SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

I was thinking why it's not really used, but perhaps hospitals generally still have beds available?

Hospital still have beds, they're not at max capacity yet. However this is on the basis of them suspending all other hospital treatment (other than emergency patients that don't have the virus).
 
Under normal circumstances, sure; however, COVID19 can be rather deadly.

If you are sleeping on the hospital floor with 1,000 other people and have no access to oxygen or a ventilator, I get that your chances of survival are slim.

If you are receiving the right level of healthcare you really should survive it, bar a very unfortunate 1 or 2%.
 
If you are sleeping on the hospital floor with 1,000 other people and have no access to oxygen or a ventilator, I get that your chances of survival are slim.

If you are receiving the right level of healthcare you really should survive it, bar a very unfortunate 1 or 2%.

You're getting confused a bit, they're only admitting very seriously ill patients (mainly those struggling to breath). The rate of admission vs the death rate will have proportionally high figures because of their selection of those being critically ill. There are a high number surviving and leaving hospital also.

You make it sound like we're admitting all with symptoms of the disease, which as we know the majority recover from it and don't even touch a hospital.
 
Well that would mean that our standard of healthcare is just really awful and has nothing to do with reaching capacity.

Not much that can be done at the moment even with the best healthcare, just plug them into oxygen and buy some time for their body to fight on its own.

Oxygen and ventilators haven't run out so there's not much more the hospitals can do for admitted patients.
 
You're getting confused a bit, they're only admitting very seriously ill patients (mainly those struggling to breath). The rate of admission vs the death rate will have proportionally high figures because of their selection of those being critically ill. There are a high number surviving and leaving hospital also.

You make it sound like we're admitting all with symptoms of the disease, which as we know the majority recover from it and don't even touch a hospital.

Maybe we are lucky in the sense that we don't have many critically ill patients but it really should be around 5-10% of the positive cases.

Also if we have all that extra capacity maybe we could give some of the older infected people in care homes some proper medical attention?
 
Twitter says it does not currently see evidence that the UK government has tried to manipulate coronavirus conversations using fake accounts.

It comes after claims began circulating on social media implying the Department of Health and Social Care was behind a network of Twitter accounts pretending to be NHS staff.

These accounts, which were allegedly posting in support of the government, appear to have been deleted.

The Department of Health tweeted that the claims were “categorically false”.

Twitter adds that it “will remove any pockets of smaller coordinated attempts to distort or inorganically influence the conversation”.

The BBC also currently has no evidence to support the suggestion these allegedly fake accounts had anything to do with the UK government.
 
Hundreds of companies have tried to contact the government to offer help and they have been ignored. Just look at your local MP's twitter feed and you will see companies and groups offering assistance via their MP. The MP's are tearing their hair out as the government is failing to respond.

It's ironic that Boris is such a fan of Churchill and yet he failed to learn the lessons Churchill did at Dunkirk. This was a "little ships" moment where hundreds of small labs offered support with testing. Textile firms have offered help with gowns and masks, Engineering companies have offered to manufacture proven ventilator technology.

They have all largely been ignored by Government cronies who have googled it and think they have a better / cheaper solution. It's only later they realise they are having to wait for it to be shipped from overseas! I wouldn't trust them to run an ebay shop!

IF we had engaged with these firms earlier, you would see a health and social care system that was adequately protected and not acting as a vector of disease. Some people in government have a lot of deaths on their hands that should have been avoided. Spain and Italy were caught by surprise but look at how other European countries have responded who had the same amount of warning.

They have messed up a shopping and procurement exercise. Good luck with this team delivering anything else!
And this lot was trusted to deliver brexit.
Piss up in a brewery springs to mind!
 
Also if we have all that extra capacity maybe we could give some of the older infected people in care homes some proper medical attention?

I don't get the need for the whataboutery on this point - if they need emergency assistance, then they're going to hospital. These field hospitals aren't some kind of hotel. They have capacity because they're admitting only patients who need breathing assistance. When they open up hospitals to carry out normal procedures, which they aren't doing currently, then they will need that capacity quickly as a second peak happens.
 
I don't get the need for the whataboutery on this point - if they need emergency assistance, then they're going to hospital. These field hospitals aren't some kind of hotel. They have capacity because they're admitting only patients who need breathing assistance. When they open up hospitals to carry out normal procedures, which they aren't doing currently, then they will need that capacity quickly as a second peak happens.

