Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
It is very slow, to my mind, but at least it offers a frame for optimism, however distant.
One question not asked, or answered, is: what if the data gets dramatically and unexpectedly better? This is possible, as we vaccinate (hopefully faster than today).
Hospitalisations may fall away entirely by April. Waiting til June, to open up fully, in that situation, seems daft and pointless. Is HMG gonna stick to this framework whatever?
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Do cases matter, that much?
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Do cases matter, that much?
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
We'll have to wait 2 weeks or so (the infection to potential hospitalisation lag) to really know if case numbers have started to decouple from hospitalisations, surely?
It is very slow, to my mind, but at least it offers a frame for optimism, however distant.
One question not asked, or answered, is: what if the data gets dramatically and unexpectedly better? This is possible, as we vaccinate (hopefully faster than today).
Hospitalisations may fall away entirely by April. Waiting til June, to open up fully, in that situation, seems daft and pointless. Is HMG gonna stick to this framework whatever?
In practice, I'm sure they wouldn't stick to it if things do turn out much better than expected. Boris is right, though, that it's better to proceed slowly than risk having to introduce yet another panic lockdown.
It is very slow, to my mind, but at least it offers a frame for optimism, however distant.
One question not asked, or answered, is: what if the data gets dramatically and unexpectedly better? This is possible, as we vaccinate (hopefully faster than today).
Hospitalisations may fall away entirely by April. Waiting til June, to open up fully, in that situation, seems daft and pointless. Is HMG gonna stick to this framework whatever?
Intransigence in dealing with the exit pathway would be more than foolish
Gyms: from 12 April "open for use individually or within household groups". What does this mean?
I presume you can go with your household mate eg partner, child etc. but not with someone from outside your household. That's 1 to a few people in a gym at any one time. Isn't it?
Quickly reading through, it looks like a sensible approach, with opportunity to over-deliver if cases continue falling and vaccines get into arms faster than expected.
It is very slow, to my mind, but at least it offers a frame for optimism, however distant.
One question not asked, or answered, is: what if the data gets dramatically and unexpectedly better? This is possible, as we vaccinate (hopefully faster than today).
Hospitalisations may fall away entirely by April. Waiting til June, to open up fully, in that situation, seems daft and pointless. Is HMG gonna stick to this framework whatever?
In practice, I'm sure they wouldn't stick to it if things do turn out much better than expected. Boris is right, though, that it's better to proceed slowly than risk having to introduce yet another panic lockdown.
Even there he left the door open on local lockdowns if new variants raise their head. No choice in accepting this.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Do cases matter, that much?
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
We'll have to wait 2 weeks or so (the infection to potential hospitalisation lag) to really know if case numbers have started to decouple from hospitalisations, surely?
Indeed.
All I am saying is that hospitalisations are the key metric - as they always have been: the grave threat of Covid is its ability to crush a health system, not necessarily its infectivity or lethality (though these are, of course, all related).
We should remain focussed on that. If, God forbid, hospitalisations go up, once again, then.... that would be grim.
Cases rising is not great news, but it is not a horror show. It could simply be younger cohorts just thinking Fuck it, the oldies are getting vaxxed, they're all safe, I want to go out/have a sex life, and thereby catching the bug without getting it badly.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence to date.
21 June removal of all legal limits is good news indeed.
21st June "at the earliest".
Freedom is always four months away...
Freedom being a complete lifting of all distancing laws.
That's a lot quicker than it could have been given millions won't have been vaccinated by then, I might not be still by that date but good not to wait for everyone to be done.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence the global pandemic to date.
It does set the government a good target of getting every adult a first jab by May 31st, if June 21st is the full reopening. It's a really good target date to have in mind as well given the new supply of Moderna and Novavax we're getting in April.
Honestly I think the government has effectively set the 31st of May as an unofficial deadline to get all adults their first doses. We've brought the other target forwards by two weeks so it means there are 6 weeks, effectively, to get all under 50s their first doses. That's around 4m first doses per week, it is 100% possible to do that.
