Technology1 min ago
Your Coronavirus Test Date Is 8Th April 2038.
Countries that have successfully contain Coronavirus have done so by extensive testing, and tracing people who have been in contact with those who tested Positive.
But in the UK hardly any testing for coronavirus is taking place, and no tracing.
The Government aspire to testing 10,000 a day by the beginning of May, but are well short of that figure today. Even when the 10,000 tests a day is attained, it would take 18 years to test everyone. (We are probably missing more cases than we are finding).
Given that the first UK case was 10 weeks ago, Is this nothing short of a disgrace ?
But in the UK hardly any testing for coronavirus is taking place, and no tracing.
The Government aspire to testing 10,000 a day by the beginning of May, but are well short of that figure today. Even when the 10,000 tests a day is attained, it would take 18 years to test everyone. (We are probably missing more cases than we are finding).
Given that the first UK case was 10 weeks ago, Is this nothing short of a disgrace ?
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And in the early days we would have got the test kits where ?
Companies have set up production, labs have converted to testing but this takes time and in the case of lab work training. We had cases relatively early on and had not the run in time that other places have. Population size and city population density have also been relevant, also the issue of overcrowded mass transit in the Underground.
In the long run the countries that are testing and tracing may have to do this almost indefinitely as they are not allowing enough spread for community immunity.
I agree more testing of keyworkers is needed but if they get that right then the need for symptom driven self isolation will reduce
The time to decide what was the right approach will be when things get better, until then the whole of humanity is learning on the job as it were. Calm and operations needed now of crying Shame on people who are doing their best in horrendous circumstances.
Companies have set up production, labs have converted to testing but this takes time and in the case of lab work training. We had cases relatively early on and had not the run in time that other places have. Population size and city population density have also been relevant, also the issue of overcrowded mass transit in the Underground.
In the long run the countries that are testing and tracing may have to do this almost indefinitely as they are not allowing enough spread for community immunity.
I agree more testing of keyworkers is needed but if they get that right then the need for symptom driven self isolation will reduce
The time to decide what was the right approach will be when things get better, until then the whole of humanity is learning on the job as it were. Calm and operations needed now of crying Shame on people who are doing their best in horrendous circumstances.
I don't think the idea is to test everyone in alphabetical order or some even more random method. Yes we need more testing - everyone involved knows that and wants to achieve it but it's easier said than done. I think the hope is that the presence of a vaccine will eventually help.
Has any country come close to testing all their population yet?
Has any country come close to testing all their population yet?
This report from September was remarkably prophetic.
https:/
Basically it warned that a pandemic was expected, and Governments know that, but they are not preparing for it. In 2016 the British government and health authorities held “Exercise Cygnus,” a three-day training exercise intended to determine readiness for a novel respiratory influenza pandemic. A report into the conclusions of the exercise has never been made public. But the government’s then chief medical officer, Professor Sally Davies, told a health conference, that the exercise “killed a lot of people.”
But still we weren’t ready.
https:/
Basically it warned that a pandemic was expected, and Governments know that, but they are not preparing for it. In 2016 the British government and health authorities held “Exercise Cygnus,” a three-day training exercise intended to determine readiness for a novel respiratory influenza pandemic. A report into the conclusions of the exercise has never been made public. But the government’s then chief medical officer, Professor Sally Davies, told a health conference, that the exercise “killed a lot of people.”
But still we weren’t ready.
// Is that addressed to all governments of the world Gromit? //
Yep
// The ominous analysis was compiled by an independent panel, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), which was assembled last year in response to a request from the office of the U.N. secretary-general, and convened jointly by the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO). Co-chaired by the former WHO head and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and the head of the international Red Cross, Elhadj As Sy, the GPMB commissioned expert studies and issued a scathing attack on the political, financial, and logistical state of pandemic preparedness affairs. //
The EU like everyone else failed. But the EU isn’t a Government, and cannot take national decisions.
Yep
// The ominous analysis was compiled by an independent panel, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), which was assembled last year in response to a request from the office of the U.N. secretary-general, and convened jointly by the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO). Co-chaired by the former WHO head and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and the head of the international Red Cross, Elhadj As Sy, the GPMB commissioned expert studies and issued a scathing attack on the political, financial, and logistical state of pandemic preparedness affairs. //
The EU like everyone else failed. But the EU isn’t a Government, and cannot take national decisions.