There's no what aboutery. The whole point of opening up these field hospitals is to deal with the excess strain that COVID-19 poses. If we have so much excess capacity that the hospital is pretty much empty, then we are probably being too picky about who we admit.

We really should only need to pick and choose who goes into hospital when we are already operating at maximum. If we are not at maximum, we should relax those selection procedures so even more people can have adequate medical attention and we can save more lives.

The Nightingale should be at least half-full. If not with already seriously ill people then at least with those who are at the highest risk of being seriously ill.

The only time our hospitals should ever remain empty is when we have 0 deaths from COVID-19.
 
Last edited:
Hospital still have beds, they're not at max capacity yet. However this is on the basis of them suspending all other hospital treatment (other than emergency patients that don't have the virus).

A very good friend of mine that is only 46 Years old was scheduled to have surgery as his Cancerous brain tumour had returned. This got cancelled due to the lockdown and Covid outbreak.

I found out yesterday that the tumour Is now inoperable and his wife has had to get the palliative care team involved as he has gone down hill the last few weeks and can barely stand on his own and has virtually no short term memory.

Covid19 won’t kill him but him and thousands of others like him will have their life expectancies cut short because of it.
 
There's no what aboutery. The whole point of opening up these field hospitals is to deal with the excess strain that COVID-19 poses. If we have so much excess capacity that the hospital is pretty much empty, then we are probably being too picky about who we admit.

You really should only need to pick and choose who goes into hospital when you are already operating at maximum. If you are not at maximum, you should relax those selection procedures so even more people can have adequate medical attention and we can save more lives.

Huge amounts of whataboutery. We are being picky about who we admit? If ever we need an armchair commentator to the NHS then we'll let you know. It's simple to understand why we have capacity, a combination of moving through the first wave of cases, with social distancing impacting both cases and admissions means the capacity is currently there. In principle, as there is no vaccine, saving lives is about the individuals reaction to the virus. They're admitting those that need oxygen support which is the right approach, if you don't need to go into hospital - then it's pretty clear to avoid it altogether.

The Nightingale should be at least half-full. If not with already seriously ill people then at least with those who are at the highest risk of being seriously ill.

The only time our hospitals should ever remain empty is when we have 0 deaths from COVID-19.

The Nightingale shouldn't be full if it doesn't need it to be, if there are no cases and hospitals have capacity then they should be there. To call on the success of the field hospitals now is foolish, and even more foolish to measure its success on how many people are in them. The reality is that their intended purpose is for when we open up the hospitals back to normal operating policy for normal admissions (Cancer treatment, transplants, Outpatients etc).
 
A very good friend of mine that is only 46 Years old was scheduled to have surgery as his Cancerous brain tumour had returned. This got cancelled due to the lockdown and Covid outbreak.

I found out yesterday that the tumour Is now inoperable and his wife has had to get the palliative care team involved as he has gone down hill the last few weeks and can barely stand on his own and has virtually no short term memory.

Covid19 won’t kill him but him and thousands of others like him will have their life expectancies cut short because of it.

That's horrible news, sorry to hear it. My partner lost her cousin to the same thing a few years back, and the deterioration part is the worst bit to watch.
 
What happened with deaths in Sweden today? Yesterday was 40, today is 185, and more people in the ICU than yesterday as well. :(

EDIT: Looking at their data over time it could be a case of the way they're reporting their data.
 
And this lot was trusted to deliver brexit.
Piss up in a brewery springs to mind!

Come on now, that's sales and purchasing 101. Anybody with anything to sell will be trying to contact them. That doesn't mean that 99% of it won't be junk and not fit for purpose. Buying for an organisation as big as the NHS is a complex business, they can't be dealing with local businesses supplying bits and pieces that all need to checked over and sent where it's needed. If they can find it in bulk then that's obviously the way to go and what they have done.
 
Come on now, that's sales and purchasing 101. Anybody with anything to sell will be trying to contact them. That doesn't mean that 99% of it won't be junk and not fit for purpose. Buying for an organisation as big as the NHS is a complex business, they can't be dealing with local businesses supplying bits and pieces that all need to checked over and sent where it's needed. If they can find it in bulk then that's obviously the way to go and what they have done.
Ok but let’s say your source is China. The world and his dog will be fighting over stock. What’s plan B?
 
