Boris time again at 1630 or 5pm tonight

I think, Mawbe, that as we learn more about the virus and the vaccines, the answers can and do change. For instance it was at first believed that the new variant was no more likely to lead to death than the original virus. As more evidence has been obtained, that belief has changed, and it is now believed that the new variant is more likely to be deadly than the original. (Not massively but a little more)
It is as well for us to be advised of these differences, by listening to the answers to the journalists questions.

I know Ilovecheese but the first question asked tonight was one which has been addressed certainly a few days ago, probably more often and features on a daily basis on social media platforms!

The Coronavirus news programme starts at 4.30 with the PM appearing with the panel at around 5. I watched it just now and found a lot of the information, questions & answers interesting & even enlightening. Things change from day to day. I would suggest that those of you who are poopooing these appearances perhaps watch with an open mind Who knows, you may even learn something you don’t already know!

Most of the questions asked are repeats. So boring. I press the mute button intermittently at that stage. Every now & again a question gets asked that is interesting and then I do like to listen to the answer.

lemongrove

He will be criticised if he fails to appear on tv and ditto if he doesn’t.
Since a lot will be watching tv it gets the message across, whatever it is.

Well I’m not sure that the right people do watch tv? I mean the idiots who won’t comply .

I do not like Boris or this government but these briefings are clearly designed to keep people away from other people. I think they are actually aimed at people that think they are doing the right thing but might go out more than they should, might be seeing their children/grandchildren and might even be meeting friends. I know people will not admit this on social media but if you live anywhere you will know people are chatting in the street, meeting with others, dropping off this that and the other, going for walks together etc etc etc It is human nature that people need company of others, generally. I think these briefings are aimed at people who are bending the rules slightly/moderately. The government know there is a proportion of people still having to work outside of the home, care for people etc - so if they convince those who do not need to do that to stay in and away from others - no going round to Aunty Ethel's house for a cuppa type thing, they are a group they don't have to worry about catching it, then those that do need to go out to work and care for others can go about their business but be at less risk or pose less risk to others wrt infection.

I may be wrong but this is isn't aimed at those they know are flouting the rules and don't care, they know they cannot control their actions. It aimed at those of us who are most probably being sensible to keep sensible or those that are trying to be as sensible as they can.

I'm not sure this makes sense! Obviously the infection rates and death rates are just bloody awful and speak for themselves

I also think they are trying to spell it out to people that this is not a temporary situation and even if you have the vaccine we still need to keep certain measures in place and you can't go out and start living as normal, whatever your normal is. We all have to be patient. I feel like I have been a bit of a spectator in this tbh as I have had to shield and I had a sibling who was immuno supressed when we were children, so some of this infection type control has always been my life anyway. It's all a bit crap isn't it? I hope you are all ok

You summed it up perfectly in your penultimate sentence I think JaneJudge!

I am bit surprized that at the press briefings no-one from the press or public ever asks what the death figures would be if they included those who died more than 28 days after being found to have Covid. The news often shows people who have been in hospital for longer than 28 days who eventually die of covid, yet these peopIe's tragic deaths are not included in the daily figures presented to the public. They are every bit as significant in working out the effects of the virus as any other deaths. I think that for an accurate assessment of the deaths this horrible virus causes these deaths should be included in the daily figures.

I don bother with them now. I've had enough of Boris to last several life times. I'll read up on anything new afterwards. Why does he never have anyone signing at these appearances? Nicola Sturgeon does and I think I've seen them in Wales.

Deedaa

I don bother with them now. I've had enough of Boris to last several life times. I'll read up on anything new afterwards. Why does he never have anyone signing at these appearances? Nicola Sturgeon does and I think I've seen them in Wales.

He does if you watch it on the News Channel.

re the BSL signer - they have only been on the news channel 'live' from this week haven't they?

Brightand, i assumed that people who are v ill in hosp are having covid tests every week, at least, so that if they pass away they will still be counted if last test was positive.
or do you mean people who have gone home, or those whose last test in hosp was negative, but they pass away. could be long covid damage i guess.

