If they are referring to Hancock's op-ed, it's not paywalled.
Big deal, it shows how shallow these fcukwits are, posting this kind of stuff on a Tory rag which is normally paywalled and I bet was at first. How to help your pals, sick gits.
Seriously, calm down.
Rob, F**k off you patronising git.
Very classy.
Just as classy as your calm down dear
I thought it was quite sound advice. You seem to be going off on one!
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
That's not what I was saying. I was just raising the point that Iceland has near complete DNA records of its population and already does a huge amount of research linking diseases and genetics....and lots of other countries / companies buy this info to further aid their progress in R&D.
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I am so sorry to hear that and it will be no consolation that many thousands, even millions, will be in the same boat
Agreed. Down the line I hope someone is thinking about July and onward.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
If the government have anything to do with his airline, it'll be helping to underwrite the finance for the company that buys his stricken assets for 10p in the pound.
Exactly. There's very little point proping up airlines when nobody wants to fly, as there are much better uses for that money now. And when it's over all those planes will still have much of their value for any new companies that emerge.
Right now the only thing that makes sense regarding folding airlines is to provide welfare for the employees, but the companies and their shareholders are on their own.
I've been saying some harsh light of day stuff about government strategy with regards to people which I know sounds cold. It'll be the same with regards to business - we will absolutely need some business and absolutely not need others. But is the cost of letting them fail and setting up again out the other side higher than the alternative?
The issue is NOT the likes of Virgin Atlantic. The issue is that the likes of Virgin Atlantic owe money to banks. So suspend the banking sector - all loans and outstanding monies will be covered by the BoE so that Virgin and Costa and our local museum and the dog walker don't have to go bust. You don't need to meet any of your financial obligations until all this is over.
That would take some serious balls and some serious borrowing...
Disappointed the budget did not signal the reality, which is that taxes will have to rise amongst those who can afford it.
Charles: how is your understanding of the race to find a successful anti-viral? Any insight there? And, most important, hope your dad is okay and the Hampshire hotspot is not associated with his hospital.
They are trying two main things at the moment Actema (IL-6 binder that has been shown to help with cytokine storm induced by CAR-T therapy) and Kaletra, which is a combination of two protease inhibitors for HIV that has also been shown to work in HPV.
My Dad has tested positive, but is being well looked after in the said Hampshire hotspot. Thank you for your thoughts.
Is he at the Hampshire clinic, Charles?
Basingstoke and North Hants. NHS is better for acute situations.
Good. That's where our daughter went when she had bronchiolitis, and she was also born in the maternity ward there.
For all the people saying we should listen to the experts on the science, there seems to be a reluctance to listen to the experts on news management.
BoZo may be managing the crisis well, but he is fucking up the information management, spreading confusion and panic.
He wants to be Churchill, but it's all a bit Chamberlain right now
I'm not sure that much in the way of "news management" is possible anymore. There are too many people (particularly in the anti-social media cesspit) running around like headless chickens and/or spreading obviously fake news, which the papers and the television broadcasts then pick up and run with. Firstly because the 24-hour news cycle demands a continuous supply of fresh shit to pump out, and secondly because it lives off the oxygen of doom-mongering and sensationalism.
The Government is right only to send out its A-team to do a presser when it has something important to say. Otherwise we'd have a continuous stream of interviews with the Health Secretary and Prime Minister that would consist entirely of hacks waving largely ill-informed rubbish penned by astronomy students telling us that we're all doomed and then asking over and over and over and over and over again how many millions of people are going to die, and why the Government is letting them die because it won't lock everyone in Britain in an individual concrete coffin for the next three years.
The only panic so far has been caused by hoarders and conspiracy theorists. The former is a matter of human nature not information management, and if it goes on for too long or becomes too serious then it will have to be solved by rationing and not by talking to journalists. The latter is one of the unfortunate side-effects of living in a society that values freedom of speech and the Government really can't do more than provide the clear and calm instructions that it already has, unless we want to go down the road of rounding up all the letter writers and Twitter trolls and forcibly silencing them. Internal exile to a re-education camp in Xinjiang is an option for the Chinese Communist Party; for Boris Johnson, not so much.
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I find myself in a situation similar to your, flight meta search. Strong company but daily revenue is plummeting. However I hope I am in the keeping the lights on group, working on unsexy but essential site services.
What happened was the US government proposed funding the development in the form of a licensing deal (fairly standard). Some idiot lawyer sent over the standard template which in life sciences is "exclusive global rights".
That doesn't mean only for the US. That means that the US government will own the intellectual property in return for providing the funding.
Ottermann's insinuation is that they would stop other people having access to it. Which is bullshit.
IIRC (calling the lawyers here) that if you don't claim rights, others can attempt to "squat"... So holding the global rights means that you don't have to argue with anyone or anything as you distribute your work/product/thing.
It’s all moot anyway. Any vaccine will undoubtedly be subject to compulsory licensing provisions. This is a non-story. This will also apply to on-patent ventilator technology btw.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
They were testing for the virus over the weekend.
Yes but why call it genetic screening?
Probably lost in translation from the original Icelandic?
If the government have anything to do with his airline, it'll be helping to underwrite the finance for the company that buys his stricken assets for 10p in the pound.
Exactly. There's very little point proping up airlines when nobody wants to fly, as there are much better uses for that money now. And when it's over all those planes will still have much of their value for any new companies that emerge.
Right now the only thing that makes sense regarding folding airlines is to provide welfare for the employees, but the companies and their shareholders are on their own.
I've been saying some harsh light of day stuff about government strategy with regards to people which I know sounds cold. It'll be the same with regards to business - we will absolutely need some business and absolutely not need others. But is the cost of letting them fail and setting up again out the other side higher than the alternative?
The issue is NOT the likes of Virgin Atlantic. The issue is that the likes of Virgin Atlantic owe money to banks. So suspend the banking sector - all loans and outstanding monies will be covered by the BoE so that Virgin and Costa and our local museum and the dog walker don't have to go bust. You don't need to meet any of your financial obligations until all this is over.
More likely is a period of worldwide negative interest rates, protecting companies from going under.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
They were testing for the virus over the weekend.
Yes but why call it genetic screening?
IANE (obviously) but if you screen someone for genetic material, as well as the individuals genes can you not also detect the presence or otherwise of DNA (well RNA) strings that indicate the presence of Covid-19?
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
What bilge. Talking politics about this is vulgar but you're making it really hard not to start pointing out the hypocrisy of German led European unity which sells other countries down the river at the first sign of trouble.
I was merely saying that I take comfort in the fact that a political leader who I rate is taking a similar coronavirus approach to Boris Johnson - who I don't.
There, I've had to say it again now because of you.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
If Boris had been in charge during WWII, I fairly sure the tw@tterati would be cheering on Hitler, just to see his nose rubbed in it.
There were those who were not, initially at any rate, impressed with Churchill. And if Edward VIII hadn't been more interested in Wallis than being King........
The weirdest thing is that Boris has had this lifelong obsession - self delusion almost - of comparing himself to Churchill, which never looked likely to come to anything by dint of his character flaws and the lack of crisis. No sooner does he get the job than along comes the biggest crisis of our generation.
I suspect his obsession/delusion played apart in his being comfortable (if not actually eager) charting a course different from the rest of the world, imagining the vindication that might await him at the end.