So - all normal by the summer solstice. I think I might actually tick off the bucket list item and do Stonehenge this year. It will have some very considerable significance, seeing that sunrise....
So - all normal by the summer solstice. I think I might actually tick off the bucket list item and do Stonehenge this year. It will have some very considerable significance, seeing that sunrise....
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
21 June removal of all legal limits is good news indeed.
21st June "at the earliest".
Freedom is always four months away...
Yes, all dates are given "at the earliest".
Which everyone will edit out.
Well yes but given how well the vaccination programme is going and the near certainty that the figures that matter (hospitalisations/deaths) will continue to fall I`d put money on those dates being adhered to.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence to date.
Ah, no doubt you'll also be calling for the show trials of Merkel, Macron, Sánchez, and Conte then, who have likewise murdered over 300,000 of their own citizens by not making them magically and instantaneously immune to a novel coronavirus.
But of course you'll never do that, will you? Not in a million years.
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
That is just astonishing. No doubt there will be a vote of no confidence in the relevant democratic body after she has been properly held to account by answering all the relevant questions.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence to date.
Ah, no doubt you'll also be calling for the show trials of Merkel, Macron, Sánchez, and Conte then, who have likewise murdered over 300,000 of their own citizens by not making them magically and instantaneously immune to a novel coronavirus.
But of course you'll never do that, will you? Not in a million years.
Closer to home, don’t forget Sturgeon and Drakeford.
It does set the government a good target of getting every adult a first jab by May 31st, if June 21st is the full reopening. It's a really good target date to have in mind as well given the new supply of Moderna and Novavax we're getting in April.
Honestly I think the government has effectively set the 31st of May as an unofficial deadline to get all adults their first doses. We've brought the other target forwards by two weeks so it means there are 6 weeks, effectively, to get all under 50s their first doses. That's around 4m first doses per week, it is 100% possible to do that.
What are you thoughts on the lamentable vaccination stats today? The expected supply bottleneck (anticipated a few days ago) or something more sinister?
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
I have a suspicion that some of this is the surge testing finding more asymptomatic cases. Or maybe I am just hoping its that.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence to date.
So - all normal by the summer solstice. I think I might actually tick off the bucket list item and do Stonehenge this year. It will have some very considerable significance, seeing that sunrise....
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
That is just astonishing. No doubt there will be a vote of no confidence in the relevant democratic body after she has been properly held to account by answering all the relevant questions.
Mid December to mid April, this lockdown has been an absolute eternity. Some areas even longer.
September 18 for us. Past 5 months now.
I had a nice stroll through Morpeth yesterday. Carlisle Park was full of clearly multiple households sitting and chatting outside. I don't blame them but it does make a mockery of the "you can have the rule of 6 outside come April".
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
That is just astonishing. No doubt there will be a vote of no confidence in the relevant democratic body after she has been properly held to account by answering all the relevant questions.
Astra Zeneca might have a good case for suing the European Commission, rather than the other way round
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Do cases matter, that much?
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
All good, as long as the hospitalisations carry on falling in the context of rising/stalling cases, and that should be the expectation as the vaccines roll out. Still slightly unnerved that nothing should have changed in the nation, so why has the case fall stopped? I wonder if some of the vaccinated have started to behave differently?
21 June removal of all legal limits is good news indeed.
21st June "at the earliest".
Freedom is always four months away...
Yes, all dates are given "at the earliest".
Which everyone will edit out.
Well yes but given how well the vaccination programme is going and the near certainty that the figures that matter (hospitalisations/deaths) will continue to fall I`d put money on those dates being adhered to.
Not too much I hope. Not cos I disagree with you. But purely that this virus has been so brutal, it seems unwise for my mental health to get my hopes up so high.
So - all normal by the summer solstice. I think I might actually tick off the bucket list item and do Stonehenge this year. It will have some very considerable significance, seeing that sunrise....
It'll be cloudy.
The Welsh circle documentary about where the blue stones from Stonehenge came from was fascinating. Well worth a watch for those who haven't seen it.
I'm actually reasonably happy with it. Much better than I feared.