// How much would we have wanted the government to spend back in 2016/7 //
The vast amount of the spend needed, then and now, is on the NHS For PPE and Testing. In 2017 we electeda Government which promised
// Real terms increases in NHS spending reaching £8bn extra per year by 2022/23 //
We were prepared to spend more on the NHS in 2017, but The UN report had not been noticed, and we cut supplies rather than maintain 2017 current levels, and we didn’t enhance stocks.
The vast amount of the spend needed, then and now, is on the NHS For PPE and Testing. In 2017 we electeda Government which promised
// Real terms increases in NHS spending reaching £8bn extra per year by 2022/23 //
We were prepared to spend more on the NHS in 2017, but The UN report had not been noticed, and we cut supplies rather than maintain 2017 current levels, and we didn’t enhance stocks.
// Were you warning us in September though, Gromit? //
I wasn’t, but it is not my job to. We employ healthcare professionals, and a health minister to at least keep an eye on the ball.
In 2016 the Government staged a 3 day simulation to test our preparedness for a flu epidemic. The Government’s Chief Medical Officer admitted a lot of people were killed in the simulation. But nothing was done.
Sure it is hindsight, but why go to the bother and expense of gathering all those professionals together to test our preparedness, and then do absolutely nothing?
I wasn’t, but it is not my job to. We employ healthcare professionals, and a health minister to at least keep an eye on the ball.
In 2016 the Government staged a 3 day simulation to test our preparedness for a flu epidemic. The Government’s Chief Medical Officer admitted a lot of people were killed in the simulation. But nothing was done.
Sure it is hindsight, but why go to the bother and expense of gathering all those professionals together to test our preparedness, and then do absolutely nothing?
Hope you get an answer from 'them' and from all the other negligent governments of the world, but I'm not sure how many are looking in.
I think it's best for governments now to put their efforts into sorting this problem and to leave all questions about what happened in 2016 etc to a later date.
Whose job was it though to decide how much to spend on PPE after 2017? If the government was increasing its spending on the NHS, was it the governments job to choose exactly what to spend the money on - or was it up to people within the NHS to prioritise?
I think it's best for governments now to put their efforts into sorting this problem and to leave all questions about what happened in 2016 etc to a later date.
Whose job was it though to decide how much to spend on PPE after 2017? If the government was increasing its spending on the NHS, was it the governments job to choose exactly what to spend the money on - or was it up to people within the NHS to prioritise?
China was very big on testing:
https:/
Maybe they need to start all over again:
https:/
https:/
Maybe they need to start all over again:
https:/
If we find ourselves ill prepared, it is reasonable to ask why? Supplies of PPE Have been cut by 40% since 2014 which (with hindsight) was clearly a big error.
// UK government stockpiles containing protective equipment for healthcare workers in the event of a pandemic fell in value by almost 40% over the past six years, the Guardian has found.
Analysis of official financial data suggests £325m was wiped off the value of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emergency stockpile, reducing it from £831m in 2013 under the Conservative-led coalition government to £506m by March last year. //
// UK government stockpiles containing protective equipment for healthcare workers in the event of a pandemic fell in value by almost 40% over the past six years, the Guardian has found.
Analysis of official financial data suggests £325m was wiped off the value of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emergency stockpile, reducing it from £831m in 2013 under the Conservative-led coalition government to £506m by March last year. //
// Having largely stamped out domestic transmission of the disease, China has been slowly easing curbs on movement as it tries to get its economy back on track, but there are fears that a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of Covid-19.
Imported cases accounted for a record 98. Half involved Chinese nationals returning from Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District, home to the city of Vladivostok, who re-entered China through border crossings in Heilongjiang province.
Chinese cities near the Russian frontier are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response.
Suifenhe and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, are now mandating 28 days of quarantine as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests for all arrivals from abroad. //
Imported cases accounted for a record 98. Half involved Chinese nationals returning from Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District, home to the city of Vladivostok, who re-entered China through border crossings in Heilongjiang province.
Chinese cities near the Russian frontier are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response.
Suifenhe and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, are now mandating 28 days of quarantine as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests for all arrivals from abroad. //
There are huge problems with wholesale testing not the least being either getting to those people, or getting them to come to the test. Testing 60+ million people many of whom, for various reasons, wont want to turn up will be a nightmare. While, in principle, the idea sounds good I have great doubts about its value or practicality as the testees are only positive or negative on the day of the test.
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