COVID ~ The Scotch Egg Saga

 So to Scotch eggs ....

Now myself I would have thought it obvious that a scotch egg isn't a substantial meal ...unless maybe you're a 4-year-old. It seemed pretty common sense to me, but not apparently to the Tories.

In another attempt to absolutely confuse, publicans, clubs who are all so desperately trying to survive,  what should have been so simply clear, it's now not clear. So is a scotch egg a substantial meal or not.

1st we had George Eustice, the environment, food and rural affairs secretary, say that the eggs “probably would count” as a meal if there was table service.

Then Gove told LBC two scotch eggs would be 'a starter', 24 hours after Environment Secretary George Eustice said one is a substantial meal.

Then Gove reiterated his stance on LBC in a second interview on Good Morning Britain - before backtracking and then telling ITV News: 'A scotch egg is a substantial meal.' 

So far nobody in government can point to anything in the Licensing Act or any other legislation, either during Covid or pre-pandemic, which defines what exactly is substantial or not.

So baring in mind publicans can be fined for not following the rules that are now totally vague, yet again, due to comments made by this stupid shower of twats. 

You had one job to guide the nation with 'Clarity' and right from the start you have failed on so many levels.

Yes the job was tough but you've made it 1,000 times harder with your lies, misinformation and vague misleading information. That side of it should have been easy but no not for this shower of absolute idiots. Everything done to make themselves look good and line the pockets of them and their friends.

Wankers

LINKS

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/01/scotch-egg-is-definitely-a-substantial-meal-says-michael-gove

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-what-is-a-substantial-meal-minister-says-scotch-egg-counts-as-pubs-brace-for-tier-change-12143814

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/lockdown-tiers-scotch-egg-substantial-meal-b1764495.html

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/scotch-egg-what-is-a-substantial-meal

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/scotch-egg-starter-substantial-meal-michael-gove-b126929.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-make-a-meal-out-of-scotch-egg-ruling-for-pubs-rtr0xhcbg

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9004591/Coronavirus-UK-tiers-Michael-Gove-wades-scotch-egg-substantial-meal-row.html

George Floyd's death is abhorrent but at present protestors are twats

George Floyd's death whilst abhorrent in the extreme just highlights an issue that has been ongoing in the good ole US of A for more than a few decades.

Today I called protestors twats.... not because their cause isn't important or a noble one, or one that shouldn't continue to be protested for. But because it puts other people's lives at risk in the present climate of Coronavirus. It's unfortunate timing but just as we're getting Corronavirus under control in the UK this type of action with thousands in close proximity to each other could cause a 2nd wave,  months more of lockdown, and yes possibly thousands of more deaths.

Here's the thing, I call anyone who exhibits behavior that suggests a lack of common sense or respect for others, Twats.
Johnson was/is a twat for various comments and actions including the Handshake one.
Trump is a twat for so many comments I'm not going to try and list specific one.
Other people are Twats for littering beaches not respecting others and the world, etc.
Hell, I've done some twattish things in my life when younger.

No one knows the full impact that running the Cheltenham festival had on the spread of the virus. No one will know the impact that thousands of protestors in close proximity will have, but we will find out in a month's time. Let's hope that a 2nd wave isn't caused by these protests and that a few thousand more people don't die of coronavirus because of thousands of people protesting, however good their intentions are.

Black lives matter but more importantly all lives matter. 

Anyway, rant over back to the very important deep-rooted problem that exists in certain areas and people of this world.  There are some very graphic and horrific descriptions below. I've posted them so people can understand the depths that racial hatred goes to.  Let's hope that this particular incident can be the spark that fuels genuine change. However, something that is ingrained into society is not that easy to get rid of.

Derek Chauvin the cop that allegedly killed George Floyd

So is Derek Chauvin a racist or a cop that made a very bad mistake?  Certainly, it didn't look like a mistake but no doubt more on that will come to light, his wife has been quick to distance herself filing for divorce and a name change as well.

Just as recently as 22 years ago in the USA James Byrd Jr. was dragged behind a pickup truck to his death by white supremacists that obviously thought that lynching was a bit un PC. 

Lee knows exactly who Jesse Washington was. His parents told him the story as a child. Lee has told it to his four children, and shown them the frightful pictures. “Future generations need to know what happened,” Lee says.
In a nearby barbershop, the lynching is common knowledge. “Even today, you get caught up in the wrong place in Texas, you gone,” says Keith Pullens, 34, the shop owner. A conversation ensues about towns and counties to be avoided, lest a brother end up dying like James Byrd Jr., dragged behind a pickup truck by white supremacists in Jasper, 220 miles to the east, in 1998.

Thousands of blacks were lynched, tortured, burned alive with Jesse Washington being just one of the many who were charged with various misdemeanors, some found guilty on the basis of very flimsy evidence and murdered in horrible ways.  This would be a very, very long blog if I mentioned all of them in detail so I just picked three, two men one woman, they all died horrifically. Jesse was 17 and the date was May the 8th 1916 104 years ago.

