So, coronavirus...

[Biffer]

I got tested yesterday. Was coughing a bit on Friday then more yesterday. Did the usual 'probably nothing, don't want to bother anyone' thing in my head but then decided that the advice is, if you have a new cough, get tested. So went on line to sort it. Went online at 5.15pm, was at Edinburgh Airport getting a swab test done at 5.45. Test result texted and emailed to me this morning at 8.30, negative so all OK. But very impressed with how quick and easy it was. And there's plenty of capacity.

Moral of the story is if you've got symptoms get a test, it's quick and easy (is my experience).

[Hong Kong]

[Hong Kong]

[Hong Kong]

[Hong Kong]

muppet

[Bimbowomxn]

muppet

Where as no one who wears a mask has been infected.

[Biffer]

muppet

Where as no one who wears a mask has been infected.

Line 40

[Bimbowomxn]

muppet

Where as no one who wears a mask has been infected.

Line 40

,

There must be somewhere this is funny, and I salute you .

[Longshanks]

Fenofibrate.......might be the one

Cholesterol-lowering drug could see coronavirus treated like common cold, study finds
The drug fenofibrate allowed lung cells to burn more fat therefore depriving the coronavirus of the conditions it needs to survive

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/0 ... ated-like/

Apologies if RR

[Raggs]

muppet

Where as no one who wears a mask has been infected.

The point of you wearing a mask isn't to stop you from getting infected.

[CM11]

Fenofibrate.......might be the one

Cholesterol-lowering drug could see coronavirus treated like common cold, study finds
The drug fenofibrate allowed lung cells to burn more fat therefore depriving the coronavirus of the conditions it needs to survive

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/0 ... ated-like/

Apologies if RR

Not subscribed. Is this something that works when it's serious to reduce symptoms or something you have to take early before it gets serious?

[dpedin]

There is real problems with trying to compare covid19 deaths, best just to focus on excess deaths as this is a far more robust and reliable measure. Most countries across Europe have fairly robust death registration systems and if you allow for any time lags in registration it paints a fairly accurate picture. The UK doesn't do well when using this as a measure when compared against comparable european countries, Hancock is just trying to muddy the waters as the UK Gov is under pressure with comparing their performance against that of the devolved administrations. Releasing lock down in England so fast with the number of cases they still have looks pretty risky and even foolhardy, not quite in the Trump or Bolsano league but not far off!

Not quite as simple as that. The death figures in England are absurd and need fixing. As things stand, everyone who has ever tested positive for the virus will eventually become a Covid death statistic when they eventually die. It doesn't matter if they die of cancer, get hit by a bus, die of old age, shoot themselves.... they will get added to the number. The UK death number will therefore keep rising long after the virus is gone. This is clearly ridiculous. Given many of the positive tests are probably older folk and that they may have recovered from the virus (or never had any symptoms anyway) and they then died from something else, the UK death numbers are inflated compared to other countries. Probably not a huge difference but a difference nonetheless.

I think we are saying the same thing - deaths associated with covid19 are recorded differently in different parts of UK and Europe so best to just use them to look at trends within their own countries and to focus on total excess deaths as a means of comparisons between different parts of UK or Europe.

[dpedin]

There is real problems with trying to compare covid19 deaths, best just to focus on excess deaths as this is a far more robust and reliable measure. Most countries across Europe have fairly robust death registration systems and if you allow for any time lags in registration it paints a fairly accurate picture. The UK doesn't do well when using this as a measure when compared against comparable european countries, Hancock is just trying to muddy the waters as the UK Gov is under pressure with comparing their performance against that of the devolved administrations. Releasing lock down in England so fast with the number of cases they still have looks pretty risky and even foolhardy, not quite in the Trump or Bolsano league but not far off!

Not quite as simple as that. The death figures in England are absurd and need fixing. As things stand, everyone who has ever tested positive for the virus will eventually become a Covid death statistic when they eventually die. It doesn't matter if they die of cancer, get hit by a bus, die of old age, shoot themselves.... they will get added to the number. The UK death number will therefore keep rising long after the virus is gone. This is clearly ridiculous. Given many of the positive tests are probably older folk and that they may have recovered from the virus (or never had any symptoms anyway) and they then died from something else, the UK death numbers are inflated compared to other countries. Probably not a huge difference but a difference nonetheless.

