[News] The Coronavirus Good News thread

[LamieRobertson]

For a programme covering tens of millions over 4 nations, with vital protocols such as keeping all vaccines at their storage correct temperature, it’s incredible that there’s barely a ripple of negative news. At most, just the occasional call to radio/tv shows with a “postcode lottery” grumble.

Kate Bingham and a whole load of other folk must’ve spent 2020 planning and testing this system to perfection.

Her and her ‘team’ with all those involved in the process downwards deserve huge credit ..dread to think where we would be without them...certainly not able to sit on a park bench and have a coffee with someone legally next week

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Less than 10 over 80s are admitted into ICU with covid a day

Without disregarding those people, I imagine that is way under the “acceptable” number for reopening

 

[sparkie]

Less than 10 over 80s are admitted into ICU with covid a day

Without disregarding those people, I imagine that is way under the “acceptable” number for reopening

They still have to vaccinate all 9 priority categories before thinking of reopening.

 

[Guinness Boy]

They still have to vaccinate all 9 priority categories before thinking of reopening.

This is being debated long and hard on two other threads. If we can keep this one for good-news but sourced statistics and people's personal good news stories, that'd be great thanks.

 

[sparkie]

This is being debated long and hard on two other threads. If we can keep this one for good-news but sourced statistics and people's personal good news stories, that'd be great thanks.

Yes great. Hints of reopening early are definitely not good news if the priority groups aren't vaccinated.

 

[dazzer6666]

Success here causing other countries to review their approach (from the Beeb) :

After Monday brought new data suggesting that a single dose of the Oxford vaccine - or the Pfizer one - reduces hospitalisation by 80%, some European countries will be looking again at their vaccination policies.

France has already said it will reverse its policy and start giving the Oxford vaccine to people aged between 65 and 74.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine group, urged others like Germany, Sweden and Poland to also take a close look at the new data.

He told BBC's Today programme the findings were "stunning" especially as the group were the hardest to reach, and the oldest and most frail.

He said with 5,000 people dying every day in Europe it was important to increase confidence in vaccines.

He added that over the next seven days, the Oxford vaccine would be distributed to low-income countries around the world under the Covax scheme.

 

[timbha]

Success here causing other countries to review their approach (from the Beeb) :

After Monday brought new data suggesting that a single dose of the Oxford vaccine - or the Pfizer one - reduces hospitalisation by 80%, some European countries will be looking again at their vaccination policies.

France has already said it will reverse its policy and start giving the Oxford vaccine to people aged between 65 and 74.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine group, urged others like Germany, Sweden and Poland to also take a close look at the new data.

He told BBC's Today programme the findings were "stunning" especially as the group were the hardest to reach, and the oldest and most frail.

He said with 5,000 people dying every day in Europe it was important to increase confidence in vaccines.

He added that over the next seven days, the Oxford vaccine would be distributed to low-income countries around the world under the Covax scheme.

Really good news to start the day with. Thanks

 

[The Wizard]

12 points to the United Kingdom

 

[DIFFBROOK]

I think France, Germany, Italy etc need to revisit their reversed plans. The Oxford jab is also very effective for those people over 80 - not just 65-74s

Success here causing other countries to review their approach (from the Beeb) :

After Monday brought new data suggesting that a single dose of the Oxford vaccine - or the Pfizer one - reduces hospitalisation by 80%, some European countries will be looking again at their vaccination policies.

France has already said it will reverse its policy and start giving the Oxford vaccine to people aged between 65 and 74.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine group, urged others like Germany, Sweden and Poland to also take a close look at the new data.

He told BBC's Today programme the findings were "stunning" especially as the group were the hardest to reach, and the oldest and most frail.

He said with 5,000 people dying every day in Europe it was important to increase confidence in vaccines.

He added that over the next seven days, the Oxford vaccine would be distributed to low-income countries around the world under the Covax scheme.

 

[RossyG]

I believe the Italian Covid honcho has been sacked and replaced by a military man. Hopefully he'll get things moving.

 

[highflyer]

12 points to the United Kingdom

View attachment 134392

Good news the UK is doing well.

Not such good news that other countries are some way behind.

As well as the fact that the slow roll out elsewhere will cost lives, these are places I very much look forward to being able to travel to again soon (I'm a bit weird, as I am not too bothered about being able to go to the pub, but I really miss being able to hop on a train over to Paris, Brussels and beyond). But it does look as though vaccination rates in many other European countries are starting to pick up some speed now, which IS good news.

