Perhaps our situation with covid is looking up

Testing too. A friend messaged me to say his daughter had tested positive on an LFT but couldn't get a PCR test in our area. I went online to check and sure enough, PCR tests available. Admittedly, not the usual drive through, a walk in, but still, tests WERE available.

I live in Bramhall, Stockport and close to parts of Cheshire and towns like Wilmslow, Macclesfield, Poynton and Alderley Edge and I read every day on local FB groups about pop up PCR testing centres and vaccination centres in supermarket car parks, church halls or pubs. It’s hard to keep track of them, they seem to change venues daily but it’s possible to find a centre somewhere close by.

In fact the one in the car park at Waitrose in Poynton yesterday was doing PCR tests without appointments and also had LFT packs to hand out.

The 332 deaths appear to be an increase, but they cover the Christmas period. The figures are playing catch up and it’s irresponsible of the BBC to state bald facts and imply that deaths are increasing. I wonder why the BBC would want to do that?

maddyone

The 332 deaths appear to be an increase, but they cover the Christmas period. The figures are playing catch up and it’s irresponsible of the BBC to state bald facts and imply that deaths are increasing. I wonder why the BBC would want to do that?

Because unfortunately some areas of BBC reporting are becoming more like the tabloids and are only interested in grabbing headlines and clicks. The truth matters not one jot!

I really find the negativity in the newspapers and on social media tiresome at the moment.

Me too.

I agree rosie.

rosie1959

Yes I would Casdon but what I am pointing out is that people see the covid hospital admissions data and may think the admissions are all down to people being rushed to hospital with Covid
Not everybody studies and research the figures given infact I suspect most don't

That's why it's useful to compare with the same day a week previously. It's unlikely that a higher percentage will suddenly be admitted with a prior infection. If numbers are increasing, it's more than likely because there are more Covid cases which need hospital treatment.

PS. I agree that deaths aren't increasing, certainly not in line with cases, which IS good news.

Some people are more sensitive than others, some people have or have had more to cope with in their lives, some people are immunosuppressed or have family members who are, some people have family or friends who have died from Covid, some people don't have a secure income or place to live.
I'm all for facts but the trouble with pollyannas is that they often come across as complacent if not unkind.
There are people out there who are having a hard time and perhaps fear and worry lead them to be less than gleeful.

GagaJo

Testing too. A friend messaged me to say his daughter had tested positive on an LFT but couldn't get a PCR test in our area. I went online to check and sure enough, PCR tests available. Admittedly, not the usual drive through, a walk in, but still, tests WERE available.

It changes by the hour. I needed a PCR on 29th and when I went on first there was no availability anywhere in England. An hour later I managed to get one for the following day.

I had a pcr test on wed..4.30pm...haven't yet received results...was told it would be 24 hours...

I've been accused (in real life) of being a bit of a Pollyanna at times, but honestly why not enjoy a bit of positivity, we've lived with the negative for almost two years.

Rosie51 I too have been accused of being a Pollyanna, on GN of all places where no one knows of others' true circumstances. That's why it saddens me to read that Jillyjosie regards it as complacency and almost one upmanship. It is the opposite of being deliberately unkind. Many people have worked very hard to remain upbeat and positive throughout the pandemic. They have put effort into helping other people, they have resolved not to panic and not to spread doom and gloom, they have commiserated with others and offered suggestions to improve life too. After all, there is no point in yet more people suffering mental anxiety than necessary by taking on even more worries and being gloomy themselves. Sometimes one person's being sunny and smiling can lift another person out of despair and if only for just 5 minutes, I think it's worth it.
By bringing so many other extraneous negative issues into the covid equation just compounds the situation, although I do acknowledge that poor health and housing is hard to cope with at any time.

It is perhaps that very fear which has lead some to be less than gleeful during covid times that has actually lead others to be more outwardly cheerful and positive.

I have stayed upbeat for a good while now. I have avoided anyone who is all 'doom and gloom'. I am looking forward to going on holiday this year. We are on the way up!!

The Times us leading with a story that say that NH S bosses say no further restrictions are necessary. I thought that thus was very positive, however an interview in radio 4 indicated that government levels for intervention are high and the NH S are preparing emergency hubs. Totally confused.

This is the issue with the media. Speak to medics on the ground and you will get how they really feel… Most feel that the government was lacklustre with its public health message and that some restrictions and measures should never have been stopped www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/supporting-doctors-through-the-booster-campaign

Positivity is wonderful but the hospital admissions are significant, this does impact on the NHS staffing both on terms of absences for isolating and also general
Well-being ( sickness, lack of motivation, loss of staff) and the availability of other services and until
This is properly acknowledged and addressed we still have a big issue! Just looking at case numbers/admissions alone is simplistic and isn’t really giving a full enough picture of the issues. Ans of course the elephant in the room is always the global vaccine inequity and the variants that may arise from that issue.

maddyone

The 332 deaths appear to be an increase, but they cover the Christmas period. The figures are playing catch up and it’s irresponsible of the BBC to state bald facts and imply that deaths are increasing. I wonder why the BBC would want to do that?

But there is still the lag from Christmas whereby everyone was mixing together so it’s too early to say at this point regardless.

