Coronavirus

[tom_widdows]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/11/reveal-cost-of-35m-unusable-covid-19-tests-health-chiefs-told

 

Senior health officials are facing demands to reveal how much has been spent on millions of inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests, after it emerged that payments had been guaranteed even if the kits failed to work.

 

Public Health England is also being asked todisclose which companies the tests came from and why payment was not made contingent on the tests proving accurate. A formal request for the details is being made in a letter by Greg Clark, the former Conservative cabinet minister and chair of the Commons science and technology committee.

 

Britain ordered at least 3.5 million of the antibody home-testing kits, which are designed to detect whether someone has had coronavirus. The UK government talked up the potential of the tests last month, with Boris Johnson heralding them as a “game-changer” that could give individuals a “green light” to go back to work. Health chiefs said kits could be made available through Amazon and Boots once they had been proved to work. However, all the versions of the tests proved to be too inaccurate to be used.

 

Scientists have discovered that although the tests can show that a person has been infected with a coronavirus, they cannot adequately differentiate between the virus that is causing the current Covid-19 outbreak and other types of coronavirus –which just cause colds. They found that a range of devices all produced far too many false positives.

 

The Chris Grayling school of politics strikes again 

[rocket_scientist]

Here we go again...

 

[tom_widdows]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/12/uk-insurers-face-legal-action-from-small-firms-over-covid-19-claims

 

Although several large insurers including Axa, Aviva and Allianz do not provide cover, some insurers, most notably Hiscox, sold policies before Covid-19 hit the headlines, stateing they will pay out where a business was forced to shut due to a notifiable disease.

 

Hiscox said: “We understand that these are incredibly difficult times for businesses affected by Covid-19. At Hiscox we strive to pay claims that are covered by the policies fairly and quickly.

 

“However, general business interruption policies across the industry, including Hiscox’s, were not designed to cover these extraordinary circumstances. Like terrorism and flood, which have government-backed insurance schemes, pandemics like coronavirus are simply too large and too systemic for private insurers to cover,” it added.

 

This will be interesting and maybe (should we actually survive this virus malarky) could lead to a serious overhaul of the Insurance industry which I reckon has been a long time coming.

 

[rocket_scientist]

In my opinion, Aiatair Campbell has been the best voice on Twitter over the last week.

 

Frankie Boyle has nailed it of course, Piers Morgan gets too excited in his attempts to "hold the government to account" and whilst there are millions of us out there who see the utter evil incompetence of the "leadership", the measured and structured intelligent observations and criticisms that the old Labour spin doctor delivers are second to none.

[rocket_scientist]

Although I am starting to wonder if Peter Hitchens has been right all along.

[Jute]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/12/uk-insurers-face-legal-action-from-small-firms-over-covid-19-claims

 

This will be interesting and maybe (should we actually survive this virus malarky) could lead to a serious overhaul of the Insurance industry which I reckon has been a long time coming.

 

Hiscox are not an insurer I deal with much so don’t know how their policy is worded but in general most of the business interruption covers that do have an infectious diseases extension to their wordings (a lot don’t) are pretty limited in what diseases they would cover (Allianz policy specifically excludes SARS Coronavirus which the current virus is related too for example) and the circumstances under which they will respond. Even those that have a wide enough wording to respond usually require there to be an outbreak at the premises and will be sub limited with a short indemnity period. Can see there being some very lengthy legal battles over this.

[rocket_scientist]

Channel 4 News once again picking up the baton that none of the MSM are interested in, nailing the Care Home issue. And well done Scotland for being logical in its counting, as well as being humane, open and transparent. I swear DimWhitty was making it up on the hoof in today's briefing.

[Madbadteacher]

Trump’s news conference on now, basically rewriting the past and backpedaling.

Then goes to a series of tv clips from the news, edited to show how “wrong they were, how right I am”.

[rocket_scientist]

Trump’s news conference on now, basically rewriting the past and backpedaling.

Then goes to a series of tv clips from the news, edited to show how “wrong they were, how right I am”.

 

The most defining moment in world history, live right now.

 

Never have we ever seen a madman have this big a major meltdown.

 

Just incredible.

 

Edit: A bit of an overreaction last night whilst jaw agape. It will be the most defining moment in Trump's demise, or at least it should be but you never know with Amerikhuns, the stupidest race on planet earth but not the most defining in "world history".

 

The men in white coats should come and wheech him off the stand tonight. That would be apt, and then televise the arrest, his plaintiff pleas and the interviews with him, all without him knowing that it's being filmed. That way, even the last remnants of his supporters will understand why he had to go, as well as giving the rest of us a reet good laff.

[minijc]

The most defining moment in world history, live right now.

 

Never have we ever seen a madman have this big a major meltdown.

 

Just incredible.

Incredible, the propaganda video was on another level, something you'd expect from North Korea.

[tom_widdows]

its tonights more bonkers?

 

Time will tell

[manc_don]

Apparently the yanks approval rating for drumpf is increasing 

[Jute]

Trump has announced he is suspending funding the WHO as he carries out an investigation into their serious mishandling of the COVID 19 outbreak. Also accusing them of a cover up of how serious the virus was when outbreak started in conjunction with Chinese Government. Clearly attempting to shift the blame already.

