Coronavirus discussion thread

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fuzzyduck79 Jul 2021 10:44am, 23 Jul 2021 399 posts	0 fuzzyduck79 Total testing figures here: coronavirus.data.gov.uk Looks like PCR tests being done is still climbing slightly, perhaps stabilising now Total tests (LFT+PCR) looks like it might be coming down a smidge. PCR positivity rates are still going up from what I can tell, majority of local areas are over 10%: docs.google.com Hot weather keeping people outdoors more, no more football matches, and English schools closing this week are all very helpful for reducing transmission. School closing effect won't show up for another week, but a significant chunk were already isolating during the last two weeks. I think we've been missing a slightly increasing proportion of cases recently (as positivity rate has been going up) but hospitalisations are not going up at quite such a steep rate week on week as they were at the start of July. Schools do appear to be a big part of the picture now, think we're past the bit where people think under 18s don't transmit virus much. Think many countries will have all school children wearing masks in well ventilated classrooms from now on, but probably not UK as too few people seem bothered about children being infected. Takes some mental gymnastics to argue for childrens' education not being disrupted, but then take no simple steps to avoid them being sent home for 10 days, perhaps more than once.
HappyG(rrr) Jul 2021 10:46am, 23 Jul 2021 39,288 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Thanks for confirming fuzz, that schools closing (holidays) contributes to reducing numbers. That's certainly what I thought we'd seen in the past and what Scotland's reducing numbers over last 2 weeks have been attributed to (remember, our schools broke up end of June). Cheers, G
fuzzyduck79 Jul 2021 11:07am, 23 Jul 2021 400 posts	0 fuzzyduck79 Schools/unis closed reduces R by ballpark 40% twitter.com Now the under 18s are becoming the only pool left who are unvaccinated, I'd say the effect will probably be a bit bigger (also due to Delta having higher transmission rates, so young are able to spread more effectively than earlier variants) We might have R down to 0.7-0.8 pretty soon, and confirmed cases back into low 1000s per day come Sept. But I'd expect another variant to have changed the situation again in the next 6 months or so.
jda Jul 2021 11:32am, 23 Jul 2021 10,547 posts	0 jda Pleased to report that Yorkshire folk don’t panic buy, at least not round these parts.
larkim Jul 2021 11:33am, 23 Jul 2021 15,166 posts	0 larkim Is it possible (or even likely) a variant could mutate to be more transmissible but less harmful and thus propagate itself whilst simultaneously making us ambivalent about infection?
Little Nemo Jul 2021 11:35am, 23 Jul 2021 12,333 posts	0 Little Nemo Just been told by work that someone who was in this week has tested positive. Got my fingers crossed that my LFT comes back negative!!!
larkim Jul 2021 11:37am, 23 Jul 2021 15,167 posts	0 larkim A close (but not close contact close) work colleague has just tested positive, so to be on the safe side I've just done a LFT so I can head home with a clear conscience about our planned holiday next week. Poor bloke was on his penultimate day in work before his time off...
HappyG(rrr) Jul 2021 11:42am, 23 Jul 2021 39,291 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) Got our first pack of LFTs delivered. Really slick order and delivery service, to be fair. G
Shades Jul 2021 12:05pm, 23 Jul 2021 472 posts	0 Shades HappyG - I've been doing twice weekly LFT tests since April and agree the ordering and delivery of the tests is impressive. All arrive less than 24 hours from order placement. Our sorting office had quite a few days with no postal deliveries due to a Covid outbreak and subsequent isolations. But even through that period NHS tests and other NHS correspondence was still being delivered promptly.
HellsBells Jul 2021 12:15pm, 23 Jul 2021 28,139 posts	0 HellsBells Only things on my list that weren’t available in our small Sainsburys were ice lollies and pine nuts - the ice lollies is very understandable and they almost never have pine nuts since well before Covid