UK, Scotland & Ireland - Coronavirus COVID-19

[CoverMeCagney]

Boris Johnson 'waving at hospital staff' as his condition stabilises


Coronavirus UK: Boris Johnson 'back up' taking 'short walks' | Daily Mail Online

From that link:

Boris Johnson's coronavirus journey
At the beginning of last month Boris Johnson appeared on day time TV shaking hands with This Morning presenters before attending various events. Here is how the last month has played out for the Prime Minister.

March 3: Tells a press conference he was at a hospital where coronavirus patients were being treated and was shaking hands

March 5: Appears on This Morning and shakes hands with presenters

March 6: Meets scientists and Welsh MPs

March 8: Surveys flood defences in the Worcestershire town of Bewdley

March 9: Meets and shakes hands with Anthony Joshua at an event

March 10: Tells Brits to stop shaking hands

March 11: Talks about social distancing

March 12: Mr Johnson says preventing mass gatherings is not an effective way to tackle coronavirus

March 16: He advises against mass gatherings in policy U-turn - effectively cancelling all sport and other events

March 17: Talks about importance of social distancing at briefing with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Vallance

March 18: Speaks at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons and says all schools will be closed

March 19: Says UK can 'turn the tide' in fight against coronavirus within 12 weeks

March 20: Closes pubs, restaurants and theatres

March 21: Daily coronavirus update in the Cabinet Room

March 22: Media briefing with Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries

March 23: Orders a UK-wide lockdown with people told to stay at home in a special televised address

March 24: Hosts weekly Cabinet Room meeting remotely

March 25: Speaks at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons and speaks to Queen Elizabeth II by telephone

March 26: Holds a video call to other G20 leaders and later joins in with a national applause for NHS staff

March 27: Reveals he has tested positive for Covid-19

April 2: PM comes out of self isolation

April 3: Urges people to stay at home

April 5: He is admitted to hospital as a precautionary step

April 6: Moved to intensive care

April 9: Leaves intensive care but has to move to a ward to be monitored

 

[Amonet]

The home secretary has said she is sorry if people feel there has been a failure to supply sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) to NHS staff, as it was revealed that 19 UK health workers had died after contracting coronavirus.

Priti Patel says ‘sorry if people feel there have been failings’ over PPE

 

[Amonet]

From the BBC:

The Queen has put out her first ever Easter Message video to the nation. I found it really beautiful.

'We need Easter as much as ever,' says the Queen

 

[badgersmythe]

Boris Johnson came close to death in his battle against coronavirus


Boris Johnson came close to death in his battle against coronavirus | Daily Mail Online

 

[Amonet]

Sky News

Boris Johnson has praised the "exemplary" care he has received from doctors and nurses during his coronavirus treatment, saying: "I owe them my life."

Boris Johnson: I owe doctors and nurses my life after coronavirus treatment

 

[Legally Bland]

Boris Johnson has left hospital after spending a week in hospital with Covid-19 and will go to Chequers to continue his recovery.

The prime minister was being treated at St Thomas’ hospital in south London and had spent time in the hospital’s intensive care unit after his situation deteriorated.

A No10 spokesman said: “The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers.

“On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work. He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received.

“All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.”

Boris Johnson leaves hospital as he continues recovery from coronavirus

 

[badgersmythe]

Boris Johnson has left hospital after spending a week in hospital with Covid-19 and will go to Chequers to continue his recovery.

The prime minister was being treated at St Thomas’ hospital in south London and had spent time in the hospital’s intensive care unit after his situation deteriorated.

A No10 spokesman said: “The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers.

“On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work. He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received.

“All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.”

Boris Johnson leaves hospital as he continues recovery from coronavirus

Brilliant news! I hope he actually does take it easy and gets himself back to full strength before getting back to work.

 

[Kikixxxx]

I've got a bit of secret crush on Boris,sshh dont tell anyone

me tooooo hahaha

 

[Kikixxxx]

that was a lovely heartfelt speech from boris today i thought, we are so very lucky to have the nhs here in the uk, i cant imagine how difficult it will be for other countries who don't have national health care

 

[badgersmythe]

UK announces 697 more coronavirus deaths


UK announces 697 more coronavirus deaths taking the total number of fatalities to 11,309 | Daily Mail Online

 

[badgersmythe]

Ministers 'want PM to dial in for lockdown decision on THURSDAY'


Ministers 'want PM to dial in from Chequers bolthole for lockdown decision on THURSDAY' | Daily Mail Online

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Mr Redwood, MP for Wokingham, said the Government needs to take "urgent action to save the economy" as he fears a sharp contraction in economic activity caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Redwood said: "You need to take urgent action to save the economy.