Beer gardens on 12 April instead of 4 April as I predicted. That's still in the school Easter holidays so we can take a week off.
I was out by just 8 days, and win my sportsman's bet with @contrarian by an absolute mile (although I'm sure he is happy to lose it!!)
I was out on my forecast for inside pubs/restaurants by 2 weeks - I said 3 May - but I am reasonably happy with that. We do now have a clear and coherent plan to go forward.
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
That is just astonishing. No doubt there will be a vote of no confidence in the relevant democratic body after she has been properly held to account by answering all the relevant questions.
Astra Zeneca might have a good case for suing the European Commission, rather than the other way round
Given that the EU unilaterally published a confidential document when complaining about the delivery schedule, redacting the bit that says they’re not allowed to complain about the delivery schedule, you may have a point.
21 June removal of all legal limits is good news indeed.
21st June "at the earliest".
Freedom is always four months away...
Yes, all dates are given "at the earliest".
Which everyone will edit out.
Well yes but given how well the vaccination programme is going and the near certainty that the figures that matter (hospitalisations/deaths) will continue to fall I`d put money on those dates being adhered to.
Not too much I hope. Not cos I disagree with you. But purely that this virus has been so brutal, it seems unwise for my mental health to get my hopes up so high.
My daughters are delighted they are going back to school 8 March. Great to see them smiling. That`s the biggest plus today for us.
Also, they can look forward to outdoor house parties from 17 May (30 people limit).
Re: all retail opening from 12 April, did he say whether masks would be compulsory?
Surely, by then we'll be so desperate to buy stuff, we won't give a shit if we have to wear a full haz-mat suit?
I have needed new glasses and a new phone (which switches itself off several times a day) since last summer. But I'll wait until I don't have to wear a mask until I get them.
I find wearing masks far more unpleasant than not having stuff. Not as unpleasant as not having food, of course, but I'm not going to go shopping for clothes until I can do so without having to wear a mask. I don't know how representative this opinion is.
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Do cases matter, that much?
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
All good, as long as the hospitalisations carry on falling in the context of rising/stalling cases, and that should be the expectation as the vaccines roll out. Still slightly unnerved that nothing should have changed in the nation, so why has the case fall stopped? I wonder if some of the vaccinated have started to behave differently?
Lockdown is without a doubt on its way out. Compliance is no where near what it was. Quite a few of my fellow students have made their way back to their student houses as well, obviously against the rules. The way they see it is that they're paying for them, why can't they use them? I don't blame them.
Re: all retail opening from 12 April, did he say whether masks would be compulsory?
My missus isn't too bothered about wearing a mask, but says they have to let you try on the clothes, otherwise what's the point going shopping? Probably more detail in the document itself.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
And bloody well deserved too. We can all quibble over the exact speed of the unlocking, but we're now in a position to escape this thing faster than almost all countries that are not led by a certain Boris Johnson.
Before quibbling over the exact speed of the unlocking, you ought to take off your hat and bow your head for the tens of thousands killed by Boris Johnson's negligence to date.
Just give it a fecking rest cant you? The virus did this. Its a pandemic that kills around 1% of those who catch it. Yes the government made mistakes, so did other countries. Even the haloed Germany, lauded in the first wave, have had a horrible second wave.
It does set the government a good target of getting every adult a first jab by May 31st, if June 21st is the full reopening. It's a really good target date to have in mind as well given the new supply of Moderna and Novavax we're getting in April.
Honestly I think the government has effectively set the 31st of May as an unofficial deadline to get all adults their first doses. We've brought the other target forwards by two weeks so it means there are 6 weeks, effectively, to get all under 50s their first doses. That's around 4m first doses per week, it is 100% possible to do that.
What are you thoughts on the lamentable vaccination stats today? The expected supply bottleneck (anticipated a few days ago) or something more sinister?
As drama queen I can see why you think its sinister but reality is this is the expected supply bottleneck attached to the fact as you move to a different target group you need to wait for them to receive the appropriate communication (text, email, letter) and start booking appointments.
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
I have a suspicion that some of this is the surge testing finding more asymptomatic cases. Or maybe I am just hoping its that.
