England COVID Briefing 31st October 2020

 "If we did not act now, then the chances of the NHS being overwhelmed wold be very, very high."
Chris Whitty. 

After the news that England are going into a month long national "lockdown" was leaked last night (and apparently it wasn't meant to be this time), Boris had little choice but to hold an England Coronavirus briefing. 

He was joined by England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance - (who both looked like the adrenaline is flowing, now they've had the gate opened and can say what they feel instead of biting their tongues).

Obviously they started with evidence from Chris and Pat:
The weekly case rate and rate change slides are grim. The darker they are, the worse they are, and they're dark. Spread in people aged over 60 (who are far more likely to be seriously ill) is everywhere, and the charts for this age group are not light.
The ONS data shows that prevalence has been going up rapidly over the last few weeks (since school reopening), we have around 50k new cases per day and rising.
Measures are slowing growth, but really they are not flattening the curve. The NW seems to be making headway, but not quickly enough.
Cases are rising in all areas, including in people over 60.
Hospital admissions are going up in an accelerating line. Currently in the NW hospital admissions are almost at the peak we saw in Spring, in all other areas, it's rising rapidly. (As soon as you have big numbers, and are still doubling every 9 days, you get to massive numbers very quickly.)
If we do nothing, then by December we are looking at 3,000 hospital admissions a day (and these people don't all arrive and leave, they may be there for weeks). 

Boris says "No sensible Prime Minister can ignore these figures." I agree. He explains he doesn't want to close anything, and they hoped that local measures would be effective, but they weren't. He thanked people who have put up with restrictions for a long time (Thanks!). 

"We have to be humble in the face of nature." I TOTALLY agree. We are just animals on a rock. We will never be bigger than nature, but we can use our intelligence to fight back... 

He explains we DO NOT want to be in a position where Doctors and Nurses are forced to choose who will live, and who will die - and that isn't just COVID patients, it's everyone who ends up in hospital, for whatever reason. (This has happened in many places - Ecuador, Lombardy, New York - and it's truly horrific for anyone involved)...

The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi - Young Adult Fiction Book Review (sent for review)

I was sent a copy of The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi this Summer for review, and it's a really good read, so I was more than happy to join in this promotional book tour for the UK release.  

On the surface The Game Weavers is a fictional story about a young professional game player, but it is far more than that. This is a book about finding your place in the world, and clinging on to what is most dear, whatever life throws at you. It's a book about loyalty, family, and having the confidence to be the person you are. 

The book starts with an introduction to Twine - a futuristic game where players 'weave' characters who battle for control of the playing field. It paints an amazing picture in my head, and one which I'm sure is very different for everyone who reads this book. 

Seo Kuroaku is a champion Twine player. He has a really close and protective relationship with his younger brother Minjun, and the reader very soon discovers that this is because they were abandoned by their mother as children. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 30th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 30th October 2020.

The UK added 24,405 cases today and now has reported a total of 989,745 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 347,626 tests yesterday. 

10,708 people were in hospital on Wednesday 28th, with 975 using a ventilator yesterday, 29th October

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 274 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 46,229 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 60,297 cases and 1,90 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 45,697,577 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,190,665. Already 33,139,247 people have recovered.

Cyprus and Lithuania will be removed from the UK travel corridors (quarantine-exempt) list 4am, Sunday 1 November.

West Yorkshire will move from Local COVID Alert Level High to Very High at 00:01 on Monday 2 November 2020. 

This comprises Calderdale, City of Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 28th / 29th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 28th / 29th October 2020.

The UK added 23,065 cases today and now has reported a total of 965,340 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 308,763 tests yesterday. 

10,308 people were in hospital on Tuesday 27th, with 958 using a ventilator yesterday, 28th October . 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 280 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 45,955 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 16th October, 58,925 people had COVID written on their death certificate in the UK. 

Cases last 7 days / Cases all time

England - 127,172 / 818,759

Northern Ireland - 6,976 / 37,216

Scotland - 9,177 / 61,531

Wales - 7,573 / 47,834

Rep. Of Ireland 60,297 (+863) cases and 1,902 (+6)  losses of life.

There have now been a total of 45,073,955 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,183,175. Already 32,856,903 people have recovered.

