Current Affairs

[Kendhni]

When I had my Flu jab the Nurse said it had 4 strains in it to cover which maybe the prevalent one.?

That is normal, however every year the strains included can vary based on research on which ones are prevalent in your area/country that year. This year that research has been very limited so there is a bit more guesswork than normal.

[CaroleF]

I had my Covid booster 6 months and three days after my second jab. I was messaged by my surgery and could go online to book at our local Community hospital, got three choices of times. I also had my flu jab at the same time - I already had a booking at our local village chemist for the flu jab the day before so I cancelled that. I had no after effects from either of the two jabs, not even an aching arm which I did have after my second jab and sometimes have had after a flu jab in the past. All was brilliantly organised so we have been very lucky in this area - village half way between Southampton and Portsmouth.
As far as mask wearing, I'm not going out to shops very often and will wear one if I do. I've recently had a Hernia repair and last week saw my Consultant for a follow up and had to wear one when visiting the hospital. My sister-in-law who lives in the same village says that when she's visited shops she would say that maybe 70% of people were wearing masks. Our local chemist insists on people wearing masks. I did notice that at Prime Minister's Questions that the Labour MPs were all wearing masks but very few, but some on the Tory benches as was pointed out by the Labour party accusing the Tories of refusing to wear masks. In the paper this morning I read that later the same day Sir Kier Starmer was mixing with MPs and journalists at an evening event in the Churchill Room, the journalist who reported this did say he wasn't wearing a mask but none of the MPs, including Starmer, were wearing masks either. It's got to be everyone's personal choice and I hate wearing masks but I will if I'm going somewhere where there are lots of people - not that I do that other than the occasional shopping trip.

Carole

[Mervyn and Trish]

I noticed a change this morning when I popped into Sainsburys for the paper and a few bits that were out of stock when they delivered this week.

The level of mask wearing, which had dwindled, had significantly increased again. Not quite to the levels when it was mandatory but a big increase on last week. So a chunk of the population are paying attention to the numbers.

Perhaps significantly the majority of abstainers were the young, arrogant, invulnerable. They are, I suspect, the generation less likely to tune in to conventional media, such as radio and tv news, and more likely to get their guidance from Doctor Tracey and Professor Sharron on Facebook and Twitter.

Yes Gill, I fully accept and believe you research carefully who you take notice of on Twitter. But many of this lot couldn't tell the difference between a Nobel Prize Winner and a Crested Newt.

[screwy]

I was talking to one of the managers in my local Tesco this morning, he said that there was a briefing coming up and it seems the re introduction of face masks is round the corner.! At least in Tesco.

[Stephen]

I wouldn’t hold my breath with supermarkets enforcing any future mask wearing rule going by the last fiasco. They might talk the talk and look like they doing there bit but that’s about it.

[Jan Rosser]

I wouldn’t hold my breath with supermarkets enforcing any future mask wearing rule going by the last fiasco. They might talk the talk and look like they doing there bit but that’s about it.

Just been to surgery this morning for flu jab and everyone wearing masks - same at Sainsbugs but we haven’t stopped wearing them in Wales. Just a way of life now

[barney]

I was talking to one of the managers in my local Tesco this morning, he said that there was a briefing coming up and it seems the re introduction of face masks is round the corner.! At least in Tesco.

My local Tesco has always been predominantly mask wearing.
About 90% + I’d say now the Grockles have gone.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I saw an interesting piece today. One of the groups of scientists advising the government has done some modeling that predicts if nothing changes Covid cases will peak in November and then fall rapidly. It's a phenomenon called pandemic equilibrium which they reckon we are close to. There are of course factors that might throw their model off course. But it may explain why the government is reluctant to press the Plan B button. Personally I'd be very happy if they did, especially making masks compulsory again. But we know there are other elements such as the Covid Passport to get into clubs etc that will be fiercely unpopular in some quarters. And despite Labour now urging action they will be poised to remind everyone that Covid passports are discriminatory the day after they're announced.

[Ray B]

Numbers, you may be correct Merv with a peak in November. Our numbers in Norfolk are predicted to reach the highest so far in this pandemic in a week or two. But far and away the highest group are the school children and young adults, all those that mix freely together.

[towny44]

I notice that Sir Keir is opposed to making covid vaccination a condition of employment for NHS staff despite them possibly infecting very sick patients if they are asymtomatic, and spreading the infection in hospitals. At the same time he is demanding that masks be made compulsary again in many indoor locations.

[Kendhni]

The company I work for has made it clear that you are either double vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption. We are by necessity driven by scientific evidence and you either believe in the science or you don't ... and if you don't then we probably are not a good fit. So the NHS requiring all staff to be double vaccinated makes sense (medical/religious exemptions excepted - and I am not convinced by the religious argument).

The time for pandering to the princesses and ignorant mouthpieces of society is over. I hope more employers that require people to work in offices or close quarters also enforce double vaccination on all their employees.

[Onelife]

I’m a bit confused about the recent predictions that November should see a significant fall in covid infections/deaths…is this because many old, vulnerable and unvaccinated will be dead?

