It's just been announced that we have passed 100,000 deaths.

WW010

I’ve a couple of bits to add. Before I do let me say this is incredibly awful and yes I do blame the government. Their cronies have made millions out of peoples suffering. But to the points 1) a family member is an A&E consultant. He told us last night that the 100000 is actually far higher. That’s just the number reported in 28 days. He said 50% of people who had been in ICU recover. But then 60% of those then die at home and those numbers aren’t reported. 2) you may have heard the view espoused by Stanley Johnson. They want a smaller population. They think Britain is overpopulated. This is fascism plain and simple. Kill off the old, weak and poor. Leaves more for the rich. But yet, people vote for them and will vote for them again. I despair. I’m not necessarily left wing. I am anti fascism.

You're right that they're not reported in the daily figures. That's why ONS statistics are higher. They include everyone who's died, not just in hospitals. There's always a lag on ONS figures, which is why we don't know about them straight away. It's also known that many people die after the 28 day cut off from first being tested.

Whatever the true figure is, it's a hell of a lot and I feel for all the people who have lost family members and friends unnecessarily.

To those that ask 'Would any other party have done anything better?' - the answer is that none could have actually done worse!!!

Just note our death figures against other sized countries, just note our rising unemployment level against other similar countries, just note the fall in our economy against other similar countries.

We are the worse, the worse and the worse in all of these.

Caro - of course the government keep trying to blame us- the public - to try to turn us away of knowing that they are totally to blame for these figures. Please do not play their game.

Yes there will always be people who break the rules or think C19 is a hoax - but I still put the blame firmly on this government ( and I voted for them! )
Too late in everything, too many confusing rules, a lot of people didn’t have a clue what they were supposed to be doing. Flights from all over the world allowed in with ridiculous faith put in these people self isolating ( as if )
You can just imagine Boris saying - ‘stay at home, there’s a good chap, & with a fair wind behind us this will all be over before we can say diddly squat’

Yes we are an overcrowded country with a very high number of overweight unhealthy people ( that’s another discussion ) but surely knowing this is more reason to protect us!

I am shocked that the care home deaths are so high again. I'm aware that they are being asked to take Covid hospital discharges and also accommodate people with Covid, but that is a recent development. As far as I'm aware they now have plenty of PPE and have reduced the risks from visitors by virtually banning them. All the staff are tests with PCR tests once a week and Lateral Flow twice more - so how is the virus getting in? The care home residents and staff were number one on the list for vaccination but have not been treated as such. Surely it would not take much for the right number of vaccine phials to be taken in by the G.P. who usually attends the residents , even if it does not keep for long. It is totally shocking, and I cannot understand why. I hesitate to think that the staff are behaving irresponsibly as so many of them have shown such extreme dedication throughout all this.

I agree with you Caro57
It’s us, the general public, not the government who are responsible for the high death toll.

We have been told that up to one third of people with the virus were asymptomatic so apart from the tiny minority of people who claim to have never set foot outside all year we could ALL be responsible for unwittingly passing it on without even realising we had it.

Otherwise what was the answer?
A complete lockdown virtually all year?
The government has always had to rely on public compliance hasn’t it? We don’t live in a dictatorship like for instance China and I am sure we are all extremely thankful we don’t.

Magsymoo spot on. You summed it up well.

Excellent post Franbern - couldn't agree with you more.

It is sad to see so many people willing to leap to the defence of this omnishambles of a "government".

Please note that I am not trying to make a party political point here - just illustrating the effect that the application of different rules has had.

CASES PER MILLION POPULATION

England 57,615
Scotland 33,113
Wales 60259
NI 53724

ROI 38713 (for comparison)

The differences are stark and there maybe other factors at work but surely this illustrates that stricter regulations and more consistency has a significant effect on spread?

SillyNanny321

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you quite strongly really - they could and should have done better. They have no leadership capacity, and Johnson, amongst others is simply not up to the job.