The verdict and death sentence were barely spoken when the mob surged forward, carried Jesse out the back door of the courthouse and dragged him to the square outside City Hall. The chain around his neck was flung over a tree. He was dangled above a large dry goods box filled with wood, which had been prepared earlier that morning.
While Jesse was still alive, “Fingers, ears, pieces of clothing, toes and other parts of the negro’s body were cut off by members of the mob,” the Waco Times-Herald reported. Someone castrated Jesse, according to the NAACP investigation, and carried his penis around in a handkerchief, showing it off as a souvenir.
The killers yanked Jesse into the air, then lowered him into the woodpile and poured coal oil over him. About 10,000 people crowded the area, according to the Waco Times-Herald, hanging from nearby windows and perched atop buildings and trees. “As the negro’s body commenced to burn,” the paper reported, “shouts of delight went up from the thou¬sands of throats.”
Jesse burned for two hours, leaving just a skull, torso and limb stumps. A horseman lassoed the body and dragged it through town until the head popped off. Some boys extracted Jesse’s teeth and sold them for $5 each. The headless mess was dragged behind a car to Robinson and hung in a sack outside a blacksmith’s shop, until a constable took it away that evening. Jesse was buried in an unmarked grave. https://theundefeated.com/features/the-waco-horror 

Trump doesn't help with comments like the one below which if anyone else said it would be accused of inciting violence no doubt some good ole boy gun nut will take it as the OK to start a mini-war.

Donald J. Trump 29 May at 06:10
I can’t stand back and watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right. These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!

It's not a problem that is easily going to go away, especially when there are those that will fuel the fire to further an agenda. It basically relies on the really racist ones dying off over generations. A long process as children generally pick up on the parent's racialist ideals.

But whilst it still goes on the US is definitely a better place than it was 20, 50, 100 years ago let's hope it and other countries continue to progress and gradually eradicate the racialists.

There hasn't been a lynching of a black person since 1981 in the USA, 39 years if you can call that some sort of progress.  Michael Donald whose death and subsequent lawsuit led to the bankruptcy of the United Klans of America.

The men pursued Donald, attacked him and beat him with a tree limb. Hays wrapped a rope around Donald's neck and pulled on it to strangle him while Knowles continued to beat Donald with a tree branch. Once Donald had stopped moving, Hays slit his throat three times to make sure he was dead. The men left Donald's body hanging from a tree in a mixed-race neighborhood in Mobile. The tree was on Herndon Street, across from a house owned by Klan leader Bennie Jack Hays, the father of Henry Hays.

Not just men either, the last woman to be lynched in the US was probably Mary Turner

According to accounts on the lynching, when Mrs. Mary Turner was brought the news of her husband’s lynching by “persons unknown,” she was eight months pregnant. Even though she was close to giving birth to her first child, she openly expressed the innocence of her lynched husband, cursed the mob, and threatened to obtain warrants for their arrest. Consequently, almost 100 years ago to the date, on May 19, 1918, she and her unborn baby became additional victims of the lynch mob’s wrath. 

[The following contains graphic details of the lynching.]
Mrs. Mary Turner and her unborn baby experienced a horrific and unimaginable death. Mrs. Turner was bound and hanged from a tree, set on fire, and her body was riddled with bullets, her screams of terror and pain only to be heard by her perpetrators, and the torture and mutilation continued. The life of her unborn baby ended when the baby was crudely cut from her abdomen and one of lynchers crushed its head with the heel of his shoe. {link}  (Just to reiterate Mary Turners crime was she expressed the innocence of her lynched husband, cursed the mob, and threatened to obtain warrants for their arrest.)

Obviously, there are thousands of cases of racialism experienced in the US and other countries that are less extreme than lynchings and torture. I post the above though as they are not so long ago and to remind us of the depth of which some will go and there are thousands of similar cases.

Racialism doesn't go, it hides beneath the surface and festers.


LINKS
BBC - George Floyd death: Thousands join London protest
BBC-George Floyd: What happened in the final moments of his life
Fox9-911 transcript of call that brought police to George Floyd released
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/31/276-arrested-driver-who-rolled-into-protest-arrested
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/31/ex-prosecutor-complaint-against-minnesota-cop-derek-chauvin-in-george-floyd-case-drops-important-clues/
https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10164767134275725
NAACP-HISTORY OF LYNCHINGS
https://www.naacp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NAACP_anti_lynch.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_in_the_United_States
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/26/lynchings-memorial-us-south-montgomery-alabama
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-slave-revolt-1712-was-bloody-prelude-decades-hardship-180958665/
https://www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/lynching?mediatype=photography&page=2&phrase=lynching&sort=best
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/till/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/22/more-than-people-have-been-lynched-us-trump-isnt-one-them/
https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/jan/25
https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/explore/texas/henry-smith
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-waco-horror
Lynchings: By Year and Race
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd_Jr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Jesse_Washington
https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2018/05/16/lynching-of-women-in-united-states-blog-series-the-lynching-of-mrs-mary-turner-and-her-family/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1918_lynchings
https://sites.google.com/view/wiregrassrdhp/mary-turner

COVID-19 ~ Do T-shirt masks work

I've put this together in response to a web page put up by the UK government.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering

I didn't go looking for it it was sent in a document by the Care Home company I work for. My issue with it is, neither the Government or the Care Home Company added any information as to the efficiency or not of masks made out of T-Shirts. Nor as to the density of the fabric that should be used. Will we see string vest type masks? I know that's going to the extreme but we've already had people wearing G-Stings as masks. This scant information does nothing to dissuade that.

