COVID-19 Pandemic

[feb1991blizzard]

My mate has just lost 20k off his pension value as it is FTSE linked.

[matty007]

6 minutes ago, BornFromTheVoid said:

My partner is a doctor there, was working today and all of last week. They initially planned to have an isolation ward but the positive cases arrived before they could properly prepare. She's been working with the patients. They've already had numerous staff with symptoms and many in self quarantine.

I knew this was true, have heard the same thing myself. It's not the doctors and nurses fault, they can only do the best with what they are supplied. However, if this is a widespread occurence, it will be no surprise to see it ravage this country, and very qucikly. We have a wonderful health service and it's a credit to this country. However, it needs to be said that we were/are woefully unprepared for a pandemic. And here it is, from a single bat, to everywhere, in a matter of two months.

I sincerely hope this changes the countries approach to viruses in the future. With the mass production and shipping of avian poultry across the world, and so quickly, a virus has always been a much bigger threat than war etc.

Edited March 17, 2020 by matty007

[nick sussex]

1 minute ago, feb1991blizzard said:

Yes, because one way or another, the health service at some point (who knows when) was likely to be overwhelmed, it still will be, but maybe with less deaths overall now.

The press like Johnson in the main . 

Alternative headlines were easy to write . Even the Mirror have been kind .

I sense the reason is that to trash the government might lead to a loss in public condidence which could be detrimental going forward .

How long this civic duty by the editors lasts for only time will tell !

[feb1991blizzard]

1 minute ago, nick sussex said:

The press like Johnson in the main . 

Alternative headlines were easy to write . Even the Mirror have been kind .

I sense the reason is that to trash the government might lead to a loss in public condidence which could be detrimental going forward .

How long this civic duty by the editors lasts for only time will tell !

To be honest i am not sure it is all his fault, he has GENERALLY listened to his own advisers.

[matty007]

5 minutes ago, feb1991blizzard said:

My mate has just lost 20k off his pension value as it is FTSE linked.

This makes me so sad.

[Gael_Force]

40 minutes ago, CreweCold said:

Easy. Tribunal for unfair dismissal. Company hardly has a leg to stand on at the moment.

Yes, unfortunately takes too long when the priority now is to feed the family.

[matty007]

3 minutes ago, Gael_Force said:

Yes, unfortunately takes too long when the priority now is to feed the family.

Yep. Unfortauntly so. Until the government enforces an actual law that prevents this, it will be commonplace I fear.

[HighPressure]

13 minutes ago, feb1991blizzard said:

My mate has just lost 20k off his pension value as it is FTSE linked.

I found it very hard to get the information I needed on how to protect my pension from the volatility of the daily and mostly downward direction of the markets, but anyone with pension portfolio's or government funds can move the money within it to protect it. I think the equity markets are going to drop lower still, cash is king at the moment and moving into cash based funds for the time being may save a lot of money, and buy back into equities when they are a bit more stable.

Edited March 17, 2020 by HighPressure

[Stabilo19]

13 minutes ago, BornFromTheVoid said:

My partner is a doctor there, was working today and all of last week. They initially planned to have an isolation ward but the positive cases arrived before they could properly prepare. She's been working with the patients. They've already had numerous staff with symptoms and many in self quarantine.

This is shocking. If the doctors and nurses are becoming infected then who treats the cancer patients? road traffic accident patients? heart attack patients? stroke patients? The indirect deaths from this would be unforgivable. 

Why on earth is the NHS running low on masks when the government have known about this since January. 

[alexisj9]

9 minutes ago, feb1991blizzard said:

To be honest i am not sure it is all his fault, he has GENERALLY listened to his own advisers.

I agree, I'm just wondering what their agenda was, and whether once all this is done and dusted, vulnerable people will finally be listened too. 

[nick sussex]

2 minutes ago, feb1991blizzard said:

To be honest i am not sure it is all his fault, he has GENERALLY listened to his own advisers.

I’m not blaming Johnson in particular but he is PM and will always be held responsible by the public , that’s part of the job .

My issue is with the  CMO and his team who should have known that herd immunity is not something you try and deliver and should have advised the PM accordingly.

Its a result of many things often outside of the control of governments .

This was indeed policy trying to be too clever for its own good . Relying on a host of assumptions that had never been proven or even tested before .