The NHS is overrun with ICU nurses now having to treat up to 4 people at one time, as a direct result of the dithering in October and November. They have once again failed to protect the vulnerable in care homes, and 'offloaded' the hospital patients last March and April into care homes without testing. Their actions and inactions are indefensible.

They wheel out junior ministers like Jenrick, Coffey and others, and hide behind them when difficult questions are asked. Johnson failed to attend 5 COBRA meetings a year ago, and the state we are in today is attributable to his government's actions and inactions.

You ask if anyone else could have done better. Of course they could, nobody, but nobody could have done as bad or worse. Their entire focus was on Brexit, and the childish games they were playing with the UK economy.

They now trot out second-rate ministers and fly a couple of union jacks, and claim to be doing their best. It is simply not good enough - their only saving grace has been the scientists, laboratory staff, process workers, NHS staff, GP practices and delivery drivers who are delivering these life saving vaccines.

It is tragic but I do wish people would stop holding the Government entirely responsible. There are still people breaking the rules and although we were allowed to ‘bubble’ over Christmas it certainly wasn’t compulsory - we are responsible for our actions

EllenVannin

We could have been prepared - this useless, incompetent government chose to ignore the findings from 'Exercise Cygnus' in 2016.

They are incompetent, and possibly criminally negligent in a public office.

A friend had Covid positive test months ago and never had a single call from track and trace.

SillyNanny, our local g.p surgery is very tiny but is going to be giving the vaccines (probably have already begun) so i doubt size of it is the true reason, also maybe the local chemists can give some, as they are some of them being allowed now, even Asda in one area is to be doing it (in the pharmacy) i believe.

In my case testing too needs sorted. Contacted GP cos another sinus infection, got antibiotics as usual, but told to get tested. I did I was told, but had to order a home test to be sent as I live alone and my dizzy head caused by my sinuses, the doc told me not to drive. Last Thurs I ordered one, not here by Sat, phoned again to be told not the correct symptoms don't need test. Told receptionist at GPs on Monday what I was told, she was so rude to me and told me to do as doc said. Phoned for another test, none available to send. Sat on internet all day until one was, ordered it and my test was finally delivered yesterday, so it was done straight away and posted back. Phoned to register it and told if I don't hear by Sunday I've to contact them. Now on Sunday it's 2 weeks since my sinus trouble began and I've been stuck in the house all this time with my dog who is going bonkers with boredom. Others would of just said "sod it" and gone out. Obviously I'll do as I'm told but I'm not impressed at all with the whole system. It's laughable when Boris congrats himself on our wonderful world beating test and trace.

Yes i saw a section on the bbc news thing about the wuhan outbreak, that poor man in tears because he felt like he had taken his dad to his death, just because he gave him a lift to the hospital in the first place....poor guy. And also the phone call about how the wuhan gov't should have released the news straightaway, but did not..Beggars belief, it really does.??

I really do not agree with everything that our Government have done but would another party have done any better. Look at the internal politics of the other countries hit badly by Covid! They have their problems of why wasnt this done & that not done too! My problem at the moment is the lack of Vaccination Centres in our area. Our local Surgery are not vaccinating as they are not large enough. Run by a group overseeing several in our area it seems we are last in the queue. Our Care Homes & over 80’s only just being treated. Our local MP is useless trotting out Party lines, how brilliantly the Vaccinations are being done everywhere. No mention of our own. So there are good things in what the Government has done but many bad too! It does remind me of the reports of the Spanish Flu that I have read. All that should have been done in both cases but wasnt as there was no previous experience to refer to. When complaining we should all remember this!

It's so sad and my heart goes out to anyone who has lost someone . Cases are dropping because we are locked up . Once the flood gates are opened again the cases will begin to rise . Over the summer months cases will be lower because people are outside more . Come the autumn and winter we will have another spike and be back in the same situation . With the virus keeps mutating the scientist will have to come up with vaccine . The scientist didn't fore tell this amount of death and with the virus mutating they really don't have a clue what they are up against .

