Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Bairnardo]

We are not asking you to change your plans…. We are just asking you don’t go outside and socialise with people
 

No one will be first footing you anyway John, because you are a catastrophically bald arsehole.

[sparky88]

3 hours ago, renton said:

Not like Sarwar could take a position that contradicts Drakeford, or indeed Starmer.

I mean, it's democratic alright. Starmer opposes Johnson which causes Sarwar to agree with Sturgeon, all of whom are in opposition to the Tory right, and everyone waiting for Johnson to jump one way or the other.

Meanwhile, if cases continue to plateu or even fall then governments at every level will claim it was the increased boosters, and/or the interventions that have already hamstrung hospitality, or if they go down after Boxing day they will point to the increased restrictions then and/or Boosters or if they keep going up into January then it will be proof restriction should have gone further when Sturgeon called for them.

Basically, all bases are covered.

It's absolutely vital that we at least attempt to work out if restrictions work/ which restrictions work. Lockdown is an effective but very blunt tool. Any further lockdowns for COVID or anything else should be more sophisticated than just shutting everything.

[Michael W]

Wish Swinney would limit his public statements.

[effeffsee_the2nd]

4 minutes ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

Great little piece from Nigel Farage tonight.

Anyway, why not join us.

You know it makes sense.

Not got much time for them or their views generally, especially since my partner is one of them foreignery types .

I'm just surprised that the so called liberal left are screaming for their government to impose draconian restrictions on their own life,  then again all sides have hypocrisy when it comes to what should and shouldn't be allowed. the right (especially the religious part) want to restrict sex drugs and rocknroll or anything else fun & debauched   . the left want to restrict access to firearms and the ability for individuals to gamble with their own money.  there are many other examples which i can't be arsed going into but you get the point that , generally, when people talk about restrictions on anything, they're referring to something that will likely only affect other people not themselves.

[pozbaird]

2020 - lavvy roll, pasta, tins of tomato pomodoro, tinned foods, bevvy.

2021 - just the bevvy this time.

 

We’ve moved on. It’s all good.

[101]

12 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

I see Israel have announced a 4th dose to be rolled out for all over 60s. Where does this end ?

It ends with vaccines with multiple types of Covid in it like the flu vaccine.

Or a concerted effort to vaccine round the world rather than just the developed west.

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

Wish Swinney would limit his public statements.

He's starting a new streaming service.

[deegee]

Way I have seen these past few weeks are that the variant was an ideal opportunity for Boris to deflect from all his current woes and internal squabbles, which Ironically have only got worse due to backbenchers pushing back from his new restrictions.

It was obvious, based on the past two years and party political agendas, that Drakeford and Sturgeon were going to go “DEFCON 1” and go further and deeper, just to oppose anything the Torys were doing. This has resulted in total heads gone everywhere, with no-one seemingly willing to read the room and listen to clear scientific and medical facts, that this strain is weaker in terms of serious illness and death. It’s this blinkered defiance that will either make or break all sides in this shitshow.

For whatever reason, there seems no dissent from other parties; possibly due to intertwined London based policies eg Starmer would also go deeper, just to point score versus Boris, presumably as he doesn’t have his own internal- party issues and troubles to seek. Hence Labour in Scotland tie the line. 
 

The most important post I read here today, sadly lost among the 30 pages that followed was by poster @Frank Grimes..

Since Omnicrom was detected in UK (Nov 27th)- 7 Omnicrom deaths, average age 83

Same timescale- 239 male suicides; 70% aged between 25-44 years old.

I would suggest the Governments ought to look at that sobering fact, the next time they get up on their soapbox.

[Thereisalight..]

1 hour ago, Meldrew said:

Mental Health is nothing but an overused buzzword and Tesco will always need shelf stackers

I've saw some posts on this thread lacking empathy, but this may top the lot. A hideous statement to make when so many people are struggling with no end to this in sight. You've had people having to see loved ones through a care home window, folk not being able to say goodbye to family/friends either at hospital or at funerals, people like me who lost my Dad the month before the first lockdown struggling to grieve properly, Operations cancelled, job loses etc etc. Yet you think mental health is a buzzword? All I can say is you should thank your lucky stars you've never had to suffer from the likes of depression and anxiety. Tosser

[Billy Jean King]

It ends with vaccines with multiple types of Covid in it like the flu vaccine.
Or a concerted effort to vaccine round the world rather than just the developed west.

