The talk of herd immunity..

Ultimately this will be what will need to happen. A combination of mass antibody testing and anti viral drugs that seriously decrease the severity of this disease in worst case victims.

It's worth considering that in the past experts have basically said the majority of infected never get tested. This why its vitally urgent we find an effective easy to use, cheap to produce, antibody test. Testing is something globally most countries have failed on.

Also remember these deaths are people who have died 'with' covid-19, and not necessarily from. Undoubtedly it is killing (it is a nasty thing) but probably not in the numbers the global death rates would suggest.

Waiting for a vaccine is probably pointless as they have never successfully managed to create one for any known Coronaviruses.. not even the far more lethal SARS or MERS. I'd say the odds are slim for a covid-19 vaccine.

UK to introduce new social care brand
Matt Hancock announces new details of the UK's plan to cope with coronavirus in care homes.

He says "priority drops" of protective equipment for the social care will continue over the next three weeks whilst a new online system is developed.

He says the UK will be introducing a "single brand" for social care, to replicate the "famous" blue and white logo for the NHS.

Supermarkets will be asked to give care staff the same priority as NHS workers, and the UK will undertake a recruitment drive, with the government paying for "induction training".

"I know that many will answer our call," he adds.

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Did I miss hear. This care badge announcement - was it new?

I only ask as it’s seems to have been around since the start of the year?

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Thanks for posting this as I don't watch the briefings. It shows that we are probably past the peak and the lockdown is working. The number of deaths should follow after some time, but I still expect some very high numbers first and then only a gradual decrease.

As Chris Whitty said , that's how he see's it .

I sense there is real caution around the relaxation , I wouldn't be surprised if  the restrictions ran through to that start of June 

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A joke.

They'll still be underpaid on minimum wage.

Many will still be forced into ZHC arrangements.

It will still be common practice to not pay mobile care workers for travel between appointments

They'll still be compelled to work longer hours, over and above their contracted times.

 

And, most importantly, the care sector will still be chronically underfunded.

 

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My friend who is NHS admin volunteered at a test centre over the weekend. Drive thru, based at a hospital. 25 staff were tested on Saturday, and sundays session was cancelled as no one had made an appointment. 🤷‍♀️

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Confirmed.

Care Badge launched today was actually launched March 2019.

http://www.careengland.org.uk/news/launch-care-badge 

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In scotland the kids break up for the summer hols at the start of july - I can't see sturgeon letting the kids back into school for just a month or less

 

This is the long haul, lockdown till september I reckon

Do the summer holidays apply this year as there may not be any?

That's a fair shout , I'm just recalling Boris many weeks ago when he said 12 weeks 

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Indeed Martin and payed only 25p for every mile between appointments have to use own often clapped out banger 25p for wear and tear and petrol also in the dark at night often very late maybe 23:00 hours also many girls struggle to find remote locations and get lost.

Have  to deal with some really difficult situations and grumpy old people but they care and take the abuse.

Not a good job but many diamonds do it needs much more appreciation and reward.

 

 

 

I posted about this earlier but it must have been missed. Another more detailed report on the antibody tests - it seems like a valid one has been found. It just happens to involve the Rutherford Health lab down the road from here.

https://www.wokinghampaper.co.uk/medical-experts-in-shinfield-approve-covid-19-immunity-testing-kit/

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But for some posters it will still be the government's fault.

🙄

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Thanks, very interesting and the article has some useful info. Have they provided any info on the estimated accuracy of the test? 

Ooh, two very interesting bits of info there.

One, the test costs £8 - a bargain!

Two, "There are reports of other immune mechanisms – NK cells, and local cytokines deactivating the virus without the need for an antibody response in younger people"

I know there was a report linked last week on here which looked into the response to Covid-19 from the immune system and it showed that the levels of antibodies detected after an infection was much higher in the over 40s (and higher still in the over 60s) than it was in the under 40s - which would back up what the second point mentions, i.e. there are other mechanisms at work involved with defeating the virus in younge patients. That would also tie in with the milder infections and larger numbers of asymptomic cases, especially in the 20s and under age bracket.

 

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Yes, I am pretty sure they will as the children are still being taught and learning remotely. Most on Easter holidays currently but will restart on Monday. A different way of working but not a holiday.

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That's a bit of a misrepresentation. I read the article that was posted here about that, and as I understand it there is the suggestion that this virus attacks T-cells like HIV does, but it just kills them rather than infecting the T-cells and reproducing faulty T-cells that don't work, like HIV does. Or at least that's what I got from an admittedly cursory read.

 

This is the paper referenced https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-020-0424-9

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That's noteworthy IMO.

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Interesting. But can they still carry the virus and spread it to older people?

The Horizon programme showed that most Bats had it, but didn't get any symptoms. They just spread it to each other before it made the leap to humans

 

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These are the South Korean tests that have been used in Germany too. My first thought is how on earth has a private lab gone off piste and got them before PHE  / NHS? Why hasn't the UK government bought a job lot of them?

Edit: Apparently about 6% of his staff tested positive. If these tests are accurate my guess is about 3% to 5% of the UK population have been infected. It's a VERY long road ahead.

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Kellyanne Conway: "This is COVID-19, not COVID-1 folks, and so you would think the people in charge of the World Health Organization, facts and figures, would be on top of that." pic.twitter.com/losQ3H4ZhW

— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 15, 2020

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Dundee have voted yes to an SPFL resolution it means the Scottish Championship, League One and League Two are now finished following the Covid-19 outbreak

• Dundee United FC have been declared champions of the Ladbrokes Championship


• Raith Rovers FC are champions of Ladbrokes League 1


• Cove Rangers FC have been declared champions of Ladbrokes League 2.

Maunder where are you? Your beloved Tories are shipping over potentially infected Romanians to pick our veg. Why are you not outraged? Brexit means Brexit?

 

 

NEW: 6 charter flights from Romania to bring in 450 workers for British farms tomorrow - BBC WATO news reporting

— lisa o'carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 15, 2020

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Oh dear.

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That's the million dollar question. Hopefully we'll get an answer soon enough from those countries which will soon re-open schools.

(If youngsters get it but can't transmit it, that'd be a completely different ball-game to having them potentially pinging the virus between each other, their parents, staff at school etc).

I also suspect it won't be quite that simple, either, in that some will develop "full blown" Covid-19 (i.e. with antibodies being produced), while others will just shrug it off without even noticing...

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