Coronavirus

To be fair, the US is much more sparsely populated than the UK so it's not a surprise that our levels are so much higher, especially with the newer variant now running rampant (the variant the government knew about well before Christmas, but didn't have the balls to ban large gatherings to save lives). How much the US will catch up once the new variant takes over across the pond remains to be seen. It might be that they get away with it by dint of the vaccination programme which is operating slowly, but they have a bit more time available to them. Not that this helps the large numbers dying of the older variants, of course.

Not wanting to be morbid, but deaths tend to follow in the severe cases from 2 weeks after symptoms occur. We're now around the time where people with severe illness who were infected around Christmas will begin to pass away, hence the rising numbers. The fact that the NHS is at breaking point already means that the 2 week number is likely to fall as I've read the hospitals are already actively triaging so those least likely to survive are only going to get palliative care as there isn't the capacity to give the treatment to give them a chance. When you consider that we're not far off double the confirmed infections that we were on Christmas Eve, you can see that the numbers indicate that late January is going to be an awful time, as will February as the secondary infections from those infected after Christmas will then kick in. Let's hope the first dose of vaccinations given so far can save a lot of these lives to relieve the terrible strain on the NHS workers.

Take extra special care over the next few weeks.

Quoted from Maringer

To be fair, the US is much more sparsely populated than the UK so it's not a surprise that our levels are so much higher, especially with the newer variant now running rampant (the variant the government knew about well before Christmas, but didn't have the balls to ban large gatherings.

I’ve been on Fenty watch for the past couple of months, so forgive me, but has it been explained why there was the delay in reacting to the new strain in Kent / S.E.?

Boris keeps saying the Govt reacted immediately on 18 Dec when the new mutation was confirmed.

But wasn’t it clear in late Nov / early Dec that the rate in parts of Kent was shooting up like a Scunthorpe junkie? Even though Kent was in a high tier.

At least we’ve eradicated the Flu😏 every year around this time in my living memory we’ve had high flu outbreaks, some years they’ve  called It an epidemic! hospitals also under pressure this time of year with the press usually going with the word Crisis!
So let’s take the positives😷

Quoted from Humbercod

At least we’ve eradicated the Flu😏 every year around this time in my living memory we’ve had high flu outbreaks, some years they’ve  called It an epidemic! hospitals also under pressure this time of year with the press usually going with the word Crisis!
So let’s take the positives😷

Yes, it's funny that isn't it? Every year thousands of people die "with the flu." In a bad flu year, many thousands of older and medically vulnerable people succumb to the flu, even with vaccinations.

In those years there is a passing reference to it on the news, together with the ubiquitous NHS winter pressures, but this year, amazingly, flu seems to have been practically eradicated to be replaced with a new respiratory disease., very similar to the flu. Funny old world.

Influenza is a terrible disease which is underrated I think. "Cold and flu" remedies, for example, seek to lump influenza with the common cold, yet flu is a worldwide killer, usually of older and medically vulnerable people. One good thing that might come out of all this is that people might take more care going on public transport and working in offices etc. when they know they know full well they have an infection but go to work regardlessand it might make more people think about getting a flu jab.

Just found out this morning that 1 in 10 people have the virus in the area I live.

My wife is very vulnerable so nobody going out ( dog can exercise in garden ) and nobody coming in.

Quoted from Humbercod

At least we’ve eradicated the Flu😏 every year around this time in my living memory we’ve had high flu outbreaks, some years they’ve  called It an epidemic! hospitals also under pressure this time of year with the press usually going with the word Crisis!
So let’s take the positives😷

It’s almost as if the measures we’ve brought in to counter a respiratory illness have also helped prevent another respiratory illness.

Quoted from LH

It’s almost as if the measures we’ve brought in to counter a respiratory illness have also helped prevent another respiratory illness.

A cynic would say they’re combining the figures 😉

Just read that in some London hospitals new patients (covid I believe are being assessed) on life expectancy. Apparently if your old your life expectancy is short compared to a younger person; so the young person gets the intensive care bed.

So if your old and tried to isolate, did everything the govt told you to do but get covid accidentally your doomed. However if your young ignored the advice, mingled in crowds without a mask and generally enjoyed yourself with other, you get a bed.

People, young or old, who have ignored advice about covid shouldn't even be near a hospital. We all make choices and to ignore advice about a deadly disease is stupidity. Life expectancy should not be a reason to jump a queue.

Could’ve really done with that £350m a week extra for the NHS right about now eh?

Ah well, nevertheless...