On the young peoples lung scarring front, I think it would be more sensible to look at the risk of scarring in young people versus the risk of scarring they already face and seeing if it's significant or not. If not then unless you're saying all children should be kept isolated to protect them from everything that they're already at risk of getting or suffering from, the policy should be allow them to get on with it (looking purely at this issue and not whether it would spread the disease etc. before some decides to imply that from my post).

My brother for example got pleurisy last year and ended up with scarring from that. Clearly that's bad and I imagine something that happens to people from all age groups every year. Is the risk from covid more or less than from seasonal flu and other viruses?

Something bad happening to Mildred from number 42 is terrible but not something you'd necessarily base a societal response on. Something bad happening to 1 in 1000 people etc probably would be something you'd put specific processes in place to avoid/mitigate.

We seems to be at a position where the government are saying they are following the science but decisions as time goes on seems to constantly contradict what was said before.

Take the R rate. This article suggests that the government are saying it’s less important.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-is-the-r-rate-not-quite-as-significant-as-we-thought-11989111

It's just occurred to me that "we are following the science" has become used a bit like one of their slogans. I'm beginning to wonder if it's part of a prepared blame game if things go even worse than they have so far. Then it becomes " well we did follow the Science", like we were "just obeying orders"

 

All 100% accurate. And yet Maunder describes O'Brien as a "gobshite, worse than Owen Jones".

Hancock will go down as the worst Health Secretary this country has ever had. His record: 60,000 dead including 22,000 in care homes and yet still they defend him!

I've been trying to be supportive of the government in the sense that there are a lot of dilemmas and although they weren't doing great it wasn't easy.

But that all changed yesterday for me with Hancock. It was such blatant lying and mis-representation and self congratulation regarding care homes that I no longer have any confidence in any of them.

 

Of course not and of course she didn't.

She did! Unless she has issued a full and complete written apology and admitted she should, holding a responsible position in office, fact check stuff before retweeting it.

Regional data for new cases yesterday in England

The 7 English regions 

• London +80 (0.3%) 26,193


• Midlands +220 (0.9%) 23,658


• North West +212 (0.9%)23302


• North East and Yorkshire +217 (1.0%) 22,352


• South East +159 (0.8%) 19,935


• East of England +155 (1.2%) 12,871


• South West +40 (0.6%) 7,227

The 10 local areas with the highest cases

1. Kent +50 (1.1%) 4,358


2. Lancashire +38 (1.2%) 3,299


3. Birmingham +16 (0.5%) 3,232


4. Hampshire +23 (0.7%) 3,121


5. Essex +12 (0.4%) 3,018


6. Surrey +6 (0.2%) 2,792


7. Hertfordshire +13 (0.5%) 2,693


8. Sheffield +7 (0.3%) 2,443


9. Cumbria +7 (0.3%) 2,129


10. Staffordshire +19 (0.9%) 2,041

The 10 local areas with the lowest cases

1. Rutland +2 (6.7%) 30


2. North East Lincolnshire 145 - No change


3. Isle of Wight +5 (3.0%) 166


4. Torbay +4 (1.8%) 221


5. Bath and North East Somerset +1 (0.4%) 226


6. Bracknell Forest 235 - No change


7. Windsor and Maidenhead +1 (0.4%) 277


8. Calderdale +1 (0.4%) 279


9. Hartlepool +14 (4.7%) 295


10. Thurrock +3 (1.0%) 307

 

Of course not and of course she didn't.

Poor Nadine, rowing with both oars has never been her strength.

Coronavirus: A 3rd of hospital patients develop dangerous blood clots.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52662065

This was discussed on the radio/TV last night and this morning. A major part of the problems from Covid-19 is caused by an overreaction by the immune system. It contributes to thickening of the blood and increased risk of clotting as well as being responsible for pneumonia and other organ failure, as I understand the processes involved.

A specialist was explaining the three-pronged approach as:

1. antivirals to mitigate/combat the initial infection,

2. anti-inflammatories to dampen the immune system response in more severe cases, and, of course,

3. a vaccine, assuming one (or more) can be found that work and don't produce side-effects

 

I've been trying to be supportive of the government in the sense that there are a lot of dilemmas and although they weren't doing great it wasn't easy.

