Coronavirus

[Gwaredd]

Flew to Copenhagen Friday, back yesterday. PCR test in Gatwick (£59), to meet the UK entry requirement, bought day two test (£48) and filled in the passenger locator form. Not very complicated, but expensive to do and...

1) nobody checked a thing leaving the UK. Ticked some boxes in a web form, but without any verification
2) showed my vaccination status in the NHS app at the passport control in Copenhagen. Police officer squints at my phone and says "I trust you"
3) coming back into the UK nobody checked a thing. Went from gate to carpark in 9 minutes and all I did was scan my passport

Doesn't feel very well controlled.

I've heard very similar from 3 different people now, coming home from 3 different places - 2 into Gatwick, 1 into Heathrow. Bit of a pisstake considering the costs involved

[V8Granite]

I’m not so sure, we have had some Germans over in the IOW recently and failed to deliver a test back in time. There was an NHS drop box thing and we put it in after the 16:00 time we had to.

The next day the guy organising it was getting umpteen messages saying where were they, it’s breaking the rules etc etc.

It does seem like if you don’t do as requested they tell you off as apposed to preventing your travel, which seems the wrong way round.

Dave!

[integrale_evo]

I guess they’re just hoping the fear of getting caught means the huge majority comply. A bit like sneaking duty free fags through customs

[dinny_g]

When I went to Ireland in August, At Holyhead, Our COVID Vaccine Passports were checked as well as Mini Dinny's Negative Test. In Dublin, all these were checked as well as the passenger locator form.

On our way back, not a single thing was checked, in Dublin or in Holyhead.

[Marv]

When I went to Ireland in August, At Holyhead, Our COVID Vaccine Passports were checked as well as Mini Dinny's Negative Test. In Dublin, all these were checked as well as the passenger locator form.

On our way back, not a single thing was checked, in Dublin or in Holyhead.

Last week when going to Ireland from Fishguard, I was just asked if I had sorted the passenger locator form and vaccine certificate when checking in with Stenaline. They didn't seem interested in seeing it!

At Rosslaire, I was just waved through.

Wasn't even asked to produce my passport either side!

[dinny_g]

Oh yeah, we never get asked for our actual passports but did get asked for all the other stuff...

[Beany]

Went to the cinema on Sunday. Got an email a few days ago saying 'You'll need your NHS covid pass or proof of vaccination! You'll need a mask! You'll need a full biohazard suit!' etc.

Turned up late and in a fluster cos I got lost on the way into town (yeah, bite me) so left my mask in the car. Wasn't asked for proof of vaccination. Mask wasn't mentioned but, got one from the box office.

For all the bluster, there was basically zero enforcement.

[dinny_g]

There is a trend seen with myocarditis / myopericarditis seen in the FDA data, but it seems to be a event rate of about 0.006%, which compares to an event rate of myocarditis secondary to covid infection of about 0.05% in a similar same age group. ( source: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 21260998v1 )

Bit like how the blood clot risk is much higher from having covid compared to having the vaccine ( source: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1931 )

What I've not seen data on is the severity of the myocarditis. There isn't anything on mortality. As far as I can tell, this is people presenting to a general practitioner or emergency care facility rather than being admitted. Myocarditis is usually an uncomfortable but self-limiting condition without long-term sequelae. (source: I am a cardiologist)

What also isn't clear if what your risk of these things is if you catch 'Rona post vaccine.

Timely opportunity to query this a little more seeing as my son's been offered a single dose of Pfizer... next Tuesday so time to decide.

Is that first report stating that the likelihood of this myocarditis thing is much nearly 10 times higher from actually COVID as an unvaccinated 12 to 15 year old than it is from the Vaccine itself ??

[Mito Man]

Had my third jab, struggled driving back home as my enormous testicles barely fit in the Defender.

[drcarlos]

Went to the cinema on Sunday. Got an email a few days ago saying 'You'll need your NHS covid pass or proof of vaccination! You'll need a mask! You'll need a full biohazard suit!' etc.

Turned up late and in a fluster cos I got lost on the way into town (yeah, bite me) so left my mask in the car. Wasn't asked for proof of vaccination. Mask wasn't mentioned but, got one from the box office.

For all the bluster, there was basically zero enforcement.

It's a huge amount of virtue signaling on the part of the management mostly. The employees probably don't give a shit.

