Covid tests

There’s a difference between over reacting and being pro-active instead of reactive. I don’t think being proactive is over reacting. And this government doesn’t learn from past mistakes.

Farzanah
Thank you for mentioning my concerns.
I hope you are right and we as a nation are better protected.

If you have the "protection" of your vaccination, why is anyone worried? I don't get it.

Normandygirl

If you have the "protection" of your vaccination, why is anyone worried? I don't get it.

Because they don't make us invincible.

i still test myself for covid, these are the uk figures for the 22nd december, new cases are 46,042 so the 7 day average figures for the 22nd of december are 6,577. in the uk at the moment there is 8,571 in hospital - 175 of them are in ventilation beds, maybe it is being blown out of proportion but how much longer can the nhs keep this up with all the other problems that winter brings.

The last statistic I heard was that 1 in 45 people have covid.

How many people are shopping in a big supermarket on a busy day?

Best to wear a mask.

GagaJo

Normandygirl

If you have the "protection" of your vaccination, why is anyone worried? I don't get it.

Because they don't make us invincible.

If invincibility is your goal, then you are bound for disappointment. The massive excess death toll due to Non Covid related illness, is surely much more of a concern to people in the UK right now. I don't believe that has anything to do with the people from China.

I’m worried. Read about this today. Have we never learnt?

Normandygirl

If you have the "protection" of your vaccination, why is anyone worried? I don't get it.

It's not about protecting yourself. It's about thinking about the other people you could infect if you have Covid. It's also about getting prompt treatment if you are especially vulnerable, which is why the NHS are sending free tests to some people.

Normandygirl

GagaJo

Normandygirl

If you have the "protection" of your vaccination, why is anyone worried? I don't get it.

Because they don't make us invincible.

If invincibility is your goal, then you are bound for disappointment. The massive excess death toll due to Non Covid related illness, is surely much more of a concern to people in the UK right now. I don't believe that has anything to do with the people from China.

Do you have confirmed figures for the "massive" excess death toll?

Harris27

I’m worried. Read about this today. Have we never learnt?

We have learned the vaccine was produced and has a pretty good take up in the UK.
We can if we wish wear masks but in my experience I am much more likely to pick Covid up from family or social occasions than from a walk round the shops.

As said before, I think the Gransnet demographic probably worries more than other demographics. However, older people are more susceptible to this virus so perhaps concern is justified. I think we do have to put our faith in our vaccinations and the community immunity which is steadily building up. Covid will probably be with us forever now and we have to get on with it.
I still feel, unlike you volver that testing people coming into the country from China would at least tell us what the situation is re those arriving from a badly affected area, but what then? Would they simply be advised to isolate for five days? I can’t see what else could be done. This terrible wave in China will run its course and then the whole world will have to live with it in the same way we live with flu. Get the vaccinations, test if symptomatic, isolate if positive, and seek medical advice or intervention if necessary.

Thank you for your kind good wishes volver.

volver

I think I get really irritated by the "its madness" "I despair" "will they never learn!" comments. That's my problem, I have to deal with it and I'm not suggesting anybody stops saying that, I'm just using that to explain where I'm coming from.

It shows a rather excitable reaction to something I suppose. I prefer to actually understand what is going on and how it works, rather than running around with my hands in the air.

Just me, I suppose.

Maybe if we’d ran around with our hands in the air panicking we might have stopped the pandemic from happening. As it was the WHO waited to see what would happen and by the time they reacted it was too late.

Running around with your hands in the air never solves anything. Panic never solves anything.

Prompt and appropriate action does.

So what prompt and appropriate action has been taken over the past few years?

Can you show me the post where I say that it has?

All I've said is that panic (aka running around with your hands in the air, which you appear to have recommended as a viable option) is useless.

Which it is.

So, as you seem to be an expert, what action do you think should be taken at this moment in time. Or should we just do nothing?

Maybe monitoring the situation in other countries and in the UK. I know Covid data is no longer going to be published but it will be monitored in the same way that flu is monitored. If there is to be no testing and isolating, at present anyway, then I can’t see what else can be done. I’m not expecting there to be another outbreak such as we had in 2020 unless a serious new variant emerges. But I’m not a scientist so what do I know?
I’m not really writing on Gransnet at 4.30 in the morning, it’s 5.30 in the afternoon here.

MayBee70

So, as you seem to be an expert, what action do you think should be taken at this moment in time. Or should we just do nothing?

I'm not an expert MayBee70. I've never claimed to be and adopting that tone makes you sound petulant.

We're not doing nothing in this country. Were just not adopting the same scheme that the USA and a handful of other countries are.

Without testing there is no way of genomic sequencing and in the absence of genomic sequencing we cannot track the possible mutation of hitherto unknown variants.
I have just heard on Today that Malaysia and I think Italy are to test the waste water from planes arriving from China.
Testing makes sense. Why ignore the experience of the last 3 years?

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

A proportionate response.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64116416

Good link.

What the Italians are doing is post-flight surveillance of arrivals in Italy, in order to understand whether there are any emerging variants and to understand the impact of the virus on the Italian health system," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme
That is a sensible thing to do and something the British government should be seriously looking at

As I said - but was summarily dismissed and mocked as being “an expert”