Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Barrister]

Interseting.

That self-swab test I did after signing up to Flusurvey - apparently very helpful etc etc. One thousand participants returned swans and 2% were positive, 20% had no symptoms.  Cough and fever were the most common symptoms, but most people who self reported cough, fever and loss of smell tested negative.

This is another thing that makes me think this may have been more widespread because 2% is higher than I'd have expected, especially given it's only people who are infected at that time and I think it was a few weeks  ago so early March?

I read somewhere that it could just be the test has a 2% false rate.

[Maladict]

So, in order to make sure it is safe, we have children teach the classes as the teacher could infect them all.

Yeah it's remarkable, schools have been closed down entirely with staff, the children and all members of their households placed into quarantine after a member of staff displayed symptoms, yet no cases of children being infected by staff or each other. Not one.

To give credit to the government where it's due, they always maintained schools could stay open. It was the mass outrage on the part of parents that caused the schools to close here.

[Sheilbh]

So yesterday government announced funding for the two UK vaccine projects (one in Imperial and one in Oxford). The Oxford project starts human trials tomorrow and they've been very gung-ho and repeatedly saying they think they can get it ready by September.

One journalist did note the degree to which elite competition/bickering behind this:

Matt Hancock says that human coronavirus vaccine trials will begin on Thursday. Say what you like about this government, they know how to chuck out a news scrap that feels like much bigger news than it actually is.
Further to this, academics at war is helping the government media strategy, a source in the scientific research community informs me. "Oxford has had its nose pushed out of joint by Imperial, so they're determined to tell everyone they've got a vaccine and make a splash"
My source continues: "Seriously, the beef between the modellers at Oxford and Imperial is personal ... Many of the Imperial modellers used to work at Oxford and left in a strop years ago"

Apparently the beef between the Oxford and Imperial teams dates back to a sex scandal. In terms of stereotypical national responses, having scientific advances in the UK being driven by some insane and aged personal beef at Oxford (over a seemingly innocuous sex scandal at that) is very strong 

[DGuller]

This reminds me of the classic problem in probability and statistics introductory classes:  if 1% of population has the diseases and the test is 95% accurate, how many people with positive test result are sick?  People expect the answer to be 95%, but it's actually more like 16%.

[Legbiter]

To give credit to the government where it's due, they always maintained schools could stay open. It was the mass outrage on the part of parents that caused the schools to close here.

Yeah the snotty bastards transmit the flu very efficiently between themselves and then to their families but with this bug they don't. 

[Sheilbh]

Chief of Defence Staff is at this breifing to give an explanation on how the forces are supporting the covid-19 response. It's very weird I can't remember generals etc making statements like this. Informative, but it does seem unusual

[fromtia]

Chief of Defence Staff is at this breifing to give an explanation on how the forces are supporting the covid-19 response. It's very weird I can't remember generals etc making statements like this. Informative, but it does seem unusual

Seems a bit brexity. I remember that media was done by John Nott during the Falklands, can't remember what was done during Gulf 1. Generals on TV is for war with ze Germans.

[Malthus]

This reminds me of the classic problem in probability and statistics introductory classes:  if 1% of population has the diseases and the test is 95% accurate, how many people with positive test result are sick?  People expect the answer to be 95%, but it's actually more like 16%.

I am terrible at math. 😄

Say 100 people - around one correct positive and around 5 incorrect positives - so one on six positive test results is correct.

Hey that works!

[mongers]

My little sister got it.  She's a bit on the dumb side and hasn't taken this seriously at all.

Raz, hope it's not serious.

Did she not take it serously because she's a bit slow or has seeing the wrong sort of media also help to make her careless about the risk?

[Sheilbh]

Also British democracy is now operating with questions via video conference and a small number of MPs, MSPs etc in the various chambers.

The dangers were made clear today when the Welsh Health Secretary hadn't muted his mic and asked, about a fellow Labour Party colleague, "what the fuck is the matter with her?"
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1252996678644367360

And a thread of the responses from his fellow AMs on the Zoom or whatever it was
https://twitter.com/robosborneitv/status/1252984748965797891

[Sheilbh]

Striking comment from UK Chief Medical Officer that while he thinks there'll be vaccine proof of concept at some point this year the only way out of this are a vaccine or drugs and he doesn't think out of this will happen (and be widely manufactured enough for use) this calendar year, so all that's left is social measures to reduce transmission.

For this calendar year

[celedhring]

Also British democracy is now operating with questions via video conference and a small number of MPs, MSPs etc in the various chambers.

The dangers were made clear today when the Welsh Health Secretary hadn't muted his mic and asked, about a fellow Labour Party colleague, "what the fuck is the matter with her?"
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1252996678644367360

And a thread of the responses from his fellow AMs on the Zoom or whatever it was
https://twitter.com/robosborneitv/status/1252984748965797891

Over here the number of MPs physically present has been reduced so there's enough space for social distancing, with MPs that can't attend delegating their votes to their colleagues. It's a slightly odd sight.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah similar here - it's quite bizarre:


Then when the remote MPs have questions it goes to a bit Eurovision - here the representatie of Ross, Skye and Lochaber anouncing their points:

[Duque de Bragança]

Also British democracy is now operating with questions via video conference and a small number of MPs, MSPs etc in the various chambers.

The dangers were made clear today when the Welsh Health Secretary hadn't muted his mic and asked, about a fellow Labour Party colleague, "what the fuck is the matter with her?"
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1252996678644367360

And a thread of the responses from his fellow AMs on the Zoom or whatever it was
https://twitter.com/robosborneitv/status/1252984748965797891

Over here the number of MPs physically present has been reduced so there's enough space for social distancing, with MPs that can't attend delegating their votes to their colleagues. It's a slightly odd sight.

Probably still too much MPs for Teniente-Coronel Tejero, coño! 

[Duque de Bragança]

Spain's largest toilet paper brand announces a +50% rise in profits during the first quarter of 2020 

No shit!