"For the second consecutive week, Europe accounts for the greatest proportion of new cases, with over 1.3M new cases this past week – a 33% increase compared to the previous week – contributing nearly half of all new cases worldwide this week (46%)."

World Health Organisation weekly epidemiological update. 

"We must learn now, that the people who went to Eton can't run this country. They've had it,  they've tried to do it, and this little small group who all went to school in the same class, it doesn't work. So I feel we need some working class people that have lived a real life. People that are in touch with what's going on in reality..."

Round of applause for Danny Dyer there. The COVID-19 response has treated regular people as numbers in a machine. Go to work, eat out, shop, but don't see anyone you care about - for months on end. A real world recipe for failure. 

Boris has been warned that if he doesn't sort this out, he'll ruin Christmas. He's been warned by various people, including the Shadow Health Minister, and SAGE, his own Scientific Advisory Group. 

If he ruins Christmas it would place him in number 1 spot for the UK's biggest joy thief ever, narrowly pipping current leader, Oliver 'we'll not be having merrymaking on a Holy day' Cromwell. 

UPCOMING UK RESTRICTION CHANGES: 

On 30th October (tomorrow) Nottinghamshire moves to Local COVID Alert Level 3: Very High

On 31 October (Friday) the following move to Local COVID Alert Level 2: High - Amber Valley, Bolsover, Charnwood, Derby City, Derbyshire Dales, Dudley, East Riding of Yorkshire, High Peak, Kingston-Upon-Hull, Luton, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Oxford City, South Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Telford and Wrekin

On 2nd November (Monday) the whole of West Yorkshire - including Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield - moves to Local COVID Alert Level 3: Very High.

Bristol is being placed into a set of special restrictions all on it's own. Rather than 'Tier 2 HIGH Alert', they're having 'Tier 1+', which is presumably 'A BIT HIGH ALERT':

- Tighter enforcement

- More local control over test and trace

- Targeted focus on working adults (aged 30 - 60)

- Introduction of COVID marshals to patrol the city

Lo-Dough Review - low calorie, high fibre, bread and pastry alternative (sent for review).

Lo-Dough is a vegetarian, and GMO, dairy, nut and soy-free alternative to regular flour dough. It has 90% less carbs and is incredibly low in calories. In addition the original Lo-Dough is gluten-free. It can be helpful for all kinds of people, on all kinds of restrictive diets. We've been sent a box full of products to try, including some of the original Lo-Dough bases. 

Since trying some horrendous gluten-free bread a few years ago, I've been a sceptical about 'alternatives', but I was very intrigued to give Lo-Dough a try. Is it tasty and easy to use? Well, yes actually. It's incredibly impressive.,, 

Inside our box we had some of the brand new Miracle Cake Bars - Chunky Double Chocolate. We all tried them straight away, and I'm very pleased I split one between us because they do qualify as a small meal. 

They're lovely. Incredibly filling and containing just 131 calories which seems to be mainly comprised of fibre (over 1/3 of your recommended daily intake). They also only have 0.7g of sugar each, and you'd never know it. This is sweet and chocolatey goodness.

Ad | What To Do With The Kids At Home - Autumn/Winter 2020

It's all very different, but that doesn't mean we can't still make it fun! When we look back, we won't really remember 2 weeks of self-isolating that turned into nothing, or all the hours we were trying to work while the kids asked endless questions. The things we'll remember the most will be the times we laughed at technology fails, the zoom calls with Grandma, the fact we sent parcels and letters. The precious hours getting to really know our family, the NHS, the rainbows, Marcus Rashford, and most of all, the way we still made it work.  

Here are lots of people who are still making it work in order to entertain us, and maybe teach us a few things along the way... Throughout the post are some printables that you can click on, save and print off on A4 paper... 

Z-Arts have some amazing new online creative sessions!

To book onto sessions you need to join the Bright Sparks, which is free to families on low incomes, and during the Coronavirus pandemic the £15 membership is also being waived, so that everyone can benefit. The sessions are FREE. Toddler sessions run on Tuesdays, family sessions on Saturdays. Sessions are open to all, and have to be booked via the Z-Arts website up until midnight the night before (you only need to book one ticket per family).

