Thanks TiRed.

I’m just a scientist that likes to understand things, it’s in the nature to read and wonder. Great to have someone who actually knows stuff here!

RLFT’s have run out at my local pharmacy. What a joke!

I feel like I have a light cold right now. Gotta work later today.

RLFT’s have run out at my local pharmacy. What a joke!

Same here, I’ve just managed to order some online though and hopefully they arrive before Christmas although I have my doubts. I have one last test that I’m saving for when I go back to see my family.

Can’t think of many times where it would be worse for there to be a shortage of tests..

Just been chatting to a well connected teacher friend. She’s heard from someone in our glorious ruling party that lockdown will probably be Monday onwards and schools are expected to return on time.

Main issue with schools is staffing – she’s fairly senior and can’t find agency staff at all. Same as with the fire brigade and ambulance – lack of staff may mean no sporting events due to no cover.

I went to 6 local pharmacies on Saturday morning trying to find some lfts as both kids coming home from uni. Nowhere had any. Got a code via online to enable collection. Pointless if no stock. In the end my son got some from a drop in place in the city centre and my wife has ordered some more for delivery. I think we have enough for 2 more each before Xmas…

Indeed, it’s somewhat misleading to be issued a code for something that doesn’t exist.

Main issue with schools is staffing

Same here in primary care, we could do with some locum cover, but the chances of getting any are NIL.

We got some lft’s on Monday. They hadn’t set the stall up in the town centre this time and just had a bloke with a sign and a few boxes on a trolley giving them out. They are official thankfully, no fakes

Meanwhile up to one in five folks are swanning about with covid and no symptoms ?

Meanwhile up to one in five folks are swanning about with covid and no symptoms ?

20% of the population have Covid, or 1 in 5 people with Covid have no symptoms – used to be 1 in 3 iirc?

I went to 6 local pharmacies on Saturday morning trying to find some lfts as both kids coming home from uni.

That’s ironic because universities have tons of them – they could have brought a load back! If there’s a uni local to you, you might be able to get hold of some.

I work for a uni – went to campus yesterday, picked up two boxes of LFTs. On local radio here they’re advising you to go to ‘local pharmacies or a university’, so it seems to be open to all.

Yeah in the end daughter had brought back a full box plus 4 spare. This wild goose chase was before we collected her from the station though, so I was unaware. She didn’t say cos she thought she might’ve forgot to pack them… Son had two odd ones left in his room to add to the stash.
They certainly have better access to them than the rest of the population. Including their parents that work in the nhs…

Same here in primary care, we could do with some locum cover, but the chances of getting any are NIL.

But but but the government made a song and dance about extra funding… a winter access fund no less… how has that not done the trick?🙄

Is covid likely to settle into a similar Northern/Southern hemisphere cycle as flu? AIUI one of the reasons we have effective flu vaccines is because data from one hemispheres flu season can be used to prepare the jab for the other side, but covid variants seem to move around the world much faster at the moment

Just ordered a box of LFT’s on the government website, no issues at all.

In related news, my wife has had a raging headache, runny nose and general lethargy for the last 2 days. 2 LFT’s and a PCR are all negative so it seems you can still just get a nasty cold even in Covid times.

Just ordered a box of LFT’s on the government website, no issues at all

Out of interest where are you? Locally it seems to be on permanent no delivery slots available (too late anyway four out of five of the family now have it).
On the positive side they have just reopened a drive through testing center locally which does away with the two forty mile round trips we made earlier in the week to get tested easier

lunge
Full Member
Just ordered a box of LFT’s on the government website, no issues at all.

In related news, my wife has had a raging headache, runny nose and general lethargy for the last 2 days. 2 LFT’s and a PCR are all negative so it seems you can still just get a nasty cold even in Covid times.

I though that for the first 2 days, tested positive on day 3. I’d keep on with the LFTs for a day or 2 yet, just to be sure.

Is covid likely to settle into a similar Northern/Southern hemisphere cycle as flu?

