Sceptical

The Prime Minister's speech to the nation last night has left most people confused and uncertain

The Prime Minister's speech to the nation last night has left most people confused and uncertain. It is not at all clear what we can and can't do, although we are told more details can be expected this afternoon. Wouldn't it have made sense to have provided the details during last night's speech?

What Boris did seem to recognise is that failures to conduct enough tests or to provide NHS staff with sufficient PPE has hindered efforts to combat the virus.

We still have no clear idea how we will exit the lockdown; I am not at all sure if Boris has any idea either.

11th May 2020

#coronavirus #politics

Again one is left to ask if the remedy is proving worse than the disease

The Sunday Times reports today that as a consequence of the action taken to free up hospital capacity, an additional 1.3 million people have been added NHS waiting lists. How many cancer patients amongst this number will die because their treatment was delayed for too long?

Another tactic to free up capacity, and one that has had immediate consequences, saw 15,000 people returned to the community from 17th March. Many were transferred to care homes. Coronavirus is now sweeping through those homes, and the numbers of older people dying is shocking.

Again one is left to ask if the remedy is proving worse than the disease.

10th May 2020

#coronavirus

When should the lockdown end?

So when should the lockdown end? In a year, 2 years, 10 years, however long it takes for the vaccine to be discovered, manufactured and rolled out?

In the meantime what about the physical and mental health of those who lose their jobs as the economy crashes? What about those people who, upon discovering an unusual lump, decide not to get it checked out? Maybe they’re scared they might catch something at the hospital, and so instead succumb to cancer in the months that follow.

As a society have we become so risk averse, we won’t venture out “just in case”? Or is it that for the vast majority of people it is the first time they have had to face their own mortality?

Covid-19 is a nasty virus, but it cannot be allowed to shape our lives. Fear should not stop us living.

9th May 2020

#coronavirus

It is expected that tomorrow the government will announce a slight easing of the restrictions. Some have greeted the prospect with hysteria

The Office of National Statistics has, at the time of writing, recorded 33,021 people dying with covid-19 in the UK. What is not clear is how many of those 33,021 would have died this year anyway. To what extent has covid-19 actually increased the expected number of deaths?

It is expected that tomorrow the government will announce a slight easing of the restrictions. Some have greeted the prospect with hysteria. The stay home, stay safe mantra has certainly worked very well, probably too well, and for some the idea of venturing out terrifies them. We all need to take a moment to step back and consider the facts.

Useful data has been produced by Statista, which has collated details of covid related deaths by country per million inhabitants. As with all statistics one needs to approach the data with caution. To quote Statista;

This table aims to provide a complete picture on the topic, but it very much relies on data that has become more difficult to compare. As the coronavirus pandemic developed across the world, countries already used different methods to count fatalities, and they sometimes changed them during the course of the pandemic.

However, the UK is fourth on that table, with 460.45 deaths per million, a tiny proportion of the population. Contrast that with Sweden, lying 3 places below the UK in seventh. Sweden has been the exception in Europe and has not imposed anything like the drastic restrictions seen in the UK, and yet their death rate is 298.53 per million.

Why is it that Sweden, with its relaxed approach, has seen fewer deaths than the UK, Spain and Italy, where the populace in each of those countries was ordered to stay at home? Do the statistics suggest the lockdown has been a complete waste of time? Is the government propelling the economy into the worst depression for 300 years for no good reason?

We have to hope that when Boris Johnson speaks tomorrow he explains the thinking behind the decision to extend the lockdown, and why he thinks covid-19 remains a greater threat to the well being of country than the destruction of the economy.

8th May 2020

#coronavirus #politics

The lockdown is to be extended by another three weeks

It seems the lockdown is to be extended by another 3 weeks, although there is speculation the restrictions will be eased. After Sunday we might be able to sunbath, go for unlimited walks or out for picnics. No word yet as to whether we will be able to meet with loved ones.

The impression one gets when speaking with family and friends is the sense of growing frustration. At first the lockdown was quite exciting, something very different, an extended holiday for many. Now people just want to get on with their lives. Yes, there is a risk, but everyday life is spent trying to avoid an early grave. Wear face masks, maintain social distancing, wash your hands; if we take precautions, why can we not return to something approaching normality? There are some who for medical reasons will have to continue to self isolate, but there are enough of us volunteers that these people can be provided with all the practical care and assistance they require.

