Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

14 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

They also seem to be making no effort to get catering trolleys back on trains, despite their being no reason for them not to have them now. I imagine the complete alcohol ban will stealthily become permanent as well. As someone who is making a return trip to Brora on the train next weekend, I am particularly aggrieved!

Stagecoach also appear to be making zero effort to restore anywhere near approaching full service. Their previously awful evening and Sunday services in the Highlands are now non-existent. The last bus to Dingwall from Inverness leaves at 4.55pm on a Sunday.

It's virtually impossible to move around Scotland by public transport on a Sunday.

A lack of Scotrail services, together with their strike action, with the added on fact that bus companies still seem to believe that nobody in Scotland travels before 10.00 or after 19.00 on a Sunday, means that logistically Scotland is 60 years behind the rest of the western world when it comes to public transport. 

It's a disgrace, and Covid is giving these arrogant, inward looking fuckers another excuse to give Scots 4th world services.

 

[Lyle Lanley]

34 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

They also seem to be making no effort to get catering trolleys back on trains, despite their being no reason for them not to have them now. I imagine the complete alcohol ban will stealthily become permanent as well. As someone who is making a return trip to Brora on the train next weekend, I am particularly aggrieved!

Stagecoach also appear to be making zero effort to restore anywhere near approaching full service. Their previously awful evening and Sunday services in the Highlands are now non-existent. The last bus to Dingwall from Inverness leaves at 4.55pm on a Sunday.

Some rules that were made due to covid will become permanent. No chance SG will let things like Alcohol on transport happen again and use Covid as excuse to make it permanent. 

[101]

1 minute ago, Lyle Lanley said:

Some rules that were made due to covid will become permanent. No chance SG will let things like Alcohol on transport happen again and use Covid as excuse to make it permanent. 

You can drink on planes and Avanti and LNER services in Scotland it's operators now, not government intervention thankfully.

[Rugster]

4 minutes ago, Lyle Lanley said:

Some rules that were made due to covid will become permanent. No chance SG will let things like Alcohol on transport happen again and use Covid as excuse to make it permanent. 

The government didn’t ban alcohol on transport. It was the operators. 

[PedroMoutinho]

4 minutes ago, Rugster said:

The government didn’t ban alcohol on transport. It was the operators. 

Technically that’s the case but the SG is effectively funding scotrail at the moment so it’s really them making these decisions.

[Elixir]

The co-founder of YouGov and Na***** Zahawi's mate seems to be liking the cut of Switzerland's jib... where the WEF is based.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

2 hours ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Perhaps it is, even before the ‘avoid isolation’ stuff there was still mad numbers with only a 5% positive rate etc too. Genuinely seems like a lot of knicker wetting from some and then others who maybe just like being poked in various holes for all manner of reasons. Im not here to kink shame, id just like to understand. 

It's got a lot to do with the fact that tests beget tests.

If someone close tests positive, then all household members need to isolate until they've had clear PCR tests of their own. 

I doubt if many are doing this for thrills given that it's a pretty unpleasant experience.  A lot of people just couldn't ignore the rules due to the nature of their employer.

[Thereisalight..]

4 hours ago, Snafu said:

I see the French Government have their police force doing spot checks on the doors at venues such as cinemas, concerts and restaurants to make sure those entering have  the correct info on their 'health passes'.

Our own Governments wouldn't do that to us would they?

 

Of course they would. 

Health passes are fcking stupid. It's clear double vaccinated people are still getting covid so being double dosed doesnt guarantee being immune. Heck even the SG are putting adverts in the papers saying being double dosed doesnt mean you wont catch or spread it. At best health passes are virtue signalling being seen to be doing something pish, and sinister at worst 

[Thereisalight..]

2 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said:

It's virtually impossible to move around Scotland by public transport on a Sunday.

A lack of Scotrail services, together with their strike action, with the added on fact that bus companies still seem to believe that nobody in Scotland travels before 10.00 or after 19.00 on a Sunday, means that logistically Scotland is 60 years behind the rest of the western world when it comes to public transport. 

It's a disgrace, and Covid is giving these arrogant, inward looking fuckers another excuse to give Scots 4th world services.

 

Got to agree with this. It's an utter riddy that the subway only runs until 6pm on a Sunday in Glasgow. Fair enough hicksville Ayrshire having about 4 trains a day on a Sunday but a city like Glasgow closing down at 6pm is an embarrassment 

[anotherchance]

4 minutes ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Got to agree with this. It's an utter riddy that the subway only runs until 6pm on a Sunday in Glasgow. Fair enough hicksville Ayrshire having about 4 trains a day on a Sunday but a city like Glasgow closing down at 6pm is an embarrassment 

I’ve always said that the problem with The Famous getting early Sunday kick offs in Glasgow isn’t the early rise in itself - most people get up at that time for work without complaint but somehow a semi final is a chore - but the fact that trains don’t come into Glasgow before the game kicks off. That’s the fault of the shitey public transport network rather than the SFA.

Saying all that, my teuchter mind was blown when I first moved to Glasgow and discovered the city wide train network. 

[Wee Bully]

9 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

The majority of cases are in the age groups with the lowest vaccination rates, though.

There's no doubt that easing restrictions will lead to increased exposure, but the cases are not being spread evenly.