Toddler Sessions - Tuesdays, 10.00 - 10.30am
1st December, led by Gill - Kitchen Disco – let’s get fruity! Join Gill in a playful bendy yoga session themed on the fantastic story 'Kitchen Disco'.
8th December, led by Natasha - Hibernating - with The Very Hungry Caterpillar as inspiration.
15th December, led by Tom - Sticks and Stones workshop - create some winter characters that may be hidden outside. 

Family Sessions - Saturday 11.30am - 12.30pm
21st November, led by Gill - Find joy in the everyday - a mindful nature treasure hunt and then join Gill in creating a superb stick crown and some fantastical sculptures.
28th November, led by Yemi - Make & believe heritage in your home! You will uncover, search and explore items that represent your family’s culture.
5th December, led by Natasha - Christmas creations – reuse, recycle and repurpose.
12th December, led by Janine - Create your own Dreamcatchers - collect items on a winter's walk and join Janine to teach you the magic of  creating your very own Dreamcatcher.
19th December, led by Tom - Storyteller Tom shares his tips and tricks for creating new settings where your stories can be set.  Walk around your neighbourhood and put the things you see into your stories. 

If you like the idea of online classes, Z-Arts are running their Bright Sparks sessions via Zoom. If you're a Bright Sparks member, you can sign up for as many weekly online classes as you would like. If you're interested in Bright Sparks membership, email boxoffice@z-arts.org

Christmas Theatre - from home

Waterside are working with renowned family theatre company Wrongsemble to deliver an alternative online Festive Christmas show – HUMBUG – to homes and schools throughout the country.
All ages can enjoy seven filmed episodes of this exciting story throughout December, accompanied by an interactive HUMBUG ‘Fact File’ filled with 13 artefacts sent directly to your home.
HUMBUG takes place deep beneath the city, where a secret world full of wonder awaits; a place where wizards bake endless gingerbread, goblins bottle festive cheer, and there’s a whole department devoted to detangling fairy-lights! This is the Ministry of Make Believe.... Recently strange things have been happening at the Ministry. From nose-less snowmen, to exploding baubles, and a forest of bald Christmas trees – things are not quite right… It’s almost like someone (or something) is trying to sabotage Christmas! Together with Secret Agent Dash, audiences will help to solve the mystery and save the day!

1 - 31 December 2020, 7 short films - A £10 family ticket gives access to all 7 episodes of this online digital adventure throughout December, and is accompanied by an interactive HUMBUG Fact File filled with 13 artefacts sent directly to you.

Find out more and book online at Diverghub - online platform for Waterside arts & theatre

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 26th and 27th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 26th and 27th October 2020.

The UK added 22,885 cases today and now has reported a total of 917,575 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 261,855 tests yesterday. 

9,199 people were in hospital on Sunday 25th (up from 6,431 a week earlier), with 852 using a ventilator yesterday, 26th October (up from 629 on Sunday 18th). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 367 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days (up from 241 a week earlier). We now very sadly have a total of 45,365 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 16th October, 58,925 people in the UK had COVID written on their death certificate. 

Rep. Of Ireland 58,767 (+700) cases and 1,890 (+5) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 44,071,979 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,168,562. Already 32,318,913 people have recovered.

"We understand the pandemic fatigue that people are feeling. It takes a mental and physical toll on everyone and no one wants more so-called lockdowns. But if we want to avoid them, we all have to play our part and we cannot give up. We must not give up. ACTogether!"

Dr Tedros, Head of WHO, making a pun there with the word ACT, which stands for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. This is the global communication partnership, which is speeding up development, production, and fair access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Nottingham, Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe will move to Level 3 Very High English restrictions from midnight Thursday.

Starting today, Warrington is in the Very High Local COVID Alert Level 3.

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed they are making a decision on whether North and South Lanarkshire will face tighter restrictions, possibly either on November 2nd when their new level system comes into force, or beforehand. 

The Welsh government have held extensive talks with retailers and on Friday will be publishing updated guidance on what constitutes "essential" shopping. Supermarkets are currently not usually allowed to sell things 'sold by shops which have been ordered to close' e.g. shoes, clothes, toys, books. This is to protect the livelihoods of those shops who aren't legally allowed to open their doors to customers. 

Funko Games Review - Disney Something Wild! and Marvel Battleworld Battle Ball (Sent for review)

Funko are really well known for their 'Funko Pops', but that's only part of the story, They also make a range of games, and we've been sent some to review. 