If they are referring to Hancock's op-ed, it's not paywalled.
Big deal, it shows how shallow these fcukwits are, posting this kind of stuff on a Tory rag which is normally paywalled and I bet was at first. How to help your pals, sick gits.
Malc.
You and I are on the opposite sides on the referendum but we converse well
I do think that we are now in an environment that we all need to be kinder and to be honest I really would like to hear your genuine thought through opinions on topical matters
Please try not to become tedious but help to contribute with constructive criticism, not destructive
All the best
G , posting that on Telegraph was idiotic, no right minded person could think otherwise, and it was behind paywall till outrage started. Any sane individual would have given it to all newspapers/media outlets. Nothing unkind about calling out the huge mistakes these people make, if they cannot understand anything so simple how can we expect them to do the right thing on the big decisions. To favour a specific Tory supporting newspaper , behind a paywall, so blatantly shows they have no sense of judgement whatsoever and that is scary considering the impact they can have on our lives in the current crisis. It appears we are being led by unthinking donkeys. Took me a lot longer to post but is basically what I said earlier.
Charles: how is your understanding of the race to find a successful anti-viral? Any insight there? And, most important, hope your dad is okay and the Hampshire hotspot is not associated with his hospital.
They are trying two main things at the moment Actema (IL-6 binder that has been shown to help with cytokine storm induced by CAR-T therapy) and Kaletra, which is a combination of two protease inhibitors for HIV that has also been shown to work in HPV.
My Dad has tested positive, but is being well looked after in the said Hampshire hotspot. Thank you for your thoughts.
Is he at the Hampshire clinic, Charles?
Basingstoke and North Hants. NHS is better for acute situations.
Good. That's where our daughter went when she had bronchiolitis, and she was also born in the maternity ward there.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
They were testing for the virus over the weekend.
Yes but why call it genetic screening?
IANE (obviously) but if you screen someone for genetic material, as well as the individuals genes can you not also detect the presence or otherwise of DNA (well RNA) strings that indicate the presence of Covid-19?
You develop primers that match a particular region of the virus sequence and amplify these. If you have material you have a 'hit'. This is nothing to do with sequencing the DNA of the individual but specifically about targeting the virus.
Got it. Thanks.
So the fact that Iceland have a big database of their population's DNA is irrelevant?
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
After travel, insurance will be the next industry in trouble. Travel insurance, life insurance, event insurance, will all be paying out considerable sums.
What bilge. Talking politics about this is vulgar but you're making it really hard not to start pointing out the hypocrisy of German led European unity which sells other countries down the river at the first sign of trouble.
I was merely saying that I take comfort in the fact that a political leader who I rate is taking a similar coronavirus approach to Boris Johnson - who I don't.
There, I've had to say it again now because of you.
So the fact that Iceland have a big database of their population's DNA is irrelevant?
I think that's right, yes. They were testing over the weekend, and this article is discussing those tests. Nothing to do with the (somewhat scary) database of all icelanders.
So the fact that Iceland have a big database of their population's DNA is irrelevant?
Its not irrelevant in that they are able to study genetic differences between people who suffer different reactions to this virus. Which is the point I was making.
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
If the government have anything to do with his airline, it'll be helping to underwrite the finance for the company that buys his stricken assets for 10p in the pound.
Exactly. There's very little point proping up airlines when nobody wants to fly, as there are much better uses for that money now. And when it's over all those planes will still have much of their value for any new companies that emerge.
Right now the only thing that makes sense regarding folding airlines is to provide welfare for the employees, but the companies and their shareholders are on their own.
I've been saying some harsh light of day stuff about government strategy with regards to people which I know sounds cold. It'll be the same with regards to business - we will absolutely need some business and absolutely not need others. But is the cost of letting them fail and setting up again out the other side higher than the alternative?
The issue is NOT the likes of Virgin Atlantic. The issue is that the likes of Virgin Atlantic owe money to banks. So suspend the banking sector - all loans and outstanding monies will be covered by the BoE so that Virgin and Costa and our local museum and the dog walker don't have to go bust. You don't need to meet any of your financial obligations until all this is over.
I am sure starting an airline after it is over will be cheap as chips, lots of planes available , lots of skilled staff , facilities etc. Better to save just a few and certainly not ones that benefit rapacious gits like Branson. Save the ones who pay the most taxes.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
They are not sequencing the genome, they are doing a PCR to detect presence of the virus - that's why this potentially matters a great deal.
And is doing a PCR a radically different way to detect it than what everyone else is doing?
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I am so sorry to hear that and it will be no consolation that many thousands, even millions, will be in the same boat
I could lose my job this week. Next week. Next month. I am hopeful that the impact of Coronavirus gives us options that didn't exist before with regards to more sales and access to emergency cash but the reality is that we're only operable if the production team are able to come to work. I can work from home, my colleagues actually making the food cannot, nor can the people who supply and make our ingredients and packaging and the people who then transport it and move it through retailer supply chains.
How are bookies going to settle who wins leagues types of bets? Void them all even those long since bit the dust in terms of possibilities of winning various leagues?
There appears to be official German confirmation that the US have tried to buy out a German team working on a vaccine on the basis that it would be exclusive for the US. The German government is unenthusiastic about the idea:
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
The health strategy may be brilliant. The public information strategy is garbage, and they are rightly being criticized for it.
Daily press conferences should be the minimum.
Some in the media to calm the f##k down, put their hatred of Boris to one side and do their best to educate and inform the public.
Instead most still seem to think normal rules apply and scoring political points is what it is all about e.g. prominently report a letter saying that the government strategy is wrong from basically nobody who is an expert in the field and over half who are still students.
Same with dissecting every single line of a statement from the WHO and interpreting it as direct criticism of the government.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
If they are referring to Hancock's op-ed, it's not paywalled.
Big deal, it shows how shallow these fcukwits are, posting this kind of stuff on a Tory rag which is normally paywalled and I bet was at first. How to help your pals, sick gits.
Seriously, calm down.
Rob, F**k off you patronising git.
Very classy.
Just as classy as your calm down dear
I thought it was quite sound advice. You seem to be going off on one!
Not at all Rob, merely pointing out the mendacity and uselessness of Hancock and the bumbling crap Boris and his guys had come out with. It did not take them long to change it which makes me think they don't really have much of a clue but are winging it and not very well.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
I will be claiming cancellation insurance on my may holiday to Vancouver on the grounds I am in the highest risk group and as they have insured me over several previous trips, all with the same declared pre-existing conditions, I expect the claim to be met
FAKE NEWS...its not paywalled. I know they say on a paywalled website, it is deliberately misleading.
Again the media playing silly buggers.
I don't think I have ever been quite as incensed at the moment at the behaviour of some. From BBC reporting a totally misleading petition of "200" scientists, most of which are students, disagreeing with the government policy and all this misinformation on twitter.
what kind of moron puts a health Secretary announcement to the public in a Tory newspaper. If that is not F****ed up I don't know what is and then the absolute bell ends put up on GOV site telling people to go look at the Telegraph, you could not make up the stupidity of these clowns.
Agreed - this is no way to proceed at all. Big mistake. Text should have gone to all papers for them to publish unedited ot not at all as they decide.
Except it wasn't an announcement of government policy. It was just a repeat of what has already been said.