The only priority all along should have been stopping an NHS crisis , trying to think too long term isn’t possible in the current circumstances.

 

[matty007]

15 hours ago, TomSE12 said:

Hi matty,

Very worrying reading your comments regarding a "Cytokine Storm" being linked to Coronavirus.

My Wife suffers fron the Auto-Immune disease Psoriasis and also works as a Senior Carer in a Residential Care Home. Her Employers won't allow the Carers to wear a Face Mask, as it frightens the Residents. Crazy!!

Last Friday she had to give a Resident, Personal Care. Later that Evening, this Resident was carted off to Hospital by a Paramedic in full Hazmat suit. Very worrying.

On another personal note, my Son is in the advanced stages of Huntingdon's Disease (inherited from his Mother, my first Wife). His Mother, contracted Pneumonia following a Flu like illness, and sadly but invitably, passed away. She had been suffering from HD for 21 Years. I'm very concerned that the same fate could befall my Son should he catch the Coronavirus, as he is now very frail.

On another personal level, my Brother-In-Law is married to an Italian lady whose Family hail from a Town, S.E. of Naples. On Saturday, a Relative of hers "hosted" a Birthday Party for Relatives, Friends and Neighbours (evidently some 50 people, were present). The Carabinieri (Italian Police) broke into the Apartment Building and promptly slapped a 250 Euro fine, on all those present. Gatherings of 50 or more people are now banned, throughout Italy.

Very worrying times, personally and on a much broader scale!!

Regards,

Tom.    

Hi Tom,

Sorry I missed this my friend.

Very sad to hear about your wife. Has she ever taken Enbrel by any chance? As you possibly know, this eases Psoriasis, but comes with the side effect of dampening the immune system and making infections much more likely, and severe. Psoriasis does indeed lower the immune system, but perhaps not to the extent of some other autoimmune disorders. If she is taking/has taken Enbrel, then yes, you are absoutely correct to be worried. I find that quite shocking about the masks, considering the elderly are most at risk. I am sure this may be changed soon. Mask protection is an absolute must.

It is imperative that you protect your son as much as possible. Absolutely, Huntingdon's would be a signifiacant risk factor in the case of Covid. Please ensure that hygiene is tip top. Isolate him as much as possible. Disinfect all surfaces regularly. I am so so sorry to hear your son is in this condition.

Please don't hesistate to message me again if you need to talk with someone.

My thoughts are with you Tom

Edited March 17, 2020 by matty007

[alexisj9]

5 minutes ago, Stabilo19 said:

This is shocking. If the doctors and nurses are becoming infected then who treats the cancer patients? road traffic accident patients? heart attack patients? stroke patients? The indirect deaths from this would be unforgivable. 

Why on earth is the NHS running low on masks when the government have known about this since January. 

I think it was already to late to bulk buy what was needed as everyone was doing the same, look how super markets look now, that has happened in the medical supply chain to. We perhaps will learn from this, to always have a huge stock of protective equipment available just in case. 

[Thundery wintry showers]

2 hours ago, Thundery wintry showers said:

I get a sense that our government is, rightly or wrongly, favouring that paper's "mitigation" strategies, which are less likely to cripple the economy but risk allowing somewhat more fatalities to happen.

It's looking increasingly likely to me that the "is" in my previous post is set to mutate into a "was" in the very near future, if it hasn't done so already.

[snowray]

1 hour ago, Badgers01 said:

Which sounds great but has he asked the ECB permission first!!??

Merkel and Macron don't have to ask, they are the big bosses over there now.

[Gael_Force]

9 minutes ago, Stabilo19 said:

Why on earth is the NHS running low on masks when the government have known about this since January. 

I think the production of material has been interrupted in China and every nation will be hoarding for themselves. I suspect some medicines will also be in short supply for a similar reason. This was warned about early in the outbreak but far too late to do anything about it now.

[Robbie Garrett]

2 minutes ago, nick sussex said:

I’m not blaming Johnson in particular but he is PM and will always be held responsible by the public , that’s part of the job .

My issue is with the  CMO and his team who should have known that herd immunity is not something you try and deliver and should have advised the PM accordingly.

Its a result of many things often outside of the control of governments .

This was indeed policy trying to be too clever for its own good . Relying on a host of assumptions that had never been proven or even tested before .

The only priority all along should have been stopping an NHS crisis , trying to think too long term isn’t possible in the current circumstances.

