So studies show that Omicron appears to result in a 70% reduction in hospitalisations

What I was listening to today was suggesting you would still have a good level of protection from serious symptoms, let's hope do or its 5 boosters a year.

 

Seems even more polarised I the US than here. Some crazy anti vax at one extreme and real hatred towards unvaccinated on the other and everyone else stuck in the middle.
Obviously it's a vast country and we only see snippets over here.

 

You miss my point Donny. I love you for that. Quick to jump on your righteous horse and lambast anyone in your way. I didn’t say anything of the sort, more that people are now being forced off work for what in the past would have not constituted time off…. Not only that, but an extended stay for the safety.

The news coming through that the health workers are off because they are sick is disingenuous, it’s because they’ve tested positive. Therefore they need to be off. But the news spin is that they’re all off sick in their beds. Ill from the dreaded virus. Give it two weeks though and many will be back.

I didn’t say that they shouldn’t be off, just that to imply they were all sick with bad symptoms is just not true.

 

Were NHS staff expected to go to work in normal times with colds and flu or were they discouraged. Genuine question.

 

Probably officially discouraged but unofficially encouraged like most work places.
Sick pay and disciplinary processes normally force people to go to work when ill.

 

Friends who work in NHS, were told to take time off. However they'd be interviewed upon their return with the threat of an attendance warning. Same goes for all staff in public service settings.
I once ended up in hospital with really bad gastroenteritis. Was told if I was off I'd be issued with a warning. They then wanted proof I was in hospital, the band on my wrist and a discharge letter (which cost me to get). Most likely I got the illness at work as well.
Government policy in the past 10 years is to cause staff as much stress as possible.
Remember to clap and bang your pots and pans.

 

Private sector is no better. I spend time in different places sometimes in my role and many use the Bradford point system as a method for triggering warnings.

 

Same as everywhere probably, the official line is don't bring infectious diseases into the work place, the reality is if you take time off because you have a cold it will be frowned upon and will cause you problems. And let's all be honest about this, frowned upon by work colleagues too. Think back to the time you heard about your colleague taking sick leave because they had a cold and what your thoughts were on that: 'He's not coming in because he's got a cold? I've got three colds right now and a hangover and I've pulled my back and I'm doing my job and his!' Is that how it should be? I don't know, but it's the reality.

Not that I'm suggesting people should go to work with Covid. Initial studies suggest the new dominant variant of the Covid-19 virus is much milder, akin to the common cold. It has been reported that 50% of people in England who believe they have a cold will actually have Covid. But it's way too early to be making far reaching decisions. It's also something to be hopeful about, because if initial reports are correct and there are no long term complications, all this is over.

 

Speaking of just seen this.
Can't say either of them come out well though the physical assault certainly seems a bit much.
The spitting is just downright disgusting and hope she was arrested.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/25/now-tory-mps-warn-dont-toughen-covid-new-year-rules

I think many voters will think the same way. MPs that try and restrict us, their actions will not be forgotten when they come looking for a vote.

 

America is a different beast all together, UK let's see what happens. Reason in our country is all about whether we have enough frontline staff.
@dreamboy3000 MPs can flap their gums all the want. End of the day, we need healthy staff on shift. The likes of Desmond Swaine can gob off all they like. The plastic ex solider can come and have a word with me if he likes. I promise we won't walk away with a few flesh wounds. He'll probably then want the NHS's help.


lovely person!!!
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Merry ******* Christmas

 

https://archive.fo/3LFDB

I think the time of getting rid of isolating with covid is nearer than we think. People can't go on self isolating forever if they keep catching it. I am sure maybe in the next 12 months it will be treated like a cold where testing is scrapped and you stay off if you're in no fit state to go in.

 

Sister in law works at Bradford hospital. Spent most Christmas Day in a full Covid suit in a room on her own looking after a premature baby. Unfortunately the baby has Covid, as do both parents, who decided they didn't need to be vaccinated.

 

This daily obsession with the headline figure of number of positive cases makes absolutely no sense . I say this because here in Italy and many other countries cases the Sunday/Monday figures published are usually lower than the daily averages. They are total numbers and not 'weighted' so dependent upon numbers of tests carried out.
Therefore if you double the number of tests over a period of time and then double them again you are obviously going to see a huge rise in positive cases. Here in Italy the positive results figure has risen hugely whilst hospitalisations and deaths have not reflected that increase. ICU admissions actually decreased for a while and ICU Covid case occupancy is still a fraction of what it was last year in spite of the headline positive case figure skyrocketing.
Deaths see-saw between 80 - 150 but if you dig into the figures they comprise almost entirely a combination of those who are elderly, have pre-existing medical conditions and/or unvaccinated . Well over 70% those admitted are unvaccinated. Omicron is also taking over as the dominant variant and gradually eliminating other variants.
All the above suggests we need a rethink on what statistics are important. I believe we have reached the tipping point where we need to treat Omicron like we do with either the common cold or Flu.......
1 If you are unwell and unable to do your job stay off work.
2 If you have a job e.g. medical staff, social workers etc who cannot avoid close contact with vulnerable people stay off work
3 All others who test positive but are asymptomatic carry on but wear a mask and socially distance whenever possible.

Simply testing positive and isolating is not viable in either the medium or long term.
I agree we need to take pressure off the NHS but the self inflicted 'wound' of closed GP surgeries with people unable to get face to face appointments forcing many people to go to A&E needs to stop and stop now! My daughter still has a faint 'positive line' showing on her self test home Antigen kit but now feels fine. Her husband is 3 days behind her and still has the minor cold symptoms she experienced but neither fee unwell enough not to go to work (irrelevant in both cases as they have two weeks annual leave booked over Xmas /New Year.

Scientist have been brilliant at reducing the impact of the Pandemic through vaccines etc. but I have less faith in the conclusions they are drawing using statistical data, much of which is already obsolete by the time the analysis is complete and much of it conflicting. This is evidenced by the different opinions and conclusion put out by organisations like the W.H-O- and different Govts based on 'the science'.

 

I think you're probably right, Omicron is probably the best thing that could have happened with the virus as a highly transmissible but ultimately mild version is absolutely what's needed.

There are still an awful lot of people out there to whom this could still cause serious harm.

When the sensible majority are boosted and protected as far as possible then I think letting loose is probably the way to go - but if we do it whilst half the population aren't fully protected (so far as possible) then that's too big a gamble for me.

 

Wife works for NHS, worked yesterday and has spent many days on covid wards in mental health hospital, it feels like it was much worse last year with numbers of staff and patients with covid. When I look at the statistics it seems like London had a massive spike which has driven the entire conversation around the “emergency” this winter. Defo more staff are off this year, but they’re not as poorly as they were last year when there was a large number of cases on the wards and with staff. Also they’ve change the rules so that if a member of your household gets covid you don’t have to stay off work, just get a PCR test take then do daily LFT before going into work. This will keep the number of staff absences down- she had 20 days off work in 2021 because 2 of our kids caught it and despite her not getting it and also working on wards with patients who’ve tested positive she was told not to come into work - now that was a daft rule which has been rightly scrapped.

 

Looking like good news in allowing people to continue to take personal responsibility without having laws in place. That's exactly how it should be done. Those who want to stay at home can. Those who want to act like covid isn't around anymore can. The government shouldn't be allowed to tell us what level of social life we can have.

 

Can we get your name changed to Covid Newsbot?

 

Underprotected mate...you need the large single malt booster to finish off with.