And to be fair the main piece of newish guidance was aimed at old people
Problem being if you go, you can't get back. And the last thing the UK Govt. wants is the distraction of getting its people out of Covid-19 hotspots.
Mr Mark, just wonderng about your wife.... The last we heard, she was over in the States, if I remember correctly. Hope she is OK.
Yes thank you, been back 10 days now and still seems fit as a flea. (I seriously worry about air travel - I think when we get down to studying this virus, air travel and airports will be a major contributing factor and the cutting back on the efficiency of installed air filters to save money will be quite criminal.) She's still working on editing a small independent movie out of the US, but that will have to be viewed remotely (although there are concerns around internet security and piracy).
A short that she got away has won two audience awards for best movie. Was supposed to have been showing next in an Oscar-qualifier festival in the US, but looks like that will have been knocked on the head.
She has a round-table meeting on her Marianne Faithfull movie up in London this week that people seem to think can't be done on a conference call as it is on casting - and that requires actors in the room. Hoping filming can start in the autumn, but at the moment films can't get insurance or bonded. Annoying as with theatres dark and music tours cancelled, its a great time to get talent.
But otherwise, back to hunkering down in the Devon hotspot! She has a Sunday-night ITV series to write, so hoping that at least she will come out of this down time with a script ready to take to the next level.
If they are referring to Hancock's op-ed, it's not paywalled.
Big deal, it shows how shallow these fcukwits are, posting this kind of stuff on a Tory rag which is normally paywalled and I bet was at first. How to help your pals, sick gits.
Seriously, calm down.
Rob, F**k off you patronising git.
Very classy.
Just as classy as your calm down dear
I thought it was quite sound advice. You seem to be going off on one!
Not at all Rob, merely pointing out the mendacity and uselessness of Hancock and the bumbling crap Boris and his guys had come out with. It did not take them long to change it which makes me think they don't really have much of a clue but are winging it and not very well.
They need to stfu. I get really bad bouts of depression even after short periods of isolation. Such measures should not be taken lightly and could do far more harm than good.
I am tentatively supportive of the Government plan so far.
That is what PB is for. Never alone, especially if you have strong views on pizza toppings.
The issue with pizza toppings is that there's not a lot to do once we all agree that pineapple, chicken and olive pizza is objectively the ultimate pizza.
Olive? ON A PIZZA?
Actually, olive on anything renders it fit only for the garbage.
Anchovy stuffed olives are one of life's pleasures.
I refuse to eat pizza anywhere that doesnt even offer the option of anchovies. Keith Floyd's My Favourite Pizza recipe is ideal: anchovies, olives, chilis and capers
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I am so sorry to hear that and it will be no consolation that many thousands, even millions, will be in the same boat
I could lose my job this week. Next week. Next month. I am hopeful that the impact of Coronavirus gives us options that didn't exist before with regards to more sales and access to emergency cash but the reality is that we're only operable if the production team are able to come to work. I can work from home, my colleagues actually making the food cannot, nor can the people who supply and make our ingredients and packaging and the people who then transport it and move it through retailer supply chains.
That is where they need to be spending their energies, we will need all the food production possible. Given we do not produce near enough to feed the population we will also need to hope we can still import plenty.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Interesting the opposition response to government actions is to be predominantly supportive, no one calling for a herd immunity approach and what criticism there is is directed at having allowed the mass women’s day marches last Sunday. Felix may have seen different responses so interested in his opinion.
Agree - but there is considerable anger at the Madrilenos who have appeared overnight as it were. In the longer term this crisis will bring down governments because our 2 week lockdown will no be sufficient - I suspect maybe 2/3 months.
Yep, this is the major problem with a universal lockdown strategy. People sat at home going stir crazy for months on end whilst, for a great many workers in retail and hospitality in particular, their jobs and livelihoods go up in flames all around them.
It's going to be a big enough challenge simply to sequester the elderly in this country. Just the temptation for relatives and friends dropping off shopping to come in for a cup of tea is going to be enormous. And how many of the ones with dogs do we think will last more than a couple of days before starting to take them out walkies again?
How keeping an entire society in stasis for all that time is meant to work God alone knows.
If they are referring to Hancock's op-ed, it's not paywalled.
Big deal, it shows how shallow these fcukwits are, posting this kind of stuff on a Tory rag which is normally paywalled and I bet was at first. How to help your pals, sick gits.
Malc.
You and I are on the opposite sides on the referendum but we converse well
I do think that we are now in an environment that we all need to be kinder and to be honest I really would like to hear your genuine thought through opinions on topical matters
Please try not to become tedious but help to contribute with constructive criticism, not destructive
All the best
G , posting that on Telegraph was idiotic, no right minded person could think otherwise, and it was behind paywall till outrage started. Any sane individual would have given it to all newspapers/media outlets. Nothing unkind about calling out the huge mistakes these people make, if they cannot understand anything so simple how can we expect them to do the right thing on the big decisions. To favour a specific Tory supporting newspaper , behind a paywall, so blatantly shows they have no sense of judgement whatsoever and that is scary considering the impact they can have on our lives in the current crisis. It appears we are being led by unthinking donkeys. Took me a lot longer to post but is basically what I said earlier.
I do not disagree and you can make an argument in much more measured tone and win it
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
The issue is NOT the likes of Virgin Atlantic. The issue is that the likes of Virgin Atlantic owe money to banks. So suspend the banking sector - all loans and outstanding monies will be covered by the BoE so that Virgin and Costa and our local museum and the dog walker don't have to go bust. You don't need to meet any of your financial obligations until all this is over.
More likely is a period of worldwide negative interest rates, protecting companies from going under.
As with 2008 it is a liquidity crisis. The economy works when money flows. Once that stops or is reduced enough, companies big and small will abruptly run out of money and that would be that. The alternative is that the government switches De La Rue on and we drop a large number of new £20 notes into the economy that companies big and small don't abruptly run out of money.
OR - the government decides that its ok for large scale bankruptcy and people in dire financial crises on top of the virus disaster. The big bump will probably mean them having to pump money into the banks anyway, so why not pump it in at the top rather than at the bottom?
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I am so sorry to hear that and it will be no consolation that many thousands, even millions, will be in the same boat
I could lose my job this week. Next week. Next month. I am hopeful that the impact of Coronavirus gives us options that didn't exist before with regards to more sales and access to emergency cash but the reality is that we're only operable if the production team are able to come to work. I can work from home, my colleagues actually making the food cannot, nor can the people who supply and make our ingredients and packaging and the people who then transport it and move it through retailer supply chains.
You do have my genuine concern and for many more. It is horrible for so many
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
They need to stfu. I get really bad bouts of depression even after short periods of isolation. Such measures should not be taken lightly and could do far more harm than good.
I am tentatively supportive of the Government plan so far.
That is what PB is for. Never alone, especially if you have strong views on pizza toppings.
The issue with pizza toppings is that there's not a lot to do once we all agree that pineapple, chicken and olive pizza is objectively the ultimate pizza.
Olive? ON A PIZZA?
Actually, olive on anything renders it fit only for the garbage.
Now you are being silly Mark, Olives enhance almost anything , there are a few exceptions but on a pizza they are lovely.
It’s a shame that last year’s Scottish olive harvest was so meagre.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
I am sure starting an airline after it is over will be cheap as chips, lots of planes available , lots of skilled staff , facilities etc. Better to save just a few and certainly not ones that benefit rapacious gits like Branson. Save the ones who pay the most taxes.