[Quizzical Bob]

I’m a bit confused about the recent predictions that November should see a significant fall in covid infections/deaths…is this because many old, vulnerable and unvaccinated will be dead?

It’s because the bulk of the infections have been amongst the young. It should burn through them very soon and with the half term break the transmission in schools will be temporarily halted. There is very little transmission between the young and the old. Apparently.

[Kendhni]

I thought the more interesting part of the graph was that rates are expected to remain low throughout winter. But they expected o start rising again next March. Hopefully we will still get away in March

[Gill W]

I thought the more interesting part of the graph was that rates are expected to remain low throughout winter. But they expected o start rising again next March. Hopefully we will still get away in March

It seems very counter-intuitive for predictions to say that cases will drop in winter and rise in spring. Perhaps we will need to get a spring booster jab. It wasn't that long ago that the models were saying that we'd have 100,000 infections a day. (although Zoe are saying that there's currently 93000 infections a day, so maybe that model wasn't quite so outlandish after all!)

One thing that I have learnt is to take all models with a pinch of salt, as Covid just does what it wants anyway.

All I know is that we are still getting lots of new cases, and although infections in young people may be reducing, it's masking the problem that infections in older people (over 60's) are going up, which is likely to put pressure on an already stretched NHS.

Hopefully everyone will get their boosters, and I still think that compulsory mask wearing should be brought back asap, so we can do everything possible to reduce new cases. I noticed that there was more masks being worn in parliament yesterday, even though some of them still didn't know how to wear them properly !

[Kendhni]

I agree with you about being counter intuitive and I was surprised to see that, but I guess they have a lot more data than we have. I saw a headline a few days back saying they expect the number of daily cases to rise above the 100K (although I think the ratio of positives to tests would give a better indicator).

I think that mask wearing may actually become an annual event during flu season (especially if there is a significant rise in cases). That could help to protect the NHS as well.

[Onelife]

With regards to anti-vaxxers targeting school children, isn’t about time the government imposes limitations on the right of freedom of speech?

There are enough nutters out there preaching their warped views on how we should lead our lives without having these brainwashed individuals regurgitating this ill-informed garbage to impressionable young school children.

[towny44]

With regards to anti-vaxxers targeting school children, isn’t about time the government imposes limitations on the right of freedom of speech?

There are enough nutters out there preaching their warped views on how we should lead our lives without having these brainwashed individuals regurgitating this ill-informed garbage to impressionable young school children.

We have to have the more convincing argument, a friend of ours asked his reluctant to be jabbed son if he wanted to go holiday next year, which proved effective.

[Kendhni]

With regards to anti-vaxxers targeting school children, isn’t about time the government imposes limitations on the right of freedom of speech?

There are enough nutters out there preaching their warped views on how we should lead our lives without having these brainwashed individuals regurgitating this ill-informed garbage to impressionable young school children.

I am not convinced about the curtailing of freedom of speech, but there should definitely be a curtailing of misinformation. People should be made to be accountable for their lies and deliberate misleading of the gullible and impressionable ... far too much of that over the last few years.

As far as those that have not been vaccinated are concerned ... everyone has had their chance and anyone that is not double jabbed (medical exemptions excepted) should be denied access to the NHS for any and all respiratory illnesses. They should also be kept at the bottom of waiting lists for all other medical treatment so that valuable hospital beds are not wasted on those looking to earn a Darwin award.

[Onelife]

Hi Ken,

I’m not sure which of our views would be more acceptable in the hierarchy of political decision making but I feel both have merit. I see little difference from that of introducing laws that stop smokers harming the health of others, and that of anti-vaxxers spouting misinformation that has the potential to stop people getting vaccinated.

[Kendhni]

The sad thing is that every anti-vax conspiracy theory has been debunked; it contains tracking chips; it's magnetic, it causes sterility; it's made from aborted foetuses; COVID is gods will; causes autism; caused by too much hygiene; contains toxins (I particularly liked this one because it was started by someone who was trying to sell drinkable bleach and disinfectant); alter our DNA; ... all made up or based on totally irrelevant or manufactured data.

My ultimate favourite conspiracy theory is that COVID was a deliberate government action to reduce the worlds population and pension liability.


Unfortunately, as we have seen before, if people tell their lie often enough it isn't just the easily led and gullible that fall for it ... to quote Mark Twain, "It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled".

[screwy]

With regards to anti-vaxxers targeting school children, isn’t about time the government imposes limitations on the right of freedom of speech?

There are enough nutters out there preaching their warped views on how we should lead our lives without having these brainwashed individuals regurgitating this ill-informed garbage to impressionable young school children.

Sorry, I thought we had teachers to do that.

Incoming take shelter.

[Onelife]

You can take your tin hat off as I’m not sure where you are coming from with that one

[Whynd1]

I know climate change is a hot topic at the moment, no pun intended and the cop 26 is a way forward, but is anybody else sick to death of the subject.
Each time you turn on the TV it is non stop apparently sky news are heavily involved in the Glasgow event.

Lindsey

[Stephen]

Like Boris or not, he is our Prime Minister, and I felt the interviewer should have shown him a bit more respect instead over talking him with an almost aggressive nature.

COP26: World at one minute to midnight over climate change - Boris Johnson https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59114871