My other point is, this information is now being disseminated within Care Homes. This could lead to workers believing that this type of basic mask is as efficient as a medical mask. You might think that's ridiculous but there is no information to say otherwise. And it's official, it's on the Government web site, people have a habit of believing such information without investigating much.

Personally, I think it's irresponsible to put up such information without at least a line saying something like "Health Care workers should always use the correct PPE and not homemade versions, unless as a last resort."

Research on T-Shirt masks is scant but I've pulled out some conclusions and comments from Scientific reports and articles below. Obviously read the full document to see the full reports.  Scientific reports at the top running down to media-based reports.


In summary, the answer to the question "Do T-shirt masks work" seems to be

• It's better than nothing.
• Doesn't protect the wearer. 
• May have some benefit in protecting others if in confined spaces. (Like the tube)
• May have some benefit in protection others if you are coughing or sneezing. (In which case you shouldn't be leaving your house)
• Need to be put on and taken off correctly.
• Need to be washed after each use at temp over 60 degrees. But general detergent will kill the virus.
• Store used face coverings in a sealed plastic bag until they can be washed.
• There are a lot of maybe's and possibles.

The Government webpage says 

You should wash a face covering regularly. It can go in with other laundry, using your normal detergent.

Every other piece of information I've read says you should only use a face-covering once before washing it.

Another thing that irritates the hell out of me is conflicting information from Government sources, but hey ho, on we go.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24229526

CONCLUSION:
Our findings suggest that a homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7108646/

Conclusion
A protective mask may reduce the likelihood of infection, but it will not eliminate the risk, particularly when a disease has more than 1 route of transmission. Thus any mask, no matter how efficient at filtration or how good the seal, will have minimal effect if it is not used in conjunction with other preventative measures, such as isolation of infected cases, immunization, good respiratory etiquette, and regular hand hygiene. An improvised face mask should be viewed as the last possible alternative if a supply of commercial face masks is not available, irrespective of the disease against which it may be required for protection. Improvised homemade face masks may be used to help protect those who could potentially, for example, be at occupational risk from close or frequent contact with symptomatic patients. However, these masks would provide the wearers little protection from microorganisms from others persons who are infected with respiratory diseases. As a result, we would not recommend the use of homemade face masks as a method of reducing transmission of infection from aerosols.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577

Conclusions This study is the first RCT of cloth masks, and the results caution against the use of cloth masks. This is an important finding to inform occupational health and safety. Moisture retention, reuse of cloth masks and poor filtration may result in increased risk of infection. Further research is needed to inform the widespread use of cloth masks globally. However, as a precautionary measure, cloth masks should not be recommended for HCWs, particularly in high-risk situations, and guidelines need to be updated.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577.responses?

Critical shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) have resulted in the US Centers for Disease Control downgrading their recommendations for health workers treating COVID-19 patients from respirators to surgical masks and finally to home-made cloth masks. The study found that cloth mask wearers had higher rates of infection than even the standard practice control group of health workers, and the filtration provided by cloth masks was poor compared to surgical masks. At the time of the study, there had been very little work done in this space, and so little thought into how to improve the protective value of the cloth masks. Until now, most guidelines on PPE did not even mention cloth masks, despite many health workers in Asia using them.
Health workers are asking us if they should wear no mask at all if cloth masks are the only option. Our research does not condone health workers working unprotected. We recommend that health workers should not work during the COVID-19 pandemic without respiratory protection as a matter of work health and safety

It is important to note that some subjects in the control arm wore surgical masks, which could explain why cloth masks performed poorly compared to the control group. We also did an analysis of all mask wearers, and the higher infection rate in cloth mask group persisted.

Finally for COVID-19, wearing a mask is not enough to protect healthcare workers – use of gloves and goggles are also required as a minimum, as SARS-CoV-2 may infect not only through the respiratory route, but also through contact with contaminated surfaces and self-contamination.
Governments and hospitals should plan and stockpile proper disposable products such as respirators and surgical masks to ensure the occupational health and safety of health workers. This appears to have been a failure in many countries, including high income countries.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/testing-the-efficacy-of-homemade-masks-would-they-protect-in-an-influenza-pandemic/0921A05A69A9419C862FA2F35F819D55/core-reader

An improvised face mask should be viewed as the last possible alternative if a supply of commercial face masks is not available, irrespective of the disease against which it may be required for protection. Improvised homemade face masks may be used to help protect those who could potentially, for example, be at occupational risk from close or frequent contact with symptomatic patients. However, these masks would provide the wearers little protection from microorganisms from others persons who are infected with respiratory diseases. As a result, we would not recommend the use of homemade face masks as a method of reducing transmission of infection from aerosols.