My point is that its not about Virgin. Or Branson. We can't try and weaponise this and make excuses because he could sell his island to cover the airline's losses. Thats ONE business. What about all of the others facing the exact same liquidity crisis?
I am significantly more concerned by the economic disaster we face than the pandemic.
There appears to be official German confirmation that the US have tried to buy out a German team working on a vaccine on the basis that it would be exclusive for the US. The German government is unenthusiastic about the idea:
Interesting the opposition response to government actions is to be predominantly supportive, no one calling for a herd immunity approach and what criticism there is is directed at having allowed the mass women’s day marches last Sunday. Felix may have seen different responses so interested in his opinion.
Agree - but there is considerable anger at the Madrilenos who have appeared overnight as it were. In the longer term this crisis will bring down governments because our 2 week lockdown will no be sufficient - I suspect maybe 2/3 months.
Yep, this is the major problem with a universal lockdown strategy. People sat at home going stir crazy for months on end whilst, for a great many workers in retail and hospitality in particular, their jobs and livelihoods go up in flames all around them.
It's going to be a big enough challenge simply to sequester the elderly in this country. Just the temptation for relatives and friends dropping off shopping to come in for a cup of tea is going to be enormous. And how many of the ones with dogs do we think will last more than a couple of days before starting to take them out walkies again?
How keeping an entire society in stasis for all that time is meant to work God alone knows.
Why does it need absolute adherance? If 80% comply and 20% dont that will probably reduce the number of elderly infections by 50-80% with all the benefits to NHS scheduling that brings.
Even, someone popping in for a cup of tea is going to be pretty safe if distance is kept and everything is wiped down before and after.
The country needs to be broadly follow the advice, we dont need to try and ensure 100% of the people comply 100% of the time.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
The health strategy may be brilliant. The public information strategy is garbage, and they are rightly being criticized for it.
Daily press conferences should be the minimum.
"at the moment" was last Thursday.
On Friday evening thry cancelled all the big spring mass-entry marathons. They were due to take place in April. They are obviously a big risk. Ditto things like Premiership football matches.
They may now ban all events over 500, but probably not until next weekend.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
How is your daughter's business looking to cope? What measures would help her (as I assume she is in a similar boat to many thousands of others).
Get talking about it. Give us a thread header on measures needed. You never know, somebody with clout in Govt. might be listening....
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
Commiserations - airlines are going to face a very tough time -the Singapore government has just effectively closed down two of the busiest routes in the world between Singapore and Jakarta and KL by requiring all foreign arrivals to self quarantine for 14 days from arrival (as Australia and NZ).
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
The health strategy may be brilliant. The public information strategy is garbage, and they are rightly being criticized for it.
Daily press conferences should be the minimum.
Mass gatherings have *not* been banned
It is on the list of policy options that will be used in the coming days and weeks
Yeah, another willful misrepresentation of current policy. And it will undoubtedly be described as a U-turn despite them constantly banging on about the fact it is a matter of timing.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
After travel, insurance will be the next industry in trouble. Travel insurance, life insurance, event insurance, will all be paying out considerable sums.
That is why I think a government backstop is needed.
My daughter’s business has business interruption insurance. The insurers have already said they will consider a claim but the wording is such that they could, if they wanted to, try and avoid paying out. Much could depend on how the government makes any announcement of closures.
Getting a payout from the insurers will make all the difference between her business closing down, 4 people losing their jobs and the landlord getting no more income or keeping a viable profitable business (one which has increased its turnover by 60% in the last year) going.
One small business I know. But I suspect there will be lots in a similar position. And if all the businesses like hers close down in the area there will not be any alternative employment available.
So it would make sense for the government to do something to provide temporary help to avoid a much worse economic hit.
My work - speaking at large gatherings and doing advisory stuff - is going to be hit by this (and IR35). I had planned to take the first quarter of this year off for private projects but am now assuming this will be extended for the first half of the year and likely even longer. I am using my Rainy Day savings - not just for me but for the whole of the family now. This is going to be tough for all of us and I am in a relatively OK position.
But the government is going to have to do a whole load more than cancelling business rates, SSP and a £3k koan.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
AI isn't though.....especially translating from a much more minor language.
As complete societal breakdown sets in over the next few months one the few pleasures available to the unlucky survivors will be the sport of seeing Johnson and his confederacy of dunces getting their shit pushed in on a daily basis.
If Boris had been in charge during WWII, I fairly sure the tw@tterati would be cheering on Hitler, just to see his nose rubbed in it.
You have a point there, but to a large extent Johnson has brought this on himself by the way he has conducted himself over time.At this time of crisis, we need someone who can be trusted across the political divide.Johnson does not have - nor does he deserve - the goodwill needed for that.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
Well for example they can start to example genetic differences between those that show signs and those that don't.
They already do similar research across other major diseases, tracing lineages, genetic differences etc.
I can see that but why is genetic screening showing up the virus in the first place?
They are not sequencing the genome, they are doing a PCR to detect presence of the virus - that's why this potentially matters a great deal.
And is doing a PCR a radically different way to detect it than what everyone else is doing?
The number of samples is small (700 totally random tests of which if I understand the newspaper around 1-2% were positive but asymptomatic or with a very weak cold). The actual sample size (700) is large enough (0.2% of their population so equivalent to a hundred thousand here) to have some confidence in the results. They will have more data later in the day.
This is, for me, by far the most optimistic thing I've read about the virus for ages. It's still going to be hell for the health system but if asymptomatic cases are at that level it would be very important.
Note also that the PCR will only work when the virus is active - serological studies would indicate those who had been exposed but had since managed to expel the virus. This could also increase the fraction of asymptomatic cases moving forward.
Based on the Worldometer numbers Iceland actually has the highest number of cases per million (161/364,000 = 442 cases per million) of any country in the world. No deaths to date though.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
How is your daughter's business looking to cope? What measures would help her (as I assume she is in a similar boat to many thousands of others).
Get talking about it. Give us a thread header on measures needed. You never know, somebody with clout in Govt. might be listening....
I’ve just done a post. I’m not sure a thread header just about one business doesn’t seem a little selfish.
But let me see if there’s something. Maybe if we posted ideas on here we could do a collective header suggesting ideas - happy to write or co-write it.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
Yeah, but google translate probably isn't.
I'm off to lunch, but try back and forthing in Translate to see how long before "test" morphs into "genetic screen".
Based on the Worldometer numbers Iceland actually has the highest number of cases per million (161/364,000 = 442 cases per million) of any country in the world. No deaths to date though.
Everyone is in one town, so one person gets it... boom, the entire country has it.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
Yeah, but google translate probably isn't.
I'm off to lunch, but try back and forthing in Translate to see how long before "test" morphs into "genetic screen".
A poor translation or a poor original description is the most logical conclusion. Or do you really think they are running a test that would not be able to detect coronavirus in an attempt to detect coronavirus? I don't think they would be that dumb.
And for the translation, it probably depends more than the single word. What is around it also affects what the translation is.
I have flight radar app on my phone, originally to see out of interest the identity of the many flights coming over Llandudno and North Wales, but also worldwide
I recommend it is downloaded onto most posters mobile as it will be fascinating to see the fall in international and domestic flights in the coming weeks
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
AI isn't though.....especially translating from a much more minor language.