[manc_don]

Trump has announced he is suspending funding the WHO as he carries out an investigation into their serious mishandling of the COVID 19 outbreak. Also accusing them of a cover up of how serious the virus was when outbreak started in conjunction with Chinese Government. Clearly attempting to shift the blame already.

 

Happen to watch most of his press conferences at the mo, and yesterday's was hilarious. Couldn't handle getting proper questions from the journalists. It's either a corporate bum fest or deflection of hunnish proportions. Sooner he get's dealt the sharp end of karma, the better.

[minijc]

episode 2 from those scientists I posted last week

[rocket_scientist]

episode 2 from those scientists I posted last week

 

Brilliant again and so refreshing to hear intelligence for a change, the government providing none.

[360]

How is everyone finding working from home?

 

I quite enjoy it. As long as I have plenty of alcohol for the weekends, all is good.

[BigAl]

How is everyone finding working from home?

 

I quite enjoy it. As long as I have plenty of alcohol for the weekends, all is good.

 

Have worked from home for around fifteen years now.

Worked for a Dutch multi national company until 2014 before semi retiring and then starting up on my own.

Personally speaking I couldn't possibly go back to going into a workplace day after day again.

[rocket_scientist]

I'm quite liking the fact that there's less stress and more time to do things. I'm missing the social side of life but saving money by not eating out or going to the pub. Then again, I've not had any income for a month as it was like a tap getting switched off but fortunately I don't have huge fixed costs, neither business nor personal and had a few quid in the bank. We could live off my wife's monthly NHS pay for the first time for decades so we appreciate that we are luckier than most but the economic impacts will be horrendous for many. Overall it's a big negative and I find the most depressing aspect of it all is twofold; the utter incompetence of the Westminster government and the sheer stupidity of the people, as evidenced not just by the fact they voted these cunts in but how many dithering fuckwits and little Hitlers there are amongst the customers in the supermarkets, plus some of the arsehole keyboard warriors on Twitter.

[Madbadteacher]

I’m no

[Elgindon]

Managed to break my ankle on the last day before lockdown,so,as far as recuperation goes,couldnt have picked a better time I suppose.

  Now that I'm more mobile,luckily been great weather for outside painting fences/sheds and planting veg etc.Would have been up the wall by now otherwise.

 

  Personally dont envy the politicians dealing with something as unprecedented,situations and knowledge of the virus changing all the time,and deciding whats for the best after lockdown??

  Hitchens might not be far off the mark  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QqKEvN-6F0k

 

 

[tom_widdows]

I struggled to get over how much he sounded like Jacob Reece Mogg and I take his opinions with a pinch of salt (and that is partly my left leaning bias kicking in) however a thought occured early on when he mentioned how hospital use is now mainly intensive care. There have been other reports of how visits to A&E are down as people don't want to go near the hospital for various reasons - dont want to risk catchin cov 19, don't want to be seen as a burden etc. I presume the same has happened in outpatients being refered by GPs.

 

Is there some little beancouter prick(s) in the Tory government busy collating these stats to then justify cutting more services & NHS funding as its been shown these parts are 'under-used'?

 

A similar tactic (as I see it) was blatantly used at my Uni to cut available studio space by surveying how busy those studios were at a time when the students were in Lectures or on extra curricular activities.

 

People can say they wouldnt have the balls to do that but I follow the 'leopard never changes its spots' logic

[rocket_scientist]

I've been following Hitchens arguments for a while and heard both that interview on Monday and the one the week before. He's asking if the lockdown is proportionate given the devastating effect to not just the economy but the healthy old, to people who's other surgeries have been cancelled etc. etc. He's an intelligent man and after he was accused of having a humility-bypass and it being pointed out that his absolute certainty was "ugly" (as he is not an expert in the field), his arguments have been stronger.

[LA-Don]

How is everyone finding working from home?

 

I quite enjoy it. As long as I have plenty of alcohol for the weekends, all is good.

 

Fucking nightmare. Two working parents and 3 and 1 year old boys, I work before they get up and once they go to bed, the rest of the day is being dad while stressing about the work I should be doing. Long fucking day and I’m exhausted!

[TheDeeDon]

How is everyone finding working from home?

 

I quite enjoy it. As long as I have plenty of alcohol for the weekends, all is good.

 

I think you just adapt the best you can. I'm sort of getting used to it and it has been a wake up call for my works IT department who were really caught out with this as our systems were crap and they found out how bad they were once this kicked off, so been a few changes to how we access things, which so far seem good.

 

I try and stick to my usual daily routine, get up the same time and finish around the same time, some I work with think I am mad for doing this, but I find it helps. Some seems to have their laptops on 24/7, but log on for periods throughout the day, I suppose whatever works and no right or wrong way.

 

It is funny if in conference with people in the same position and their kids wander in asking kid questions when Mummy or Daddy are in a call or the dog suddenly starts barking its head off, or people forget to mute their mic when having conversations at home. 

 

I think working from home will become a new norm for many after this is all over.