Elsewhere - it's good to see that the Zoe app is now beginning to show signs of a new decline in symptomatic cases, after a period of time when it was levelling out (while the numbers were revised downwards after the problem with vaccine side effects - the overall trend stayed the same). Still too early to be sure, but I'd guess that a week or two ago we were reaching the limits of the lockdown effect and now, after a short pause, we are seeing the vaccination + warm weather start to kick in, on top of the existing lockdown effects. I'm pretty confident we'll now see infections continue to drop again,a nd probably accelerate, while (more importantly) the decline of hospitalization and deaths has never really slowed up.

I generally err very much on the side of caution, but I do now wonder if we may yet see the opening up happen ahead of schedule. I really can't believe, for instance, that drinking in beer gardens (if that's what you love to do) would cause any real problems if it were to happen from the end of this month, say.

 

[Mellotron]

157m vaccinated worldwide. 113 countries now have vaccination programmes underway, with more starting every week.

 

[Mellotron]

I generally err very much on the side of caution, but I do now wonder if we may yet see the opening up happen ahead of schedule. I really can't believe, for instance, that drinking in beer gardens (if that's what you love to do) would cause any real problems if it were to happen from the end of this month, say.

My guess would be that the dates will stay where they are, but they may move a few things forward a stage, perhaps?

 

[highflyer]

My guess would be that the dates will stay where they are, but they may move a few things forward a stage, perhaps?

Yes, that was what I was thinking - increase how much they open things up at the earlier stages, rather than change the dates of the stages. I certainly don;t think the removal of all restrictions will happen before June, but some other stuff could certainly be done earlier, in safety, I think.

There does seem to be a change in tone that would imply that the data (beyond the good stuff we are already being told about) is looking really really good.

 

[Mellotron]

[TWEET]1366723423464996865[/TWEET]

Britain’s Covid-19 vaccines may stop people passing on the virus “almost completely”, the head of immunisation at Public Health England has confirmed.

Dr Mary Ramsay said grounds for hope that vaccination may achieve the holy grail of halting community transmission were emerging from new studies. “What we don’t yet know is how long that might last and whether or not that will be enough to stop the infection spreading more widely in the population over time,” she told Radio 4’s Today on Tuesday. “But there’s really very good signs that this is going to at least reduce infection rates across the population, and hopefully ... prevent people passing it on almost completely if they’ve been vaccinated fully.”

 

[Driver8]

Only 1 death reported here in Wales today and case rate down to 60/100,000.

 

[LamieRobertson]

12 points to the United Kingdom

View attachment 134392

That’s what happens when you have a decent entry

 

[LamieRobertson]

Good news the UK is doing well.

Not such good news that other countries are some way behind.

As well as the fact that the slow roll out elsewhere will cost lives, these are places I very much look forward to being able to travel to again soon (I'm a bit weird, as I am not too bothered about being able to go to the pub, but I really miss being able to hop on a train over to Paris, Brussels and beyond). But it does look as though vaccination rates in many other European countries are starting to pick up some speed now, which IS good news.

Elsewhere - it's good to see that the Zoe app is now beginning to show signs of a new decline in symptomatic cases, after a period of time when it was levelling out (while the numbers were revised downwards after the problem with vaccine side effects - the overall trend stayed the same). Still too early to be sure, but I'd guess that a week or two ago we were reaching the limits of the lockdown effect and now, after a short pause, we are seeing the vaccination + warm weather start to kick in, on top of the existing lockdown effects. I'm pretty confident we'll now see infections continue to drop again,a nd probably accelerate, while (more importantly) the decline of hospitalization and deaths has never really slowed up.

I generally err very much on the side of caution, but I do now wonder if we may yet see the opening up happen ahead of schedule. I really can't believe, for instance, that drinking in beer gardens (if that's what you love to do) would cause any real problems if it were to happen from the end of this month, say.

More of a coffee/cafe person ..but as soon as one of my locals open I’ll be paying a visit to give my support ...important bit you refer to is other countries..until they are sorted we can’t really be relaxed ..well then the news will be back to wars and famine

 

[Mellotron]

Welsh numbers absolutely plummeting now.

[TWEET]1366730520806256641[/TWEET]

 

[Poojah]

Good news the UK is doing well.

Not such good news that other countries are some way behind.

As well as the fact that the slow roll out elsewhere will cost lives, these are places I very much look forward to being able to travel to again soon (I'm a bit weird, as I am not too bothered about being able to go to the pub, but I really miss being able to hop on a train over to Paris, Brussels and beyond). But it does look as though vaccination rates in many other European countries are starting to pick up some speed now, which IS good news.

I hear you, but I prefer to look at things another way. That chart tells me that the UK is the anomaly - other countries aren’t doing terribly, we’re doing brilliantly.

This is of course still very much a global problem, but we should take huge comfort in that.