Exactly "crown virus" is the giveaway that this was not translated by a human with English at a level suggested by other parts of the text.
They can't win....they get bashed from pillar to post for not closing down stuff and locking everybody down immediately, despite repeatedly explaining why.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
They didn't explain it.
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
The health strategy may be brilliant. The public information strategy is garbage, and they are rightly being criticized for it.
Daily press conferences should be the minimum.
"at the moment" was last Thursday.
On Friday evening thry cancelled all the big spring mass-entry marathons. They were due to take place in April. They are obviously a big risk. Ditto things like Premiership football matches.
They may now ban all events over 500, but probably not until next weekend.
"Chief Scientific Adviser admits officials and government think it is “helpful” if some “herd immunity” is built up"
is a statement of fact. Not necessarily a policy goal.
Much more of this and social media pressure will end up diverting the government from the science and onto a policy of indefinite lockdown until a vaccine works.
As someone pointed out downthread, being socially isolated for long periods is a killer for some (maybe most?) people - depression, anxiety etc. We are social animals.
Do we want them to do the work or prepare for press conferences?
That's the point. They need to do both.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
Your evidence for that is ?
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
Everyone is now clamouring for stronger measures. A few days ago the response would have been "fuck that, it's just like getting a cold". They're playing games with our heads. Personally I'd like a last parkrun on Saturday before the ban hammer comes down.
Initial results from Icelandic genetic screening indicate that around one percent of the population has the crown virus that causes COVID-19 disease. This was confirmed by Thorolfur Guðnason in a conversation with a news agency today. Kári Stefánsson, CEO of Icelandic Genetic Research, says in a conversation with the news agency that there is almost one percent. Screening of Icelandic genetic analysis began on Thursday in the Tower at Smáratorg in Kopavogur and it was proposed to take high in a thousand samples a day. Twelve thousand people had screened for the virus on Saturday morning.
Potential evidence of an iceberg effect?
They have basically their whole population DNA on record don't they?
I am genuinely failing to understand why that has any bearing on testing them for this virus.
When he says 12,000 people he means “genetic records from 12,000 people”
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
Except the database has got nothing to do with it. The article says they were testing people for coronavirus over the weekend.
It says *genetic screening* when it could just say testing. Why?
Because it's in Icelandic, and translated to English? The article explicitly mentions that they are testing for coronavirus. They aren't going to do a test that couldn't detect it, are they?
I suppose so. Icelanders are pretty bloody good at English, though.
Yeah, but google translate probably isn't.
I'm off to lunch, but try back and forthing in Translate to see how long before "test" morphs into "genetic screen".
Its not how f##king google translate works on articles. It uses learned context, trained on reading millions of articles that humans have translated by hand.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
After travel, insurance will be the next industry in trouble. Travel insurance, life insurance, event insurance, will all be paying out considerable sums.
Travel insurance is an interesting one. The first point to make is that it's primarily intended to cover the cost of medical attention abroad and/or repatriation. Disruption is only ever a secondary peril, and is usually added on for convenience - since in general it's possible to claim back from the airline.
Insurers selling mostly annual policies may actually do quite well this year, since they will have banked a lot of premium already on policies where actually, gfew trips are taken. Single trip cover providers will take an immediate hit from cancellations and then see their immediate premium income stream dry up quite quickly.
Life insurance will be absolutely fine unless circumstances change rapidly. In general, people in the firing line (over 70s and/or with pre-existing conditions) do not hold large amounts of cover. Many providers have annuity-type liabilities that offset their life assurance liabilities - when mortality increases, the former is profitable at the expense of the latter, and vice versa when mortality decreases, so they act as a natural hedge.
Contingency players are very worried, especially about the Olympics. Anecdotally I've now seen three weddings postponed or cancelled, which will affect the lower end of that market, but it isn't a very big one so shouldn't cause too many problems.
Anything that includes business interruption cover will take a pasting this year. Marine insurance will also be heavily impacted (because it always is), with the caveat that if global trade stops altogether there should be fewer big claims.
On the whole, it's going to be a bad year. We are still figuring out just how bad, but as far as we know, it's still well within modelled levels and shouldn't be triggering insolvencies.
I’ve just started the second volume of Volker Ullrich’s excellent biography of Hitler - if you do find yourself with a lot of time to kill In the future I heartily recommend it.
Anyway, I read something in there last night that has cheered me up quite a lot. Immediately after the fall of Poland Hitler wanted to attack the West. The German generals didn’t like this. One of them, I forget who but it was Halder or Brauchitsch, someone like that, said, and I’m paraphrasing here: ‘What we need to be aware of is England’s (he meant Britain but they always generally referred to us as England) tenacity. They don’t give in. They will fight to the last man. And France, with England behind them, will fight just as hard.’
I am no flag waving jingoistic nationalist type, far from it. But I am confident that we still have that tenacity, that bloody-minded stubbornness, that will keep us going until we get through this crisis.
We have been riven by division for too long. None of that matters now. In the face of the enormous challenges we face we will come together and we will prevail.
Mistakes will be made, screeching u-turns will be made, people will die. That is terrible. At times we will see the worst of human nature.
But we will surprise ourselves. We will see, when the shit hits the fan and all the bullshit is stripped away, how tough and resilient we are. All of us, together. Snowflakes, gammons, left, right, rich, poor, Muslims, Jews, all faiths and none, we will get through this. There will be bad apples, many acts of selfishness, but they will be dwarfed by our innate goodness, compassion, resilience and tenacity.
I’m no fan of Cummings either but it may turn out that he is the right person in the right place at the right time. I never thought I would think that, but these are extraordinary times. A clear sighted, pragmatic, logical thinker is what we need.
And once we’re through the worst we can prove we are truly a Global Britain by helping those countries less fortunate to enjoy the wealth, expertise and resources we have and who may still be struggling.
Anyway, all the above might be a load of horseshit but it is comforting me at the minute, so I thought I’d put it down here.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
After travel, insurance will be the next industry in trouble. Travel insurance, life insurance, event insurance, will all be paying out considerable sums.
That is why I think a government backstop is needed.
My daughter’s business has business interruption insurance. The insurers have already said they will consider a claim but the wording is such that they could, if they wanted to, try and avoid paying out. Much could depend on how the government makes any announcement of closures.
Getting a payout from the insurers will make all the difference between her business closing down, 4 people losing their jobs and the landlord getting no more income or keeping a viable profitable business (one which has increased its turnover by 60% in the last year) going.
One small business I know. But I suspect there will be lots in a similar position. And if all the businesses like hers close down in the area there will not be any alternative employment available.
So it would make sense for the government to do something to provide temporary help to avoid a much worse economic hit.
My work - speaking at large gatherings and doing advisory stuff - is going to be hit by this (and IR35). I had planned to take the first quarter of this year off for private projects but am now assuming this will be extended for the first half of the year and likely even longer. I am using my Rainy Day savings - not just for me but for the whole of the family now. This is going to be tough for all of us and I am in a relatively OK position.
But the government is going to have to do a whole load more than cancelling business rates, SSP and a £3k koan.
Exactly. As long as our company is trading I assume that I'll still be here - I'm Head of Commercial and we actually have to liaise with customer to know what to make to be able to get it out the door. Unlike a couple of my other department head colleagues I also like to roll my sleeves up and muck in with creative solutions outside of my direct remit.
