Covid-19 lockdown check-in

[Tamas]

*sigh*

Alberta is back to cancelling most surgeries as ICU beds fill up.  And we're not talking elective surgeries - instead they're triaging which cancer surgeries are going ahead versus being postponed.

So we have another announcement with more restrictions of one kind or another.

Please don't cancel indoor kids sports again...

Instead of cancer patients, they should triage covid patients by whether they have had the chance to get the vaccine and didn't take it. If I wasn't getting my cancer operation because beds are filled up with people who couldn't be arsed to get the bloody vaccine, I would be miffed.

[Savonarola]

We were "Encouraged" to return to work a couple days each week.  Since Alstom is a safety focused company we have to wear masks all day, have to skip seats in conference rooms and the stairs and halls are only one way.

Maybe a quarter of the office has returned, if that.

One of my co-workers (the Glen from my various stories) wore shorts to the office on his first day back.  The very next day the fashion police sent the "Proper attire is required at the office," e-mail.  Glen hasn't been back since.

[viper37]

We were "Encouraged" to return to work a couple days each week.  Since Alstom is a safety focused company we have to wear masks all day, have to skip seats in conference rooms and the stairs and halls are only one way.

Maybe a quarter of the office has returned, if that.

One of my co-workers (the Glen from my various stories) wore shorts to the office on his first day back.  The very next day the fashion police sent the "Proper attire is required at the office," e-mail.  Glen hasn't been back since.

I worked 4 days straight from home.  Ah, no shirt, just a pair of shorts.  I remembered the goold old days when I worked all week-end like that. 2 days of it being Saturday and Sunday helped too. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

There have been a number of cases of PCR tests giving false negatives here in the UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58921280

I think my family may have been personally affected. Having been exposed to a colleague with covid my wife had a series of lateral flow tests that came up weakly positive (I also took one it was negative). On each occasion she isolated and went for the more reliable PCR tests, which came out negative (three times). The week this happened we felt slightly "under the weather" but with no reall classic covid symptoms. We now suspect that we both had covid but in the asymptomatic form; which would be fair enough but she went into the office for a couple of those days (following the advice of the time after a negative PCR test) 

[Berkut]

I am just baffled by the recent success of the anti-vax propaganda. How can you convince people that something that has worked with almost miraculous results for hundreds of years doesn't work? With zero evidence besides the fact that, like virtually everything, some people might have allergic reactions to them?

Simple. You attack the idea of a credible, reliable source of information and news. You call into question the veracity of the sources of information the people you want to lie to would have to use to fact check your lies.

I don't find the success even a little bit baffling. This has been going on for a very long time. Creationism/denial of evolution. Climate science denial. Other anti-vax bullshit. Rejection of stem cell research. There is a long and treasured history of attacking the idea of credible sources of information and science.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/10/what-caused-the-u-s-anti-science-trend/

It's an article from Harvard, so of course is just liberal bias, cannot be trusted, I am sure.

It is impressive what you can accomplish once you successfully attack the idea of science and objectivity.

[Tamas]

There have been a number of cases of PCR tests giving false negatives here in the UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58921280

I think my family may have been personally affected. Having been exposed to a colleague with covid my wife had a series of lateral flow tests that came up weakly positive (I also took one it was negative). On each occasion she isolated and went for the more reliable PCR tests, which came out negative (three times). The week this happened we felt slightly "under the weather" but with no reall classic covid symptoms. We now suspect that we both had covid but in the asymptomatic form; which would be fair enough but she went into the office for a couple of those days (following the advice of the time after a negative PCR test) 

Slightly related but these Day 2 travel tests are such pointless money grabs. I mean, maybe I am a natural born self-PCR tester but I have serious doubts about whether the self-jabbing I could force myself to do on myself collected a proper sample on the now 2 occasions I had to do this. Yet they came back negative not as invalid, so I guess I did. But £48 a pop and then the individual gets to self-test and that's accepted - it's just silly.

And the government site has a very user-unfriendly list of providers, including what seem to me shameless rip off middlemen. e.g. I have been using Randox for my tests. Their closes drop-off point is like 18 miles away but they are among the cheaper ones. Anyways, I spotted one or two "providers" on the government list which had a disclaimer like "via Randox and XY" - in other words they would have taken my money to order me a test kit I can just order for myself. Bastards.

But, it's fresh news that this system is going away for fully vaccinated people from the 24th, replaced with lateral flow tests. Too bad that's a week after my next trip.

[Josquius]

Yeah. Absolute scandal they're still going. Those day 2 tests really stink. Some people are getting seriously rich from the system.
Did they ever get around to cracking down on those lying about costs?

[Tamas]

Yeah. Absolute scandal they're still going. Those day 2 tests really stink. Some people are getting seriously rich from the system.
Did they ever get around to cracking down on those lying about costs?

No idea. It is ridiculous though. I have had to plan in two quick flights back home this month, and the most expensive single item for both have been the PCR tests.  My Wizzair tickets are like £20 per flight, airport parking £32, PCR test £48.

[Syt]

I'm glad Vienna still has a tight network of places where you can get tested (antigene and PCR), for free.

Actually, this was a good reminder to schedule a PCR test for Monday as we have a workshop on Tuesday.

[Sheilbh]

I'm glad Vienna still has a tight network of places where you can get tested (antigene and PCR), for free.

Actually, this was a good reminder to schedule a PCR test for Monday as we have a workshop on Tuesday.

You can still get tested for free with the NHS tests either mailed or in the walk-in centres - and there's lots of testing (about 4-500,00 PCR a day and similar on the lateral flows).

But you're not allowed to use the free NHS tests for your travel/return testing, which is annoying (for people who are going on trips).

[Syt]

Ok, that seems weird.

[Duque de Bragança]

As of today, PCR and antigenic tests are no longer part of free healthcare in France, save for duly medical prescriptions.
Antigenic tests cost between 22 and 45 € for instance.

Vaccination coverage has plateaued at around 85 % of the eligible population.

[Sheilbh]

Ok, that seems weird.

I can see a sense to it.

If you want to go on holiday then you should pay for what you need to be covid compliant, that's not a social priority. I think it's shifted now that so many people have been vaccinated and that the rules on travel have relaxed a lot.

[Josquius]

I went to London on Friday.
I survived.
The train down was super empty. True its Friday so probably not the top day for it, but I took the 7am Edinburgh then newcastle then non stop train which is usually packed with people going down for the day on business.
It's a wonder how many business trips have been forever killed by zoom.

[garbon]

I'm finally going to try and go home for Christmas. Apparently the family gathering has been bifurcated with a planned gathering of the vaccinated and a planned gathering of the unvaccinated.