Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[flyingscot]

9 minutes ago, GiGi said:

I identify closely with this. I had.to admit to my boss recently that I was struggling badly working from home. I live alone, in a small flat and although I have a spare room with a desk, that's for my gaming stuff and for my personal time. I had to get a fold up desk to work in my living room to separate work from that.

But I've been feeling a lot of isolation and loneliness and as low me tally as I ever have done. Some days are a serious struggle to get my head on and get through a day's work. Other days it's a struggle to get out of bed at all and find any sense of self worth and motivation to work hard and better myself. 

Our office is opening again soon on a booking basis and I'll be taking that up at least once a week for my own good. 

Hope you're doing better, if you've been struggling might be worth a chat to the GP. As I said, I found going back to the office helped my focus massively and moved me from being 'at work all the time' and not leaving the house. 

We've been lucky as construction continued so technically our office could remain open but we had most staff WFH. However, we tried to let office based staff come in who were struggling at home for whatever reason, mental health, IT or workspace issues.

The overwhelming feeling from the staff survey is that people want to return to the office most days per week anyway, I just don't recognise the permanent WFH chat. It seems many companies are focusing on the £££ in not renting offices and various bits of equipment and staff working all hours cause of lockdown boredom. 

 

 

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, WATTOO said:

Quick question for our medical / science experts, I'm intending on going to Spain in a couple of weeks and just wondered if I should book the PCR or Antigen test for way back ?

There's only about £25 difference (27 euros v 54 Euros) between them but wondering if the "false positive" is more of a risk with the RAT test ??

Any ideas folks ?

Don't book anything now, by the time you're there you might not need one or the prices might have dropped.

[Honest_Man#1]

I’ve been in at least 3 days a week throughout, and quite like the balance. That being said I was allowed to park on site from the start of the pandemic even though there is no official parking space, which cut my commute from 45 mins to 15. They’ve now said they expect me to stop parking on site which would definitely push me to not come in as much. A 45 minute journey split across 2 buses every morning is fucking miserable.

[GiGi]

11 minutes ago, flyingscot said:

Hope you're doing better, if you've been struggling might be worth a chat to the GP. As I said, I found going back to the office helped my focus massively and moved me from being 'at work all the time' and not leaving the house. 

We've been lucky as construction continued so technically our office could remain open but we had most staff WFH. However, we tried to let office based staff come in who were struggling at home for whatever reason, mental health, IT or workspace issues.

The overwhelming feeling from the staff survey is that people want to return to the office most days per week anyway, I just don't recognise the permanent WFH chat. It seems many companies are focusing on the £££ in not renting offices and various bits of equipment and staff working all hours cause of lockdown boredom. 

I'm a wee bit at odds with my work that way, their surveys showed overwhelming support for 1 day or less a week in work. But in general I think the staff are quite middle class and all have proper office set ups in their study or outhouse etc. 

[Jacksgranda]

5 hours ago, super_carson said:

Not sure if this is true for everywhere or just where I am, but apparently schools can no longer make a parent get a PCR test for their child.  Even if they have symptoms, it's up to the parent whether or not they send them in and/or get a PCR test. 

 

Youngest step daughter tested positive and the youngsters aren't allowed back to school until they get a negative test.

As they were with us when their mum got her result, they're still here. Posted off their tests this morning,

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Don't book anything now, by the time you're there you might not need one or the prices might have dropped.

Inside info ??

[Rugster]

Still a mental amount of tests but decent reduction in positivity %

• 6,170 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 57,279 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
  • 11.5% of these were positive
• 9 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive
• 59 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 629 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,108,804 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 3,691,066 have received their second dose

[welshbairn]

8 minutes ago, WATTOO said:

Inside info ??

No, just that the rules change every week and the UK rules in particular are beginning to look ridiculous compared to other countries, especially for the fully vaccinated. Sunak will be pushing to fully open up the economy including tourism. I also expect the costs of tests to come right down with so many firms offering them and demand dropping, especially in Europe.

Edited September 1, 2021 by welshbairn

[vikingTON]

1 hour ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I was having a look at rail season ticket options. The flexible tickets don't seem to offer much, if any, saving. Anyone else tried it, because either I'm doing it wrong or it's a shite offer? I hope it's just the former.

