This lack of LFTs is going to be chaos.
NYE partygoers who can't get one - well, they are going to go anyway.
NHS staff who can't get one? They can't go to work on current guidance.
So, more cases from NYE and less staff in hospitals.
Its almost like they are making this stuff up on the hoof. In a household of 4,a +ve test requires 21 LFTs. Did they ramp up supply & distribution to take account of this? We have 7 left in our house. Im supposed to daily test , my daughter just tested positive, and the family should now be taking daily tests.
It does indeed seem that they are making it up as they go along, announcing back-of-a-fag-packet policy on the hoof and then just leaving the NHS to get on with it with little or no additional support
And after a brief 30 second appearance yesterday, I'm sure thats our glorious leader having dispensed with his duties for another week or so
I think it's fair to assume that supply and distribution was never going to cope with the rate of infection we are experiencing. I reckon we'll see a policy of "5 days isolation, no testing required" introduced.
The government expects to need to constrain the testing system over the next two weeks to manage supply of rapid tests, the health secretary says.
In a letter to MPs, Sajid Javid says the supply of lateral flow tests (LFDs) is being tripled in January and February from a pre-Omicron plan of 100 million to 300 million per month.
"To respond to anticipated demand over the coming few weeks we are buying hundreds of millions more LFD tests, bringing new products on board and accelerating their deployment to the public," he says.
But "in light of the huge demand for LFDs seen over the last three weeks, we expect to need to constrain the system at certain points over the next two weeks to manage supply over the course of each day, with new tranches of supply released regularly throughout each day".
Tripling capacity while mandating additional testing and doubling rates of 3 days ain't going to be enough.
Binners can you make a point on this thread that isn't loaded with politics? Have a go.
I was answering a point that you made
Do you not think that the politics is important?
I personally think we're at a very dangerous point where government policy on Covid isn't being 'driven by the science' at all, but by a bunch of libertarian nutters who's priority most certainly isn't the NHS, nor the health of the nation generally
We are not through this pandemic by a long shot and I think we're seeing what could be some potentially very damaging decisions being made in government for all the wrong reasons
And as we're seeing here, the anti-vax fruit-loops are getting bolder in their actions, which is also deeply disconcerting. Yesterday they attacked an NHS test centre, with apparent impunity, right at the point where NHS test centres are absolutely critical!
It does indeed seem that they are making it up as they go along, announcing back-of-a-fag-packet policy on the hoof and then just leaving the NHS to get on with it with little or no additional support
It fits in with so many Tory ideals. They look good in that they didn't cancel Christmas or New Year. They get to go on telly and announce big numbers that sound impressive and allow their supporting press to print those big numbers on their front pages. The NHS will be seen to be failing, probably spectacularly, so they can then point at the big numbers they announced and use it as a stick to batter the NHS management for failing thus allowing them to privatise the juicy bits for their donors to cream off profits. But that presumes they actually plan this kind of thing whereas the reality is that they're only thinking a day or so ahead and making announcements without realising the consequences. Their donors are the ones sitting in the shadows (via the 1922 committee and the Covid Research Group) allowing this all to happen knowing that the worse it gets the more opportunity they will have to swoop in and make money on the back of the chaos without the majority realising what's going on until it's far too late. It's sickening to see happening in real time and know we're near-powerless to stop it.
Im supposed to daily test , my daughter just tested positive, and the family should now be taking daily tests.
If you divide that 300 million by the 31 days of January then you get 9.6 million people with a daily test. If you take the UK population at just over 60 million that's enough tests for January for 1 in 6 of us. Strip out small kids and you could get that up to 1 in 5 but by the time you've taken into account people hoarding tests, failed or broken tests, people doing a second one just to be sure and just straight lost ones you're easily back down to well under 15% of the population being able to daily test each month. That's all supposing the 300 million can be achieved. It won't take much for the level to be well under only 10% of us having access to tests, tests that should be prioritised for healthcare workers.
300 million sounds like a lot but when you do just a basic bit of maths then it suddenly falls apart.
EDIT: I agree with binners, the politics is just as important currently due to the scientific advice not being the driver of the response, political games are having a greater influence. I hope it will swing back to the science being the main driver very quickly though.