We were filming last weekend and the producer/cameraman was very conscious of the the separation of people and handing over of objects when on camera so it can appear on TV like covid protocols were still being followed. The moment it was off they were accepting cups of tea and food items from us, not bothering about social distancing or any sort of sanitization. You've got to wonder that when you see things being filmed that have screens and distancing for the cameras how many and just like that out front but couldn't give a shit behind the scenes?

[Explosive Newt]

There is a trend seen with myocarditis / myopericarditis seen in the FDA data, but it seems to be a event rate of about 0.006%, which compares to an event rate of myocarditis secondary to covid infection of about 0.05% in a similar same age group. ( source: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 21260998v1 )

Bit like how the blood clot risk is much higher from having covid compared to having the vaccine ( source: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1931 )

What I've not seen data on is the severity of the myocarditis. There isn't anything on mortality. As far as I can tell, this is people presenting to a general practitioner or emergency care facility rather than being admitted. Myocarditis is usually an uncomfortable but self-limiting condition without long-term sequelae. (source: I am a cardiologist)

What also isn't clear if what your risk of these things is if you catch 'Rona post vaccine.

Timely opportunity to query this a little more seeing as my son's been offered a single dose of Pfizer... next Tuesday so time to decide.

Is that first report stating that the likelihood of this myocarditis thing is much nearly 10 times higher from actually COVID as an unvaccinated 12 to 15 year old than it is from the Vaccine itself ??

Yes - but then you have the extra randomness factor of how likely the young person in question is to get Covid.

[Carlos]

All 4 of us in house had it 2 weeks ago and my 15 year old son was very ill for about 5 days and is still chesty now.

It's quite scary as he cycles 10 miles to school each day and plays football or rugby most days. He's very fit and ripped like Bruce Lee so I assumed he would be least likely in the house to be unwell

[dinny_g]

There is a trend seen with myocarditis / myopericarditis seen in the FDA data, but it seems to be a event rate of about 0.006%, which compares to an event rate of myocarditis secondary to covid infection of about 0.05% in a similar same age group. ( source: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 21260998v1 )

Bit like how the blood clot risk is much higher from having covid compared to having the vaccine ( source: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1931 )

What I've not seen data on is the severity of the myocarditis. There isn't anything on mortality. As far as I can tell, this is people presenting to a general practitioner or emergency care facility rather than being admitted. Myocarditis is usually an uncomfortable but self-limiting condition without long-term sequelae. (source: I am a cardiologist)

What also isn't clear if what your risk of these things is if you catch 'Rona post vaccine.

Timely opportunity to query this a little more seeing as my son's been offered a single dose of Pfizer... next Tuesday so time to decide.

Is that first report stating that the likelihood of this myocarditis thing is much nearly 10 times higher from actually COVID as an unvaccinated 12 to 15 year old than it is from the Vaccine itself ??

Yes - but then you have the extra randomness factor of how likely the young person in question is to get Covid.

Thanks Newt - appreciate you getting back to me!

[Broccers]

Does anyone actually understand the new travel rules?

[unzippy]

Still locked down in Melbourne. Two hundred and forty seven days.

[KiwiDave]

Still locked down in Melbourne. Two hundred and forty seven days.

I've got to be honest, every time I hear someone moan here in NZ about our current lockdown like their fucking life is ending, I want to say 'toughen the fuck up, look what Melbourne is doing!'

I really do think there's a large portion of society who've never had to do it tough over anything and are just fucking flakes. And they're fucking it up for everyone else.

Also if anyone GAF - NZ have started introducing the roadmap for no longer being shut off to the world, partially because it was signaled before and partially because we then went into a new lockdown and it's brought the whole thing forward, and also partially because we have some entitled cunts who can't do as they're told.

Interestingly, this time our outbreak, something like 60% of the cases are in children and the reason it's got away on everyone is it got into people in transitory housing and into gangs who simply don't think any rules apply to them. Hitting the ones in the shitty situations the most.

[Simon]

I read that Jarcinda Arden is abandoning the 'zero covid' strategy as of yesterday? That thanks to vaccinations they're going to start learning to live with it like the rest of the world?

[KiwiDave]

It's a simplified version of it yeah, makes for better headlines that way. In essence before the recent outbreak they'd already published their ideas about how to reconnect with the world. Pilot schemes for self isolation, signaled vaccine passports and a whole heap of other stuff. Aim was to be reopening borders Q2 of 2022 I think. Current outbreak had started circulating in the community literally as they were saying that, though they didn't realise that til a week later.