Rosina

The Government isn't directly spreading this virus - it is the idiots who continue to hold rave parties, socialise in their homes, and decide to flout the rules because it doesn't suit them. This is a terrible situation, and so easy to criticise from your armchair - and use that very powerful tool, hindsight. This country has vaccinated more people than the whole of Europe has managed; why not pull together and stop carping? Who would have wanted to be in charge of the ever changing nightmare that this has become for the whole world?

Agree. The number of videos we've seen of those who believed it wasn't anything, the flu, a hoax, didn't believe in wearing masks, I'm fit it won't affect me, who ended up in hospital, saying just this and subsequently died. Bending the rules, inviting the hairdresser/barber in through the back door, meeting one household bubble and then going onto another, being careful (the virus doesn't care)...

Yes, the government made a lot of costly decisions/errors but just because they're however you want to describe them doesn't mean you have to act like them.

It is, indeed, an eyeopener! I just hope those twagheads who don't think the lockdown was meant for them take note!

I do agree that Lockdown should have started earlier.

I feel heartfelt sympathy for those who have lost loved ones.

I’ve a couple of bits to add. Before I do let me say this is incredibly awful and yes I do blame the government. Their cronies have made millions out of peoples suffering. But to the points 1) a family member is an A&E consultant. He told us last night that the 100000 is actually far higher. That’s just the number reported in 28 days. He said 50% of people who had been in ICU recover. But then 60% of those then die at home and those numbers aren’t reported. 2) you may have heard the view espoused by Stanley Johnson. They want a smaller population. They think Britain is overpopulated. This is fascism plain and simple. Kill off the old, weak and poor. Leaves more for the rich. But yet, people vote for them and will vote for them again. I despair. I’m not necessarily left wing. I am anti fascism.

leeds22

I live in a rural low infection rate area. We have friends, 72-74 years old, who just carry on as normal and have both caught heavy colds, which could as easily have been covid. If they lived in a large town or city behaving like this they would probably have caught covid. If this is common behaviour it’s no wonder we have so many deaths. Incidentally, they did have a covid test and whilst waiting for the results were out and about.

That's what I mean. I doubt if they usually behave irresponsibly, but there are people who just don't seem to realise how serious it is, probably fuelled by people saying the death rate isn't really that bad, it's only old crankies with illness who are dying, it's OK if you're doing something worthy, it's only if you go to a rave with 200 people, etc.

Brilliant post Franbern.

I especially agree with your last paragraph:

"And do remember, it may not be the government who wants to blame the public - it is the government who wants the public to blame the public......to take that blame from where it does lie - with that government."

I'm sure we've all seen pictures in the media of the parties and weddings and people on the beach, but they have never bee the main drivers of infection. They've been used as scapegoats to distract from the real situation.

The main places of infection outside hospitals and care homes are:

The family home
Educational settings
The workplace

(I'm guessing infections from educational settings have now decreased)

The above are all normal places and don't contain people acting recklessly.

I live in a rural low infection rate area. We have friends, 72-74 years old, who just carry on as normal and have both caught heavy colds, which could as easily have been covid. If they lived in a large town or city behaving like this they would probably have caught covid. If this is common behaviour it’s no wonder we have so many deaths. Incidentally, they did have a covid test and whilst waiting for the results were out and about.

My husband and I have been safe. He was even OK when he spent 5 weeks in hospital back in October/November. However he had to go back in just over a week ago for something completely different and now has just been tested positive. I'm scared. I cant even speak to him as he is deaf and can't hear any phones. Its this new variation that's causing so many new deaths because its quicker and easier to catch it. Just stay safe everyone. Don't go into hospital unless you really have to, and only if you have COVID if at all possible.

My son lives n works in Tokyo had very few Covid related deaths. Recently more so brought in strict restrictions. Nowhere near 100,000 deaths like we have had. I hsve visited several times over the years and initially noticed people wearing face masks. I thought it might be pollution through traffic emissions but not so it was to prevent other people catching a cold so wear masks. I get very upset when I read the press n watch the news now especially like one gran ssid watched a young woman saying wash hands etc n sge died next day. Thought 2020 was bad but this current year not proving any better so far. Keep safe