The antivax mob also have a big overlap with UKIP, the MK protest was led by the local UKIP candidate and the QANON trumpers are big on their antivax
Britain decided its had enough of experts by 52 to 48 😜
It seems that its hard to get populism back in the bottle once it's out
300 million sounds like a lot but when you do just a basic bit of maths then it suddenly falls apart.
And by the time they are available we will likely have passed the peak of infections. We can maybe blame the Governments for not ordering sufficient by now but I don't think anyone was predicting this growth rate 3-4 months ago which is when orders would need to have been placed.
This pandemic is going on for a year at least. YES, absolutely the govt should be stockpiling in advance of possible need. The biggest lesson of the early pandemic was (or certainly should have been) that when everyone is scrabbling for resources it’s too late.
I think it's more that the government said we should use testing to keep parties etc happening and avoid more restrictions that way, without checking to see if testing could handle it
We can maybe blame the Governments for not ordering sufficient by now but I don’t think anyone was predicting this growth rate 3-4 months ago which is when orders would need to have been placed.
Yes, but the thing is that the government is refusing to bring in any other restrictions or elements to fighting covid (and we all know why) and is instead hanging everything on vaccination and testing. Thats all well and good if you've done the appropriate preparation for that to shoulder all the burden.
But its now pretty obvious that (surprise, surprise!) they haven't, and so we're back in the familiar position of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best over new year
I think it’s fair to assume that supply and distribution was never going to cope with the rate of infection we are experiencing. I reckon we’ll see a policy of “5 days isolation, no testing required” introduced.
matters not, the NHS trust I work in remain fixed with a 10 day isolation period, the same trust who can barely barely staff the wards, £150 shift allowance bonus was in place for bank and already rostered shifts, between Christmas even and 27th, reintroduced from last night until nights 3rd Jan
scotroutes
Full MemberAnd by the time they are available we will likely have passed the peak of infections. We can maybe blame the Governments for not ordering sufficient by now but I don’t think anyone was predicting this growth rate 3-4 months ago which is when orders would need to have been placed.
We can 100% blame them for deliberately driving up test demand without ensuring supply. (or perhaps, not even bothering to check if it was possible)
Policy decisions made by the government in the last week were dependent on the tests. If their policy decisions don’t match their logistically ability, that’s on them. We need a full time PM calling the shots, and across all the details. Not nipping in on occasion to ignore advice and do what suits him politically. We are still being led by someone who can only campaign, not govern.
Positive LTF, arse. I decided to test after waking with a slight cold & headache this morning and aching more than usual on todays Zwift effort.
PCR booked for tomorrow after 4 attempts over the course of the day, anxiety off the charts 🙁
anxiety off the charts
Really isn't any reason to be unless you have a serious underlying issue or aren't fully vaccinated.
I’m afraid you can wish for “a government that does the right thing for all concerned” until the cows come home. It’s not what we’ve got, it’s not what we’ve had for the last 5 years and it’s not what we’re going to have when we wake up tomorrow morning.
Whether you blame the people that voted the current government into power or blame the opposition for not mounting a credible alternative the result is the same. Enough people voted for this lot - for whatever reason - and here we all are.
The answer seems to be to absolutely look after yourself, whatever that takes, and yes - hope for the best!
Really isn’t any reason to be unless you have a serious underlying issue or aren’t fully vaccinated.
And live alone as a hermit. With no important work or family commitments. People worry about others, not just about themselves.
The answer seems to be to absolutely look after yourself
And others.
Well, we've shuffled the kids & clothes around and I've moved into Jnrs room for my 11 day isolation. I'll keep off the turbo for at least until after the weekend because I'm asthmatic also.
I am triple Jabbed.
Really isn’t any reason to be unless you have a serious underlying issue or aren’t fully vaccinated.
This is my view on things.
I don't go out much at the best of times bar running with a couple of people outside. I'm triple jabbed, work from home and am relatively fit.
If I get it, and all likelihood is that I will, then I'll do my time inside and deal with it.
I'm way passed being anxious about it.
Really isn’t any reason to be unless you have a serious underlying issue or aren’t fully vaccinated.
Indeed
We can 100% blame them for deliberately driving up test demand without ensuring supply.
We have pretty much the highest test capacity per capita in the world.
Kryton- hope you feel ok? Remember if you are symptom free by day 7 with 2 -ve LFTs then you are free again.
My experience as a boosted person was zero symptoms. Fingers crossed for you.
We have pretty much the highest test capacity per capita in the world.