"None of us have ever witnessed such a sharp contraction in economic activity, with an all too rapid surge in unemployment."

The Tory MP added: "It is urgent to start lifting restrictions.

"Many more people will lose their jobs if the lock down continues.

"Many self employed have no income from work. Many small businesses are struggling to pay their overheads with no revenue.

"There are limits to how much the state can substitute for the loss of income.

"If we go on like this large amounts of economic capacity will be permanently lost...

"It is time to start to get the UK back to work, whilst protecting the vulnerable and reducing the risks of catching the disease for the rest of us in sensible ways."
Coronavirus map LIVE: England's death count surges above 10,000 - tragic update issued

 

[imstilla.grandma]

By law, the UK's lockdown restrictions have to be reviewed every 21 days, and are set to be looked at this week.

However, Ms Sturgeon said there was no prospect of them being lifted in the short term.

She said: "I want to be very clear, so nobody is under any illusions - that review is not likely to result in these restrictions being lifted in the very near future.

"There are early optimistic signs that the steps we are taking are working, but until we know more and have solid evidence, we must stick with it."

Stressing that the stringent measures remain "essential", the first minister added: "They will not be in force for a single minute longer than necessary, but if we lift them too early or do so without thinking through properly how we can ease them while still keeping the virus under control, then we risk it spreading out of control, risk it overwhelming our NHS and risk it taking many more lives."
Coronavirus lockdown 'unlikely to be lifted' soon

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Daily Mail has been told that the figures are even worse in London, where almost a quarter of the 1,300 residential and nursing homes have been affected.

Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann, who has long campaigned for dignity for the elderly, said the crisis showed how some of society's most vulnerable were being 'abandoned like lambs to the slaughter'.

'Staff are too terrified to come to work. You can't blame them. We're asking staff to go to work with limited PPE and put their own families at risk.'

A care worker employed at a different home, a mother of three, told the Mail: 'It's like a ticking time bomb. Without proper safety equipment or tests for people working here, it's a matter of when, not if there is a coronavirus outbreak.'

Gavin Edwards, of the Unison union, said: 'The lack of PPE is a massive issue among care workers and accounts for two-thirds of the messages we're getting from them. People are genuinely scared for themselves and the people they live with.'

The exact number in the capital's care homes who have contracted the disease was not clear last night, but it is likely to be 'well into four figures', the Mail was told.

Nadra Ahmed, of the National Care Association, said: 'We are losing a whole generation to this virus but it feels like, because they are old, the deaths don't count.'

And last night a whistleblower told Channel 4 News that this was not happening with those who die in care home in many cases.

But he revealed instead they put down old age dementia or Alzheimer's – with no mention of Covid-19 – because it was an 'easy option' for GPs.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: 'The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter.'

Labour MP Peter Kyle described the system as the 'final insult' to care home residents. He said: 'They are already dying alone, separated from the people they love in their final moments.”

'Society would never stand for someone who fell in battle not to be recorded as such, and this generation who has given so much to our country deserve nothing less than the truthful record of how they died.'

There is much heroism among the staff, particularly those who have moved into care homes to reduce the risk of infection.

But otherwise there are few redemptive news stories to be found here. Just hidden silent death, with our elderly citizens who raised us and demanded so little in return now slipping away alone and isolated.
Coronavirus UK: 'Airbrushed' death toll may be TWICE as bad | Daily Mail Online

 

[imstilla.grandma]

One in five deaths now linked to coronavirus
The 16,000 weekly deaths is the highest number seen since the ONS started publishing data in 2005 and tops the highest toll during the 2015 flu outbreak.

Industry leaders from Age UK, Marie Curie, Care England, Independent Age and the Alzheimer's Society have written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding a care package to support social care through the pandemic.

It comes after the government confirmed there had been coronavirus outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England - although they did not specify the number of deaths that had occurred.

"The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter," Caroline Abrahams, the charity's director, said.