Years then [emoji31]

[alta-pete]

12 minutes ago, Michael W said:

Wish Swinney would limit his public statements.

Think he does what she tells him to do tbf. Not his fault. 

[anotherchance]

9 minutes ago, Todd_is_God said:

We also had the rather odd dismissal of anything Sweden because "population density" which ignored the fact that Sweden, whilst quite big, has cities just like here, and most people tend to live in them.

It's absolutely confirmation bias. Anything which does not show the outcome you want it to must be discredited rather than considered.

Remember for these people it is always the data that must be wrong, never them.

Our esteemed leader headlined the Denmark data during last week’s lecture, downplayed the more positive data from SA. Then the Denmark data turned out to be more positive, so that got shredded, so now she’s sticking with the old favourite “we just don’t know!!!!” while ignoring everything that doesn’t fit.

Genuinely do prefer to give the benefit of the doubt when I can, but it’s shite, shite behaviour and I’m heartened to see it being called out en masse online from reasonable types - although would rather see it transfer into real life questioning on the real life data from SA and elsewhere.

[deegee]

Just now, alta-pete said:

Think he does what she tells him to do tbf. Not his fault. 

Sometimes it’s the small petty things that get on your nerves. I for no rational reason get mad with the way him and Sturgeon strut into Holyrood. The “piece to camera” always has him looking like a droopy- shouldered, glaikit henpecked type, walking a couple paces behind her and trying to keep up, both in masks and clutching folders across their bodies like church elders about to read a sermon from the pulpit.

No sense to it, but that scene on the news always infuriates me lol.

[Left Back]

First time I’ve seen this in the MSM.  Chief leader writer from the Observer on the press preview on Sky News calling out that the data is looking more positive than the doomsday scenario being portrayed.

ETA guy from the Telegraph saying similar.

Edited December 21, 2021 by Left Back

[101]

5 minutes ago, Billy Jean King said:

Years then

The Pfizer pill will help, Omicron will help in the long term although hope less developed health services can cope and Whitty was confident about a mixed vaccine being rolled out next winter.

Only thing worth keeping an eye on is countries entry requirements as countries are no doubt going to be asking for different stuff, was it Croatia that wanted travelers to have a dose or boaster within 6 months of arrival something like that anyway. But hopefully things calm down in the medium term!

[Todd_is_God]

1 hour ago, Elixir said:

Sturgeon and Drakeford are going to look like the tinpot clowns they are.

 

To circle back to this for a moment...

The most interesting part of this chart is not the likely peak of cases, but how hospital growth has stagnated.

If London hospitalisations not soaring really is the metric that will stop any additional restrictions coming in in England, it seems more likely than not that no restrictions will be needed.

Afterall, whilst you can hypothesise that cases peaked around the 15th because people may be less reluctant to get tested and miss Christmas, that simply does not apply to hospitalisation in England as you'd be tested.

That the 15th is 10 days before Christmas is a convenient coincidence for the "we just don't know" brigade.

[Thorongil]

Is Boris has played Sturgeon here I don’t think even Thomas Kinkade could paint Sturgeon in a positive light. 
What an idiot.

[Thorongil]

Has Meldrew been emptied? He’s a sad wee character.

[Hedgecutter]

2 minutes ago, Thorongil said:

Has Meldrew been emptied?

I can believe it.

[anotherchance]

1 minute ago, Thorongil said:

Is Boris has played Sturgeon here I don’t think even Thomas Kinkade could paint Sturgeon in a positive light. 
What an idiot.

It gives her the opportunity to play the victim, and it doesn’t need to be like that - she could call his bluff just as easily.

At the moment I’d even accept a change from cautious to balanced. It’s really the minimum we should expect from any leader in the post vaccine world.