Well, if our policy is to just "Let it Rip" with the most contagious variant yet, it isn't enough.
Bringing in a new policy that increases LFT usage 10fold, without increasing supply is pretty thick.
Our response has to be based on the likely seriousness of the wave which so far looks ok, but not without risk, not on test capacity. We are just going to have to make do with capacity we have, our positivity rate seems to be lower than most European countries
Our response has to be based on the likely seriousness of the wave which so far looks ok, but not without risk, not on test capacity. We are just going to have to make do with capacity we have, our positivity rate seems to be lower than most European countries
You're missing the point.
The government set rules and requirements for testing, without apparently thinking to check if the systems and resources they had put in place could cope with it
We are just going to have to make do with capacity we have, our positivity rate seems to be lower than most European countries
Whats the saying fail to prepare prepare to fail...
I’ll keep off the turbo for at least until after the weekend because I’m asthmatic also.
If you are remotely concerned about the effects of having covid I’m struggling to see why you’d even consider going on the turbo until you are well clear of it. Even if you feel ok, doing any kind of hard physical activity whilst you have covid is stupidity personified
Thats all well and good if you’ve done the appropriate preparation for that to shoulder all the burden.
Hang on, all that money that went to party friends wasn't spent on COVID prevention stuff?
We have pretty much the highest test capacity per capita in the world.
So what?
Other countries are using testing in conjunction with other measures. Our gang of imbeciles have decided they’re not going to bother with any of that nonsense, and rely purely on testing instead.
So if you’re going to do that, then it’s probably worth making sure you actually have the testing capacity to do that
Turns out we’ve nowhere near
So the whole thing breaks down
Who’d have thunk it?
We have pretty much the highest test capacity per capita in the world.
This "world beating" thing again. However, it's not a competition, and the virus will not just affect (say) Froggies because they have lower testing capacity than us.
(Slightly reminiscent of that old joke about "I don't have to run faster than a lion, just faster than you" except there are a whole load of lions chasing)
We are just going to have to make do with capacity we have, our positivity rate seems to be lower than most European countries
Or as it’s otherwise termed ‘cross your fingers and hope for the best’
That’s a cracking government policy in the middle of a pandemic, that!
They wanted herd immunity at the start. Looks like that’s where we’re going to end up. Not through design, but through sheer incompetence
Hoping someone more knowledgable than me can answer this:
TLDR; multiple positive LFTs but 2 negative PCRs, how can that happen?
Long version: Dec 22nd I do a routine LFT, no symptoms but I had a physio appointment that day. There is a faint positive line so I booked a PCR that day. 23rd, even fainter positive line, 24th there is still a line but it’s barely perceptible. PCR result comes back negative. 25th, LFT shows as slightly more positive than the previous day and I manage to book a PCR at a site in a different town. 26th, 2nd PCR comes back negative and I did two LFTs from different brands, both now negative. 29th, LFT shows a faint positive again so I phoned 119 who advised I ignore it as the PCR trumps it. I’ve done a postal PCR today so will get those results in a couple of days.
I had my booster on Dec 18th and did a bit of Christmas shopping that day, I’ve not done any socialising or been in the office since the beginning of December, so can’t have caught anything then. I had an eye test the week before my booster so that seems the only potential place I could have got it. Mrs Hareydan has also been testing consistently negative using the same batch of LFTs, and neither of us have had any symptoms or other illness during this time. So, anyone like to speculate how this is possible??
I’ve not done any socialising or been in the office since the beginning of December
Playing devils advocate, I've socialised to the max and not caught it - big night out in Notts a week or two before Xmas. Maybe my natural immunity has helped, seeing as I haven't had a single dose - did have covid last Christmas, which was not even as bad as a cold
Co-incidentally - the unvaxxed people I know, haven't caught it either, with the exception of my daughters boyfriend over this Christmas and he's fine. My daughter (21) now has it (one jab ages ago) and she's also fine. I've not seen her since she tested positive btw. Hugged/kissed her Xmas day morning though pre positive test
I've caught a couple of stinky colds in the last month or so though
My experience as a boosted person was zero symptoms. Fingers crossed for you.
Same for me and mine. Well, not quite zero, but markedly less than the average cold. I certainly wouldn't be on the turbo until well out of isolation though, just in case.