We've been sent Mickey And Friends and Toy Story Something Wild! games (age 6+, 2-4 players), and 2 of the Marvel Battleworld Battle Balls (age 6+)... 

The Marvel Battleworld Battle Balls are quite large and heavy, so straight away the boys were very keen to get into them. They have a plastic sleeve around which really needs scissors to open because the rip strip is a bit hit and miss - don't use your teeth! 

Inside you have 1 Hero, 1 Hero Card, 1 Thanostone (containing a mystery Hero), 1 mystery Hero Card sealed in black plastic, 5 Battle Cards, 1 Attack Die, 5 Danger Tokens, 1 Danger Coin and Instructions. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update October 25th 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update October 25th 2020.

The UK added 19,790 cases today and now has reported a total of 873,800 positive cases of COVID-19.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 151 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 44,896 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 57,128 (+1,020) cases and 1,882 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 43,240,281 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,157,517. Already 31,814,848 people have recovered.

"We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas." 

White House Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows, admitting what we can all already see with our own eyes. . 

Sky News are reporting that English ministers are considering discussing reducing the self-isolation period for people who've come into contact with someone who has COVID. Apparently they're concerned about public compliance. Personally I think it's just another way to blame the public for test and trace failing. Everyone I know has isolated and been cautious when they've had to isolate...in fact, it only seems to be MP's and their bessies who still think they're allowed to jolly around the UK for fun. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 23rd October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 23rd October 2020.

The UK added 20,530 cases today and now has reported a total of 830,998 positive cases of COVID-19. 

England: 704,443 cases (last 7 days +101,605) 

Northern Ireland: 32,286 cases (last 7 days +7,223)

Scotland: 54,016 cases (last 7 days +8,296)

Wales: 40,253 cases (last 7 days +5,768)

7,706 people were in hospital on Wednesday 21st, with 707 using a ventilator yesterday, 22nd October. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 224 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 44,571 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 9th October 58,164 people had COVID-19 written on their death certificate. 

Rep. Of Ireland 54,476 cases and 1,871 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 42,264,754 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,146,104. Already 31,327,050 people have recovered.

"More than a month ago, nearly 5 weeks, the government scientists said that we need a short, sharp shock, a 14 day circuit break. We agreed with them. If we'd all stayed at home for just 2 weeks, we would have protected the NHS. We would have protected and saved the economy, and we would have saved lives, businesses and jobs. The government didn't accept that advice, they were under a lot of pressure to be fair, and they came up with their 3 Tier  system.... Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions are not stopping the spread of infection, and are causing pretty severe economic damage.... A 14 day lockdown would cut the R value probably to 0.7 and reduce cases by fourfold. But the government have decided to persist with their 3 Tiers. Let's hope that Tier 3 works, but I fear that we are going to have to wait until the epidemic surge reaches it's natural peak, and we are going to have to accept the consequences." 

Professor Anthony Costello, independent SAGE group. 

"We are at a critical juncture in the COVID19 pandemic, particularly in the northern hemisphere. The next few months are going to be very tough and some countries are on a dangerous track. 

Too many countries are seeing an exponential increase in COVID19 cases and that is now leading to hospitals and intensive care units running close or above capacity and we’re still only in October.

We urge leaders to take immediate action, to prevent further unnecessary deaths, essential health services from collapsing and schools shutting again.

As I said it in February and I’m repeating it today: this is not a drill."

Dr Tedros, Head of the World Health Organisation. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21 / 22 October 2020.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21 / 22 October 2020.

The UK added 21,242 cases today and now has reported a total of 810,467 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 310,322 tests yesterday (I think that's the second time over 300k in a day). 

7,433 people were in hospital on Tuesday 20th (up from 4,941 a week earlier), with 711 using a ventilator yesterday, Weds 21st October (up from 563 a week earlier). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 189 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 44,347 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 53,422 cases and 1,868 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 41,734,935 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,139,647. Already 31,059,605 people have recovered.

"Lockdowns & 'circuit breakers' are a good way to get #SARSCoV2 cases down fast in bad situations.

But they will only lead to long-term containment if you don't commit to fixing the underlying problems that got you to high cases in the first place. 

