccine in the next 6 months at least, people seem to think a vaccine is a guarantee.

I heard a lady in her early 80’s on a radio phone in a couple of days ago and she said she feels as though she is being robbed of whatever time she has left and that she’d prefer to live like relative normal and take her chances than live as she currently is/was not being allowed to see her grand children and family, I wonder how much this would be echoed by others? The virus robbed me of 3 months seeing my wonderful nan who then later passed away in the summer due to complications after her treatment was stopped.

Restrictions for the next 6 months may suppress corona virus cases and deaths but at what cost to other health issues? Do we only care about COVID deaths now? We are living half lives at the moment, and like I said in my post before this, we’ll have no jobs or normality to go back to at this rate, so the ‘new normal’ is slowly becoming a REAL new normal. So even when something comes along that stops the virus, we have nothing to look forward to?

 

[LamieRobertson]

In March, I was predicting it'd be all over by the summer. And I think it was, but those in charge have decided otherwise. I think they want this going another six months at least.

Thankfully, after losing my job in March because of Covid, I've managed to get one back in the same place. I shall be using shops in Rustington and Brighton more often. Independent ones for the most part. Those of us who can afford to need to keep using the likes of City Books (Hove, actually), Dave's Comics, Infinity Foods, The Pump House, The Font etc...

If you are in work, use these businesses or lose 'em, would be my advice. And don't use Amazon.

(And I'll be buying stuff from the BHA pop up shop too.)

Yes ..it’s important we support business’s (livelihoods) and local ones for sure

 

[LamieRobertson]

Real slump for me the last 24 hours. Feels never ending and there seems no desire from those in charge to change things

Chin up ...we’ll get there ..give yourself a treat

 

[atomised]

Chin up ...we’ll get there ..give yourself a treat

Thanks. Will find something to cheer me up

 

[beorhthelm]

And if there is no vaccine or the virus doesn’t change? We just live like this forever?

we live something like this for a few years, or hundreds of thousands die a pretty unpleasant death, overwhelming the health service and millions suffering from that too. im in favour of more shielding for the at risk groups while other have more normality, but that certainly wont help the 80yo being able to see their grandchildren.

fortunatly there's half a dozen serious vaccines candidates, with a dozen in pipeline. there will be rollout to clinical settings before end of year. the challenge of vaccines is knowing a target, the effort required to test a candidate, all for virus family that normally gives nothing more than a runny nose - little incentive to do so. we have a clear target with this virus, the investment and effort is being put into this and delivering.

 

[The Wizard]

we live something like this for a few years, or hundreds of thousands die a pretty unpleasant death, overwhelming the health service and millions suffering from that too. im in favour of more shielding for the at risk groups while other have more normality, but that certainly wont help the 80yo being able to see their grandchildren.

fortunatly there's half a dozen serious vaccines candidates, with a dozen in pipeline. there will be rollout to clinical settings before end of year. the challenge of vaccines is knowing a target, the effort required to test a candidate, all for virus family that normally gives nothing more than a runny nose - little incentive to do so. we have a clear target with this virus, the investment and effort is being put into this and delivering.

So answer me this, you are 80 years old, nobody is guaranteed tomorrow but particularly at that age you make the most of the time you have with the ones precious to you and enjoy the simple things, do you want to live a restricted life not being allowed to see people you love or have the choice to take your own risks, those who wish to shield and be safe is totally understandable and there is no issue with that, people should be fully financially supported in this situation but it’s understandable people don’t want to be under house arrest for another 6 months, or quite possible even longer than that.

I’m not someone who believes there is a magic bullet for COVID but the government strategy put bluntly by Hancock is basically betting everything on a vaccine, it’s calamitous. They continue to make high impact decisions that destroy industries and livelihoods, nearly a thousand people more than usual continue to die at home every week, millions losing jobs, what is the point of beating a virus if we had a total scene of destruction left to go back to once it is beaten? (If it ever is?)

 

[e77]

I read somewhere here that there is an 85% chance of a working vaccine in the next year. Now while that doesn't mean everyone will suddenly be immune if we can get it to front line workers and the vulnerable that is a massive step and we can work towards something like the mythical Swedish approach.

I don't know the accuracy of that figure but certainly there are many candidates in development and there is cause for some optimism. Failing that they are aiming for quicker testing which would allow for society to be opened up a lot more.

There are no certainties in life but it is obvious the government are looking at the percentages and have derived a strategy of presuming science will be more helpful in the Spring and we are battening down the hatches until then.

If this doesn't come off we will beed a rethink but on the balance of probabilities I am with them.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Worth a gander

Sending thousands of older untested patients into care homes in England at the start of the coronavirus lockdown was a violation of their human rights, Amnesty International has said.
A report says government decisions were "inexplicable" and "disastrous", affecting mental and physical health.
More than 18,000 people living in care homes died with Covid-19 and Amnesty says the public inquiry promised by the government must begin immediately.
Ministers say they protected residents.
According to Amnesty's report, a "number of poor decisions at both the national and local levels had serious negative consequences for the health and lives of older people in care homes and resulted in the infringement of their human rights" as enshrined in law.
Researchers for the organisation interviewed relatives of older people who either died in care homes or are currently living in one; care home owners and staff, and legal and medical professionals.
Amnesty said it received reports of residents being denied GP and hospital NHS services during the pandemic, "violating their right to health and potentially their right to life, as well as their right to non-discrimination".
It adds that care home managers reported to its researchers that they were "pressured in different ways" to accept patients discharged from hospital who had not been tested or had Covid-19.
Amnesty says the public inquiry into the pandemic should begin with an "interim phase".
"The pandemic is not over," it added. "Lessons must be learned; remedial action must be taken without delay to ensure that mistakes are not repeated."
What guidance did care homes get?
Care home visitors to be supervised at all times
Care homes in England to get £546m extra funding
Care homes in England warned of rise in infections
In July, care homes in England were allowed to reopen again for family visits - as long as local authorities and public health teams said it was safe. That was followed by a similar reopening of homes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The report said regular testing needs to be made available for care home residents, staff and visitors to ensure visits can take place safely.
"Regular testing can help break the isolation that is so damaging to people's physical and mental health and could mean the difference between families being torn apart for months again," Amnesty said.
The report added that all the families interviewed whose relatives are currently in care homes said the current restrictions on visits - that there can only be one visitor per resident and no possibility of holding hands - made little sense.
They argue that staff can interact normally in the community and are only tested once a week at most, while having sustained physical contact with residents

Taken from the bbc website

 

[Albion Dan]

Cineworld shutting - 6000 more jobs gone

Absolute tip of the Iceberg if we carry on like this.

 

[Motogull]

Absolute tip of the Iceberg if we carry on like this.

Tip of the Iceberg in any event I fear.

Even if Johnson were to say "it's over, revert back to pre knockdown activities" I reckon there would be so much caution being exercised, with employers maintaining the work from home for example, that the 'reverters' would not be a big enough number to save enough businesses.

 

[e77]

Absolute tip of the Iceberg if we carry on like this.

Not helped by the studios delaying the release of blockbusters like the new Bond film.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

https://twitter.com/ianmulheirn/status/1312878314818801666?s=21

 

[Frutos]

My brother works in a care home where all staff and residents are tested weekly - one of the staff there is refusing to be tested as being tested "violates their human rights".

The selfishness of some people knows no bounds...

 

[atomised]

Absolute tip of the Iceberg if we carry on like this.

Sounds like the Duke of yorks is closing too as part of this