Do cases matter that much now? Vaccinations will slash illness. Who cares if you get covid if it's a miles sniffle or less?
So - all normal by the summer solstice. I think I might actually tick off the bucket list item and do Stonehenge this year. It will have some very considerable significance, seeing that sunrise....
Hmm perhaps they should push back Ascot by a week...
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
I have a suspicion that some of this is the surge testing finding more asymptomatic cases. Or maybe I am just hoping its that.
Do cases matter that much now? Vaccinations will slash illness. Who cares if you get covid if it's a miles sniffle or less?
By that metric, why did Boris go on about rigorous testing regimes for theatres etc? Surely if everyone's vaccinated, and the vaccines are still working, it shouldn't matter if there's COVID circulating?
Comments
And so I face, the final curtain
Cases up 900 from a week ago. The tide has unfortunately turned on the day, almost the moment in fact, that easing of lockdown was announced. The unanswered question is whether this turnaround was caused by the very wintery weather or something else. One hopes it is the former but fears the latter.
Lots of man love ❤️ for Boris, for his roadmap and for his luxuriant hair on PB this afternoon. Some positive swooning. Bless.
One question not asked, or answered, is: what if the data gets dramatically and unexpectedly better? This is possible, as we vaccinate (hopefully faster than today).
Hospitalisations may fall away entirely by April. Waiting til June, to open up fully, in that situation, seems daft and pointless. Is HMG gonna stick to this framework whatever?
However, I do not swoon over any politician
Hospitalisations are surely the key. They are 20% down on the week. The fall is slowing, but still impressive. As the vaccines impact, they should fall faster, once again
Some things don't change!
All I am saying is that hospitalisations are the key metric - as they always have been: the grave threat of Covid is its ability to crush a health system, not necessarily its infectivity or lethality (though these are, of course, all related).
We should remain focussed on that. If, God forbid, hospitalisations go up, once again, then.... that would be grim.
Cases rising is not great news, but it is not a horror show. It could simply be younger cohorts just thinking Fuck it, the oldies are getting vaxxed, they're all safe, I want to go out/have a sex life, and thereby catching the bug without getting it badly.
Freedom is always four months away...
That's a lot quicker than it could have been given millions won't have been vaccinated by then, I might not be still by that date but good not to wait for everyone to be done.
Honestly I think the government has effectively set the 31st of May as an unofficial deadline to get all adults their first doses. We've brought the other target forwards by two weeks so it means there are 6 weeks, effectively, to get all under 50s their first doses. That's around 4m first doses per week, it is 100% possible to do that.
The stuff about legal action against AZ was all bollocks. The EU knew this, yet still made threats. Remarkable.
"Brussels last month plunged itself into the centre of an extraordinary row with AstraZeneca over jab supply shortages. The bloc furiously released a redacted version of its contract with the company amid threats of legal action.
"But a full version of the contract has been published by Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the European Commission and member states waived the right to sue the pharmaceutical giant over any delivery delays."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/eu-lawsuit-threats-dismantled-as-astrazeneca-contract-shows-brussels-cant-sue-over-jab/ar-BB1dSIdW?ocid=st
But of course you'll never do that, will you? Not in a million years.
When did I say long may he reign
Though since the new year and Cummings going Boris has performed much better
Anazabobajobbbbbaaa is going to be pissed.
@Francis
I'm actually reasonably happy with it. Much better than I feared.
Beer gardens on 12 April instead of 4 April as I predicted. That's still in the school Easter holidays so we can take a week off.
I was out by just 8 days, and win my sportsman's bet with @contrarian by an absolute mile (although I'm sure he is happy to lose it!!)
Surely they will relax the rules for this? Even if only double-jabbers can buy tickets?
Currently, the game misses freedom day by three days.
Also, they can look forward to outdoor house parties from 17 May (30 people limit).
Al we need is some weather.
I find wearing masks far more unpleasant than not having stuff. Not as unpleasant as not having food, of course, but I'm not going to go shopping for clothes until I can do so without having to wear a mask.
I don't know how representative this opinion is.
Nope, thought not.