But that all changed yesterday for me with Hancock. It was such blatant lying and mis-representation and self congratulation regarding care homes that I no longer have any confidence in any of them.

Hancock's words were utterly sickening yesterday. How that slimeball sleeps at night I'll never know. 

Italy will lift all travel restrictions on Wednesday 3rd June and allow travel to and from the country people will also be able to move between regions in the country again on the same day

Shops and restaurants will reopen this coming Monday if they can observe social distancing.

Protesters boo as man led away in handcuffs by police at Hyde Park anti-lockdown protest pic.twitter.com/ZpCPqmsypG

— Thomas Hornall (@Thomashornall) May 16, 2020

Protesters boo as man led away in handcuffs by police at Hyde Park anti-lockdown protest pic.twitter.com/ZpCPqmsypG

— Thomas Hornall (@Thomashornall) May 16, 2020

How many of them signed the pledge? The pledge not to receive treatment if the get sick and to pay the cost of treatment for those they infect.

Not one of them.

Selfish loons the lot of them.

 

I've been trying to be supportive of the government in the sense that there are a lot of dilemmas and although they weren't doing great it wasn't easy.

But that all changed yesterday for me with Hancock. It was such blatant lying and mis-representation and self congratulation regarding care homes that I no longer have any confidence in any of them.

I was prepared to the gov't the benefit of the doubt initially as the epidemic is a hugely difficult problem for any gov't to deal with.

But as you say the lying and presentation of information which is easily verifiable to be untrue has been breath taking.

Honesty is always the best policy in these situations otherwise no-one will believe anything you say.

The unmistakable conclusion is the gov't is crooked as well as incompetent.

 

 

We knew you would defend the Tory Party come what may. If Johnson ordered all migrants to be put up against a wall and shot, you would find some way to justify that!

 

 

He'd actually cheer that! 

Coronavirus: A 3rd of hospital patients develop dangerous blood clots.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52662065

One of the big problems is we don't know anything about the medium to long term effects of C19. That is another reason why letting it rip carries a huge risk. Even in economic terms the cost could be enormous due to the increased requirement for medical care and the reduced productivity of the workforce. On top of that we have no idea whether immunity lasts more than a few months. 

 

I've been trying to be supportive of the government in the sense that there are a lot of dilemmas and although they weren't doing great it wasn't easy.

But that all changed yesterday for me with Hancock. It was such blatant lying and mis-representation and self congratulation regarding care homes that I no longer have any confidence in any of them.

I think Hancock is the type of Tory who could be described as being "not a very nice man". Having been an active member of the party in the past I can assure you the description does not apply to all. For example, I was fortunate enough to meet Sir Geoffrey Howe on two occasions and both times he was courteous to me and always appeared to treat his staff and those around him with dignity, regardless of their status. 

 

One of the big problems is we don't know anything about the medium to long term effects of C19. That is another reason why letting it rip carries a huge risk. Even in economic terms the cost could be enormous due to the increased requirement for medical care and the reduced productivity of the workforce. On top of that we have no idea whether immunity lasts more than a few months. 

Absolutely.

When this started I was   quite keen on  contracting it to "get it over with".  That now seems like a foolhardy idea even for someone ho isn't  in the maximum  risk age group and with no underling health issues 

Seems to me this  wretched thing could well give you a load of "underlying health issues"  even if it doesn't finish you off !

NHS England has reported 181 new hospital deaths down from 186 yesterday

Last Saturday. NHS England reported 207 new hospital deaths. Data included lower counting from bank holiday Friday.

 

I think Hancock is the type of Tory who could be described as being "not a very nice man". Having been an active member of the party in the past I can assure you the description does not apply to all. For example, I was fortunate enough to meet Sir Geoffrey Howe on two occasions and both times he was courteous to me and always appeared to treat his staff and those around him with dignity, regardless of their status. 

Yes and people like Ken Clarke and even someone like Heseltine who was once seen as on the right of the Party now seem like reasonable and decent human beings.