They must come with a *plan*."

Dr Emma Hodcroft, Co-developer of nextstrain - who are real-time tracking the strains of COVID as it travels around the world.  

Greater Manchester will move to Tier 3 VERY HIGH restrictions from midnight tonight. 

Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield will move into Tier 3 VERY HIGH restrictions from midnight on Friday. 

Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Slough will move into Tier 2 HIGH restrictions on Saturday

Scotland's restrictions placed on the central belt (Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Ayrshire & Arran and Greater Glasgow & Clyde) will continue for another week until 6am on Monday 2 November.

In addition, Scotland will announce details of a new Strategic Framework for control of the virus based on a 'levels' approach (with 5 tiers) tomorrow. They are set to begin on November 2nd. 

Rishi Sunak (UK Chancellor) has announced that cash grants of up to £2,100 will be available to businesses affected by Tier 2 High Alert closures. There will be retrospective - which is excellent news for the North West especially, (who are all saying OMG could you not have just mentioned this 2 days ago?) and for everyone else who has survived weeks of closure or lack of business already:

"- open businesses which are experiencing considerable difficulty will be given extra help to keep staff on as government significantly increases contribution to wage costs under the Job Support Scheme, and business contributions drop to 5%

- business grants are expanded to cover businesses in particularly affected sectors in high-alert level areas, helping them stay afloat and protecting jobs

- grants for the self-employed doubled to 40% of previous earnings"

Sadly a 28 year old Brazilian Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine study volunteer has lost their life to COVID-19. The trial hasn't been stopped, or even paused, and sources say the gentleman was part of the control group who received a placebo, and so it appears the vaccine is definitely not at fault. 

Clinical vaccine trials have to include patients who receive a placebo, because you have to have something to compare to, in order to prove a new drug or therapy works. It's a great shame this gentleman wasn't randomly placed in the group receiving the vaccine... 

There are several companies and individuals developing rapid tests for COVID, and they're getting very smart. They usually use a pinprick blood test, but some use saliva (although they are overall finding it harder to get really accurate results). 

PocDoc and BioSure have just launched a 10 minute finger prick test aimed at workplaces, which is over 98% accurate for specificity and sensitivity, and there's a bloke in Buckinghamshire who has created a little pinprick gadget which clips on a smartphone and uploads the information, and you get a result back within seconds. He claims he has achieved 98.7% sensitivity (does it find the COVID?) and nearly 100% specificity (do you get false positives?), which is pretty darn good. 

UK School attendance is still going okay, it's creeping downwards, but incredibly slowly. Latest figures this week show:

"We estimate 4-5% of pupils in state-funded schools did not attend school for COVID-19 related reasons on Thursday 15 October. This includes:

0.1% of pupils with a confirmed case of coronavirus

0.5% of pupils with a suspected case of coronavirus

3.9-4.3% of pupils self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus 

0.2% of pupils in schools closed for COVID-19 related reasons

On Thursday 15 October, approximately 21% of state-funded schools said they had one or more pupils self-isolating who had been asked to do so due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus inside the school. This is 46% of state-funded secondaries and 16% of state-funded primaries." 

"A smaller proportion (11-13%) had more than 30 pupils self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of coronavirus inside the school."

A UK led study into the effects of 'Long COVID' has found some pretty grim results. This isn't yet peer-reviewed, so it may have errors, but it seems to back up evidence which is beginning to come in from around the world. 

They studied 201 individuals who are affected by Long COVID, 105-160 days after their initial symptoms. This is a young, fit group, with an average age 44 (70% female, 87% white, 31% healthcare workers), and a low level of pre-existing conditions (obesity 20%, hypertension 6%; diabetes 2%; heart disease 4%). Only 18% had been ill enough with their COVID infection to actually be hospitalised.

"Fatigue (98%), muscle aches (88%), breathlessness (87%), and headaches (83%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Ongoing cardiorespiratory (92%) and gastrointestinal (73%) symptoms were common, and 42% of individuals had ten or more symptoms.

There was evidence of mild organ impairment in heart (32%), lungs (33%), kidneys (12%), liver (10%), pancreas (17%), and spleen (6%). Single (66%) and multi-organ (25%) impairment was observed, and was significantly associated with risk of prior COVID-19 hospitalisation. 

