Looking out at the grim sky and pouring rain here.  Natures very own deterrent. 

Yeah and the problem is that like in other countries we might get one or two clusters which overwhelm the local hospitals, while many other hospitals around the country are coping fine.

It's not certain at all obviously, I don't think France has one big cluster yet, but the longer we allow community transmission, the higher risks we take.

Test are already available but I've heard just now there's been a massive row with Government on funding for widespread availability. Scientific community wants everyone tested in this way so we know where we're at and risk levels for 2nd wave later in the year.

Presumably manufacturing the test kits will need to be an international effort? I'd be staggered if the UK can quickly produce 60 million of them without help from other countries.

Is the company behind it asking for a silly price?

Think they are very close to it, hence no refunds. Also, I have just checked and they are allowing me to book onto the flight on saturday😳

This is reported in The Times today:

"...

Speaking anonymously, the doctor said that the intensive care unit at their hospital is nearly now full with Covid-19 patients requiring breathing support machines.

“As little as two weeks ago my hospital was eerily quiet, with many patients avoiding the place. Now they are coming in quickly. We have well over 50 cases as of the weekend and our intensive care is nearly full of coronavirus patients on breathing support machines,” they told Sky News.

..."

But annoyingly, the region in which the hospital is based is not given. Could be London, or maybe not?

Not sure of the ins and outs on who's providing.

SK apparently already already testing.

Could we not fly people to China to get treatement?

Have a truly international effort. Our survival is their survival afterall.

I knew the chump would do it sooner or later, he was late with his ignorant and dangerous stupidity, but some Asian people could still get abused because of this.

The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020

Interesting. I got a text this morning from Ryanair saying my flight (part of a city break in April to Madrid via Lastminute.com) had been amended but I’ve got no email and trying to find the booking on Ryanair’s site fails - keeps saying I have no account. 
The balance is due tomorrow - I’m going to stop the payment. They can come and find me rather than the other way around. I wouldn’t be surprised if the likes of Lastminute.com go under and I’d rather write off a deposit than have to chase the administrators for a full balance.

In light of suggestions that anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, can make symptoms much worse, I wonder how many of those who have been hospitalised, rather than just having a bit of a cough for a couple of days, were on any other medications?    I am sure it's all been looked into, though ...... 

In Italy they couldn't even transport ICU patients to other hospitals which still had plenty of ICU capacity. Not enough ambulances with ventilators and some patients died even during the short transfer from the ICU to the ambulance.

China will be just fine without you. 

Article on the topic here:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/16/health/coronavirus-ibuprofen-french-health-minister-scn-intl-scli/index.html

Again, it is controversial with different people saying different things.

From the article:

"France's health ministry has suggested that popular anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen could worsen the effects of the coronavirus, raising questions over which over-the-counter drugs people should be taking to treat the symptoms of the disease.

A friend of a friend works at the St Georges A&E. I don't want to give details, but she said on Sunday evening that their cases have started exploding. 

Anyone who has NHS contacts is it possible, if you are allowed, to give a rough capacity figure (specifically for ICU) like 50%, 90% or already 150% e.c.t. and which part of the country you are from.

The Italians are expecting their ICU admissions and number of deaths to start dropping next week, they estimate the lag between lockdown and ICU impact to about 2 weeks.

In Worcestershire at the moment (and it appears this situation can change overnight) - according to my son-in-law, 90% ICU capacity is free.

Hospitals round here are quieter than normal as I explained above, since there are fewer accidents of the type which lead to A & E, plus the seasonal winter flu epidemic is abating.

Wow only 10% capacity? That's encouraging.

Stanley Johnson, father of the UK prime minister, has indicated he would ignore official advice to tackle the spread of coronavirus and still go to the pub.

Well not really - if we get the epidemic here, the capacity could all be used up in a day or two.

P.S. My son-in-law asked the headmaster of the school the children attend (it is a fee paying school) if any of the children or families as far as he knew had been on ski trips to the affected regions. The head master said he had asked all and none had - hopefully that is correct.

Brexit will kill Britons. Official

European commission to launch today EU-wide procurement scheme of ventilators, as Ursula von der Leyen had promised.
"A very big majority of member states" are interested says EC spox.

I understand the UK *cannot* take part under transition terms.

— Jennifer Rankin (@JenniferMerode) March 17, 2020