Playing devils advocate, I’ve socialised to the max and not caught it – big night out in Notts a week or two before Xmas. Maybe my natural immunity has helped, seeing as I haven’t had a single dose – did have covid last Christmas, which was not even as bad as a cold
Co-incidentally – the unvaxxed people I know, haven’t caught it either, with the exception of my daughters boyfriend over this Christmas and he’s fine. My daughter (21) now has it (one jab ages ago) and she’s also fine. I’ve not seen her since she tested positive btw. Hugged/kissed her Xmas day morning though pre positive test
I’ve caught a couple of stinky colds in the last month or so though
You know you can be asympomatic right? a lot of people are, or just experience mild cold/flu symptoms and shrug it off.
Reminds me of a really good quote(s) I saw today:
Let's do math. 100, 000 people get Delta, 1% ends up in the hospital. That's 1000 people. 500,000 people get Omicron, and .5% end up in the hospital. That's 2500 people. This is how maths works. Lots more numbers with less in hospital = more in hospital.
And also:
Both the vaccinated and unvaccinated can spread the virus
Both Serena Williams and I can play tennis
Are you sure your angle is that of 'Devils advocate' or simply that of sheer idiocy?
This “world beating” thing again. However, it’s not a competition, and the virus will not just affect (say) Froggies because they have lower testing capacity than us.
No but it is instructive as to how difficult planning for everything is - we take a lot for granted - there was a clip of Biden's Press Secretary being asked about the possibility of LFTS being provided by the Government free. She was completely bamboozled and said, to paraphrase, what madman would do such a thing.
No but it is instructive as to how difficult planning for everything is – we take a lot for granted – there was a clip of Biden’s Press Secretary being asked about the possibility of LFTS being provided by the Government free. She was completely bamboozled and said, to paraphrase, what madman would do such a thing.
Probably the wrong way to angle the question to an American - they don't even want to give free insulin to diabetics. Far too progressive and forward thinking, even for a 'democrat'.
there was a clip of Biden’s Press Secretary being asked about the possibility of LFTS being provided by the Government free. She was completely bamboozled and said, to paraphrase, what madman would do such a thing
Brilliant!
The obvious place to look for healthcare advice is the richest country in the world that still has no system of universal healthcare and people have to sell their homes to pay for medical treatment
Maybe when you’ve finished with that you could ask them for some advice on gun laws, pollution controls or nutritional and dietary standards. I heard they’re excellent with all that stuff too. Something we can all aspire to
Actually… are you Liz Truss?
The obvious place to look for healthcare advice is the richest country in the world that still has no system of universal healthcare and people have to sell their homes to pay for medical treatment
That's what happens when people throw their support behind a Democrat like Joe Biden, like you have binners.
Democrats like Bernie Sanders who have an unswerving commitment to universal healthcare are deserving of your scorn and ridicule, as you relish posting pictures which you perceive as mocking them :
singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sir-kier-starmer/page/134/#post-11854371
singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sir-kier-starmer/page/134/#post-11854371
No idea why the link has to be copied and pasted.
Actually… are you Liz Truss?
Or Dishy Rishy? he's been out to California for meetings with big american health insurance compaines.to get some ideas on pubic health strategy to sell off the NHS via the back door.
That’s what happens when people throw their support behind a Democrat like Joe Biden
Biden is basically like a tory in the uk, don't confuse USA 'democrats' with The UK liberal democrats. USA democrats are still very right wing, just not as extreme right wing as the republicans.
Biden is preferable to a republican administration, yes, but that's a far cry from saying he's a good president, or fighting the good fight.
Don't forget there's only 2 choices to vote for in the USA, the right wing democrats, or the extreme right republicans. Makes you think.
So I think we can all agree that pretty much the last place on earth we need to be looking to for advice when it comes to running a healthcare system during a pandemic is the good ol’ US of A
I'd say so.
I think a good analogy would be pet insurance in the uk, £3k for a CT scan. That's just the bill for the scan, not for triage & diagnosis, etc.
That should give you an idea of what to look forward to, if you can't afford or lapse in your private health insurance plan under an american system.
Are you sure your angle is that of ‘Devils advocate’ or simply that of sheer idiocy?
I've simply chosen not to spend 2 years (let's say lifespan of 80) circa 2.5% of my lifetime living in fear of a flu virus and not enjoying life as much as I can. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow.
I've read on here that people aren't scared, just cautious and conscientious. Seems like scared to me