It's forced their hand and brought it all forward, and in order to try and keep on top of it there's been an insane vaccine drive. Ultimately they want 90%+ vaccinated and state that at those numbers COVID circulating in the community won't take down the health system so that presents itself as though zero tolerance is now no longer the goal. She pissed off basically the whole country with that. What they're not really reporting widely as it doesn't make for good headlines is that they're still treating cases that pop up exactly the same as they have for the last 18 months. Every one tracked down, every one genome sequenced, every one into isolation etc. So it's kinda like halfway between where we were and what the headlines say.

I can't say I feel very comfortable about it to be honest, but it had to happen at some point.

We also had our first death in a year today. I think that makes 30 deaths now.

Say what you like about the approach but for the last 18 months, the majority of it we've carried on life normally without COVID present, we've had very few deaths. Health system hasn't been overrun (yet, touch wood) and the approach has bought the time to get the vaccination rates right up. So the approach has been great, I just kinda feel safer if it was like that all the time. Harsh truth is it won't be.

[nuttinnew]

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/cri ... UapFdJ-9s8

[Broccers]

Public told to retake PCR tests after 43,000 suspected false negatives
NHS Test and Trace have suspended testing operations provided by a private lab after an investigation found incorrect results had been given

By
Gareth Davies,
BREAKING NEWS EDITOR
15 October 2021 • 7:41am
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter
Members of the public have been urged to book for further testing after 43,000 PCR tests at government-run sites resulted in false negatives.

NHS Test and Trace have suspended testing operations provided by Immensa Health Clinic Ltd at its laboratory in Wolverhampton, following an investigation into reports of people receiving negative PCR test results after they have previously tested positive using lateral flow tests.

The majority of those affected appear to be from the south west of England, but people in Wales and the south east are also understood to be impacted.

An investigation led by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is underway attempting to confirm the cause of the problem, but early indications predict that more than 10 per cent of the 400,000 samples processed by the lab could be wrong.

The agency estimated 43,000 people may have been given incorrect negative PCR test results between Sep 8 and Oct 12.

A spokesman said: "This is an isolated incident attributed to one laboratory but all samples are now being redirected to other laboratories."

NHS Test and Trace is now contacting the people that could still be infectious to advise them to take another test.

Close contacts who are symptomatic will also be advised to take a test in line with normal practice.

It comes as West Berkshire Council said in a statement some of the tests at the Newbury Showground testing site, operated by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), "have had results sent out that may have incorrectly shown as negative for Covid-19".

"After receiving reports from local residents in recent weeks that there were concerns about the accuracy of test results from the site, we passed these concerns onto the DHSC for further investigation," the statement added.

"The DHSC has now confirmed that a number of sites nationally may have been affected by this issue, including the one at Newbury Showground."

Those who received a negative result for a PCR test between Oct 3 and 12, as well as their close contacts, were "strongly" encouraged by the local authority to take another test.

Councillor Graham Bridgman said: "Testing continues to remain important as we learn to live with Covid and anyone who has symptoms, or who has been in contact with someone who tests positive, should book a PCR test straightaway. We also strongly encourage the public to do twice weekly lateral flow testing.

Dr Will Welfare, Public Health Incident Director, UKHSA: "We have recently seen a rising number of positive LFD results subsequently testing negative on PCR.

"As a result of our investigation, we are working with NHS Test and Trace and the company to determine the laboratory technical issues which have led to inaccurate PCR results being issued to people.

"We have immediately suspended testing at this laboratory while we continue the investigation."

A video in January as a result of a Sun investigation purported to show workers at the lab scuffling inside the West Midlands base.

A video purporting to show staff at the Immensa Health Clinic fighting
A video purporting to show staff at the Immensa Health Clinic fighting CREDIT: The Sun
Immensa and its Italian owners Dante did not comment at the time, and it is not clear if any action was taken.

Andrea Riposati, CEO of Immensa Health Clinic Ltd, said: "We are fully collaborating with UKHSA on this matter. Quality is paramount for us.

"We have proudly analyzed more than 2.5million samples for NHS Test and Trace, working closely with the great teams at DHSC and UKHSA.

"We do not wish this matter or anything else to tarnish the amazing work done by the UK in this pandemic."
Source torygraph

Ramping up the fear