Britain's largest care home operator said coronavirus was present in two-thirds - 232 - of the group's care homes.

Its director, Sir David Behan, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that coronavirus deaths represented about one-third of all deaths at HC-One's care homes over the last three weeks. HC-One has 329 care homes throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

Care England, the umbrella body for care homes, has estimated there have been nearly 1,000 deaths from coronavirus in care homes, leaving social care as "the neglected front line".

About 410,000 people live in care homes in the UK, living in 11,300 care homes for older people supplied by 5,500 different providers.

 

[Amonet]

This is so sad, Nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong died of Covid-19, when heavily pregnant, but they managed to deliver her baby. It says the baby is doing well. Mary's husband is being tested for Covid-19.

RIP Sister Mary

Pregnant nurse dies from Covid-19 but baby 'well'

 

[Amonet]

Article from Sky News suggesting there could be up to six more waves of the Covid-19 in the next year or so

Coronavirus: Britain warned to prepare for up to six waves of COVID-19 in next year

My thoughts on this. I think the easiest way to zero cases is to have rapid tests rolled out on a local level, along with the antibody tests. Then, during a lockdown, anyone with symptoms gets tested, and any of their contacts have to stay inside totally (no going out at all).

No one comes into the country without being tested. That might mean, due to insensitivity or false results, that they might need to stay in a hotel for 7 days and have two negative tests before being allowed out....but the government already took over one hotel near Heathrow that I haven't heard of it being used, so they can do that.

If all those things were in place, rapid tests, contact tracing, etc, then you could have a six-week lockdown and be down to close to zero cases that could be mopped up with further contact tracing and very localised further two-week lockdowns if there's any small outbreaks that still need to be cleared up.

People who are allowed out would either have to have a positive antibody test or be using the contact tracing test, at least during their work hours, so that if they develop symptoms/test positive that all their contacts can go into isolation.

Would the government be able to get all those things in position and do a planned six-week lockdown of this nature later in the year? Being planned would mean people would need to have the items in the supermarkets ready to stockpile, so manufacturers and supply chains would have to have time to get everything in position for a certain date. PPE would have to be in place for all healthcare/social care workers, and be used whenever in contact with a patient, regardless of symptoms or test, they'd have to be assumed to be carrying the virus.

This is close to what China attempted to do, and I think they got close to achieving the goal.

It would mean very limited foreign travel until there's a vaccine and all countries achieve a virtually virus-free status. But it would be a way to get through the next 18 months to two years but it could be a way to avoid having repetitive lockdowns on a national level, and an almost opposite alternative to the 'herd immunity' concept that I think is running in Sweden, and even though they're trying to protect the people who are in groups likely to be most vulnerable to the virus, it still seems to risk the healthcare service being very overrun.

If this planned six-week national quarantine could be done in around September/October, then there shouldn't be risk of further waves after that and the economy can start to recover with a bit more certainty. But anyone coming down with respiratory virus symptoms (or Covid symptoms that might not be respiratory in nature) would need to self-isolate and be tested and contact tracing done, but after October they should be mostly flu cases....and it would be preferable to get Covid-19 cases as close to zero before the winter flu season starts or that will be a nightmare for healthcare and economy.

 

[HayLouise]

CRS continue to distribute the Hero Shield visors across the country with well over 25000 visors delivered including to our NHS staff. The latest shipment has been transported to our Western District.
@BelfastLive @CHurst_Toyota @BelTel



CRS on Twitter

 

[HayLouise]

One further Covid-19 related death in Northern Ireland

NI Tesco worker swaps retail role to create 'quirky' scrubs for kids wards

Terminally ill mum in isolation holds Christmas early

Watch: NHS heroes have their say on new Falls Road mural

East Belfast volunteers delivering 1,000 hot meals to most vulnerable each week

Latest advice on washing food after you go shopping

 

[Amonet]

Sky News:

Only 9% of Britons want life to return to "normal" after the coronavirus outbreak is over, a survey suggests.

People have noticed significant changes during the lockdown, including cleaner air, more wildlife and stronger communities.


More than half (54%) of 4,343 people who took part in the YouGov poll hope they will make some changes in their own lives and for the country as a whole to learn from the crisis.

Coronavirus: Only 9% of Britons want life to return to 'normal' once lockdown is over