https://www.nap.edu/read/25776/chapter/1#5

The evidence from these laboratory filtration studies suggest that such fabric masks may reduce the transmission of larger respiraory droplets. There is little evidence regarding transmission of small aerosolized particulates of the size potentially exhaled by asymtomatic or presymtomatic indivuidulas with COVID-19.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

Can face masks help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?
Yes, face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the disease.
So why weren't face masks recommended at the start of the pandemic? At that time, experts didn't yet know the extent to which people with COVID-19 could spread the virus before symptoms appeared. Nor was it known that some people have COVID-19 but don't have any symptoms. Both groups can unknowingly spread the virus to others.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-can-fabric-cloth-masks-stem-coronavirus-spread

In one study, a mask that used 16 layers of handkerchief fabric was able to filter out 63 percent of 300-nanometer-sized particles. (The coronavirus is between 50 to 200 nanometers in diameter.) But that mask was harder to breathe with compared with thick, tight-fitting N95 respirators, often used in hospitals, that can block minuscule particles. Wearing a cloth mask with that many layers would be uncomfortable and may “cause some to pass out,” the researchers wrote in the letter. 

 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200504-coronavirus-what-is-the-best-kind-of-face-mask

A cotton bandana was the least effective, followed by a woolen scarf, but a 600-thread-count pillowcase folded four times could filter out around 60% of the particles.

Other researchers have found that while pulling a t-shirt up over your nose and mouth will block less than half of the aerosols coming towards it, doubling and even tripling the layers of a cotton t-shirt fabric can dramatically improve things in an emergency. Other fabrics such as silk and polyester were also found to be surprisingly effective. Cotton flannel, felted wool and quilting cotton have been found to be particularly good at blocking ultrafine particles, and one study suggested that a single sock, when flat and pressed tightly against the nose and mouth, could also serve as a good emergency mask substitute.
Much like the disposable N95 and surgical masks, homemade varieties like these are really only good for one use before they need to be disinfected if you want to maximise their potential. The US CDC recommends routinely washing homemade masks. Hot water alone may not be enough – one recent study found the Sars-CoV-2 virus can survive temperatures of at least 60C. Fortunately, the oily envelope that encases coronaviruses can be pulled part by soap and household detergent.
But Mueller warns that all these alternatives cannot be seen as replacements for an N95 mask. “There is a very important question – for health officials to interpret from the data that we are collecting – about what level of particle filtration is 'safe enough'? It is unfortunate but true that in some cases people may be choosing between multiple imperfect options.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/03/826996154/coronavirus-faqs-is-a-homemade-mask-effective-and-whats-the-best-way-to-wear-one

What about homemade masks?
As NPR has previously reported, some research has shown that cotton T-shirt material and tea towels might help block respiratory droplets emitting from sick people — though it's not clear how much protection they provide.
Another study, of health care workers in Vietnam, found that use of cloth masks resulted in greater infection than either those wearing surgical masks or a control group, some of whom also wore surgical masks.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51205344

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently says only two groups of people should wear protective masks, those who are:

Sick and showing symptoms.
Caring for people suspected to have coronavirus.
It says medical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers.
Masks are not generally recommended for the public because:
they can be contaminated by other people's coughs and sneezes, or when putting them on or removing them.
Frequent hand-washing and social distancing are more effective.
They might offer a false sense of security
But that doesn't mean they have no benefit at all for the general public - it's just that the scientific evidence is weak.
Homemade cloth face-coverings can help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances - they might help stop the spread of coronavirus by people who are contagious but have no symptoms (known as asymptomatic transmission).

The most protective mask is an FFP3 or, alternatively, an N95 or an FFP2.  NHS staff in lower-risk situations can wear a surgical mask. This includes healthcare workers within one metre of a patient with possible or confirmed Covid-19.  These staff may be in hospitals, primary care, ambulance trusts, community care settings and care homes.

OTHER LINKS

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/apr/21/scientists-join-calls-for-uk-public-to-wear-homemade-face-masks-outdoors

https://familydoctor.org/covid-19-face-masks/

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/covid-19-health/cloth-masks-given-ok-do-they-work

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/01/coronavirus-surgical-masks-china.html

COVID-19 ~ 2nd Place for Deaths 3rd Highest Spike in New Cases

On the 5th May 2020, the UK took on the sad crown of 2nd highest deaths from coronavirus in the world.  6th of May we have the 3rd highest spike of new cases in the UK since this started.

Is it strange that the two leaders of the countries with the highest deaths or is it a sad indictment of their complacency and failure to act? With literally more data to hand than most other countries? The evidence was there, all the had to do was prepare for it. Did they? Sadly no not quickly enough, they were severely lacking in their response and even in their belief that COVID-19 was a threat. Comments like "its a hoax" and "I shake hands with everyone" are the evidence of their belief in the threat.