Point is that cash flow is critical. We get delays in payment and we have to delay payments. Its very easy for people to fall over running out of cash with a lengthy debtor file of customers also not paying. Morrisons dropping their absurd 60 day payment terms (we're an SME, they're enormous) in favour of immediate payment will help, not having to pay business rates will help, but as we're all so interdependent all it takes is one falling over to imperil the others. And if the business falling over is a key supplier so that we suddenly can't make half the products we need to sell for immediate payment cash that could be us done despite it not being our doing.
As for SSP, gee thanks. Yes its better than no cash at all. But would only slightly slow down my cash burn rate if I was out of work or off sick. Its a literal pittance.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
How is your daughter's business looking to cope? What measures would help her (as I assume she is in a similar boat to many thousands of others).
Get talking about it. Give us a thread header on measures needed. You never know, somebody with clout in Govt. might be listening....
I’ve just done a post. I’m not sure a thread header just about one business doesn’t seem a little selfish.
But let me see if there’s something. Maybe if we posted ideas on here we could do a collective header suggesting ideas - happy to write or co-write it.
We overlapped such is the frantic pace of posts here.
I still think you should use your voice here to focus on things, like the way the Govt. announces measures so that business interruption insurance will deffo get tiggered. Make generalities of your daughter's specifics - and you will no doubt be speaking for many who have no voice.
We know people in power watch this site. We know you can write excellent thread-headers. You can get heard.
Interesting the opposition response to government actions is to be predominantly supportive, no one calling for a herd immunity approach and what criticism there is is directed at having allowed the mass women’s day marches last Sunday. Felix may have seen different responses so interested in his opinion.
Agree - but there is considerable anger at the Madrilenos who have appeared overnight as it were. In the longer term this crisis will bring down governments because our 2 week lockdown will no be sufficient - I suspect maybe 2/3 months.
Yep, this is the major problem with a universal lockdown strategy. People sat at home going stir crazy for months on end whilst, for a great many workers in retail and hospitality in particular, their jobs and livelihoods go up in flames all around them.
It's going to be a big enough challenge simply to sequester the elderly in this country. Just the temptation for relatives and friends dropping off shopping to come in for a cup of tea is going to be enormous. And how many of the ones with dogs do we think will last more than a couple of days before starting to take them out walkies again?
How keeping an entire society in stasis for all that time is meant to work God alone knows.
My dog needs walking once, ideally, twice a day. The idea that he - gentle friendly hound that he is - could be locked up for 4 months is for the birds. Fortunately I can get down a back lane to the beach without encountering anyone and walk him there without meeting anyone - or they are so far away as to amount to the same thing.
Do we want them to do the work or prepare for press conferences?
That's the point. They need to do both.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
Your evidence for that is ?
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
Everyone is now clamouring for stronger measures. A few days ago the response would have been "fuck that, it's just like getting a cold". They're playing games with our heads. Personally I'd like a last parkrun on Saturday before the ban hammer comes down.
Before the lockdown I am doing two things whilst I still can 1. Eat, drink and be merry 2. Running 5k a day in the gym to start the day
Do we want them to do the work or prepare for press conferences?
That's the point. They need to do both.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
Your evidence for that is ?
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
Everyone is now clamouring for stronger measures. A few days ago the response would have been "fuck that, it's just like getting a cold". They're playing games with our heads. Personally I'd like a last parkrun on Saturday before the ban hammer comes down.
So we can conclude that those governments engaged in the problem (i.e. most of those with the capability, other than the US) are probably erring, or going to err, on the side of over-reacting rather than under-reacting.
Rawnsley makes the point in today’s Observer that the wash up of the Japanese Fukushima nuclear incident concluded that whereas about twenty people lost their lives through excessive exposure to radiation, the loss of life due to car accidents, heart attacks, and other incidents arising from the hurriedly ordered and panicky executed evacuation caused a death toll of around a thousand.
Interesting the opposition response to government actions is to be predominantly supportive, no one calling for a herd immunity approach and what criticism there is is directed at having allowed the mass women’s day marches last Sunday. Felix may have seen different responses so interested in his opinion.
Agree - but there is considerable anger at the Madrilenos who have appeared overnight as it were. In the longer term this crisis will bring down governments because our 2 week lockdown will no be sufficient - I suspect maybe 2/3 months.
Yep, this is the major problem with a universal lockdown strategy. People sat at home going stir crazy for months on end whilst, for a great many workers in retail and hospitality in particular, their jobs and livelihoods go up in flames all around them.
It's going to be a big enough challenge simply to sequester the elderly in this country. Just the temptation for relatives and friends dropping off shopping to come in for a cup of tea is going to be enormous. And how many of the ones with dogs do we think will last more than a couple of days before starting to take them out walkies again?
How keeping an entire society in stasis for all that time is meant to work God alone knows.
My dog needs walking once, ideally, twice a day. The idea that he - gentle friendly hound that he is - could be locked up for 4 months is for the birds. Fortunately I can get down a back lane to the beach without encountering anyone and walk him there without meeting anyone - or they are so far away as to amount to the same thing.
I would argue you would still be isolating yourself even if you continued to do that walk on a daily basis.
Do we want them to do the work or prepare for press conferences?
That's the point. They need to do both.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
Your evidence for that is ?
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
Everyone is now clamouring for stronger measures. A few days ago the response would have been "fuck that, it's just like getting a cold". They're playing games with our heads. Personally I'd like a last parkrun on Saturday before the ban hammer comes down.
Before the lockdown I am doing two things whilst I still can 1. Eat, drink and be merry 2. Running 5k a day in the gym to start the day
If you are big into working out, probably worth ordering some kit you can continue to do things at home. Kettlebell is very good.
One practical thing the government could do is get an agreement with insurance companies that the latter will pay up for individuals and businesses with travel or business interruption insurance if they have to cancel travel or close businesses because of this virus regardless of the precise terms of the insurance policy. Perhaps with a backstop provided by the government? (A bit like the one provided for the flood victims a few years back, if I remember rightly.)
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
How is your daughter's business looking to cope? What measures would help her (as I assume she is in a similar boat to many thousands of others).
Get talking about it. Give us a thread header on measures needed. You never know, somebody with clout in Govt. might be listening....
I’ve just done a post. I’m not sure a thread header just about one business doesn’t seem a little selfish.
But let me see if there’s something. Maybe if we posted ideas on here we could do a collective header suggesting ideas - happy to write or co-write it.
We overlapped such is the frantic pace of posts here.
I still think you should use your voice here to focus on things, like the way the Govt. announces measures so that business interruption insurance will deffo get tiggered. Make generalities of your daughter's specifics - and you will no doubt be speaking for many who have no voice.
We know people in power watch this site. We know you can write excellent thread-headers. You can get heard.
Thanks.
I will see if I can work something up. If anyone has any particular points they would like raised VM me.
There's some weird regional variations going on with supermarkets. Coop here this morning was like a normal day.
Sainsbury's here was full of people but again there was not much to buy. One chap was almost in tears that there was no toilet paper left. I bought two pillows and hope I've not started a new stockpiling trend.
No plain digestive biscuits. Plenty of chocolate ones but no plain digestives, or rich tea come to that. Still no Coke.