It is a nonsense. My worry is not international comparisons and bored willy waving. It’s how messy it makes assessing the situation on the ground at a local level. I know how many infections there have been where I live. How many are still active? No idea, and that appears to be the case throughout England. As we move towards managing outbreaks locally we need much better data than this.

I agree we need better localised data re infection rates etc. A no brainer really. However international comparisons are also useful in being able to identify who is managing the spread the best and what strategies are working or not working. We can then replicate the good and ignore the bad. We need both better local data at a detailed level and a means to assess which countries are managing the pandemic the best and copy them.

[BnM]

Spot the moron. Clue - trick question

[fishfoodie]

Spot the moron. Clue - trick question

Darwin has clearly got tired of killing off the morons in ones & twos; & is now upping his game.

[Munch]

Its just a natural conclusion of the rampant conspiracy theory trend that's all pervasive these days. People are literally killing others because they believe lies over science.

[Sandstorm]

Its just a natural conclusion of the rampant conspiracy theory trend that's all pervasive these days. People are literally killing others because they believe lies over science.

3 months of lockdown and excessive Interwebbing will bring out more crazies than usual.

[Bimbowomxn]

I can’t understand why the tubes are not full again with mandatory masks.

[Munch]

Its just a natural conclusion of the rampant conspiracy theory trend that's all pervasive these days. People are literally killing others because they believe lies over science.

3 months of lockdown and excessive Interwebbing will bring out more crazies than usual.

True. One of the warnings at the start of lockdown was for it's effects on people's mental health. I'm not sure the repurcussions have been fully acknowledged, yet alone dealt with yet.

[Biffer]

Spot the moron. Clue - trick question

Pretty sure the Jeremy Renner one is a photoshop?

[Sandstorm]

Anyone want to know how the virus spreads so easily? Because stupid people!

I have a friend who works in an office of 4 people in Hampshire. Been in the office all together Mon-Fri last week.
Husband and wife run the company and both show Covid symptoms on Saturday. Get tested Sunday, waiting for the results at home.
Sunday night calls the other 2 staff (one of whom is my friend) to inform them they should both go into the office on Monday. No excuses.

So the two staff are sitting in the office looking at each other waiting to hear if they should go home and isolate....
WTF???

[Saint]

Although the data is yet to be peer reviewed, it;s sounding like we may have a very effective treatment for Covid - 79% reduction of serious infection, and between 2 and 3 times the recovery rate (recovery being defined as being able to resume everyday activities without being compromised)

[Biffer]

Although the data is yet to be peer reviewed, it;s sounding like we may have a very effective treatment for Covid - 79% reduction of serious infection, and between 2 and 3 times the recovery rate (recovery being defined as being able to resume everyday activities without being compromised)

It's with beta interferon though. $20k a course. $1200 per dose. US pricing obviously so not that price elsewhere, but not a cheap course of treatment.

[Saint]

Although the data is yet to be peer reviewed, it;s sounding like we may have a very effective treatment for Covid - 79% reduction of serious infection, and between 2 and 3 times the recovery rate (recovery being defined as being able to resume everyday activities without being compromised)

It's with beta interferon though. $20k a course. $1200 per dose. US pricing obviously so not that price elsewhere, but not a cheap course of treatment.

It would be as part of a group of measures though. Everyone takes a vaccine that may only be partially effective. Then you have dexamethasons, and if that fails then a very small % of people require this. So while it wouldn't be a routine treatment, that fact that it's there for the worst cases means that you can see how you could reduce the mortality rate to 1% of it;s natural rate

[CM11]

Is it effective at all stages? Isn't part of the problem that for some people the onset is very quick and damage is done before treatment can be given?

[Bimbowomxn]

Although the data is yet to be peer reviewed, it;s sounding like we may have a very effective treatment for Covid - 79% reduction of serious infection, and between 2 and 3 times the recovery rate (recovery being defined as being able to resume everyday activities without being compromised)

It's with beta interferon though. $20k a course. $1200 per dose. US pricing obviously so not that price elsewhere, but not a cheap course of treatment.

It would be as part of a group of measures though. Everyone takes a vaccine that may only be partially effective. Then you have dexamethasons, and if that fails then a very small % of people require this. So while it wouldn't be a routine treatment, that fact that it's there for the worst cases means that you can see how you could reduce the mortality rate to 1% of it;s natural rate

And even at 10k a pop much cheaper than lockdowns.

[Sandstorm]

Anyone want to know how the virus spreads so easily? Because stupid people!

