Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

(this was mentioned in passing a few weeks ago)

Do you mean how it was front page on all newspapers for 2-3 days then forgotten like nobody ever promised anything? 

No - sorry I meant the conversation I had with someone

They mentioned 15 minute, 90 minute and 24 hour tests, but I didn't have lots of follow up questions because we were just chatting about work

[garbon]

I mean if it costs anything like the £100bn being quoted in the leaked briefing document that's a pretty enormouse use of state resources (over 10% of the annual budget). Now whether they're the people you'd trust with that sort of project....

And the point I mean about legitimising rhetoric isn't that it'll be inspirational - it's more that we need a way of accepting massive state spending, that will probably mainly be wasted if we're to deal with the climate (and maybe the pandemic?). But most of our politics is about cost/benefit and really hates "waste", so I don't think we have a way of framing or understanding it. It was a wider thought about a "moonshot" (because I think we need them now - certainly on climate), rather than anything about this.

It just all seems like lies at this point. There is no credibility, there is no trust.

[Sheilbh]

It just all seems like lies at this point. There is no credibility, there is no trust.

Yeah - my point wasn't just about Boris, it's something I think is true everywhere.

With all this I don't think not lies. I think it's incompetence again and again on the same issue. I think this government and Cummings in particular are obsessed with every single issue having one really easy probably tech-based solution. It can all be solved if they just get the right data, or build some new system/app/test, but no-one else will do it because they're all trapped in flabby civil servantish, Oxbridge humanities groupthink. It's not entirely wrong, but normally whatever they're trying to solve is a really complex issue with lots of moving parts that doesn't have an easy solution.

And Johnson is incredibly attracted to big shiny expensive ambitious projects and fundamentally a very lazy person so quite attracted to any easy solution. So we just keep watching the same car crashing into the same wall.

In another example of what I mean about the UK population being low-key extremely authoritarian most people support a covid curfew (I would love to see these figures in normal times, because I don't think there'd be that much difference ):

[Tamas]

I mean if it costs anything like the £100bn being quoted in the leaked briefing document that's a pretty enormouse use of state resources (over 10% of the annual budget). Now whether they're the people you'd trust with that sort of project....

Come on now the only thing less likely that this actually happening is their intention to even start to try.

[Threviel]

That was mildly unpleasant 

2-3 days for response.

[celedhring]

My dad was PCRed this week, came out negative.

Right now I'm the member of my direct family that hasn't had any kind of testing.

[Grey Fox]

Quebec government has announced that the Covidiots will be getting fines, starting saturday, for not respecting the sanitary rules. Especially the indoor mask mandate.

Good news, imo.

[Admiral Yi]

Heard on NPR that it's extra important to get a flu shot this year.

[merithyn]

Heard on NPR that it's extra important to get a flu shot this year.

Our CMO talked about that in our All Call this week. Said that it's important for two reasons: no risk of confusing your symptoms, and it's possible you could get the regular flu and COVID at the same time, making recovery from COVID much harder.

I don't typically get the flu shot because I have a reaction to it. I'm considering dealing with the reaction this year.

[katmai]

Yeah I'm planning on getting one for first time in my adult life.

[DGuller]

I used to never get a flu shot, just as a matter of principle.  However, last year I asked myself what exactly that principle was, and it turned out that I actually had no idea.  So I decided to take a shot when my employer offered it onsite.

[crazy canuck]

what principle prevents you from protecting your own health and the health of those around you?

[Grey Fox]

Like Mery, the flu vaccine triggers my allergies so I usually avoid it. I'll get it this year if it is at all possible.

[Sheilbh]

The US now has more deaths per capita than Italy and is approaching the worst hit European countries.

I am always surprised this doesn't seem to be the number one story every day.

[merithyn]

The US now has more deaths per capita than Italy and is approaching the worst hit European countries.

I am always surprised this doesn't seem to be the number one story every day.

Well, I mean, my city is burning due to forest fires and riots. So, you know....