The vaccines appear to quite clearly limit the infection risk, and a combination of piss poor messaging and slow roll out to younger people is a major factor in these increases.

How do we know this is the case?

Because we are testing people.  The testing shows we shouldn’t panic, and the government isn’t.  But some people think we shouldn’t be testing at all - presumably because evidence is just an inconvenience when you are absolutely certain you are right.   

[Billy Jean King]

The majority of cases are in the age groups with the lowest vaccination rates, though.
There's no doubt that easing restrictions will lead to increased exposure, but the cases are not being spread evenly.
The vaccines appear to quite clearly limit the infection risk, and a combination of piss poor messaging and slow roll out to younger people is a major factor in these increases.

45-64 had the 2nd most infections on the graphs posted and 25-44 1st. Working age ie out and mixing daily is the key driver right now whether that be at work, travelling to / from work or socially as the vast majority in those age groups are double dunted. I think the reduction in transmission in fully vaccinated isn't as obvious in the actual numbers as is claimed. It's reduction in serious illness and death is unquestionably though.

[scottsdad]

1 hour ago, Wee Bully said:

How do we know this is the case?

Because we are testing people.  The testing shows we shouldn’t panic, and the government isn’t.  But some people think we shouldn’t be testing at all - presumably because evidence is just an inconvenience when you are absolutely certain you are right.   

You can say @oaksoft.  Say it three times and he will appear. 

[The Moonster]

7 hours ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Heck even the SG are putting adverts in the papers saying being double dosed doesnt mean you wont catch or spread it.  

What's wrong with this? That is entirely true. 

[Michael W]

We really need to move away from the "you can still get it!!!" stuff. Vaccinated or not, we are all going to get it at some point. 

What's important is that infections amongst the 65+ age groups remain low. Now, the 45-64 group should also be fully vaccinated yet is seeing a pretty high rate of infection. Is this because stronger immunity takes more than the fabled two weeks after the second jab? Is it because they have much more contacts generally than the older cohorts, being of working age? 

Hospitalisations and deaths are the other key metrics and the vaccines have demonstrated their worth here over the past couple of months. One of the key reasons for this is of course that infections amongst older age groups have remained lower. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by Michael W

[The Moonster]

10 minutes ago, Michael W said:

We really need to move away from the "you can still get it!!!" stuff. Vaccinated or not, we are all going to get it at some point. 

What's important is that infections amongst the 65+ age groups remain low. Now, the 45-64 group should also be fully vaccinated yet is seeing a pretty high rate of infection. Is this because stronger immunity takes more than the fabled two weeks after the second jab? Is it because they have much more contacts generally than the older cohorts, being of working age? 

Hospitalisations and deaths are the other key metrics and the vaccines have demonstrated their worth here over the past couple of months. One of the key reasons for this is of course that infections amongst older age groups have remained lower. 

We shouldn't be putting fear into people saying they might still die from it after vaccination - there is obviously a chance of that but you'd be pretty unlucky to be fully vaccinated and die from this. But you need to be truthful in your messaging. I don't see an issue with an advert telling folk that vaccines are doing their job but people still need to be aware there's a risk. I'm not concerned about a rise in cases any more, I agree that is inevitable. 

[Honest_Man#1]

5 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

We shouldn't be putting fear into people saying they might still die from it after vaccination - there is obviously a chance of that but you'd be pretty unlucky to be fully vaccinated and die from this. But you need to be truthful in your messaging. I don't see an issue with an advert telling folk that vaccines are doing their job but people still need to be aware there's a risk. I'm not concerned about a rise in cases any more, I agree that is inevitable. 

I suppose though at what point do you stop with this messaging, because as you say it will be here forever and realistically everyone will get it. Unless we just have adverts warning of the risks of Covid forever, which seems like overkill.

[Michael W]

8 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

We shouldn't be putting fear into people saying they might still die from it after vaccination - there is obviously a chance of that but you'd be pretty unlucky to be fully vaccinated and die from this. But you need to be truthful in your messaging. I don't see an issue with an advert telling folk that vaccines are doing their job but people still need to be aware there's a risk. I'm not concerned about a rise in cases any more, I agree that is inevitable. 

It's a tough one to get right. I think we have probably oversold the vaccines on grounds of efficacy against infection (bearing in mind there were numbers of restrictions in place when the trials were undertaken) and I fear we're starting to get to a point where some are wondering why to bother if they'll still get the virus. That's a poor way of looking at it IMO, but it is a perception that has been seized on by the usual groups. 

We absolutely should be showing the reductions in hospitalisations and deaths as a result of the vaccines and shouting about them. Probably tough in terms of increasing uptake when the vast majority of non-vaccinated now are younger cohorts who are many multiples less likely to get seriously ill, but that's the real benefit. And if we can show reduced transmission too, which the vaccines have contributed to - see the oldest age groups who aren't getting it in large numbers. 

[Elixir]

2 hours ago, Wee Bully said:

How do we know this is the case?

Because we are testing people.  The testing shows we shouldn’t panic, and the government isn’t.  But some people think we shouldn’t be testing at all - presumably because evidence is just an inconvenience when you are absolutely certain you are right.   

Err, again, how do we know this for any other respiratory infection?

Because it is restricted only to those who actually need it in healthcare settings.

[NotThePars]

I’m losing my mind. Is this a bit and I’ve been whooshed?