 

I am wondering if this was all just a plan to get people to stay at home, and prevent people from actually spreading this further.  Everywhere was a ghost town in London this evening.  

[feb1991blizzard]

12 minutes ago, HighPressure said:

I found it very hard to get the information I needed on how to protect my pension from the volatility of the daily and mostly downward direction of the markets, but anyone with pension portfolio's or government funds can move the money within it to protect it. I think the equity markets are going to drop lower still, cash is king at the moment and moving into cash based funds for the time being may save a lot of money, and buy back into equities when they are a bit more stable.

Don't think he is worried tbh, he is the opposite to me and a glass half full type, he still has ages to go and is confident markets will recover and says so what, if you've got your health what else matters although could be about to lose his job as a result of covid-19 and wishes he'd saved a bit but not the type to have regrets - 2 weeks left on his contract but says whatever will be will be.

[matty007]

Just now, Gael_Force said:

I think the production of material has been interrupted in China and every nation will be hoarding for themselves. I suspect some medicines will also be in short supply for a similar reason. This was warned about early in the outbreak but far too late to do anything about it now.

Yes.

Not only is this bad news for the health sector, but for citizens too. N95 masks are now hideously expensive, indeed too much for most. When I see people wearing surgical masks, I want to stop and tell them that they are so ineffective with viruses such as this, but I don't want to be rude. N95 masks are what people need.

If China doesn't have an adequate supply, there is nothing we can do. Not only that, and perhaps more worrying, is that we could possibly have a shortage of antibiotics too. Very bad news if you have to treat bacterial pneumonia due to Covid.

[matty007]

Goodnight everyone.

Remember, tomorrow is a new day, and one step closer to the end of this virus. We have to take solace where we can find it.

[Gael_Force]

9 minutes ago, matty007 said:

Yes.

Not only is this bad news for the health sector, but for citizens too. N95 masks are now hideously expensive, indeed too much for most. When I see people wearing surgical masks, I want to stop and tell them that they are so ineffective with viruses such as this, but I don't want to be rude. N95 masks are what people need.

If China doesn't have an adequate supply, there is nothing we can do. Not only that, and perhaps more worrying, is that we could possibly have a shortage of antibiotics too. Very bad news if you have to treat bacterial pneumonia due to Covid.

I thought N95 had to be properly fitted and therefore only suitable for use in the front line or was that to stop public purchasing precious resources that were needed by professionals. I'm wearing a medical mask when out but it's to stop me touching my face.

[kar999]

1 hour ago, HighPressure said:

I found it very hard to get the information I needed on how to protect my pension from the volatility of the daily and mostly downward direction of the markets, but anyone with pension portfolio's or government funds can move the money within it to protect it. I think the equity markets are going to drop lower still, cash is king at the moment and moving into cash based funds for the time being may save a lot of money, and buy back into equities when they are a bit more stable.

Markets may well fall further but the time to sell was a few weeks ago. Selling now is like trying to catch a falling knife. You'll get a lot less cash if you crystallise your losses now. I was hoping to retire soon but most of my pot, like millions of others, is c.25-30% less than it was a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately I have part of the pot in cash as a buffer but it may take years to regain the losses.

[Spikecollie]

From tomorrow, here in France, we all have to carry an "attestation" that you download from the Interior Ministry when going out. You have to provide one of very few valid reasons for being out and about on the form. It feels a litle like something from an "Iron Curtain" movie. Weird times to be living through.

[feb1991blizzard]

34 minutes ago, Spikecollie said:

From tomorrow, here in France, we all have to carry an "attestation" that you download from the Interior Ministry when going out. You have to provide one of very few valid reasons for being out and about on the form. It feels a litle like something from an "Iron Curtain" movie. Weird times to be living through.

Great - what if you don't have the internet?

[Man With Beard]

7 hours ago, BornFromTheVoid said:

My partner is a doctor there, was working today and all of last week. They initially planned to have an isolation ward but the positive cases arrived before they could properly prepare. She's been working with the patients. They've already had numerous staff with symptoms and many in self quarantine.

I'm sorry to hear that BFTV. It's not fair. 

This is what I'm getting about our systems from this episode so far - many public services in the UK, including government bodies, were in even more of a "papering over the cracks" state than I'd previously thought, and forward planning is more based on a "wing it and hope to get away with it" strategy.