Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[garbon]

The Guardian is making a big deal out of number of positive tests in England have risen by 22% despite lower overall test numbers, but they don't seem to mention number of hospitalisations, which I think is the only relevant data at this stage.

Of course number of cases is going to rise with the easing of lockdown (and the spread of the India variant), that number is bound to absolutely skyrocket once all restrictions are lifted, what I want to know and I think what everyone should care about is how many of those cases end up in hospital.

By big deal do you mean that it is temporary headline for their live blog?

Also, they do have a tracker of hospitalisations which shows at least recently hospitalisations have been trending down.

[Tamas]

The Guardian is making a big deal out of number of positive tests in England have risen by 22% despite lower overall test numbers, but they don't seem to mention number of hospitalisations, which I think is the only relevant data at this stage.

Of course number of cases is going to rise with the easing of lockdown (and the spread of the India variant), that number is bound to absolutely skyrocket once all restrictions are lifted, what I want to know and I think what everyone should care about is how many of those cases end up in hospital.

By big deal do you mean that it is temporary headline for their live blog?

Also, they do have a tracker of hospitalisations which shows at least recently hospitalisations have been trending down.

Well yes by big deal I meant they had this in very large fron and red background on the very top of their front page. That's pretty much my "making a big deal out of it" qualification right there.

[garbon]

The Guardian is making a big deal out of number of positive tests in England have risen by 22% despite lower overall test numbers, but they don't seem to mention number of hospitalisations, which I think is the only relevant data at this stage.

Of course number of cases is going to rise with the easing of lockdown (and the spread of the India variant), that number is bound to absolutely skyrocket once all restrictions are lifted, what I want to know and I think what everyone should care about is how many of those cases end up in hospital.

By big deal do you mean that it is temporary headline for their live blog?

Also, they do have a tracker of hospitalisations which shows at least recently hospitalisations have been trending down.

Well yes by big deal I meant they had this in very large fron and red background on the very top of their front page. That's pretty much my "making a big deal out of it" qualification right there.

Okay well just for reference, the guardian live blog often has as its header one of the recently posted articles. That then changes throughout the day as different pieces are posted to the live blog

[Tamas]

Yes, but still, it's not like a random choice of what's displayed now is it.

[garbon]

Yes, but still, it's not like a random choice of what's displayed now is it.

Sorry, but I'm not really getting your complaint.

Now it says: Travel industry criticises Portugal green list removal; half of all adults fully vaccinated

[Josephus]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

[Sheilbh]

The Guardian is making a big deal out of number of positive tests in England have risen by 22% despite lower overall test numbers, but they don't seem to mention number of hospitalisations, which I think is the only relevant data at this stage.

Of course number of cases is going to rise with the easing of lockdown (and the spread of the India variant), that number is bound to absolutely skyrocket once all restrictions are lifted, what I want to know and I think what everyone should care about is how many of those cases end up in hospital.

I agree. There are signs that hospitalisations are increasing - especially in the North-West. It doesn't seem as linked to case numbers as before so the rate is rising more slowly. The link between case numbers and hospitalisation hasn't broken but it may have significantly weakened (and will weaken further as more and more people are vaccinated).

John Burn-Murdoch of the FT has also said that he's been told by NHS people that the nature of the hospitalisations has shifted because they are younger people. So they are, so far, less severe cases, shorter stays and fewere going to the ICU. But at the minute it still feels too soon to tell in terms of actually ending restrictions on June 21st. But on the counterpoint there is some evidence in PHE data that as well as being more transmissible the delta (Indian) variant is more dangerous than the alpha (English) variant.

There's no flashing red lights but it's not clearly green either (as it has been for the other stages of lifting lockdown). My instinct would be push it back a few weeks, maybe a month - but that's possibly just me being cautious. But I think if you pushed it back a month all the schools would be closed for summer holidays every adult who wanted to be vaccinated probably would be and we'd be ramping up second doses. But I don't know - it feels like a closer and more difficult call than we've had before.

Edit: Incidentally the other point is that while hospitalisations are rising they are still below all of the models in the March SAGE papers where the scientists were asked to model different policy options.

[mongers]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

Formtia, hoping he does make some recovery; there was a recent article about people suffering from the after effects of covid/long-covid finding the being subsequently vaccinated seemed to help many to make significant improvements.

[Tamas]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

[Maladict]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

[Syt]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

I'm sorry.

[Sheilbh]

So an update on my brother.

Some of you may recall in late April he was taken to hospital and put on a ventialtor and then released after three weeks.

He's at home now, but unfortunately not doing very well. His latest CRT tests show he may have pulmonary fibrosis. Which isn't good. Alas he's having a hard time getting in touch with his hospital doctor to go over the results with him. He is at home, still on an oxygen tube though, and hasn't been seeing much improvement.

As an aside, he lost his job, a few days before he was diagnosed with COVID, so he also has to deal with employment issues, benefits, insurance etc. His wife is diagnosed with depression and he has a 10 year old daughter who's constantly seeking his attention.

Oh sorry to hear that

[Zanza]

Good luck for your brother, Josephus!

[Josquius]

Sounds really awful there Jo. Best of luck to him, he's due for some good luck.

So Portugal is back on the orange list.
This brexit shit has nicely combined with corona more than expected to give a behind the Berlin Wall effect.
I see a few places saying they're open to British tourists anyway. We were contemplating a Portugal trip to meet my partners parents. Seeing Spain on the list is tempting - the basque country is not so ungodly hot I believe.

[Sheilbh]

I'm booked for Portugal

And I'll still go. It's against the guidance but I made a booking/costs already and the main impact is when I return. On the Green List you don't need to self-isolate and only need to do a day 2 test; on the Amber List it's 10 days self-isolation and day 2+8 test; Red List you may be refused entry (I think if not resident in the UK) and you need to pay for a quarantine hotel plus day 2+8 tests.