Now some will say, and even Johnson said it today you cant compare countries, well yes I'm going to agree with that. The UK has a population density far higher than most other comparable countries.  Which is the reason we needed to move sooner.

I covered population density here Has Sweden Found The Right Route in a blog about Sweden and its herd immunity route

UK population density per Mi2             = 710
Germany population density per Mi2    = 603
Italy population density per Mi2            = 518
China population density per Mi2         = 377
France population density per Mi2        = 319
Spain population density per Mi2          = 241
USA  population density per Mi2          = 87
Brazil population density per Mi2         = 64
Sweden population density per Mi2      = 60

Knowing that we had a much higher population density, there is no question that the Government should have implemented the stay at home policy earlier than others and not waited.  Had they done that 2 weeks earlier, we might even be coming out the other side of it now.  I guess in their defence people wanted coffins to be convinced but Johnson didn't help that with conflicting information.

I'm still shaking my head at the governments herd immunity path they initially followed and don't forget they had all the figures to hand.  Yet they were still going for that scenario, unbelievable.

Herd immunity in Sweden is a possibility and seems to be working but it's understandable with a population density of just 60 per Mi2 and they have got it wrong with many care home deaths. Herd immunity in the UK was never going to be a possibility with a population density of 710 per Mi2.  Nearly 12 times that of Sweden.

It seems now that having been late to initiate stay at home, Johnson is now making noises about relaxing measures. In my opinion, this is far too early we've just become 2nd place in the world for deaths.

As if to serve as a warning we've had the 3rd highest spike (6,111) in new cases today the 6th May 2020, since this started.  2nd highest was 6,201 on 1st May 2020 and the biggest spike was 8,681 back on 10 April 2020.

Johnson has proved to be a likeable, bumbling, schoolboy character and people have voted for him.

Unfortunately, that don't cut it, it doesn't cover the incompetence, the incongruent comments in briefings to the country. The lies, the misinformation this government has made and continues to make.

I covered the Incompetent brothers Johnson and Trump here

The 100,000 test is a good point in question, why lie? Why not say we set an ambitious target and we missed it but we are carrying on improving until we hit it.  Why send out thousands of test kits to random people that never asked for them and include them in the 100,000 figure.  THEY WERN'T TESTED.

Some will say this is not the time to be holding the Government to account. I say its more imperative that we hold the government to account now because if we let them carry on making the mistakes they are it could have fatal ramifications for some of us and no one knows who.

But it could be you.

Would you really let a driver of a bus, drive over a cliff edge without doing something to stop him?



#nomorelies
#nomoremisinformation

COVID-19 ~ Johnson and Trump The Incompetent Brothers

Prime Minister's Speech Greenwich, London 3rd February 2020

In case anyone was in any doubt of good old Boris Johnsons thinking prior to coronavirus hitting the UK. I suggest you take a look at the start of this speech made on the 3rd of February 2020.

“And when there is a risk that new diseases such as coronavirus will trigger a panic and a desire for market segregation that go beyond what is medically rational, to the point of doing real and unnecessary economic damage. Then at that moment humanity needs some government somewhere that is willing at least to make the case powerfully for freedom of exchange” - Boris Johnson

Johnson then goes on to tell us, or those that are concerned about what sort of trade deal the UK might end up with the USA, that they should grow up.

Well, it turned out that he was the one who needed to grow up, particularly after his "I shook hands with everyone" speech at a briefing a month later to the day.

"I was at a hospital the other night, where I think there was a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody! you'll be pleased to know and I continue to shake hands" ~ Boris Johnson 3rd March 2020

Inspirational and outstanding leadership in getting the message across....NOT.  This isn't leadership this is pure childish incompetence.

Yet people still say he's doing a good job, it beggars belief and is the same blind faith exhibited by those followers of Trump. A world leader that lurches from one idiotic statement to another and then claims he's misquoted or his other favourite "its fake news".

Strange that the two leaders who were prepared to sacrifice unknown numbers of the population are now facing seeing the biggest death totals.  The UK is not there yet, but slowly, day by day the UK is overtaking other countries in that area. Will we make number two?  Highly probable in the next few days but certainly in the next few weeks.

But the sheer incompetence of both Johnson and Trump does not remain to be seen it's on plain view.

It's not like coronavirus stealthily crept up on us, we had the warnings, it was plain to see. There was no surprise, it was obvious what was coming to all those with a mediocre of common sense.

Unfortunately, common sense seems to be low in both Johnson and Trump and it nearly cost Johnson his life, if we can believe that part of the saga.

The UK is currently 3rd in the dubious rankings of coronavirus deaths. We should have been lower, we were warned, we knew it was coming. Only the governments slow reaction has put us in what will be 2nd place in the next few days.

The government also failed to plan correctly and put in place stocks of non-perishables, like masks and gowns after the pandemic exercise in 2016, Exercise Cygnus.  The report has never been released, I wonder why?

