Coronavirus thread

[vandermolen]

Yes we got our letters this morning also - however the surgery already rang last week to arrange, appointments are on Wednesday.  Slightly surprised since we are in Priority Group #5 i.e. well down the list, I was expecting about Easter time.

Good to hear and hope it goes well.

[Holden]

Yes we got our letters this morning also - however the surgery already rang last week to arrange, appointments are on Wednesday.  Slightly surprised since we are in Priority Group #5 i.e. well down the list, I was expecting about Easter time.

Easter time? You're moving a lot faster than us and we have considerably less population than you.

[vandermolen]

Thanks.

My point - if I had a point - was that it's not just a pious hope that the surgery may call, but that if mine did then you can realistically expect yours to, because in every other respect my surgery is fairly useless.  In fact they rang twice - first last Wednesday, offering an appointment on Saturday morning in a clinic 7 miles away, which we had to decline as every road between here and there was solidly iced over and likely to remain so - and then again last Friday, offering appointments this Wednesday in the surgery itself.  So they do seem keen.  Like everything else it's all about numbers and filling quotas, I suppose.

Thanks - that's helpful to know.

[Irons]

Received my letter from the NHS this morning about the vaccination. They say that my local surgery should be calling me 'directly'. I could book a vaccine further away but the earliest appointment is the end of the month. I think I'll wait a few to see if the local surgery gets in touch.

Be on your toes, Jeffrey. Robert Elms (he is 60) the Radio London presenter said on his show yesterday that he received a text on Sunday which he didn't open until yesterday morning only to discover he missed his slot! I had my jab less then 24 hours, quite a bit less, after receiving a text.

[vandermolen]

That's useful to know Lol. Thanks. I often don't check my texts for days at a time!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

That's useful to know Lol. Thanks. I often don't check my texts for days at a time!

You would think that they would be able to give more notice?

PD

[Biffo]

You would think that they would be able to give more notice?

PD

It seems to vary. I was sent a text with a link to a website where I could book a slot. I booked one a week away. I turned up, everything was well-organised and the whole procedure took about ten minutes. I was given a card with my vaccination details and told they would be in touch for the second shot. No ill-effects except possibly a slight headache the day after.

[Iota]

Yes we got our letters this morning also - however the surgery already rang last week to arrange, appointments are on Wednesday.  Slightly surprised since we are in Priority Group #5 i.e. well down the list, I was expecting about Easter time.

Here in N.London I had my jab at the weekend and I'm in Priority Group 7, so we appear to be slightly ahead of the curve. I got the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was the only one the centre had. Which one you get seems to boil down to what's available.
I received a text a week prior and was offered a choice of slots. It was all very friendly, but we had to queue outside in the cold to get in.

[Mandryka]

Here in N.London I had my jab at the weekend and I'm in Priority Group 7, so we appear to be slightly ahead of the curve. I got the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was the only one the centre had. Which one you get seems to boil down to what's available.

Let's all hope it works against the dominant variant here. If not, we're fucked.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, the headline comes from the Under Secretary of the Obvious:

The coronavirus pandemic doesn't neatly adhere to the lines of political rhetoric

Since Jan. 13, the seven-day average of new infections has declined every day. As of Monday, the country was seeing about 88,000 new cases per day on average, a figure that the country last saw Nov. 1. Since the third surge in cases began in mid-September, this is the first drop in new cases which isn't obviously a function of decreases in testing associated with holidays.

[SimonNZ]

The Atlantic:

The Unlikeliest Pandemic Success Story
How did a tiny, poor nation [Bhutan] manage to suffer only one death from the coronavirus?

[vandermolen]

Be on your toes, Jeffrey. Robert Elms (he is 60) the Radio London presenter said on his show yesterday that he received a text on Sunday which he didn't open until yesterday morning only to discover he missed his slot! I had my jab less then 24 hours, quite a bit less, after receiving a text.

I can go one better Lol. As the surgery hadn't yet contacted me I thought I'd try to book online, only to receive a message informing me that I'd missed my slot, although I'd never been given one! 

I phoned the surgery and they were v helpful, telling me that I hadn't missed my appointment and booking me in for a vaccination this Friday afternoon.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I can go one better Lol. As the surgery hadn't yet contacted me I thought I'd try to book online, only to receive a message informing me that I'd missed my slot, although I'd never been given one! 

I phoned the surgery and they were v helpful, telling me that I hadn't missed my appointment and booking me in for a vaccination this Friday afternoon.

Bizarre!  Well, I'm glad that you have an appointment!

[vandermolen]

Bizarre!  Well, I'm glad that you have an appointment!

Thank you PD! Yes and possibly sooner than expected. I'll be glad to be getting some protection before returning to school, presumably on 8th March, as it does not look like the government will be prioritising vaccinating teachers in England.

[Karl Henning]

I can go one better Lol. As the surgery hadn't yet contacted me I thought I'd try to book online, only to receive a message informing me that I'd missed my slot, although I'd never been given one! 

I phoned the surgery and they were v helpful, telling me that I hadn't missed my appointment and booking me in for a vaccination this Friday afternoon.

Bureaucracy ....

[vandermolen]

Bureaucracy ....

Indeed!

[Mandryka]

I was invited for a covid vaccine because the NHS thought I was 6cm tall

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/invited-covid-vaccine-because-nhs-19857990

[Mandryka]

Thank you PD! Yes and possibly sooner than expected. I'll be glad to be getting some protection before returning to school, presumably on 8th March, as it does not look like the government will be prioritising vaccinating teachers in England.

In fact the latest research suggests that you're less likely to catch COVID in school than out of it!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0p4dumafinh5tlp/Warwick%20Schools%20preprint.pdf?dl=0

(paragraph starting line 231)

[MusicTurner]

Current statistics still good here in DK, but new variants advancing, and there's the likely option that they can result in a considerable increase within a month or so, at home and not at least on a European level. Generally, the continued lock-down, now existing for 7 weeks, is getting more unpopular, and though comprised by the lock-down, some smaller, local areas, such as islands, haven't had infected people for weeks. Also, quite a few things seem illogical - big supermarkets with a considerable flux of customers being allowed to open, while smaller, specialized non-food shops can't open, etc. But some experts say that a lock-down even into May might actually be recommendable.

There's a new plan from the government: people working in sectors that will open up, presumably around the 1st of March, recommended to have 2 weekly quick- or PCR-tests. This might reduce infections about 50%. Possibly, other people must too, including elder pupils. But for a start at least, this would be voluntary.

So quick-tests set to become a part of your daily life. But they're talking about some test techniques that are less inconvenient, only 2-3 cm up your nostrils, etc.

[vandermolen]

In fact the latest research suggests that you're less likely to catch COVID in school than out of it!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0p4dumafinh5tlp/Warwick%20Schools%20preprint.pdf?dl=0

(paragraph starting line 231)

Interesting! Thanks.