They're a crock of shite and work out to be more expensive than the carnet (10 tickets for the price of 9, usable for a similar period of time) option that already existed.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

No, just that the rules change every week and the UK rules in particular are beginning to look ridiculous compared to other countries, especially for the fully vaccinated. Sunak will be pushing to fully open up the economy including tourism. I also expect the costs of tests to come right down with so many firms offering them and demand dropping, especially in Europe.

Yes, I see our PCR test dropped from £88 to £68 last week and potentially more to come now that they've opened up to the Private Sector.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Rugster said:

Still a mental amount of tests but decent reduction in positivity %

• 6,170 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 57,279 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results
  • 11.5% of these were positive
• 9 new reported death(s) of people who have tested positive
• 59 people were in intensive care yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 629 people were in hospital yesterday with recently confirmed COVID-19
• 4,108,804 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 3,691,066 have received their second dose

Good point, Scotland may have the highest covid rates, however what is our ratio of daily testing to population in relation to our Peers ??

[superbigal]

Daily Cases Update:  Day 27 in a row of our 4th wave of infections, case rises up a smaller 1.78%  to 733.1     I think tomorrows figures will be another rise but of less than 1%.   We may be hitting our natural but very high peak as world number 1.  That position is cemented until we see falls of 20%.   I think in the last cycle we fell for 31 days running so I am hoping this upwards cycle may only have 3-4 days to go.  Signs in Dunbartonshire that some councils may have already peaked albeit at mega high levels.

Fort William North still to be avoided at 2,098 cases per 100K.  

In Europe Switzerland rose 100% in a week but then levelled off.  Norway currently running hot up 85%.   France is dropping quickly and Spain & Portugal have dropped of my chart.  Holidays should be looking good.

Vaccine numbers below are grim.

Figures for Jags.  1st Vaccines 2,721 to 2,396 ,  2nd vaccines  12,720 to 10,305  

Total Cases Scotland 7 days 23rd August to 29th August were  39,370 now 40,071 up 1.78%, Positivity was 13.4% now 13.5%.  Cases per 100K were 720.3 now 733.1

Home Nations Daily update  :  UK Average  355.0 to 357.3 up 0.65%, England 315.2 to 312.9 down 0.73%, Wales 410.6 to 422.0 up 2.78%, Northern Ireland  615.3 to 610.3 down 0.81%

In Europe for travellers  Ireland  243.3 (Weekly change -3%),  Greece 204.1 (Weekly change -8%), Albania 204.1 (weekly change up 50%), Switzerland 202.6 (weekly change -1%),  Serbia 190.5 (weekly change up 43%), France 177.4 (Weekly change -20%), Norway 170.9 (weekly change up 85%), Bulgaria 154.6 (Weekly change up 16%)   These are still the only main countries over 150 cases per 100K   

Scotland peaks in Wave 3 at 425.1 for 27th June to 3rd July, (UK was 229.9) . Cases that day were 23,222 and positivity 10.8%

Scotland previously peaked in wave 2 at 301.9 for figures 29th Dec to 4th Jan, (UK was 642.1)    Cases that day were 16,496 and test positivity rate was 11.9%  

Council progress in last 24 Hours as follows.

Click cases by neighbourhood to see the spread on the geographical map. 
https://public.tableau.com/profile/phs.covid.19#!/vizhome/COVID-19DailyDashboard_15960160643010/Overview

