COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update September 10th 2020.
The UK added 2,919 cases today and now has reported a total of 358,138 positive cases of COVID-19. Tests completed has not been updated since last Wednesday - when the total to date was 17,619,897. 837 people were in hospital on Tuesday 8th, with 80 using a ventilator yesterday.
In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 14 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 41,608 officially reported losses of life in all settings.
Rep. Of Ireland 30,360 (+196) cases and 1,781 losses of life.
There have now been a total of 28,214,209 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 911,165. Already 20,221,164 people have recovered.
"I don't believe the UK is exceptional. My personal belief is we're two to four weeks behind what's happening in continental Europe… I think that community transmission is going to increase over the coming weeks... The next six weeks are going to be absolutely critical..."
"Nobody should be under any illusion: This infection is not going away. This is now a human endemic infection.”
Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. He also had plenty to say about vaccine safety:
"It's absolutely critical that we assess these vaccines robustly. That it's done in an independent way without political interference. That the regulators are absolutely in control of assessing that data, and that the nature is transparent and shared with people... The first generation vaccines will not be perfect in my view, but an imperfect vaccine can have a major impact on reducing transmission and preventing severe disease. The second generation vaccines will inevitably be better."
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine candidate trial has been halted in 5 countries, with India being the latest to pause, after a patient in the UK had an adverse reaction. I covered this story yesterday, but this is exactly why we have trials. Without proper testing and finding out if certain people shouldn't take the vaccine, we could be unleashing something harmful on part of our population. This is a normal event in any vaccine study, it's 1 patient in tens of thousands, and they are expected to make a full recovery. Investigations were underway before the press release even went out, and the timescale for the study is not expected to be affected.
UK Travel Corridor Update:
If you arrive in England from:
Portugal (apart from the Azores and Madeira)
Hungary
French Polynesia
Réunion
after 04:00 12 Sept 2020, you must self-isolate for 14 days.
If you arrive from:
Sweden
Madeira
The Azores
after 04:00 12 Sept you will not need to self-isolate (even though Portugal will be removed from the Travel Corridor list).
The English Government has announced that from Monday 14th September indoor and outdoor social gatherings of more than 6 people will be banned in England - in pubs, parks, restaurants and homes etc. The current legal limit was 30 in most places.
"From 14 September - when the new rules apply - it will be against the law to meet people you do not live with in a group larger than 6 (unless you are meeting as a household or support bubble). The police will have the powers to enforce these legal limits, including to issue fines (fixed penalty notice) of £100, doubling for further breaches up to a maximum of £3,200."
There will be exceptions where groups can be larger than 6 people, including:
- where everyone lives together or is in the same support bubble, or to continue existing arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents
- for work, and voluntary or charitable services
- for education, training, registered childcare, or providers offering before or after-school clubs for children
- fulfilling legal obligations such as attending court or jury service
- providing emergency assistance, or providing support to a vulnerable person
- for you or someone else to avoid illness, injury or harm
- participate in children’s playgroups
- wedding and civil partnership ceremonies and receptions, or for other religious life-cycle ceremonies - where up to 30 people will be able to attend
- funerals - where up to 30 people will be able to attend
- organised indoor and outdoor sports, physical activity and exercise classes (those which have already been allowed to resume)
- youth groups or activities
- elite sporting competition or training
- protests and political activities organised in compliance with COVID-19 secure guidance and subject to strict risk assessments.
Mexico's Pemex oil producer have earned the incredibly unfortunate title of World's Deadliest Company, after it reported a staggering, and heartbreaking, 314 employees and 7 contract workers have succumbed to Covid-19. Their entire set up, with offshore workers and ground crew living in bunkhouses and shared accommodation, and eating meals in large canteens, meant that the virus was able to spread rapidly, and quick access to healthcare when living offshore is often impossible.
Simon in Lincoln scored a surprise moment of fame by speaking live on Talk Radio. He wants the UK to have a "full scale national lockdown... enforced by the military" until next Spring. He'd confine most people to their homes - "One person from each household would be allowed out once a week to gather groceries".
Steady on Simon! While there's a teeny tiny part of me thinks "that'll fix it, Zero COVID", it's clearly impossible, inhumane and errrmmmm....well, it's prison. Save that one as a last resort...
A UK NUS (National Union of Students) survey of nearly 4,200 students has found that hurling lecturers and students into sudden online learning, without any equipment, practice or training, wasn't entirely seamless: "Of the students who have had online learning provided by their institution last term, almost 1 in 3 were unable to access their education, with 45 percent not satisfied that their education was of a good standard or quality".