I have a friend who works in an office of 4 people in Hampshire. Been in the office all together Mon-Fri last week.
Husband and wife run the company and both show Covid symptoms on Saturday. Get tested Sunday, waiting for the results at home.
Sunday night calls the other 2 staff (one of whom is my friend) to inform them they should both go into the office on Monday. No excuses.

So the two staff are sitting in the office looking at each other waiting to hear if they should go home and isolate....
WTF???

Thank fudge they both tested positive for Covid. I suspect they'll also test positive for "Selfish Twat 2020"

[Sandstorm]

Is it effective at all stages? Isn't part of the problem that for some people the onset is very quick and damage is done before treatment can be given?

That's fat cnuts. Self-inflicted.
Meh.

[Saint]

Is it effective at all stages? Isn't part of the problem that for some people the onset is very quick and damage is done before treatment can be given?

the data hasn;t been published yet, but they;re claiming it is.

[Sandstorm]

Anyone want to know how the virus spreads so easily? Because stupid people!

I have a friend who works in an office of 4 people in Hampshire. Been in the office all together Mon-Fri last week.
Husband and wife run the company and both show Covid symptoms on Saturday. Get tested Sunday, waiting for the results at home.
Sunday night calls the other 2 staff (one of whom is my friend) to inform them they should both go into the office on Monday. No excuses.

So the two staff are sitting in the office looking at each other waiting to hear if they should go home and isolate....
WTF???

Thank fudge they both tested negative for Covid. I suspect they'll also test positive for "Selfish Twat 2020"

I meant negative

[CM11]

Is it effective at all stages? Isn't part of the problem that for some people the onset is very quick and damage is done before treatment can be given?

the data hasn;t been published yet, but they;re claiming it is.

[.OverThere]

Spot the moron. Clue - trick question

It's not actually the official flat earth map as they normally link Russia and Alaska. I think he may actually be Anti Flat.

[Insane_Homer]

News out of SA looking a bit grim

[Longshanks]

Oxford Vaccine looks like it works!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839

[Saint]

Oxford Vaccine looks like it works!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839

Too early to say yet. It;s generating antibodies and T-cells. But we don't yet know if it actually has the correct response; whether that response actually prevents infection or just reduces it; what level of dose is required; how long the effect lasts for; if a booster generates a much longer lived effect etc.

So still a lot of work to do - Phase II has been ongoing in Brazil now for 3-4 weeks I think so they should be starting to see data now as to how well it actually works, and at what levels of dose.

I can easily envisage a scenario where if they show that it;s generating even a short term response (say 3-4 months) they start vaccinating people even while they work out what a booster would look like and when it would need to be administered.

[Longshanks]

Oxford Vaccine looks like it works!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839

Too early to say yet. It;s generating antibodies and T-cells. But we don't yet know if it actually has the correct response; whether that response actually prevents infection or just reduces it; what level of dose is required; how long the effect lasts for; if a booster generates a much longer lived effect etc.

So still a lot of work to do - Phase II has been ongoing in Brazil now for 3-4 weeks I think so they should be starting to see data now as to how well it actually works, and at what levels of dose.

I can easily envisage a scenario where if they show that it;s generating even a short term response (say 3-4 months) they start vaccinating people even while they work out what a booster would look like and when it would need to be administered.

I did say "looks"
Although, yes, it's not 100% certain. But very promising

[Blake]

News out of SA looking a bit grim

Indeed. Expecting a massive spike in deaths over the next 2 weeks.

I'm anticipating Northern Italy numbers as hospitals in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng reach capacity.

Things at least trending down in the Western Cape, although our limited testing strategy is skewing the data somewhat.

[Enzedder]

I almost wish we had a virus with a really high mortality rate just so these idiots can either be culled or shown to be the shams they are

[mat the expat]

I almost wish we had a virus with a really high mortality rate just so these idiots can either be culled or shown to be the shams they are

It would burn out faster as well

[MrMojo]

News out of SA looking a bit grim

Indeed. Expecting a massive spike in deaths over the next 2 weeks.

I'm anticipating Northern Italy numbers as hospitals in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng reach capacity.

Things at least trending down in the Western Cape, although our limited testing strategy is skewing the data somewhat.

There was a news clip on BBC from PE that showed a hospital in a state of collapse. Doctors and nurses had abandoned it basically. Looked horrendous.