Covid - newsworthy

[Supermofo]

Well doubt it's newsworthy, but I have had the Rona again and it was bloody horrible this time. Anyway I didn't die - yet - so here's to looking forward to another bout at some stage in the future. Horrible bastard thing.

[Pirahna]

Do we actually care?

Well it clearly had massive impact, one way or another and completely ignoring any feelings on those impacts. It also involved a lot of big decisions.

I'd consider it pretty for there not to be an inquiry afterwards. As above, in any kind of half-sensible professional outfit you'd run a lessons learned activity after something of that magnitude.

Even if you think the computer models, epidemiology, Chinese mafia or whatever had nothing to do with anything it's still necessary to examine the decision making process that went into deciding...stuff.

And I agree. I just think the Public Enquiry model is far too cumbersome, slow, and legalistic to get anywhere near the truth.

Does the equiry have any teeth? Probably not. I believe the fast tracking of ministers handing large sums of money to their mates has already been ruled illegal, if a benefit cheat got an extra few hundred they'd be heading for prison, Tory ministers giving away somewhere between £30-£60bn, nobody is really sure, fuck all happens. Hancock giving £120 to a bloke he met in a pub, prison. Baroness thingy with links to a PPE company and a large amount of millions "resting" in her bank account, prison. Boris for heading it up, double prison. There's many people involved, all getting away with it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Enquiries are not supposed to have teeth. Neither are lessons learned exercises. They're not supposed to be trials.

[Noggin]

Well doubt it's newsworthy, but I have had the Rona again and it was bloody horrible this time. Anyway I didn't die - yet - so here's to looking forward to another bout at some stage in the future. Horrible bastard thing.

Did you used to get flu most years? Not wanting to get into a Covid row, but I am actually interested if people (not just you!) that have had Covid a few times also used to get flu? And so Covid is more noticable?

Only, I know I've had covid at least twice. But because the first time everyone had it and I lost my smell and taste, second time I tested due to a friend that was positive.

I would guess I've had it more than that, but I don't get any obvious symptoms (it's why I've had all the vaccines possible in the hope I won't get it as I don't know if I should be isolating or not)

Equally, I've never had actual Flu. Only colds. Never anything that wiped me out like flu apparently does!

So, just wondered?

[MrLongbeard]

Still not had it.
Worked through the whole thing, severely bent the lockdown rules and not even a bloody sniffle.

[Noggin]

Still not had it.
Worked through the whole thing, severely bent the lockdown rules and not even a bloody sniffle.

I would never have know I’d had it if I hadn’t lost my taste and smell, and as that’s not back yet it could be menopause related

It’s kinda why I’m asking about flu (the proper version where apparently you can’t actually get up and do stuff!).

[Supermofo]

Well doubt it's newsworthy, but I have had the Rona again and it was bloody horrible this time. Anyway I didn't die - yet - so here's to looking forward to another bout at some stage in the future. Horrible bastard thing.

Did you used to get flu most years? Not wanting to get into a Covid row, but I am actually interested if people (not just you!) that have had Covid a few times also used to get flu? And so Covid is more noticable?

Only, I know I've had covid at least twice. But because the first time everyone had it and I lost my smell and taste, second time I tested due to a friend that was positive.

I would guess I've had it more than that, but I don't get any obvious symptoms (it's why I've had all the vaccines possible in the hope I won't get it as I don't know if I should be isolating or not)

Equally, I've never had actual Flu. Only colds. Never anything that wiped me out like flu apparently does!

So, just wondered?

Not had flu in a long long time. I reckon probably early 20s was the last time and it knocked me for 6 at the time. Since then just colds/chills. Typically (touching wood now) I'm not a sick person. Until this week I've had 1 day off sick in 5 years

This time Covid was very different to last time, I've had it twice now. The first time around I got it Xmas eve but other than a really bad sore throat I didn't feel too bad, so I drank my way through it

This time around I wasn't sure what I had. Started Mon evening with feeling weak, achey and alternate bouts of freezing cold/boiling hot. That continued with added headache into Tuesday and I didn't really get out of bed much between 4pm Monday and Wednesday morning. Yesterday I felt a bit better but still not right but the trigger for me was waking up with the same bloody sore throat I had last time on Wednesday morning so I did a test and went instant positive. So I assume it's covid. My daughter was ill Sun - Tues, and my son's been ill Tues - today. My son tested negative but he's got what I've got so one test is wrong!

So if this is covid, I've had twice in 2 years. 2021 and 2023. Whereas I've had Flu once in the last 26 years.

[Count Steer]

Still not had it.
Worked through the whole thing, severely bent the lockdown rules and not even a bloody sniffle.

I would never have know I’d had it if I hadn’t lost my taste and smell, and as that’s not back yet it could be menopause related

It’s kinda why I’m asking about flu (the proper version where apparently you can’t actually get up and do stuff!).

Ah, that's man flu so you, fortunately, will never know the horror, the horror.

[DefTrap]

I had the 'rona at the end of June this year and I thought "ha! what a load of crock!", over it pdq, no worse than an average flu. Then I got it pretty much straight away again at the beginning of August and it properly fecked me over - weedy, wheezy, miserable and coughing for at least two months.
Nothing life threatening but it felt quite different from a normal flu or cold and I don't fancy having it again. But yeah happy to be put on a "do not revive" list, as one of the ones not worth saving, so that Shifty Sunak doesn't have to spend any money on preparations for the next pandemic and can invest it in stopping-the-boats and Home Secretary jollies to Rwanda..