I would suspect not, flu is less infectious so needs the proximity and indoor occupancy in winter. Covid seems to manage without this. That being said i am sure that we will see peaks of infection in winter the same as flu. But I would think we will see an underlying level of infection year round unlike flu where it pretty much disappears in the warmer months

Ordered ≠ received

😀

Just wandered into a local chemists and picked up a box of lfts. The one next to the surgery had its usual queue of a dozen people waiting to get in to collect their prescriptions, the next one was busy and no lfts left but expecting a delivery tonight. Drove 2 miles walked into an empty chemists shop and they had a big box full waiting to be handed out. Just luck of the draw.

Cases in Scotland have been increasing for around a month now, with barely any change in hospital admissions. Admittedly the first part of the case increase was largely delta, but Omicron must be largely responsible for the last couple of weeks. Tentatively this has to be good news…. ?

I think other regions showing something similar, it’s just the travelling tabby site for scotland was the best one I could find showing cases and admissions on the same chart..

It’s important to note that the graph only shows data up to 16th December.

Here’s the same for the UK as a whole.

It’s important to note that the graph only shows data up to 16th December.

Thanks, I hadn’t clocked that, some of the other charts on the site are updated daily. Looks fairly stable over last few days too.

It’s the rolling 7-day average – hence the delay. The Admissions/Deaths figures are one day behind Cases too.

Admissions are definitely not following cases like in Jan, but I think it will be some time next week when we will be able to tell for definite.

Admissions are definitely not following cases like in Jan, but I think it will be some time next week when we will be able to tell for definite.

It’s that two week lag between infection and admission that is making this so hard to call at this stage. You’d hope previous experience would be pushing people more towards caution.

More tentatively positive news.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59758784

Why is London’s vaccination rate so low?

If London survives I suppose it bodes well for the rest of us.

Why is London’s vaccination rate so low?

If London survives I suppose it bodes well for the rest of us.

lots of reasons i think. More diverse population some of which don’t trust the vaccine, younger population who think covid isn’t really an issue for them, lower paid workers who can’t get time off, could be anything. I heard its 1 in 3 don’t have the vaccine here which is staggering.

I think its way worse than it was in the very start i know so many people with it now and everyone has got it just living their life. Not like they been raving and licking lamp posts

One of the excuses given for London is that many folk have left the area and are still registered there.

My girlfriend and I are having cold like symptoms. Booked a PCR for tomorrow but LFTs have been negative. Thankfully we got some delivered at the weekend.

Can you book a PCR just because you have a cold? The 3 qualifying symptoms on the website were quite specific.

London and the north west have both shown an upturn in hospitalisations that are following cases. Other regions and nations have not done so (yet). Another few days and no sign will be good news. There is some evidence that the ratio of cases to hospitalisations is widening which would implicate boosters. A fall of a third is not very large in the scheme of things. A fall of three quarters was noted for the effects of vaccination on delta.

Also the age range for omicron is older because we have had a wave of delta that infected and hence protected children.

In other covid news….

blue line: daily COVID cases in the USA

red line: bad reviews of Yankee Candles on Amazon saying "they don't have any scent"

sources: google and https://t.co/oZm6ro0E1S pic.twitter.com/8U2XkH0RT4

— eleanor (@zornsllama) December 22, 2021

That’s fascinating. I wonder what other smell related data also correlates?

Gas leak call outs?

Another few days and no sign will be good news.

Yeah, fingers and toes crossed here for a few more days where we don’t see that upsurge in hospitalisations.

20 months on and I still have no smell. No burning, no gas, no cigarette smoke, no BO, no dog poo, no off food, no lemon, orange, bleach. And no Yankee candle smells either.

What i would have given to not have a sense of smell during a night ride last week. Bloody dog egg, at least i knew i was covid clear

no Yankee candle smells either.

Finally, an upside !

Folks help me out with this one.

We’re travelling up to Scotland tomorrow to stay with my family until boxing day. We’re then travelling back down to oxford to stay with my wifes family.

I’ve asked the Scottish branch to LFT before we arrive as my wifes family are pretty elderly, so we want to mitigate risk as much as possible before travelling back down on boxing day.

Here’s the crux of the matter.

My sister in law says they don’t need to and won’t take an LFT unless they get new symptoms because they had COVID in November and its less than 90 days ago. She’s a teacher and thats the guidelines she’s been told to follow.

Why do you have to have 2 negative LFT to reduce your isolation but shouldn’t LFT within 90 days of having covid?

Is it unreasonable of me to INSIST they take them?