Coronavirus & stuff

Order, Order: Health secretary Sajid Javid yesterday admitted that Members of Parliament should set an example by wearing masks in the House of Commons, something very few Conservative MPs have done in recent weeks

Asked today, 79% of Britons say MPs should wear masks in the Commons, with half (50%) saying they definitely should

While 13% say they should not

A majority of both Labour voters (85%) and Conservative voters (73%) think masks should be worn in the Common

Priorities: The government is reluctant to enact ‘Plan B’ on Covid-19 by re-introducing any restrictions, with people debating to what extent we need to learn to live with the disease

Despite attempts to return to normal, a majority of Britons still think it matters more to try and save every life (57%) rather than protect the economy (19%) - similar to when we asked in July (when 55% said protecting lives and 22% said protecting the economy)

While 14% can’t answer the question, and 10% don’t know

Labour voters (67%) are much more likely than Conservative voters (49%) to say trying to save every life matters more than protecting the economy

Boosting Morale: More than three quarters of Britons (78%) say they will accept a booster jab when it is offered to them, or have already done so

But 13% say they would not take a booster or haven’t been vaccinated in the first place

And 20% of those aged 18-24 and 19% of those aged 25-49 say they will not take a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine or have yet to receive even a first one

rinks wrote:50, but it has to be at least six months after your second jab.

“a terrifying tale of bungling ineptitude by many men charged with tasks for which they were totally unfitted, of failure to heed clear warnings, and of total lack of direction from above.”

Victor Mildew wrote:how is it bad like this again then?

Victor Mildew wrote:But we just have to be friends and it'll stop!

I can't cut through all the gooseberry fool propaganda now, how is it bad like this again then? Is it kids and unvaccinated people getting it the most now?

Prepare to trigger England's Plan B curbs, say scientists

Scientists advising the UK government say plans for reintroducing stricter Covid measures should be undertaken now and be ready for "rapid deployment".

Advising people to work from home could have the greatest impact on stopping viral spread, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says.

In minutes of a meeting of scientific advisers published on Friday, they warn that acting earlier rather than later could reduce the need for stricter measures over a longer timeframe "to avoid an unacceptable level of hospitalisations".

They added that any measures introduced must be clearly communicated.

The advisers, led by Sir Patrick Vallance, say models forecasting the coming winter suggest Covid hospital admissions are "increasingly unlikely" to rise above the levels of January 2021 peak, but they are unsure of the impact of waning immunity and people's behaviour.

There has been a noticeable dip in people saying they are wearing face coverings and latest figures from the ONS suggest more than half of British working adults are now travelling to work.

Sage says making face coverings compulsory in some places is likely to help reduce the spread of Covid as well as other winter viruses, such as flu.

It also notes the risks of high levels of the virus circulating in the UK, compared with other countries.

"Cases and admissions are currently at much higher levels than in European comparators, which have retained additional measures and have greater vaccine coverage, especially in children," the scientists say.

"Reducing prevalence from a high level requires greater intervention than reducing from a lower level."

Another worry is the emergence of a new variant that becomes "dominant globally", which they call "a very real possibility".

And this winter, the advisers warn that the prospect of people being infected with Covid, flu and other respiratory viruses could be "a significant challenge", saying people who show symptoms of an infection should stay at home to stop it spreading to others.

Around one in 55 people in England are estimated to have had Covid in the week ending 16 October, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That's an increase on the week before, when the figure was one in 60.

At the peak of the second wave in early January, around one in 50 were estimated to have coronavirus.

In Wales it is estimated one in 45 would have tested positive, while in Northern Ireland it was one in 130.

Scotland saw a decrease with around one in 90 estimated to have had Covid.

Victor Mildew wrote:But we just have to be friends and it'll stop!

I can't cut through all the gooseberry fool propaganda now, how is it bad like this again then? Is it kids and unvaccinated people getting it the most now?

twitter.com/PaulMainwood/status/1451509312724115456