North Lanarkshire   1227.4 to 1247.0   New table toppers

East Dunbartonshire   1229.4 to 1207.4  Down 1.79%   We shall see

Inverclyde   1104.3 to 1130.3 

West Dunbartonshire  1139.2 to 1128.6  Down 0.93%   We shall see 

Renfrewshire   1013.4 to 1046.9 

East Renfrewshire  998.3 to 1003.5  

South Lanarkshire  985.0 to 1001.5   

Glasgow City   947.4 to 963.5 

HUGE GAP

Argyll & Bute  760.9 to 756.2

North Ayrshire 733.7 to 744.1

BELOW AVERAGE

Clackmannanshire  725.3 to 719.4 

City Of Edinburgh   706.9 to 715.3 

Midlothian    676.3 to 678.5    

West Lothian   638.7 to 668.0 

Dundee City    641.0 to 665.2

Falkirk  642.1 to 648.4  

South Ayrshire   632.2 to 629.6

Dumfries & Galloway  629.8 to 627.8

East Ayrshire  605.3 to 613.5  

Stirling 587.8 to 605.9  

East Lothian  582.9 to 601.5   

Fife  547.1  to 565.3  

Highlands   505.0 to 531.4   

Scottish  Borders  437.3 to 426.5   

Aberdeenshire  395.7 to 413.0

Angus  384.2 to 399.8  

Aberdeen City  387.2 to 398.6  

Perth & Kinross  317.3 to 322.6

Shetland Islands   174.9 to 201.1   

Western Isles    200.0 to 192.5  

Moray  188.1 to 192.2  

Orkney Islands   40.2 to 58.0  

Edited September 1, 2021 by superbigal

[Have some faith in Magic]

6 minutes ago, WATTOO said:

Good point, Scotland may have the highest covid rates, however what is our ratio of daily testing to population in relation to our Peers ??

That would be the equivalent of 3.3m tests a day in America. They did 900k.

This site is useful. 

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/full-list-covid-19-tests-per-day

 

[superbigal]

16 minutes ago, WATTOO said:

Good point, Scotland may have the highest covid rates, however what is our ratio of daily testing to population in relation to our Peers ??

No go as a UK comparison i'm afraid as England conducting over half a million tests every day.

Edited September 1, 2021 by superbigal

[scottsdad]

5.5 million adults in Scotland. If we all did as Jason Leitch says and tested ourselves twice a week even without symptoms, we'd be doing almost 1.6 million tests a day. 

Who, aside from test kit manufacturers, think this is worthwhile?

[Left Back]

1 minute ago, scottsdad said:

5.5 million adults in Scotland. If we all did as Jason Leitch says and tested ourselves twice a week even without symptoms, we'd be doing almost 1.6 million tests a day. 

Who, aside from test kit manufacturers, think this is worthwhile?

Jason Leitch.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

1 hour ago, GiGi said:

I identify closely with this. I had to admit to my boss recently that I was struggling badly working from home. I live alone, in a small flat and although I have a spare room with a desk, that's for my gaming stuff and for my personal time. I had to get a fold up desk to work in my living room to separate work from that.

But I've been feeling a lot of isolation and loneliness and as low mentally as I ever have done. Some days are a serious struggle to get my head on and get through a day's work. Other days it's a struggle to get out of bed at all and find any sense of self worth and motivation to work hard and better myself. 

Our office is opening again soon on a booking basis and I'll be taking that up at least once a week for my own good. 

I hope youre alright bud, its been a shit 18 months and I can see the impact its having on folks all over, along with the corona virus there is a mental health pandemic too. I dont know if you maybe have a gym membership or whatever but sometimes if im having a day where i cba I find forcing myself to go for a swim or a shot on the cross trainer etc helps put me in a better mood? Not for everyone granted. 
I hope you get somewhere with the appointment you mentioned and things start to get better for you. 
sometimes talking about things with people going through the same can be helpful? https://www.timeoutscotland.org.uk

[GiGi]

6 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

I hope youre alright bud, its been a shit 18 months and I can see the impact its having on folks all over, along with the corona virus there is a mental health pandemic too. I dont know if you maybe have a gym membership or whatever but sometimes if im having a day where i cba I find forcing myself to go for a swim or a shot on the cross trainer etc helps put me in a better mood? Not for everyone granted. 
I hope you get somewhere with the appointment you mentioned and things start to get better for you. 
sometimes talking about things with people going through the same can be helpful? https://www.timeoutscotland.org.uk

Thanks for this. I've been at the gym a fair bit over the last few months and it's no surprise the lowest days come when I've not been as strict with my routine. But I am generally at the gym 2-3 times a week with a game of 5s and or 7s thrown in. 

[Sergeant Wilson]

34 minutes ago, virginton said:

They're a crock of shite and work out to be more expensive than the carnet (10 tickets for the price of 9, usable for a similar period of time) option that already existed.

That's  the conclusion I arrived at but really thought I was being thick rather than such a bare faced con.

[Suspect Device]

2 hours ago, craigkillie said:

It certainly suggests they should maybe try finding somewhere else to work, though I appreciate that's not possible for everyone.

I get the feeling that they'd find that the people at the new work were just as bad. I might suggest that it's not the other people that are the problem.