[Mr. Dazzle]

Still not had it.

Or you've had it loads of times and you're one of the fairly large group of people who don't shown any symptoms, but spread it anyway.

[Cousin Jack]

I have had many colds, and flu a few times, Covid probably twice.

Colds vary from meh to a PITA.
Flu is a bastard, a PITA in spades. I really don't like getting flu.
Covid (for me) was like a mild flu. second time around it was not so bad. Seems to vary a lot.

[Horse]

Covid ... Seems to vary a lot.

Wasn't the theory that as it mutated it would get more transmissable but less virulent?

That doesn’t seem to have happened. I managed to avoid it until a couple of months back. And it was horrible.

Still haven't got my sense of smell back yet.

[MrLongbeard]

Still not had it.

Or you've had it loads of times and you're one of the fairly large group of people who don't shown any symptoms, but spread it anyway.

Is a theory, but as a life long asthmatic that uses tour de France levels of Ventolin, it is highly unlikely that I'd be symptom free, plus having to take at least 2 tests a week during covid times, none of which popped positive.

[DefTrap]

My missus made me help her wash the supermarket shopping for at least a year after the covid outbreak. What a pain-in-the-arse. The washing I mean I'll never know if that helped at all .... but at one point it was 'government advice'.

[Supermofo]

My missus made me help her wash the supermarket shopping for at least a year after the covid outbreak. What a pain-in-the-arse. The washing I mean I'll never know if that helped at all .... but at one point it was 'government advice'.

My folks did that. The Mrs and I decided chancing death was preferable to washing our shopping!

[irie]

Enquiries are not supposed to have teeth. Neither are lessons learned exercises. They're not supposed to be trials.

Just tell that to Hugo Keith KC who is leading the Covid Enquiry, who doesn't know what a QALY is.

https://unherd.com/thepost/what-qalys-r ... lockdowns/

In a key section of Rishi Sunak’s evidence to the Covid inquiry yesterday, the Prime Minister explained that studies based on quality-adjusted life years, or QALYs, found that the first Covid lockdown generated costs that were greater than the likely benefit. It was a striking admission, perhaps the first time that a senior member of the Government has admitted that lockdowns may have been the wrong policy choice.

A disconcerted Hugo Keith KC responded by saying, “I don’t want to get into quality life assurance models [sic].” With that dismissive reference, Keith revealed his lack of familiarity with the most basic approach to health policy analysis.

[Mussels]

Covid ... Seems to vary a lot.

Wasn't the theory that as it mutated it would get more transmissable but less virulent?

That doesn’t seem to have happened. I managed to avoid it until a couple of months back. And it was horrible.

Still haven't got my sense of smell back yet.

My wife works in a nursing home that is riddled with it, she hasn't mentioned anything about more deaths than usual. Either it is less potent or those susceptible to it have already gone.

[Count Steer]

Enquiries are not supposed to have teeth. Neither are lessons learned exercises. They're not supposed to be trials.

Just tell that to Hugo Keith KC who is leading the Covid Enquiry, who doesn't know what a QALY is.

https://unherd.com/thepost/what-qalys-r ... lockdowns/

In a key section of Rishi Sunak’s evidence to the Covid inquiry yesterday, the Prime Minister explained that studies based on quality-adjusted life years, or QALYs, found that the first Covid lockdown generated costs that were greater than the likely benefit. It was a striking admission, perhaps the first time that a senior member of the Government has admitted that lockdowns may have been the wrong policy choice.

A disconcerted Hugo Keith KC responded by saying, “I don’t want to get into quality life assurance models [sic].” With that dismissive reference, Keith revealed his lack of familiarity with the most basic approach to health policy analysis.

That's a really interesting one. Fundamentally that's saying 'older people will die' and the cost of preventing it isn't worthwhile in £ terms. Now, I know that old folk dying reduces the pension bill and I know that they try to develop and use metrics about 'life quality' and I'm acutely aware of QALY metrics but, fundamentally he's saying that it cost too much to keep these non-productive drains on society alive. That's a valid PoV, I'm just surprised he was so blatant about it.

[Cousin Jack]

Enquiries are not supposed to have teeth. Neither are lessons learned exercises. They're not supposed to be trials.

So why are enquiries always stuffed full of KCs? If they were really about learning lessons they would dispense with the legalistic trappings.

[Cousin Jack]

That's a really interesting one. Fundamentally that's saying 'older people will die' and the cost of preventing it isn't worthwhile in £ terms. Now, I know that old folk dying reduces the pension bill and I know that they try to develop and use metrics about 'life quality' and I'm acutely aware of QALY metrics but, fundamentally he's saying that it cost too much to keep these non-productive drains on society alive. That's a valid PoV, I'm just surprised he was so blatant about it.

It is a very valid POV, and one that I wish a few more politicians would adopt. Not only are old people's declining years a bit of a burden, some young people who will never contribute much to society generate horrendous costs. A recent case of a disabled child costing IIRC £2.5m in special school fees. A bit of honesty, and less hand-wring virtue signaling would be very welcome.

When I am old and gaga I would hope someone would treat me like an old and well loved pet. Come the time when quality of life is gone but life itself drags on, put me out of my misery! Of course that won't, because our politicians refuse to allow it.