Josieann
You said it all for me, thank you. ?
I had a phone call from a friend yesterday. She has COPD ( never smoked) Angina, hiatus hernia.
She had a gastroscope a few days ago which was very unpleasant for her. Her Xmas arrangements went seriously tits up. Then she said you won’t believe it, now I’ve got a f*&£%#g cold we both howled with laughing.
My daughter said the loveliest thing on her Xmas card to me:
thank you for keeping my spirits up over the last 2years

Jillyjosie

Some people are more sensitive than others, some people have or have had more to cope with in their lives, some people are immunosuppressed or have family members who are, some people have family or friends who have died from Covid, some people don't have a secure income or place to live.
I'm all for facts but the trouble with pollyannas is that they often come across as complacent if not unkind.
There are people out there who are having a hard time and perhaps fear and worry lead them to be less than gleeful.

Quite

LadyWee whichever way you put it, deaths did not rise over Christmas. The figures the BBC quoted are covering the Christmas period. Any future deaths as a consequence of Christmas mixing, which could occur in the next two to six weeks are absolutely nothing to do with the figures the BBC quoted. We will all have to wait and see what happens to deaths in that period over the next few weeks. The BBC are as usual scaremongering, and they know full well what they are doing. I will wait for the evidence and not pre judge the situation.

Nobody’s ever accused me of being a Pollyanna.

It is possible to see positives in the way that the omicron wave is developing and still appreciate that the NHS is in trouble. They are separate but linked. If the omicron wave is less of a problem than it could have been, then that’s a good thing and we need to be positive about that.

The fact that there are no more restrictions on the cards for England, but there are surge hubs being built is causing mixed messages. Its only an extra 800 beds across the whole of England, that’s a drop ion the ocean, I think. It seems to me that we are only working on one side of the equation; there are only so many resources in the NHS so its incumbent on us not to get sick. Well why are there only so many resources in the NHS? We’ve had a pandemic for 2 years and there’s still telling us the NHS isn’t up to it. I know its not possible to magic up doctors and nurses, but have we done anything to make the NHS more robust and capable of dealing with a new disease that’s never going away, can someone tell me? Or are we all expected to change our behaviour forever because politically the NHS isn’t being properly funded?

So the BMA, the doctors’ union, think there should have been more restrictions in England. I agree with them. But they are a pressure group and in my experience, doctor err on the side of caution. DH had a very bad sports injury many years ago and was told by the doctor he’d never take part in that sport again. A few years later he was national champion. You’ll forgive me if I find a doctor’s view of things just a little bit negative.

Finally, why would the Beeb just give the basic numbers for deaths without explaining what it meant? Clearly at least one person on this thread thought that deaths were increasing, and they’re not. They might in the future, they probably will, but right now, the data they gave was misleading and there’s no excuse for that. If you look at just the numbers that the BBC report, you might think that the deaths had increased six-fold in one day, which is scary by anybody’s metrics – but not true, of course. So why do they do it? Lack of understanding of the numbers? Carelessness? A desire to paint the most negative picture possible? We’ll all have our own ideas about that but none of them cast any glory on the BBC. I'm with maddyone on this one.

We’ve managed to get both LTF and home PCR test kits in the last few days - dh managed a booked test - and so have all those* we saw over Christmas, who have all now tested positive, despite all having self tested negative with LFTs before meeting up.
However we’re all either asymptomatic or have only fairly mild cold symptoms.
*that includes one who is classed as vulnerable to some extent.

And a brother, who was elsewhere but is also classed as vulnerable, has also tested positive but again, has only mild cold symptoms.
So on the whole we’re fairly optimistic.

One thing I think that really should be publicised, or rather much better publicised, if it already is - is the relative numbers of vaccinated and non-vaccinated who end up in hospital. Not that I suppose anything will convince the likes of Piers Corbyn and his barmy hordes that it’s not all a gigantic plot by Bill Gates to control us all.

Sorry to hear you are all positive Witzend, I hope you all continue to have mild symptoms.

The reason they don't publicise the number of people in hospital and their vaccination status is that people won't understand it. Sorry to be blunt. Despite all the posters on these forums telling us that doctors/nurses have told them that the wards are full of unvaccinated people, that's just not true. The wards are full of both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

The important thing is how many people are affected badly after vaccination compared to the unvaccinated. And your individual chances of being ill after you've been vaccinated are much, much smaller than they would have been.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1043608/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_51.pdf

I do feel if -everyone- and I mean -everyone- was vaccinated and wore masks this would die out quickly, but since some choose not to, the disease will produce another variant, milder than the last. then another milder than the previous and so on until it's just a mild inconveniemce. it could take another year or two for this to happen. That's my feelings on the matter.

Sorry, Alegrias1, but I don’t quite understand your reasoning.

If being vaccinated greatly reduces your chances of being seriously ill, or ill enough to need hospital treatment, that factor is surely going to show in the relative numbers of vaxxed/unvaxxed in hospital?

And out of interest, who says that people won’t understand the figures?

The only people I know locally who’ve been seriously ill with COVID since vaccination has been available, are 3 x 60 something male siblings, who ended up in hospital for 2-3 weeks each. All were completely unvaccinated because they ‘weren’t sure’.
Having all come out of hospital extremely weak, they are certainly ‘sure’ now.

maddyone

^I really find the negativity in the newspapers and on social media tiresome at the moment.^

Me too.

Me too

Far be it from me to defend the BBC but anyone who watches their news bulletins fairly regularly will remember that the newsreader often says, when reading out the seemingly quite low deaths over the weekend, that the data is usually delayed at the weekend.
Then come Monday and Tuesday they appear higher as they include some of the weekend figures.
Obviously then the Christmas period will produce a similar effect.

I noticed the high number of deaths but realised with relief that there was a explanation for it!