I have flight radar app on my phone, originally to see out of interest the identity of the many flights coming over Llandudno and North Wales, but also worldwide
I recommend it is downloaded onto most posters mobile as it will be fascinating to see the fall in international and domestic flights in the coming weeks
I have one for the ships going past my window. Cargo in the channel looks as busy as ever.
Last week the IATA forecasting we were looking at already looked out of date.
I must now assume 50%+ likelihood of losing my job in the next 3 months. My company has strong financial muscle but I am probably not needed in a “keeping the lights on” scenario. At least I am on 6 months notice period.
I think I am relatively employable?
I have a heavy mortgage but one must hope that in extremis I can move to interest free, and/or govt mandated mortgage holiday.
I find myself in a situation similar to your, flight meta search. Strong company but daily revenue is plummeting. However I hope I am in the keeping the lights on group, working on unsexy but essential site services.
Misery loves company so, weirdly, it is consolatory to hear that others are in similar positions, indeed I am relatively OK probably compared to hundreds of thousands of others.
Do we want them to do the work or prepare for press conferences?
That's the point. They need to do both.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
Your evidence for that is ?
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
Everyone is now clamouring for stronger measures. A few days ago the response would have been "fuck that, it's just like getting a cold". They're playing games with our heads. Personally I'd like a last parkrun on Saturday before the ban hammer comes down.
Don't know about everyone but I think more people are taking things seriously.
Last week was the busiest week i’ve had in my current job (been working almost a year as an Administration and clinical support in an Occupational Health department for a NHS trust).
The sheer volume of calls last week that we received from staff (we have over 8000 staff across several hospitals) was immense. On Friday I had to tell a number of staff with coughs or a fever to self isolate for 7 days and notify their manager with a report about the decision taken.
We have a dedicated mobile number for Covid-19 but still our main phone numbers are getting absolutely hammered from 8:30am to 16:30pm. I texted my colleague this weekend who is taking calls on the ‘Corona’ phone and it’s been pretty much non stop.
Staff are still turning up to see WBPs, Nurses and turning up for Vaccinations and blood tests at our department, though I can see more people cancelling in the near future.
Comments
Disappointed the budget did not signal the reality, which is that taxes will have to rise amongst those who can afford it.
Anybody who thinks all these people are just clocking in, doing their 9-5, while of course taking their hour lunch break, need their heads examining.
The Government is right only to send out its A-team to do a presser when it has something important to say. Otherwise we'd have a continuous stream of interviews with the Health Secretary and Prime Minister that would consist entirely of hacks waving largely ill-informed rubbish penned by astronomy students telling us that we're all doomed and then asking over and over and over and over and over again how many millions of people are going to die, and why the Government is letting them die because it won't lock everyone in Britain in an individual concrete coffin for the next three years.
The only panic so far has been caused by hoarders and conspiracy theorists. The former is a matter of human nature not information management, and if it goes on for too long or becomes too serious then it will have to be solved by rationing and not by talking to journalists. The latter is one of the unfortunate side-effects of living in a society that values freedom of speech and the Government really can't do more than provide the clear and calm instructions that it already has, unless we want to go down the road of rounding up all the letter writers and Twitter trolls and forcibly silencing them. Internal exile to a re-education camp in Xinjiang is an option for the Chinese Communist Party; for Boris Johnson, not so much.
I am still deeply worried about my job.
Now they say well this is the next step and we are telling over 70s you need to prepare for 4 months lockdowned...outrageous, terrible, the government are shit.
The greatest strategy in the World is going to fail if they don't bring the public with them, and right now they are fucking that up.
There, I've had to say it again now because of you.
Otherwise a lot of small and viable businesses will close, people will lose their jobs which could otherwise have survived with temporary help.
And such help is surely cheaper than having a very large increase in unemployment in certain sectors and parts of the country.
I suspect his obsession/delusion played apart in his being comfortable (if not actually eager) charting a course different from the rest of the world, imagining the vindication that might await him at the end.
To favour a specific Tory supporting newspaper , behind a paywall, so blatantly shows they have no sense of judgement whatsoever and that is scary considering the impact they can have on our lives in the current crisis. It appears we are being led by unthinking donkeys.
Took me a lot longer to post but is basically what I said earlier.
So the fact that Iceland have a big database of their population's DNA is irrelevant?
Someone used the phrase her immunity. the Government did not resile from that stance for 3 days.
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1238379450800242688
Now Hancock says they didn't mean it.
The u-turn on closing things down was also badly handled
https://twitter.com/PolhomeEditor/status/1238731310249775105
https://twitter.com/PolhomeEditor/status/1238731486028800000
The health strategy may be brilliant. The public information strategy is garbage, and they are rightly being criticized for it.
Daily press conferences should be the minimum.
https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article206555143/Corona-USA-will-Zugriff-auf-deutsche-Impfstoff-Firma.html?wtmc=socialmedia.twitter.shared.web
Instead most still seem to think normal rules apply and scoring political points is what it is all about e.g. prominently report a letter saying that the government strategy is wrong from basically nobody who is an expert in the field and over half who are still students.
Same with dissecting every single line of a statement from the WHO and interpreting it as direct criticism of the government.
Lol - can this be the same Nicola Sturgeon who came out of the COBR meeting last week and started spouting off?
DECODE a tremendous resource as @JM1 said earlier
It did not take them long to change it which makes me think they don't really have much of a clue but are winging it and not very well.
Hence...
A short that she got away has won two audience awards for best movie. Was supposed to have been showing next in an Oscar-qualifier festival in the US, but looks like that will have been knocked on the head.
She has a round-table meeting on her Marianne Faithfull movie up in London this week that people seem to think can't be done on a conference call as it is on casting - and that requires actors in the room. Hoping filming can start in the autumn, but at the moment films can't get insurance or bonded. Annoying as with theatres dark and music tours cancelled, its a great time to get talent.
But otherwise, back to hunkering down in the Devon hotspot! She has a Sunday-night ITV series to write, so hoping that at least she will come out of this down time with a script ready to take to the next level.
Sorry to sound repetitively stupid, but so what? Genetic records from 12,000 people tell us nothing about whether anyone has covid 19, surely?
It's going to be a big enough challenge simply to sequester the elderly in this country. Just the temptation for relatives and friends dropping off shopping to come in for a cup of tea is going to be enormous. And how many of the ones with dogs do we think will last more than a couple of days before starting to take them out walkies again?
How keeping an entire society in stasis for all that time is meant to work God alone knows.
OR - the government decides that its ok for large scale bankruptcy and people in dire financial crises on top of the virus disaster. The big bump will probably mean them having to pump money into the banks anyway, so why not pump it in at the top rather than at the bottom?
It is on the list of policy options that will be used in the coming days and weeks
I am significantly more concerned by the economic disaster we face than the pandemic.
Even, someone popping in for a cup of tea is going to be pretty safe if distance is kept and everything is wiped down before and after.
The country needs to be broadly follow the advice, we dont need to try and ensure 100% of the people comply 100% of the time.
On Friday evening thry cancelled all the big spring mass-entry marathons. They were due to take place in April. They are obviously a big risk. Ditto things like Premiership football matches.
They may now ban all events over 500, but probably not until next weekend.
Get talking about it. Give us a thread header on measures needed. You never know, somebody with clout in Govt. might be listening....
Let me guess ...
... a tweet.
My daughter’s business has business interruption insurance. The insurers have already said they will consider a claim but the wording is such that they could, if they wanted to, try and avoid paying out. Much could depend on how the government makes any announcement of closures.
