Your idea of stable??

nanna8 obviously any news outlet can put it’s own slant on the way news is presented, and many people argue and disagree even about the left or right wing slant of BBC news, but overall I think probably the BBC is regarded as fairly reliable where figures are such as these are published. Others may disagree of course.

MaizieD

I wouldn't worry about lockdowns or any other measures,*Teachertanne*. I don't think that the government has any intention at all of doing anything about rising infections. As far as they're concerned covid is over and they've moved on to other concerns.

I'd like to be wrong about this, but I fear that I'm not.

I fear you’re not wrong too Maizie.

Whitewave I also think that the measures you have mentioned would hopefully have some effect on reducing numbers.

My biggest fear is the government seems to have washed it’s hands of the whole issue. I’m finding it very difficult watching what is happening.

Just curious but are The Guardian and the BBC regarded as giving the ‘correct’ information as opposed to others? Here the ABC, equivalent to the BBC, tends to be 24 hours behind the news from other sources.

I think that there are a number of measures, that would help mitigate a worsening scenario over the winter, that should be done but are not being enforced in the U.K.

Masks should be mandatory in all public indoor spaces

Large indoor gatherings should be limited and vaccine passports mandatory.

They should push on quickly with vaccinating children

Boosters should be done quickly, and timely and until one is produced that has a “memory” should be continued on a 6 monthly basis.

I really take exception to the " finding contradicting graphs" comment Teacheranne. Especially as the BBC and Guardian articles I found said that half of cases were under 19 - not the same at all as half of cases being aged 12 to 16.

Yes, stats are hard, if you misinterpret them. So I'll stick with the ones I have proof of.

www.travellingtabby.com/uk-coronavirus-tracker/

rubysong

I wish the daily covid figures would tell us how many of the new hospital admissions are people who have not been vaccinated. If it is nearly all of them, as I suspect, it might encourage waiverers to get the vaccine.

I posted this upthread, and it's not "nearly all of them."

Doesn't work that way.

I'd trust Chris Witty before any of the rest of the incompetents in charge.

DH said that Whitty (remember him?) has said we’re in for a very bad time this winter with covid and flu. I assume he read it in The Times.

I wouldn't worry about lockdowns or any other measures,*Teachertanne*. I don't think that the government has any intention at all of doing anything about rising infections. As far as they're concerned covid is over and they've moved on to other concerns.

I'd like to be wrong about this, but I fear that I'm not.

Alegrias1

Teacheranne

In today’s paper, it says that almost half of new cases of people testing posting positive for Covid are in ages 12 to 16, ie Secondary ages children.

I wonder which paper that is Teacheranne, and what population it refers to?

The government's own data says that about 34% of new cases in England this week were aged between 10 and 19, so assuming a linear distribution of ages, that probably means about 16% of new cases are in secondary age children between 12 and 16.

(I know we've moved on to vaccination rates, but I can't pass by egregiously exaggerated data that seriously misrepresents the situation. Please feel free, anyone, to tell me where I've gone wrong.)

Alegrias1, it was reported by the BBC and Sky News as coming from the ONS, and I also saw the same figures in the Guardian and the Independent. I think it is attributed to people in the higher age group, 18 upwards, having been able to get the vaccinations for a while. The hope is that new infections will start to decrease in this age group as the vaccination rate increases in secondary aged school children.

I know that some folks here will be able to find contradicting graphs and statistics but I think the ONS are pretty reliable. My head struggles to get around all the data even though I studied statistics as part of my degree - a long time ago though!

Regardless, I know many children in years 7 and upwards who have been off school with Covid recently here in Greater Manchester and Cheshire East. My nephew, age 15, for one, and he was very generous and shared it with his mum and dad! He will now be unable to have the vaccination in two weeks when they are scheduled at his school which has upset him as he really does want it.

I’m getting worried now that things are going to escalate with possibly partial lockdowns or social distancing measures - Greater Manchester was hit hard last year with weeks of extra measures and I dread that happening again,

I wish the daily covid figures would tell us how many of the new hospital admissions are people who have not been vaccinated. If it is nearly all of them, as I suspect, it might encourage waiverers to get the vaccine.

It seems to be very well organised here.
Presumably deliveries of the vaccine are being made at weekends to local surgeries and patients are phoned with appointments.
Flu vaccines are given at the same time.

I’ve just been told that they’re vaccinating people a few miles from where I live and also giving boosters if people had their second vaccine 182+ days ago. But nobodies going because no one seems to know about it. Annoyingly I’m two weeks off being eligible.

