World-beating test and trace system!

I don't get the curfew either - a lot of bugs can be exchanged during the rest of the day. Unless they think that people who have been drinking all evening are less likely to get the social distancing rule.

But I do accept that there will be anomalies in the system - only full lockdown is the certain way, but we all want to avoid that.

My fury at this government for its incompetence in allowing the virus free rein at the beginning is unabated. All they can do now is cobble something together - but they are hampered by their need to make sure their mates get the plum contracts.

Whitewavemark2

Can anyone explain to me how a curfew of 10pm on pubs etc is going to stop the spread?

I think you can only get wasted after 10 o'clock at night, Wwmk"

There have been some very odd decisions made in the North East, I think, Gilmul.

Why has Northumberland been included when it has a really low rate of infection? Why County Durham and not Teeside? Perhaps the fact that large swathes of the NE with relatively low rates have been included might account for the fact that there aren't 'thousands' queueing for tests?

I, too, know of very few people who have had covid and that was early on.

Here in the NE which has new restrictions/ curfews on restaurants etc., has testing centres that you can easily book same day appointment literally a few miles down the road. I would have assumed from our councils putting forward the need for these special measures that they would be thousands queuing at the centres/online etc yet this doesn’t seem to be the case at all ??? I know they’re doing their best for us all and WE WILL comply but I literally know no one ( and my friends know of no one either) who is sick at this present time. We were traced a few weeks back , had a test within an hour (negative), five miles away, as were all the others who were traced quickly.

Sorry that should be Oxford University Hospitals

About 70% accuracy according to University College London,

Are there any statistics to show what % of tests actually produce a positive result? We continually hear people saying they tested negative but very few the other way round. Of course no one wants to take a chance, but how to stop every cough and sniffle being a reason to get a test? Is there no way there could be some kind of triage system by medics? The public isn't being very bright about mingling and social distancing, so it stands to reason it might not be very bright about recognising the symptoms.

Well that says it all Lucca

Sorry not tech savvy this morning

Middle bit

Sorry first bits missing

Article in the times

Telegraph reporting that the government has come up with a new wheeze for the defunct test and trace system.

Outsource it to Amazon!!

You know that massive company that barely pays any tax to our coffers is now going to get the U.K. tax payer to pay it!

What on earth is wrong with the NHS?

Can anyone explain to me how a curfew of 10pm on pubs etc is going to stop the spread?

She also admitted that there isn't the capacity to test everybody with symptoms. 50% of tests will be reserved for NHS staff and hospital patients, care workers and care home residents. Some tests will be used for random testing for research purposes. The remaining tests will be used for everybody else, although school staff will be given priority.

She said they weren't doing as many tests as they could because they don't have the laboratory capacity to test the samples.

Government documents reveal that only 81,000 people a day are being tested, despite the claims of 240,000 capacity. Johnson went even further yesterday and claimed there was capacity for over 300,000 tests, but that included antibody tests.

Dido H was being quizzed today and more or less said that the surge in demand for tests was unexpected - unexpected!!?? - autumn, schools going back, universities going back, rules about needing tests or not being able to go into work, pubs and cafes having been open for a few weeks....and she did not expect a surge in tests! What planet is she living on?!

Watching some of the news programmes tonight I am not surprised that cases are rising - some of the members of the general public they interviewed seemed to have a bit of a brain deficit! ....sorry, shouldn't say tings like that.

Don’t know about anyone else but I feel like we are on a driverless bus in this country. A PM who lies to us and seems to have no idea of what is happening and a lot of so called experts who have been put in charge of departments who have no experience in the area and seem totally incompetent. How sad for this country that we now have someone whose only ambition was to push Brexit through and is clueless about how to deal with the pandemic.

Find it strange that PM yesterday stated that a 'pregnancy style Covid test' was not going to available in the foreseeable future, yest Rome Airport are doing just that with a 30 minutes turnaround for results

Let this be a marker. If Johnson refuses to take advise as he refused in February/March we will see a much worse situation as we struggle through the winter.

“I’m hearing from a well-connected person that government now thinks, in absence of testing, there are 38,000 infections per day. Chris Whitty is advising PM for a two week national lockdown”

In HongKong China sent 600 medical staff to help for the free testing , but the opposition councilor and rioter leaders spending the rumoours that China is going to take all the DNA and planning a lot of damages . So at the end only 1.7 million take the test instead 7million. Jealous ? Or be careful what the govtment will do with your DNA?????

As ever Johnson really knows how to pick a winner. In our house, we pronounce her name properly with an ‘l’ for obvious reasons

Dido Harding is to go before a committee of MPs today. First time she has put her head over the parapet for months. As she's paid a fortune to preside over this key element of managing the pandemic it should make an interesting interview. You have to wonder why someone without a scientific background is not managing this area.

Apparently, the symptoms can be slightly different in children. They are less likely to lose their sense of taste and smell, but more likely to have a stomach ache and/or diarrhoea. Another symptom is blue toes.

I would be extremely reluctant to send my child to any school where children weren't sent home if they had symptoms. people have a right to take risks with their own life, but not with other people's.

The schools are following instructions from the government re children being sent home if they show COVID symptoms ( cough/temperature/loss of taste/smell) They are not making it up themselves

There was a "pop up" testing station in a local town, but that was organised by the local health authority rather than Serco Test and Trace. It was in response to an outbreak in a local school, where 8 staff tested positive and I think it's closed now.