A very good friend of mine that is only 46 Years old was scheduled to have surgery as his Cancerous brain tumour had returned. This got cancelled due to the lockdown and Covid outbreak.

I found out yesterday that the tumour Is now inoperable and his wife has had to get the palliative care team involved as he has gone down hill the last few weeks and can barely stand on his own and has virtually no short term memory.

Covid19 won’t kill him but him and thousands of others like him will have their life expectancies cut short because of it.

That is grim, really sorry to hear about your pal.
 
A very good friend of mine that is only 46 Years old was scheduled to have surgery as his Cancerous brain tumour had returned. This got cancelled due to the lockdown and Covid outbreak.

I found out yesterday that the tumour Is now inoperable and his wife has had to get the palliative care team involved as he has gone down hill the last few weeks and can barely stand on his own and has virtually no short term memory.

Covid19 won’t kill him but him and thousands of others like him will have their life expectancies cut short because of it.
Awful. I’m sure there will be countless knock on effects for people ill with other things.

sorry to hear about your friend
 
Huge amounts of whataboutery. We are being picky about who we admit? If ever we need an armchair commentator to the NHS then we'll let you know.

When there is 900 deaths a day (not counting the extra possible 50% from care homes), I question everything.

The Nightingale shouldn't be full if it doesn't need it to be, if there are no cases and hospitals have capacity then they should be there. To call on the success of the field hospitals now is foolish, and even more foolish to measure its success on how many people are in them. The reality is that their intended purpose is for when we open up the hospitals back to normal operating policy for normal admissions (Cancer treatment, transplants, Outpatients etc).

I'm not calling into question the success of the Nightingale. I'm calling into question why it is there and it is not being used. Did we build it for the fun of it?

I also don't get why we are waiting to 'reopen' the hospital for normal admissions when we could use the Nightingale for COVID-19 patients and let the hospitals resume their normal operating policy now. Why delay treatment for cancer/transplant patients and such when there is clearly capacity to take the COVID-19 patients elsewhere?
 
I’m very confused about this Nightingale confusion. It’s not an actual new hospital, it’s a building that has been repurposed. It doesn’t have anywhere near the resources as a proper hospital, it was there for exceptional circumstances.
 
I’m very confused about this Nightingale confusion. It’s not an actual new hospital, it’s a building that has been repurposed. It doesn’t have anywhere near the resources as a proper hospital, it was there for exceptional circumstances.

But these are already exceptional circumstances no? I mean, how much more exceptional does it need to get before it is used?

That is what I don't get.
 
Just lack of weekend reporting? Look at the daily deaths graph here.
Yeah that's the graph that lead me to think it's a reporting thing. Today isn't on the graph yet and will be higher that everything they've seen before.
 
I’m very confused about this Nightingale confusion. It’s not an actual new hospital, it’s a building that has been repurposed. It doesn’t have anywhere near the resources as a proper hospital, it was there for exceptional circumstances.


That was my understanding yeah.


But these are already exceptional circumstances no? I mean, how much more exceptional does it need to get before it is used?

That is what I don't get.


Well, from my P.O.V, considering some experts were stating that we'd have 200,000 deaths from covid19, the government obviously planned for a worst case scenario and also I think they've been surprised by how well-behaved most of society has been with this lockdown. They probably thought that by now, we'd be notching up 2,000 deaths a day (don't forget, another expert felt that by 17/04, the UK would notch 2,492 deaths or even 3,492, I can't remember the exact number. Either way, it was more than 2 (sorry, mistake/typo) x more than what we actually did hit.
 
When there is 900 deaths a day (not counting the extra possible 50% from care homes), I question everything.

You were insinuating that the rate of death it's down to poor healthcare from the NHS and that by filling the capacity of the field hospitals will somehow reduce this rate of death.

I'm not calling into question the success of the Nightingale. I'm calling into question why it is there and it is not being used. Did we build it for the fun of it?