Welbeck, when they say on the news that these figures show deaths within 28 days of testing positive, I always assume that this means from the first covid positive test they have. My thinking is that any covid tests in hospital after the initial covid test is simply to confirm that the patient still has covid. So that, for example, a patient who was positive on the first of January would be counted in the figures from that day regardless of how many tests are positive after that day. So, for example, if he/she sadly dies on the 3rd of February he/she wouldn't be included in the death figures they present on the news of those dying within a 28 day period. If they were retesting that person at intervals, I don't think they would count the time of death as from the later tests. The reason I have been thinking of this is that, of 6 deaths I know of amongst friends and friends of friends, 2 were after 28 days. If there was only 1 in 6 it would make a significant difference to the figures. I hope your idea is right, rather than mine as this would make less of a difference to the figures they present to us.

you may be right.
i don't know enough about it.
reading the govt website, it seems there may be 2 categories, the first as you say within 28 days from first positive test, then there is another category of deaths with covid on the death certificate.

BrightandBreezy The figures for people dying with no cut off data stopped being published by Public Health England on 7 October 2020. The headline figure is always the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test, but they're an underestimate. By the way, I'm not sure that Covid patients in hospital are regularly tested. After a certain length of time, people no longer show as positive, although the virus continues to affect various organs.

The best way to find out how many deaths there have been in total from Covid is to be found in the ONS data, but there's a lag in reporting, so the figures don't always show trends when the situation is changing very quickly. The ONS figures are always higher than the Public Health figures because they include all those who have died with Covid mentioned on the death certificate.

The two sets of data need to be examined together to get the big picture.

Do you watch the Indie Sage presentations? They're available every Friday afternoon and the first 10 or 15 minutes is always devoted to presenting and analysing a range of data, including cases, deaths, hospitalisations on a regional basis.

This is a link to the latest presentation on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBjlBTO45ZM&t=121s

welbeck

you may be right.
i don't know enough about it.
reading the govt website, it seems there may be 2 categories, the first as you say within 28 days from first positive test, then there is another category of deaths with covid on the death certificate.

Yes, they're the two ways deaths are counted.

The deaths within 28 days of a positive test are more up-to-date, but are an underestimate and can depend on how many people have actually been tested. For example, there was a dip over Christmas - not because people weren't being infected, but because they were reluctant to leave home to get tested.

The ONS data are probably more accurate, but there is a delay before they're published.

The shape of the graphs is the same in both cases and is usually confirmed by the ZOE Covid symptom study tracker app.

I've watched a couple of the briefings on i-player, but I really can't bear to listen to or watch Johnson. The scientists seem to have been nobbled to say what's required by the government line and answers to difficult questions are avoided.

Quite honestly, what I've seen of the briefings wouldn't reassure me in the slightest. They do the opposite, so it's probably just as well I've rarely watched them. I've followed all restrictions to the letter and in spirit right from the start and I don't need a briefing to tell me how to access and interpret data and to apply that to my own situation. I suspect I'm one of many millions who feel the same.

Bright, and grow,
what you are both saying is backed up by this,

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/22/uk-official-covid-death-toll-undercounted-fatalities

I'd like to hear the figures for those who have had the virus and recovered. The hospital discharge numbers would be interesting to hear too. It would give us more of an idea of the numbers who might be having antibodies now and should be immune for 5 months (at least).

The Travelling Tabby coronavirus site gives recovery numbers, it does say they are the closest estimates as no official figures have been released by UK Govt, its the best site I use .I keep a close eye on local numbers ,in the past week there have been 12 deaths in my area .The population is @ 90.000

JaneJudge

re the BSL signer - they have only been on the news channel 'live' from this week haven't they?

Don’t think so Jane I’m sure I’ve seen them for ages but didn’t pay much attention except to wonder how the signer copes with Boris’s bluster!