The government are taking a massive gamble, putting all their eggs in the vaccination basket and hoping for the best. While I am sure we all do too, I would be amazed if it's enough to keep the virus under any sort of control. The biggest measure for them is the way the NHS copes this winter. There's already a lot of stress, plus the unknown flu quantity. I find it quite extraordinary that the general population are so accepting.

Yes, Callistemon, my husband is a achools' inspector, the bravest of the brave, but even he is concerned about going into schools where there are so many cases or even asymptomatic kids.
The south west tests have been a bit of a fiasco at times.

Josianne

Here in the far south west we are experiencing a big increase in cases. This is mainly in school age children, although I read 40s were also affected. Strangely it is no longer as bad in towns like Plymouth or Exeter, but more in rural areas, especially West Devon. Is this because these areas were let off lightly last year and covid wasn't in the community, that they are now catching up?

Just chatting to one DGD on the phone and she said she is concerned about going into school next week as there are so many cases amongst pupils.
There could be more, of course, as the PCR tests were sent off to the laboratory which were so incompetent with their testing.

They are vaccinating all aged 12 plus here. My 14 year old granddaughter just got hers. They have to wear masks in school and have done for a while now. They have finally said we are allowed out at night after Thursday but we still can’t travel to regional areas. Some cafes are opening but gyms and clothes shops are still all closed. We can now visit our families if they live nearby but a pretty small limit on the number allowed.

The connection between ‘freedom’ and breaking the chain of infection is weak.

Yes! Unfortunately some people need an incentive to do the publicly spirited thing. There is absolutely no incentive to get vaccinated for some people. They are selfish and only consider themselves, they obviously are not ‘society’ minded. They has to be a consequence to encourage them to get vaccinated. A vaccine passport would serve that purpose.

….she said she’d never been so poorly in her life and absolutely dreads catching it again.

I concur with this. I feel very frightened of catching this horrible disease again, having had it in January. During Spring and early Summer this year I wasn’t so afraid. Newly vaccinated and having had the virus, along with daily cases not too high at around 5000 to 6000 (thanks Maizie for collecting and providing figures) I felt reasonably confident going about my daily life. As the figures started to rise leading to around 45000 a day now, I lost my confidence and started to feel anxious and afraid again. I don’t understand why we have much higher figures than other similar countries (European) but I do feel that our government should be maintaining some restrictions. I understand we can’t live for years under some sort of lockdown but surely some restrictions should be in place. I’m particularly thinking of vaccine passports or negative test results for entry into certain places (pubs, restaurants, theatres, clubs, festivals) and mask wearing in public places such as shops. After visiting my mother in her nursing home yesterday (mask required) I called at M+S food hall for a few bits (masks not required) and the majority of shoppers were neither wearing masks nor sanitising, although the sanitiser station is still there at the door. I’m very concerned at the apparent total lack of any attempt to control the level of infection.

Here in the far south west we are experiencing a big increase in cases. This is mainly in school age children, although I read 40s were also affected. Strangely it is no longer as bad in towns like Plymouth or Exeter, but more in rural areas, especially West Devon. Is this because these areas were let off lightly last year and covid wasn't in the community, that they are now catching up?

Teacheranne

In today’s paper, it says that almost half of new cases of people testing posting positive for Covid are in ages 12 to 16, ie Secondary ages children.

I wonder which paper that is Teacheranne, and what population it refers to?

The government's own data says that about 34% of new cases in England this week were aged between 10 and 19, so assuming a linear distribution of ages, that probably means about 16% of new cases are in secondary age children between 12 and 16.

(I know we've moved on to vaccination rates, but I can't pass by egregiously exaggerated data that seriously misrepresents the situation. Please feel free, anyone, to tell me where I've gone wrong.)

So in that case they need to be targeted with more relevant advertising in the media they use for the message to get across. For example getting BAME celebs to go on TV seemed to convince the people who were reluctant to get vaccinated at the time.
The 20+s in my family all live for their sporting activities, so they got vaccinated to pursue this to the full. I'm not sure they ever thought beyond themselves and this is where things maybe going wrong.
Anyway, I am digressing with trying to get into the heads of others.

It also could be the case that the young are not so severely affected by the virus some are but in the main they are not.
Some just don’t trust it so many reasons

I don’t think it’s because the lives of people in their twenties are in a state of flux, I think it’s because they don’t think they will come to any harm if they do catch covid, whereas for older people the risk is much greater so of course they want to be protected. Having said that, over 65% of people in this age group are vaccinated anyway.

It could be to do with the fact that case rates are highest amongst those in their twenties. Maybe many of them think they already have natural immunity. When venues were re-opened, there was no incentive to be vaccinated. The public message was that they were free to do what they wanted. The connection between "freedom" and breaking the chain of infection is weak.