Covid-19 strategies: Britain planned for herd immunity while Asia intended to contain virus
Britain had prepared for a herd immunity strategy to contain Covid-19, while other countries focused on enhanced testing capacity

Who got it right?

Well it's plain to see from the numbers that certainly the UK and the USA didn't, especially with the advanced warning both countries had. Asian countries have got off lightly with regard to deaths so it was possible.

There is one caveat to this.  Were the deaths enough to get near to herd immunity? Because for every death there are x number of people that have had it and had mild or no symptoms.

Have the deaths been enough to get near the 60-80% needed for herd immunity to work?  As we have no reliable test, or any reliable evidence, as yet, that if you've had it you get immunity. That remains to be seen when the 2nd wave comes. The 2nd wave in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic killed far more than the 1st wave.

So hold onto your hats, we could be in for a bumpy ride and with the likes of Johnson and Trump in charge what could possibly go wrong.....

LOTS!

UPDATE 06 May 2020

6 days after I posted this blog we surpassed Italy in deaths and the UK took on the sad crown of the country with the 2nd highest deaths in the world.

LINKS

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/infection-trajectory-flattening-the-covid19-curve/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Cygnus

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Johnson said COVID-19 would cause “real and unnecessary economic damage” beyond “what is medically rational”.

COVID-19 ~ Trumps ludicrous disinfectant suggestion and the fallout from it.

I know there will be lots of blind followers of Trump that will think that he's brilliant and follow him regardless of what lies and misinformation he spews out. In general, there is so much of it it's just not worth commenting on, you would spend a lifetime checking through it all. He is another pathological liar which is why he constantly comes out with so much rubbish, he actually believes what he's saying, which is all the more dangerous. In fact he a Narcissistic pathological liar.

The President of the United States declared at a briefing yesterday: 

‘and then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that?’ - ‘By injection inside, or almost a cleaning. ‘Cos you see, it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.’ - 'So that your going to have to use medical Doctors with' - 'but it sounds interesting to me'

So there is one thing on this disinfectant comment in the briefing. Regardless of what he said, whether he said it, whether he meant what everyone heard or interpreted it in the right way. (Then again things shouldn't be open to interpretation).  One thing that cuts through all that crap.

1. Trump should not be using a briefing that goes out to the whole world to try and make himself look intelligent or knowledgable about a subject he clearly knows absolutely nothing about and has no qualifications for, as he himself said 'Im not a Doctor'.  The place to brainstorm even stupid ideas,  is in meetings with those who have the scientific knowledge to either expand on them or explain why its an idea that's going nowhere. It's as simple as that, he shouldn't have said what he said in a briefing, he was just trying to pretend he's a clever ideas person and he's not.  END OF.  There is no excuse for those type of comments in a press briefing.

Now we've got that one point over we can have a look at what was said and what wasn't.  In these videos, you can see exactly what was said. Also the myriad of graphic images of which there are too many to produce them all here.

SOAPBOX OPINION...
Basically, if you wanted to go all out and make yourself look like an absolute idiot to the rest of the world you would struggle to beat this one.

Dr. Birx's reaction to Trump's disinfectant suggestion

Trump then claimed he was being sarcastic

He clearly wasn't being sarcastic, he was clearly trying to be the look at me I'm clever with another of his numerous I have a good brain quotes.

Trump Knows More Than Anybody, And Nobody Knows More

Trump's Way Of Speaking Is 'Oddly Adolescent'

Trump vs Trump on Coronavirus: the US President's changing tone in just a few weeks

Any questions Trump doesn't like is put down by belittling and bullying comments and the comment your just fake news, when in fact most fake news or misinformation is spewed by trump.

Trump's musings spurred a media, manufacturer,  frenzy around the world with Doctors and Scientists apparently, all taking Trump's comments the wrong way. Maybe Trump needs to work on communication skills.

Various images

As an update, this YouTube video came to my attention and shows the cutting involved particularly by the BBC. Not that I saw any BBC clips but here it is anyway.  {Updated 27/04/20)

BBC lies & fakery: editing and manipulating Trump “sunlight and bleach” press briefing

My comment would be
Doesn't really get away from the fact that Trump shouldn't be pontificating in a press conference about ideas such as that and why are they are telling everyone that bleach kills the virus? I thought that was common knowledge, so makes no sense. They were saying it as if it was some great revelation, very strange.  He did also say "I then asked the question ....." seemingly making it look like he was the perpetrator of these questions but maybe that can be attributed to the cutting. He's always trying to make himself look like the one with all the knowledge the superior intellect and regularly says so ...he probably should have kept his mouth shut and let the scientists deal with the science, then there would be no ammunition. Nothing is as it seems.



Updated 27/04/20

Seems only correct to post the full briefing, certainly doesn't change my opinion. 

