O/T:- Force Majeur

[pingu_pie]

... there is a mismatch between what the government says is happening and what front line operaters say is reality. Somewhere in between something is seriously wrong. I suspect that commercial greed may be at play with suppliers playing silly devils whilst negotiating advantageous pricing for themselves. Providers say there is no shortage of necessary goods. It's not quite the same but it reminds me of the WW2 strikes at Castle Bromwich where Spitfires were made. So the middle men, who currently negotiate order for supplies, need sacking and direct orders to suppliers to take out the proverbial finger and comply. If they do not, it will be time for retribution when all this is over. Time for Gov to stop being polite to everyone.

Commercial greed being blamed, now?? Brilliant.

This is not a force majeure, this is Thatcherism's finest moment.

[LaxtonLad]

Can anyone tell me why there is so much prominence given to testing? I can see why medical staff need to be screened but for the general pubic? How do you get tested? If you do get tested and the result is positive, but have not developed symptoms, you will be unlikely to be admitted to hospital but told to go home and self-isolate. If the result is negative - what then? Told to go home and self-isolate is what.

If your result was positive but later you died from any other illness, as covid19 is now a notifiable disease, you would be classified as having died WITH covid19 even if it wasn't that virus that actually killed you. There is a difference between dying FROM covid19 and dying WITH it. Specialists estimate that fatalities FROM the actual virus are about 12% of the total who have died WITH it.

This brings into perspective the statistics coming from Germany. They are giving their number of deaths FROM covid19 but others including the UK and Italy are giving out numbers of deaths of people WITH it.

[countygump]

Can anyone tell me why there is so much prominence given to testing? I can see why medical staff need to be screened but for the general pubic? How do you get tested? If you do get tested and the result is positive, but have not developed symptoms, you will be unlikely to be admitted to hospital but told to go home and self-isolate. If the result is negative - what then? Told to go home and self-isolate is what.

If your result was positive but later you died from any other illness, as covid19 is now a notifiable disease, you would be classified as having died WITH covid19 even if it wasn't that virus that actually killed you. There is a difference between dying FROM covid19 and dying WITH it. Specialists estimate that fatalities FROM the actual virus are about 12% of the total who have died WITH it.

This brings into perspective the statistics coming from Germany. They are giving their number of deaths FROM covid19 but others including the UK and Italy are giving out numbers of deaths of people WITH it.

Agreed Lax. A person suspects that they have Covid, they are tested and the result is confirmed, is that really useful when they would self-isolate anyway? Other than for front line staff, testing is a bit of a red herring. Your last paragraph, if accurate, certainly makes for interesting reading.

[countygump]

I believe the NHS's been underfunded for years. I also believe Corbyn is a complete and utter waste of space.

One decent thing that may well come out of this pandemic is that what politician/PM in future would dare to deny the NHS the funds that they need.

[Elite_Pie]

... Snbhd 1 - neither. Gov can only ever talk about intentions. Those charged with enacting the intentions have failed. It's not 'blame', (fatboy), it's f-ing failure. Sack the wasters, who are probably on full pay, and place those with commercial decision making logistics experience in the key areas.

So it's not the government who are at fault, it's the people who the government told to get PPE, increase testing etc who are at fault!
Another pile of manure from the horse. The fact that NHS workers are being forced to work on the frontline without even basic PPE is an absolute outrage. That's not 'political point scoring', it's the truth, and should be making front page headlines in all the papers whether left, centre or right wing.

[Elite_Pie]

One decent thing that may well come out of this pandemic is that what politician/PM in future would dare to deny the NHS the funds that they need.

The next Conservative Prime Minister. I would put money on it.

[countygump]

Interesting.


https://www.spiegel.de/international...9-eb4364c43f2e

[TheBlackHorse]

... I understand that in 2016 there was a government lead exercise to test our capabilities in the event of a pandemic - so it would have been Cameron/May in charge. The outcome was that we were short of equipment in key aspects of health care - guess which items. There would then have been an instruction to make good the shortfalls. Can you then imagine someone going to Spreadsheet Phil asking for £x million; the short version of his reply most likely f-off...

[LaxtonLad]

Interesting.


https://www.spiegel.de/international...9-eb4364c43f2e

Interesting indeed, but if I've read it correctly you can be tested and get a negative result but then catch the virus on your way home. You could also be tested positive but have passed it on before you got to wherever you get tested. So why test the public if they have to leave home for the test?

[applepie]

Commercial greed is not at play. Unpreparedness is. Australia has no issue with supply ( mainly imported). As a result we have one of the highest testing rates in the world, the lowest death rate and are already flattening the curve. Why? Because we moved fast to secure supply. We have now bought up a ton of chloroquine as well.

You may have one of the highest testing rates in the world; I haven’t seen the figures. But a friend of mine who works in very close contact with patients in Victoria has just had to push very hard to be tested, in the hope of being able to return to work in a few days rather than self isolate for two weeks.