General Chat

A probably 'incorrect' paper is reporting on an ONS survey and a map from Imperial college - I don't like this bit:

Imperial's map analyses trends in positive coronavirus tests to try and work out the probability of certain areas seeing an outbreak in the near future.

It works out hotspots by estimating how likely it is that a place's infection rate will rise above a certain threshold, which changes depending on the size of the national outbreak.

Areas that have a 75 to 100 per cent probability of having the above-threshold rate are the predicted hotspots.

Its furthest ahead prediction now suggests that, by June 13, Bedford, Kirklees, Manchester, Bury, Bolton, Rossendale, Blackburn and Burnley are all highly likely to be hotspots.

Others that might be include most other boroughs of Greater Manchester, as well as Leicester, Birmingham, Worcester, Reading, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth and Canterbury.

That sounds bad.

This is an interesting timeline of the first 6 months (January 2020 - June 2020) of the pandemic, in newspaper headlines.

https://timeline-of-failure.com/

The crows have flown into the darkness!

That was interesting, Maggie.

I think anyone who believes it would be safe to open up completely in June is a fool! I am usually an optimist but even I can see the dangers in opening up in June.

From the Indian variant hotspot in our area, many people use public transport to travel into town for work. It seems to me to be only a matter of time ........ If they drag their feet vaccinating the under-20s, we may see a similar situation as last year when unis went back.

Thanks Maggie

That was really interesting. During Feb & early March last year we were closely following the news. My BIL died in early Feb and the funeral was delayed for a month due to the international mourners
Some came from Belgium and Holland - those who had been in Northern Italy remained at home. We were all aware of the looming pandemic which hadn't really quite taken off.
A few days later there was the Cheltenham Festival ...................

Compare the previous timeline - where nothing was done to protect the public until April, to the House of Commons timeline below - where arrangements we being made in March!

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-coronavirus-timeline/

I think the biggest mistake was not reducing the amount people coming into the UK early enough.

But when you hear the whingers and whiners complaining about having to isolate at home or in a hotel you can almost appreciate why it has been so slow.

But how many people really HAD to go abroad/come into this country?

My niece came over from Dubai in early December last year - whe the Government said it was safe - intending to go back after Christmas.
When she heard flights into Dubai would be stopped - she went back early, before Christmas, because she couldn't risk either losing her job through not being able to get back, or going into quarantine for however long it may have been.

Well said, names!

There ought to have been a 'window' of three or so days for UK RESIDENTS only to return to the UK. For goodness sake, how long can people dither over whether to get back home or stay where they are?

Over 4000 positive cases today, yet only a week or so ago it was hovering around 2000. :-\

....and lockdown isn't fully over yet.....

The COVID patients at our local hospital are all unvaccinated.