Less Than Luxury Crews News:
A handful of the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth crew have tested positive for COVID-19. The most amazing thing about this story is that this ship has already been out to sea and back this Summer, and an outbreak didn't occur.
Trump Of The Day:
Audio has been released of journalist Bob Woodward interviewing Donald Trump. I've personally listened to recordings from February 7th and 18th March. In the tapes Trump clearly understands that COVID-19 is deadly and can affect younger people, and he sounds very concerned about the possible severity of the virus. He also tells Mr Woodward in March: "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." Oops. Busted.
It is entirely understandable that any Government wants to avoid panic among their population. You want them to behave sensibly, calmly and as safely as possible. You don't want mass brawls, looting, panic buying, raids on hospitals, riots, witch hunts or anything else that could be far worse than the effects of the virus. There's a fine line though, and Trump clearly crossed over it, got into a car and drove to the next continent. In early March he was still publicly telling everyone it was "a flu".
Yesterday it became apparent that COVID wouldn't be having the weekend off in Doncaster, so the St. Leger horse racing festival, 'sports event with spectators' trial, has been cancelled. Sad news for Jockey Club Board Member Dido Harding, and Matt Hancock, MP for Newmarket. The festival is going ahead, but there won't be crowds.
Today France have reported almost 10,000 new cases. Please always bear in mind that when most of Europe went through it's first peak, the number of tests they could do was tiny compared to now. Tests were often reserved for hospital patients, or otherwise rationed, and low symptom and asymptomatic patients had to be ignored. We will see some huge numbers of new cases, but it is the number of patients who are hospitalised, and the number who succumb, which have become far more important. The populations mainly fuelling the new cases are younger, healthier people, who put themselves more at risk than people who know they are vulnerable, and so hopefully we will not see a repeat of those huge numbers of people lost.
Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay
We are living in crazy times, the plan isn't what we expected. Our lives don't feel under our own control, and we may be being asked to do things that scare us, or we may be prevented from doing things we love. We can't know what's ahead. This is at a time when we may not be able to see our loved ones, or relax with our friends, or do our comforting, familiar things. It can make people feel very lonely, small, and scared. You aren't alone.
Check in on someone you haven't heard from in a while, remind them that you are here, you care, and you are happy to listen. And if you need to talk, there is ALWAYS someone you can talk to.
Some people, who all know what it's like to feel scared:
Countries / Cases / Losses of life (some states /provinces yet to report):
USA 6,560,719 (+11,244) 195,785 (+547)
India 4,555,932 (+92,967) 76,277 (+1,186)
Brazil 4,210,556 (+11,224) 128,857 (+204)
Russia 1,046,370 (+5,363) 18,263 (+128)
Peru 702,776 not yet reported today 30,236
Colombia 686,856 not yet reported today 22,053
Mexico 647,507 (+4,647) 69,095 (+611)
South Africa 642,431 not yet reported today 15,168
Spain 554,143 (+10,764) 29,699 (+71)
Argentina 512,293 not yet reported today 10,713
Chile 428,669 (+1,642) 11,781 (+79)
Iran 395,488 (+2,063) 22,798 (+129)
UK 358,138 (+2,919) 41,608 (+14)
France 353,944 (+9,843) 30,813 (+19)
Bangladesh 332,970 (+1,892) 4,634 (+41)
.
.
You need never be alone. There is ALWAYS someone to talk to. You may be able to reach out to someone you know, but if not the Samaritans are on hand 24 hours a day 116 123 (UK) 116 123 (ROI)
If you are a young person or are worried about another young person, you may feel more comfortable talking to Papyrus 0800 068 41 41 or Childline 0800 1111
If you have lost someone to suicide then you may find help from Survivors Of Bereavement By Suicide, and Winston's Wish for younger family members.
Sources:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
https://twitter.com/talkRADIO/status/1303383805391253507
Thanks Kakape for saving my busted hand from typing all of this up: https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1303651969941344257
https://twitter.com/i/events/1303777884192948224
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1303751807362052096
https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/08/astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-study-put-on-hold-due-to-suspected-adverse-reaction-in-participant-in-the-u-k/
https://twitter.com/i/events/1304042765509033987
https://www.naval-technology.com/news/hms-queen-elizabeth-covid/
Masks and all things COVID - https://www.bmj.com/coronavirus
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