Various LINKS

Coronavirus: Disinfectant firm warns after Trump comments

Coronavirus: Trump’s disinfectant and sunlight claims fact-checked

Piers Morgan leads celeb outrage to Donald Trump’s ‘insane’ disinfectant comments Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/24/piers-morgan-outrage-donald-trump-disinfectant-12603387/?

https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/25/donald-trump-unfollows-piers-morgan-getting-called-senseless-stupid-theories-12608347

‘It bothers me that this is still in the news cycle,’ Birx says of Trump’s disinfectant and light comments

Covid-19 ~ Boris Johnson missed 5 Cobra meetings

LINKS
Boris Johnson missed FIVE emergency cobra meetings in early stages of coronavirus response 180420
Boris Johnson ‘skipped five Cobra meetings’ in early stage of coronavirus crisis 180420
The eleven days that may have tragically cost the UK in the fight against coronavirus  170420
https://www.minghella.com/from-the-dark-end-of-the-street/
https://www.minghella.com/eleven-days-in-march/
https://www.minghella.com/ramping-up-the-rubbish-three-reasons-covid-19-testing-is-useless/

COVID-19 ~ “The UK is one of the first countries to develop a world-leading test for coronavirus" Really?

“The UK is one of the first countries to develop a world-leading test for coronavirus", ~ Matt Hancock Thursday 23 January 2020

Why in that case is the UK virtually at the bottom of this list of major countries?



House of Commons transcript
Wuhan Coronavirus

11:23:00

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Matt Hancock)
With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to inform the House about the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China and the UK’s response to protect the British public. As of this morning, 571 cases have been confirmed by the Chinese Government, and 17 people are reported to have died of this new strain of respiratory illness. All the fatalities have so far been contained to mainland China. However, this is a rapidly developing situation and the number of cases, and deaths, is likely to be higher than those that have been confirmed so far. I expect them to rise further. It has been reported that the Chinese authorities have placed further transport restrictions on the epicentre of the outbreak, Wuhan city, including on international flights. A small number of cases of the new coronavirus have now been detected in other countries, including Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Experts at the World Health Organisation are meeting again today to determine whether this new outbreak now constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern”.

Most cases of the new coronavirus so far have been non-fatal. In these cases, most people experience cold and flu-like symptoms and then recover. However, there have been a small number of cases so far where it has proven more serious and fatal.

There are no confirmed cases of this new infection in the UK so far. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan and have put in place proportionate precautionary measures. Our approach has at all times been guided by the advice of the chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty. Since yesterday, Public Health England officials have been carrying out enhanced monitoring of direct flights from Wuhan city, and all passengers on direct flights from China will receive information on what to do if they fall ill. Professor Whitty and Public Health England, aided by independent experts, are in close contact with their international counterparts, and are continually monitoring the scientific evidence as it emerges.

The chief medical officer has revised the risk to the UK population from “very low” to “low”, and has concluded that while there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them. The UK is one of the first countries to have developed a world-leading test for the new coronavirus. The NHS is ready to respond appropriately to any cases that emerge. Clinicians in both primary and secondary care have already received advice, covering initial detection and investigation of possible cases, infection prevention and control, and clinical diagnostics. Acting on the advice of Professor Whitty, we have updated our travel guidance to British citizens to advise against all but essential travel to Wuhan city.

We are working closely with our counterparts in the devolved Administrations. The public can be assured that the whole of the UK is always well prepared for these types of outbreaks, and we will remain vigilant and keep our response under constant review in the light of emerging scientific evidence.

I commend this statement to the House.


LINKS
Coronavirus Antibody Tests Could Help Us Get Back To Normal — Or They Could Be The Next Testing Crisis
Why the UK failed to get coronavirus testing up to speed
UK government urged to abandon 'poor' finger-prick antibody tests
Coronavirus: What can the UK learn from Germany on testing?
NHS to ramp up coronavirus testing labs
Thermo Fisher agrees to supply UK coronavirus tests
Why isn't the UK testing more people for coronavirus?
UK vows to boost coronavirus testing after criticism, as officials release guidance on who to save first
Coronavirus testing 'nightmare' deepens as Government official says Brits will have to POST their blood samples – and not get a result within 10 minutes
Why is Germany able to test for coronavirus so much more than the UK?
How Europe failed the coronavirus test
The UK’s Covid-19 testing scandal
THE URGENT NEED TO DECENTRALISE COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TESTING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

COVID-19 ~ 'I shook hands with everybody,' says Boris Johnson

'I shook hands with everybody,' says Boris Johnson

Inspirational and outstanding leadership in getting the message across.
"I was at a hospital the other night, where I think there was a few coronavirus patients and I shook hands with everybody! you'll be pleased to know and I continue to shake hands" ~ Boris Johnson 3rd March 2020

It was a totally irresponsible statement and led to a large proportion of the UK to carry on believing the threat wasn't a big as it really was.  It also shows that Johnson didn't really believe the enormity of the situation, even with all of the evidence available from other countries like China and Italy.

Emergency situations have a way of revealing things about people and it showed Boris Johnson for the buffoon, he really is.  Intelligence has no bearing on common sense and Johnson needs a few bags of common sense delivered to his doorstep because at present he's a danger to the UK.