I can't wait for the restrictions to end. Life at home is relaxed, too relaxed, and there are only so many books you can read, only so many tasks around the house that need completing. In fact, I am doing less of either during the lockdown. A lethargy has set in, and doing any activity leaves one feeling tired. Afternoon naps are now part of my daily routine; it's something to do to pass the time I suppose.

Right, time for another cup of tea.

7th May 2020

#coronavirus

The bigger problem is the looming economic crisis

Neil Ferguson, the scientist behind the government’s decision to impose the lockdown, has resigned. It seems he has met with his lover on a number of occasions, ignoring his own advice to maintain social distance. He had little option but to stand down.

Meanwhile, the number of people dying with covid-19 has passed the 30,000 mark; the UK’s covid related death rate is now apparently second only to the United States. The media has gone into a frenzy, demanding to know why the figure is so high. What they don't appear to be asking is just how accurate are the figures produced by other countries? Can they be believed? What about other factors, such as population density, the average age and general health of the population pre-covid, whether the same strain of the virus is present in each country?

Mistakes have been made, but now is not the time to begin the inquest. That can wait; the bigger problem, and one which will crash down on society soon is the looming economic crisis. It is out of site, but is just over the horizon. It is coming. The government must concentrate on getting the country back to work before too many more businesses collapse and before we tip into the deepest of recessions.

6th May 2020

#coronavirus #politics

The longer the lockdown continues the worse will be the impact on the economy and society

The government will be making an announcement on Sunday, explaining their plans for easing the lockdown. Ahead of the announcement debates are raging in the media about whether now is the right time to ease the restrictions, what precautions should be taken, whether particular groups within society should continue to isolate.

The scientists are still unsure about how the virus spreads and what precautions are actually effective. What is clear however is that the longer the lockdown continues the worse will be the impact on the economy and society, on the general well being of us all. We have to get the country working again. If we don't, how many will lose their jobs? What will be the effect on the health of those suffering poverty and the lowering of living standards?

The lockdown has to end soon.

5th May 2020

#coronavirus #politics

The media are reporting on the possibility that the coronavirus emanated from a laboratory in Wuhan

Reports in the main stream media are working on the possibility that the coronavirus actually emanated from a laboratory in Wuhan.

According to an article in The Telegraph the Wuhan Institute of Virology identified the covid-19 virus. There is however mounting speculation that the virus was released either purposely or more likely by accident from that very same laboratory. The Chinese government is of course denying the allegations, but can they be believed?

They failed to warn the WHO of the true extent of the outbreak in December and January, and as you would expect of a totalitarian regime, they will not admit to failings at the Wuhan Institute. The virus will no doubt be followed by the continued spread of Chinese misinformation.

4th May 2020

#china #coronavirus

British Airways announced they will be making as many as 12,000 staff redundant

Pinch punch, first of the month! Welcome to the first day of May, a bright spring day but one overshadowed by the growing crisis. Yesterday, British Airways announced they will be making as many as 12,000 staff redundant. This was followed with Ryanair announcing they would be shedding 3,000 jobs.

The travel industry was always likely to be one of the hardest hit by the lockdown, but the numbers are still worrying. The economy will suffer badly and it will only get worse the longer the lockdown continues. I have read that Boris Johnson will in the next few days be announcing how the government plans to ease the restrictions, but I do not expect we will return to any kind of normality soon. Indeed, they will be watching Germany, where restrictions were eased recently, and where in some areas the numbers of those found to be infected with covid-19 is growing again. The government has a difficult balancing act to perform; trying to keep the number of cases under control while at the same time allowing the economy to function will not be easy.

Meanwhile in the US, Donald Trump says he has evidence that the virus was released from a laboratory in Wuhan in China. Is he flying a kite again, or does he really have any such evidence?

1st May 2020

#coronavirus #politics

In the UK we have no idea what will happen next

The death toll for those dying with covid-19 has now passed 20,000 in the UK. The figure does not include those who have died at home or in care homes, and there is speculation the true figure could in fact be closer to 40,000.

The government has also said that it would be irresponsible for them to explain the plans for exiting the lockdown. Do they think we're stupid, or is it the case they don't actually have one yet? It is frustrating that other countries are now carefully coming out of lockdown, but here in the UK we have no idea what will happen next. Perhaps matters will improve from tomorrow, with Boris Johnson's return to work.

26th April 2020

#coronavirus #politics