I also don't get why we are waiting to 'reopen' the hospital for normal admissions when we could use the Nightingale for COVID-19 patients and let the hospitals resume their normal operating policy now. Why delay treatment for cancer/transplant patients and such when there is clearly capacity to take the COVID-19 patients elsewhere?

It's an exhibition centre, not a hospital. The expertise and the equipment are at the hospital, the priority to put all patients should be there. Field hospitals are going to be for patients that are through the worst of the virus. The delays are pretty much down to moving all available staff, not capacity, onto dealing with the virus, my other half included. Used to be working in the community and called back immediately to be on the frontline. However your comment in bold kinda summises it fully enough for me.
 
Ok but let’s say your source is China. The world and his dog will be fighting over stock. What’s plan B?

Plan B is make sure you have a backup supply chain in your home country that can meet surge requirements. Nobody did that though, not just the UK.

The world and his dog is fighting over stock from China and the media is taking great pleasure in printing it on every spare column inch. So far i haven't seen much to suggest they've been unable to match demand, most of the world has been turning to them when their own supply chains have let them down. They definitely bailed Italy and Spain out in the early days.


Whatever happens it's clear that, for example, we couldn't have 50 different labs all over the country administering tests, or 100 different factories manufacturing ventilator valves. The quality control would be impossible and it's not something we can afford to make mistakes on.
 
I’m very confused about this Nightingale confusion. It’s not an actual new hospital, it’s a building that has been repurposed. It doesn’t have anywhere near the resources as a proper hospital, it was there for exceptional circumstances.

They're exhibition centres, just big pieces of space. I had a stand booking at the ExCel on the weekend they decided to purpose it into a field hospital.
 
It's an exhibition centre, not a hospital. The expertise and the equipment are at the hospital, the priority to put all patients should be there. Field hospitals are going to be for patients that are through the worst of the virus. The delays are pretty much down to moving all available staff, not capacity, onto dealing with the virus, my other half included. Used to be working in the community and called back immediately to be on the frontline. However your comment in bold kinda summises it fully enough for me.

So what you're telling me is that Nightingale is not fit for purpose and it is rather more like an aftercare centre? What is your message here?

Edit: And even if it is just an aftercare centre (which I can accept), why is it empty? Are there not a lot of patients who are recovering? Are patients getting sent home straight from hospital when they get better instead? Things just do not make sense about the purpose of the Nightingale.
 
Last edited:
Italian PM has just announced distancing and masks will be compulsory until a vaccine or a treatment is found. I hope he has a plan for where all these masks will come from. :nono:
 
So what you're telling me is that Nightingale is not fit for purpose and it is rather more like an aftercare centre? What is your message here?

You can't read. They're all exhibition centres, and Nightingale is a field hospital. It's designed as a way to deal with the overflow, if you have a capacity at a hospital with expertise and equipment then why would you go to a field hospital? Do we have to go down the route of explaining what a field hospital is for you?
 
I just got information from my bro in law that it looks like it's getting better. He said down 40% in his hospital. He thinks the virus is changing too. Maybe not so deadly as before.
 
You can't read. They're all exhibition centres, and Nightingale is a field hospital. It's designed as a way to deal with the overflow, if you have a capacity at a hospital with expertise and equipment then why would you go to a field hospital? Do we have to go down the route of explaining what a field hospital is for you?

It's not even for ICU patients is it?

According to the nurse in this video the patients arrive straight from intensive care, are intubated and their job is to bring them on from that point to get them breathing on their own.



I'm guessing their job is to relieve pressure on intensive care after the patient starts to recover a bit?
 
I’m very confused about this Nightingale confusion. It’s not an actual new hospital, it’s a building that has been repurposed. It doesn’t have anywhere near the resources as a proper hospital, it was there for exceptional circumstances.

Early in the crisis a work colleague was infected and within two days was in hospital having an operation on his throat to help his breathing. I do not think a Nightingale hospital is going to help cases like that.

I suspect the hospitals get the patients to a certain level of health before they get sent to the Nightingale. They probably also allow a certain amount of flexibility in future planning. If the proverbial really did hit the fan and the hospitals really didn't have any capacity, at least they would have somewhere for the ambulances to drop off.
 
I just got information from my bro in law that it looks like it's getting better. He said down 40% in his hospital. He thinks the virus is changing too. Maybe not so deadly as before.

Did he mention how it's changing?