Getting a payout from the insurers will make all the difference between her business closing down, 4 people losing their jobs and the landlord getting no more income or keeping a viable profitable business (one which has increased its turnover by 60% in the last year) going.
One small business I know. But I suspect there will be lots in a similar position. And if all the businesses like hers close down in the area there will not be any alternative employment available.
So it would make sense for the government to do something to provide temporary help to avoid a much worse economic hit.
My work - speaking at large gatherings and doing advisory stuff - is going to be hit by this (and IR35). I had planned to take the first quarter of this year off for private projects but am now assuming this will be extended for the first half of the year and likely even longer. I am using my Rainy Day savings - not just for me but for the whole of the family now. This is going to be tough for all of us and I am in a relatively OK position.
But the government is going to have to do a whole load more than cancelling business rates, SSP and a £3k koan.
The number of samples is small (700 totally random tests of which if I understand the newspaper around 1-2% were positive but asymptomatic or with a very weak cold). The actual sample size (700) is large enough (0.2% of their population so equivalent to a hundred thousand here) to have some confidence in the results. They will have more data later in the day.
This is, for me, by far the most optimistic thing I've read about the virus for ages. It's still going to be hell for the health system but if asymptomatic cases are at that level it would be very important.
Note also that the PCR will only work when the virus is active - serological studies would indicate those who had been exposed but had since managed to expel the virus. This could also increase the fraction of asymptomatic cases moving forward.
Based on the Worldometer numbers Iceland actually has the highest number of cases per million (161/364,000 = 442 cases per million) of any country in the world. No deaths to date though.
But let me see if there’s something. Maybe if we posted ideas on here we could do a collective header suggesting ideas - happy to write or co-write it.
And for the translation, it probably depends more than the single word. What is around it also affects what the translation is.
I recommend it is downloaded onto most posters mobile as it will be fascinating to see the fall in international and domestic flights in the coming weeks
is a statement of fact. Not necessarily a policy goal.
Much more of this and social media pressure will end up diverting the government from the science and onto a policy of indefinite lockdown until a vaccine works.
As someone pointed out downthread, being socially isolated for long periods is a killer for some (maybe most?) people - depression, anxiety etc. We are social animals.
Insurers selling mostly annual policies may actually do quite well this year, since they will have banked a lot of premium already on policies where actually, gfew trips are taken. Single trip cover providers will take an immediate hit from cancellations and then see their immediate premium income stream dry up quite quickly.
Life insurance will be absolutely fine unless circumstances change rapidly. In general, people in the firing line (over 70s and/or with pre-existing conditions) do not hold large amounts of cover. Many providers have annuity-type liabilities that offset their life assurance liabilities - when mortality increases, the former is profitable at the expense of the latter, and vice versa when mortality decreases, so they act as a natural hedge.
Contingency players are very worried, especially about the Olympics. Anecdotally I've now seen three weddings postponed or cancelled, which will affect the lower end of that market, but it isn't a very big one so shouldn't cause too many problems.
Anything that includes business interruption cover will take a pasting this year. Marine insurance will also be heavily impacted (because it always is), with the caveat that if global trade stops altogether there should be fewer big claims.
On the whole, it's going to be a bad year. We are still figuring out just how bad, but as far as we know, it's still well within modelled levels and shouldn't be triggering insolvencies.
Anyway, I read something in there last night that has cheered me up quite a lot. Immediately after the fall of Poland Hitler wanted to attack the West. The German generals didn’t like this. One of them, I forget who but it was Halder or Brauchitsch, someone like that, said, and I’m paraphrasing here: ‘What we need to be aware of is England’s (he meant Britain but they always generally referred to us as England) tenacity. They don’t give in. They will fight to the last man. And France, with England behind them, will fight just as hard.’
I am no flag waving jingoistic nationalist type, far from it. But I am confident that we still have that tenacity, that bloody-minded stubbornness, that will keep us going until we get through this crisis.
We have been riven by division for too long. None of that matters now. In the face of the enormous challenges we face we will come together and we will prevail.
Mistakes will be made, screeching u-turns will be made, people will die. That is terrible. At times we will see the worst of human nature.
But we will surprise ourselves. We will see, when the shit hits the fan and all the bullshit is stripped away, how tough and resilient we are. All of us, together. Snowflakes, gammons, left, right, rich, poor, Muslims, Jews, all faiths and none, we will get through this. There will be bad apples, many acts of selfishness, but they will be dwarfed by our innate goodness, compassion, resilience and tenacity.
I’m no fan of Cummings either but it may turn out that he is the right person in the right place at the right time. I never thought I would think that, but these are extraordinary times. A clear sighted, pragmatic, logical thinker is what we need.
And once we’re through the worst we can prove we are truly a Global Britain by helping those countries less fortunate to enjoy the wealth, expertise and resources we have and who may still be struggling.
Anyway, all the above might be a load of horseshit but it is comforting me at the minute, so I thought I’d put it down here.
Point is that cash flow is critical. We get delays in payment and we have to delay payments. Its very easy for people to fall over running out of cash with a lengthy debtor file of customers also not paying. Morrisons dropping their absurd 60 day payment terms (we're an SME, they're enormous) in favour of immediate payment will help, not having to pay business rates will help, but as we're all so interdependent all it takes is one falling over to imperil the others. And if the business falling over is a key supplier so that we suddenly can't make half the products we need to sell for immediate payment cash that could be us done despite it not being our doing.
As for SSP, gee thanks. Yes its better than no cash at all. But would only slightly slow down my cash burn rate if I was out of work or off sick. Its a literal pittance.
I still think you should use your voice here to focus on things, like the way the Govt. announces measures so that business interruption insurance will deffo get tiggered. Make generalities of your daughter's specifics - and you will no doubt be speaking for many who have no voice.
We know people in power watch this site. We know you can write excellent thread-headers. You can get heard.
1. Eat, drink and be merry
2. Running 5k a day in the gym to start the day
Rawnsley makes the point in today’s Observer that the wash up of the Japanese Fukushima nuclear incident concluded that whereas about twenty people lost their lives through excessive exposure to radiation, the loss of life due to car accidents, heart attacks, and other incidents arising from the hurriedly ordered and panicky executed evacuation caused a death toll of around a thousand.
I will see if I can work something up. If anyone has any particular points they would like raised VM me.
No plain digestive biscuits. Plenty of chocolate ones but no plain digestives, or rich tea come to that. Still no Coke.
Which plane app do you recommend?
Misery loves company so, weirdly, it is consolatory to hear that others are in similar positions, indeed I am relatively OK probably compared to hundreds of thousands of others.
Which is a good thing.
But it takes time for attitudes to change.
The sheer volume of calls last week that we received from staff (we have over 8000 staff across several hospitals) was immense. On Friday I had to tell a number of staff with coughs or a fever to self isolate for 7 days and notify their manager with a report about the decision taken.
We have a dedicated mobile number for Covid-19 but still our main phone numbers are getting absolutely hammered from 8:30am to 16:30pm. I texted my colleague this weekend who is taking calls on the ‘Corona’ phone and it’s been pretty much non stop.
Staff are still turning up to see WBPs, Nurses and turning up for Vaccinations and blood tests at our department, though I can see more people cancelling in the near future.
Back in Monday for another week of this...