Tuesday 7th April 2020

[refitman]

Morning all.

[RogerOThornhill]

Morning all.

UK ministers accused of prioritising careers over lives of coronavirus victims

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... s-handling

Smears by unnamed Downing Street sources against Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, and Public Health England (PHE) executives show that “some within government are still putting self-preservation first”, according to the head of the senior civil servants’ union.

It comes amid concern across Whitehall that cabinet ministers and their special advisers are mounting a concerted effort to pass the blame for the UK’s faltering response to the pandemic on to officials.

Government sources were quoted this weekend claiming that Sedwill had failed to get a grip of government, PHE officials had not placed enough emphasis on testing and NHS England officials had failed to control personal protective equipment (PPE) supply.

Shocked etc,

[gilsey]

I do think Simon Stevens and NHS England have some explaining to do on PPE, actually. If it's true that there was a no-deal-brexit stockpile, what excuse could there be for not having some kind of contingency plan to get the stuff out to hospitals?

[gilsey]

I've been hoping Johnson would get well because I dreaded the media coverage if he didn't. Who is this person they're talking about?

I can't think of one good thing he's done for London or the UK.

Would it be considered offensive if someone said, we wish the PM well, as we do anyone whose life is threatened by the virus?

[Willow904]

They haven't even tried, have they? It would be so easy to say things like, 'the Prime Minister's job is a lot of work' or 'being PM isn't the kind of job you can easily just take a couple of day's break from' but no, we had to have 'Boris has such a great work ethic' and other stuff that's so obviously exaggerated and over the top it's really rather cloying. it's like his whole premiership has been so based on lies, they can't stop lying, even now, or the whole fragile mirage will crumble. Conversely, despite not really being very effective, I have softened a bit towards Matt Hancock because he genuinely seems to have stepped up and is taking responsibility, while Raab's nervousness is at least relatable. I think perhaps I just don't respond to the whole alpha male shtick.

Meanwhile, where's Priti Patel?

[AnatolyKasparov]

Even yesterday, we were told the PM was still working as normal and even being "showered" by red boxes. Seriously, what purpose does this evident bull***t serve?

[PorFavor]

Good morfternoon.

11:04
Gove 'self isolating' (Politics Live, Guardian)

[adam]

Even yesterday, we were told the PM was still working as normal and even being "showered" by red boxes. Seriously, what purpose does this evident bull***t serve?

& @ willow - We're being told his medical needs appear significantly below what would 'normally' (for which I think they mean 'at the moment') put him in Intensive Care but he's there anyway. I can see (obviously) how completely unpolitic it is for him/them but I don't honestly have a problem with the idea of certain people being queue-jumped, I don't like it but it's so inevitable that railing against or sniping about it just seems silly, it's just the honest exercise of privilage - except yet again all of this seems completely dishonest. Either he's (still) in a significantly worse state than they are (still) claiming or he's taking up a bed from somebody who needs it more and, to be honest and straightforward, is costing people their lives. If he's going to do that the least he can do is to be honest and straightforward about it.

[citizenJA]

Richard of York gave battle in vain

[citizenJA]

Good morfternoon, everyone.

[citizenJA]

Mr citizen taught me the rainbow colours reminder this morning.

[gilsey]

Meanwhile, where's Priti Patel?

Conspicuous by her absence, but her new shadow whose name I'll eventually get the hang of, said he'd spoken to her.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Even yesterday, we were told the PM was still working as normal and even being "showered" by red boxes. Seriously, what purpose does this evident bull***t serve?

& @ willow - We're being told his medical needs appear significantly below what would 'normally' (for which I think they mean 'at the moment') put him in Intensive Care but he's there anyway. I can see (obviously) how completely unpolitic it is for him/them but I don't honestly have a problem with the idea of certain people being queue-jumped, I don't like it but it's so inevitable that railing against or sniping about it just seems silly, it's just the honest exercise of privilage - except yet again all of this seems completely dishonest. Either he's (still) in a significantly worse state than they are (still) claiming or he's taking up a bed from somebody who needs it more and, to be honest and straightforward, is costing people their lives. If he's going to do that the least he can do is to be honest and straightforward about it.

Russian media are reporting he is in a bad way. I know that appears a suspicious source, but they have been consistently "ahead of the curve" in this, so we'll see.

[gilsey]

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Description of what the ICU would do short of intubation.

Includes this

'in the PM's case, I'm hoping that it's more precautionary.... and they've taken him to ICU a bit earlier than they would have with another patient... he should do fine.'

Then another paragraph which more or less confirms that if you're not already in hospital when your oxygen saturation dips, you're dead.

As Adam says, I suppose it's inevitable that he can get precautionary treatment.

[Willow904]

Then another paragraph which more or less confirms that if you're not already in hospital when your oxygen saturation dips, you're dead.

As Adam says, I suppose it's inevitable that he can get precautionary treatment.