TIMELINE

3rd   March - 'I shook hands with everybody,' says Boris Johnson

11th March - Boris Johnson, meets with the Queen who is 93. (Who thought that was a good idea?)

26th March - Mild symptoms advised to get tested  (23 days on from 3rd March)

27th March - Mr Johnson, 55, announced the test results by posting a video on Twitter where he said he had developed a temperature and a persistent cough.

28th March - It's announced that Johnson will write to every UK household urging people to stay at home

29th March

30th March

31st March

1st    April

2nd  April

3rd   April

4th   April

5th   April - Spends 1st Night in Hospital

6th   April - About 7pm Moved to intensive care overnight

7th   April - Intensive care overnight

8th   April - Intensive care overnight

9th   April - Moved out of intensive care back to a ward.

10th April - father, Stanley Johnson, said the Prime Minister "almost took one for the team"

11th April - 

12th April - Johnson is discharged after seven nights in St Thomas’ and is taken to Chequers.

LINKS
'I shook hands with everybody,' says Boris Johnson weeks before coronavirus diagnosis
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says 'it could have gone either way'
Boris Johnson recovering from coronavirus at Chequers – latest news
Coronavirus intensive care figures: how long Boris Johnson could be in hospital, according to the data - and what the risks are
Timeline: Johnson's activities before his hospitalisation with coronavirus
The strange lead-up to Boris Johnson's admission to hospital

COVID-19 ~ Has Sweden Found the Right Solution to the Coronavirus?

Well, no country is the same, so let's look at population density.

UK population density per Mi2             = 710
Germany population density per Mi2    = 603
Italy population density per Mi2            = 518
China population density per Mi2         = 377
France population density per Mi2        = 319
Spain population density per Mi2          = 241
USA  population density per Mi2          = 87
Brazil population density per Mi2         = 64
Sweden population density per Mi2      = 60

Swedens population density is far less than the UK's, in fact, its the lowest of all those listed above.  Obviously, this figure is purely based on landmass and they may well have highly populated cities but I don't think so.

Sweden is also 1.9 times bigger than the UK. 54.5 million fewer people live in Sweden compared to the UK.

Swedes comply to rules and regulations better and are dealing with self-regulation better. Something that didn't happen in the UK. Mainly I believe due to inconsistent messages given out by the Government with Boris Johnson claiming "I'm still shaking everyone's hand" a good example as the Chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty winced by his side and could only respond "wash your hands" as advise.

Brazil is also going down this route but mainly because the President thinks its just Flu. So all the scientific data being thrown out the window there, at least the Swedes are working on the scientific data.

It's not like flu, Flu has been around for hundreds of years we have gradually built up immunity to it and we have a vaccine. Even so Flu still kills lots of people.

We have no immunity at all to coronavirus, we have no vaccine and the infection rate is 3 times higher than flu. It's as simple as that.

However, we can only get immunity by catching it or if a vaccine is produced. The trick is catching it when the NHS isn't overwhelmed by lots of patients if you are unlucky and need an ICU bed. There's no telling who will get it bad and who won't so Russian roulette.


So yes going back to Sweden, in my opinion, it just makes sense that it may well work in Sweden with their compliance to self-regulation and much, much lower population density.



Update 02/05/20
WHO Declares Sweden's COVID Response a Model for the World
It should be noted that the actual wording from the WHO was "potential “model” for battling the COVID-19.  Also, be that although Swedens death rate appears low, due to population density, it's one of the 10 highest in the world with a high mortality rate in care homes.
As noted above Swedens population density is far far less than the UK's, so not really comparable.
Johnson was indeed going down the same route until the realisation hit that in the UK the NHS would have been quickly overwhelmed and the death rates could have hit levels not worth thinking about. This would have highlighted even more the failings that have happened and possibly Johnson being no more. A complete U-turn was taken from the herd immunity route, basically to save his job and the Tories. He wasn't to know at that point that it would possibly save his life.

It should
However, back to the Sweden model, I think it's valid as a model for coming out of the stay at home policy now the 1st wave has been contained and people are a bit more mindful that it's not just Flu.

LINKS
Has Sweden Found the Right Solution to the Coronavirus?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Whitty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density
'I shook hands with everybody,' says Boris Johnson weeks before coronavirus diagnosis
https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_sweden_goes_it_alone_the_eus_coronavirus_exception
https://inews.co.uk/news/sweden-coronavirus-no-lockdown-covid-19-measures-cases-deaths-social-distancing-restaurants-open-2517991
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-sweden-no-lockdown-asks-people-to-stay-apart-2020-4?r=US&IR=T
Updated 02/05/20
Sweden Says Controversial Virus Strategy Proving Effective
WHO Official: Sweden’s Policy of Individual Responsibility “a Model” for the Rest of World
Has Sweden's coronavirus strategy played into the hands of nationalists?
Sweden says its coronavirus approach has worked. The numbers suggest a different story
What we can learn from Sweden's approach to COVID-19: WHO coronavirus briefing
Updated 16/05/20
Americans calling for herd immunity should look at Sweden's coronavirus experiment to see why it won't work