Government is lying about lack of availability of CV testing chemicals

Actually, there's ARE places that have managed to deal with it well. There are also places that haven't.

So the common sense would be to follow the example of those that are coping.

Was pleased to see on tonight's news that our local hospital is leading the way in testing those staff members in isolation and by establishing that they test negative have got significant numbers back on the wards.

So all the world experts doing their best can't put an end to this Virus, but there seems there is a lot if armchair critics who have the answers. it's in everyone's interest to find the solution, the scientists and medical profession are doing their best, you cannot expect miracles. We will follow Spain and Italy

GagaJo, of course they saw it coming. They just couldn't do very much in the time they had to prepare.

Boris's often repeated 'will take the right steps at the right time' (as if to convince himself) sounds like an absurd, hollow joke.

When dealing with such a threat it can never be about party politics.

Criticism of decisions should not be confused with party politics.

M0nica, I don't think this is about party politics (I can't speak for others of course). I think it's about wanting WHOEVER is in power to step up and govern and lead well.

They had so long to prepare for this. They saw it happen overseas. Yet they didn't. Did they genuinely think it wouldn't hit us that hard?

To me it’s another demonstration of how shambolic NHS management is. Eg to turn staff away from a testing site because although they are on a list it’s not the “right” list is just bonkers when the testers are otherwise sitting around doing nothing. It’s an insult to the staff working their guts out to keep people safe.

The British government, like governments everywhere are struggling to deal with a situation they have never dealt with before, with a virus previously unknown to medical science.

Like all governments they are at times getting it badly wrong, but anyone who thinks having a different party in government, would have made any difference is living in cloud cuckoo land. A different government might not make the same mistakes, but make mistakes and on big issues they assuredly would.

Maxval perhaps we could resurrect all those WW2 gas masks, they may come in handy at the present time.

Oh dear, DH just checked his and it has perished.

One thing I’m a bit puzzled about? Why is Hancock out of isolation only 6/days after his covid diagnosis?

So pleased to hear the government recognise the contribution migrants make to our NHS.

Only 4 months ago they were mostly classed as unskilled labour, or prohibited because they didn't warm enough

Do you mind if I ask how it is that the country arrived at this difficult situation so seemingly unprepared? In my ancient world, the Civil Defence Corp with current practise the frontline insurance, and essential manufactured equipment made, acquired and stored in preparation. Who took the metaphorical eye off the ball – or more importantly was it ever on?
In our times, this has been unprecedented in severity and in scale, as well as in timescale.
If stored indefinitely in the event of such occurrences, material, chemicals etc may be rendered unfit for purpose.

One could says that the SARS outbreak was a warning but this barely touched the UK, with only about 4 cases.

Viruses are always one step ahead of humans as they can emerge and mutate rapidly. What may start as a zoonotic disease, limited in scope, could change suddenly to human to human transmission.

On Tuesday Gove excitedly announced that the “first of thousand of ventilators about to roll off the production line and be available by this weekend”

How many available this weekend?

30

At the grand age of eighty-two and often informed, by a progressive technologically savvy and educated breed, I need to get with it and sign up. Do you mind if I ask how it is that the country arrived at this difficult situation so seemingly unprepared? In my ancient world, the Civil Defence Corp with current practise the frontline insurance, and essential manufactured equipment made, acquired and stored in preparation. Who took the metaphorical eye off the ball – or more importantly was it ever on? What price the busy “official talker” against that of practical doer already signed up with a shovel to put the country back together.

Up to 1 in 3 CV tests in NY may have given false negatives.

Other european countries are sending their tests abroad to be analysed due to lack of reagent.

We are not actually the ones lagging behind.

Nobody is getting it exactly right in the balance between SWIFT testing, and ACCURATE testing.

Oh Im not exclusive. I despise anybody that uses other people’s misery to further their own agenda.

Whatever that agenda is.

notanan It isn't just "bloody Labour" who is critical of the government's performance so far. Some of its own supporters aren't very impressed and, certainly, largea numbers of medical professionals are furious - and have expressed their fury on several occasions.

If it were Labour ....................

1. who in 2017 had voted down the purchase of more protective, and other necessary, equipment for our hospitals, in preparation for what the medical profession warned was likely to be a serious flu epidemic in the coming years;

2. who, being aware in December 2019 of an almost inevitable pandemic and also being aware that we had insufficient protective and other vital equipment, did not appear to spring into action until several weeks later;

2. who, when it became apparent there was going to be a significant shortage in vital equipment, made conflicting statements as to the number of ventilators available;
and who only recently liaised with engineers and manufacturers to seek their advice and co-operation in manufacturing as many ventilators as possible in the shortest possible time,

etc, etc, etc ........

I'm sure the Conservative Party and its supporters would have plenty to say about it.

This government is not only evasive in answering questions re availability of equipment and actions being taken. As trisher pointed out, it was initially implied that the UK had not been included in the EU collective purchase plan for medical equipment. Further investigation led to the admission that the UK had missed the opportunity to be included in this purchase plan due to lateness of application because of an"administrative oversight".

Englantine What I "thoroughly despise" is the hypocritical behaviour of those politicians and members of the public who go out on a Thursday evening to clap and cheer health workers but who were fully supportive of this government's policies and its refusal to properly fund the NHS, even when the medical profession was urging the stocking up of vital equipment to respond to this sort of crisis.

Thank you Pikachu

I can only find reference to the Slovak government and faulty tests so far, but they were purchased through an ‘intermediary’ and there are hints of double dealing.

However my point is still valid. Whatever arrives can be very quickly assessed for their efficacy and therefore rejected or used.

Growstuff. why not address that question to the families of the 20,000 people who will die needlessly in this country from C19?

Well GG13 if they are it could be proved within a couple of hours.

Chemical reaction tests are need to be accurate to within a certain min/max. Like the pregnancy tests are accurate ti within +/- 1%.

That's how I feel westendgirl. I feel that the current "bread and circuses", "tell them what they want to hear today" doesn't inspire any confidence at all. It doesn't help that we know that so many of them have lied in the past. Why should they change now?

As for not speaking up, I wonder whether some people really want the UK to be like China, Russia or any other country with a totalitarian regime.

Pikachu is it known if these Chinese Tests are from the same batch that the Spanish and Dutch Governments have just returned as they were found to be faulty?

I wondered about that - I don’t know nearly enough about it but I wondered if all tests are calibrated to an acceptable tolerance level?

~How I wish the Government would acknowledge their mistakes and at the same time their lack of expertise. I would welcome their adopting former statesmen on their committees. This should be cross party, surely. Then I might feel confident in them . At the moment I have no confidence whatsoever in their handling of this pandemic .