'Acute respiratory failure'

In one study of Covid-19 patients in China it was the biggest cause of death, higher than pneumonia, while it's 'Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)' specifically that leads to people needing a ventilator and also is likely to cause permanent damage to the lungs.

The precautionary treatment is therefore well placed and should be available to everyone and so I once again echo what frog222 said yesterday, that everybody self-isolating with symptoms need to be monitored and checked up on as much as is feasible and people need to be better informed about what the complications are and when to seek help.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus-complications#1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gilsey]

Hear hear.

[citizenJA]

Johnson's state of health is certainly concerning, let's keep updated with his status. It's reasonable keeping his condition in mind. The rest of the country and the people in it, meanwhile, have needs unmet. I don't have time for a worthless Tory government hiding behind Johnson's health and speculation about it as though people and nation rise or fall if he lives or dies. He was useless to most people before he was ill, his illness doesn't alter it much. Government is a failure regardless of Johnson's condition.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I don't know if any of you remember me mentioning a Catholic guy in my house who was still going to 'secret masses' each Sunday, well he's come down with 'flu like symptoms' and has undoubtedly spread his contagion everywhere, so the landlord has come round and we've been doing some desperate disinfecting, but it's too little too late, he'll have been infectious for days. My landlord's 70 so shouldn't be here at all but insisted he wanted to help.

To say I'm angry is an understatement of colossal proportions. This utter fool has put everyone's lives at risk because of his ridiculous religious beliefs. What an unbelievably stupid prick.

[citizenJA]

Johnson's state of health is certainly concerning, let's keep updated with his status. It's reasonable keeping his condition in mind. The rest of the country and the people in it, meanwhile, have needs unmet. I don't have time for a worthless Tory government hiding behind Johnson's health and speculation about it as though people and nation rise or fall if he lives or dies. He was useless to most people before he was ill, his illness doesn't alter it much. Government is a failure regardless of Johnson's condition.

Ten years of Tory government's damage to the NHS has left most people in the UK in some pretty shit.

There could be as many as 66,000 Covid-19 deaths in the UK during the first wave of the current pandemic, more than a third of the expected death toll across Europe... . The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine estimated that approximately 151,680 people were likely to die from the virus across the continent. According to a news release by the institute:

The death toll in many countries is compounded by demand for hospital resources well in excess of what is available. For example, peak demand in the UK is expected to total 102,794 hospital beds needed compared with 17,765 available, 24,544 ICU beds compared to 744 ICU beds available, and 20,862 ventilators needed (with data currently unavailable on ventilators available).

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... 226cfd469d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(cJA emphasis)

[PorFavor]

I don't know if any of you remember me mentioning a Catholic guy in my house who was still going to 'secret masses' each Sunday, well he's come down with 'flu like symptoms' and has undoubtedly spread his contagion everywhere, so the landlord has come round and we've been doing some desperate disinfecting, but it's too little too late, he'll have been infectious for days. My landlord's 70 so shouldn't be here at all but insisted he wanted to help.

To say I'm angry is an understatement of colossal proportions. This utter fool has put everyone's lives at risk because of his ridiculous religious beliefs. What an unbelievably stupid prick.

Bastard.

[Willow904]

I don't know if any of you remember me mentioning a Catholic guy in my house who was still going to 'secret masses' each Sunday, well he's come down with 'flu like symptoms' and has undoubtedly spread his contagion everywhere, so the landlord has come round and we've been doing some desperate disinfecting, but it's too little too late, he'll have been infectious for days. My landlord's 70 so shouldn't be here at all but insisted he wanted to help.

To say I'm angry is an understatement of colossal proportions. This utter fool has put everyone's lives at risk because of his ridiculous religious beliefs. What an unbelievably stupid prick.

I'm really sorry to hear that, must be so frustrating. It's not like the Pope hasn't been leading by example from the start, so it's hard to understand why some feel the need to do this, religious or not.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I finally got my letter from the PM today, btw. Good timing if nothing else.......

[frog222]

https://scontent-cdt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5EB376DC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

https://scontent-cdt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5EB376DC

[frog222]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -on-bridge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, whose finger is on that politically all-important nuclear button , the one that the LP had such a hard time over ?

Are we actually UNDEFENDED against ... er ... whatever the threat was ?

[AnatolyKasparov]

We are DEFENCELESS!! Expect the Red Army (or is it the Chinese People's Army these days) to be marching through London by the end of the week.

[frog222]

We are DEFENCELESS!! Expect the Red Army (or is it the Chinese People's Army these days) to be marching through London by the end of the week.

Haha AK , "the Red Army with snow on its boots"

But coming to attack rather than on their way to what was to become the Western Front !

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10. ... 2176314528" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

[GetYou]

I don't know why the coronavirus has made me seek out one-man bands.

But there is no denying it.

[youtube]7CbtqrVrMtk[/youtube]

This is great once he gets going.