Interpretation: In a young, low-risk population with ongoing symptoms, almost 70% of individuals have impairment in one or more organs four months after initial symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are implications not only for burden of long COVID but also public health approaches which have assumed low risk in young people with no comorbidities."

Remember that this isn't a percentage of everyone who had COVID, it is just people who are still suffering 3-5 months later. It shows clearly that they have a genuine illness, which can be seen if you examine them. It's still expected and hoped that most people will eventually fully recover, and in many cases won't even realise, for example, that their liver isn't running at 100%. 

Trump Of The Day:

A Dutch 'ethical hacker' has screenshots to prove that last week he guessed Mr Trump's Twitter password and was able to log in and use the account. He says 2-step verification wasn't turned on, and the password was so obvious that we could all have guessed it - MAGA2020! 

Give. Me. Strength. 

Luckily for Donald the information was passed on to him, and government services, and his account is apparently now more secure. (He's probably changed his password to 'JoeBidenSmellsOfWee'.)

The Czech Republic really do seem to be struggling. Around a quarter of their COVID tests are coming back positive. The WHO recommendation is that anything over 5% positive means you are missing cases. At 25% positive, they really can only be testing people who are ill, meaning they have lost any control over spread right now. 

They have closed schools and made mask-wearing mandatory. Bars and restaurants are take away until 8pm only, and drinking outside the home is barred. Doctors who left to work abroad have been asked if they'll consider returning, and agreements have been put into place with the German states of Bavaria and Saxony in case hospitals become overloaded. 

Wales are going to nationalise their railway in order to ensure it continues to run. They've obviously seen a massive drop in passenger numbers due to COVID, and bringing it back under public control ensures it has a future. Unions are asking for the move to be made permanent. (Go on, do it.)

English schoolchildren in receipt of free school meals will NOT get this extended to cover more school holidays. Sadly all but about 5 Tory MP's voted against bringing in an extension. Those who voted against included the ministers in charge of Universities, Apprenticeships and school standards. The Education Minister and, somewhat unbelievably, the Children's Minister. The Minister in charge of safeguarding didn't vote. 

I despair.
#eatnowttohelpout has been a trending hashtag on Twitter all day. 

Scotland, who often lead the way when it comes to caring for our future generation, WILL be providing all eligible children with a free lunch throughout the school holidays, at least until after Easter break 2021.

NASA have a message: 

"We will be revealing a new discovery about the surface of the Moon from our airborne SOFIA Telescope observatory, and YOU are invited. 

12pm ET on Monday, Oct. 26!"

I tried to work out what time that'll be in the UK, but gave up because of BST/GMT and the clocks going back, but I think it'll be 4.30pm. We had genuine UFOs earlier this year (no-one seemed to notice), but actual aliens would be good. Preferably alien sloths. Everyone likes sloths.... 

Some people. They all have names, but they're shown here as numbers:

Countries / Cases / Losses of life (some states /provinces yet to report):

USA 8,607,785 (+22,966) 227,696 (+287) 

India 7,756,206 (+51,048) 117,277 (+624)

Brazil 5,303,520 (+2,871) 155,500 (+41)

Russia 1,463,306 (+15,971) 25,242 (+290)

Spain 1,046,641 not yet reported today 34,366

Argentina 1,037,325 not yet reported today 27,519

Colombia 981,700 not yet reported today 29,464

France 957,421  not yet reported today 34,048

Peru 876,885 not yet reported today 33,937

Mexico 867,559 (+6,845) 87,415 (+522)

UK 810,467 (+21,242) 44,347 (+189)

South Africa 708,359 not yet reported today 18,741

Iran 550,757 (+5,471) 31,650 (+304)

Chile 497,131 (+1,494) 13,792 (+73)

Italy 465,726 (+16,079) 36,968 (+136) 

.

.

Sources

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/2020-week-42

https://twitter.com/theSNP/status/1319036134593302528?s=19

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-czech/czechs-to-build-field-hospitals-as-covid-19-cases-soar-idUSKBN2700JI

https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/breaking-new-czech-anti-covid-19-measures-to-close-schools

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.14.20212555v1.full.pdf

data rich article on Europe COVID 2nd wave - https://www.quora.com/q/coronavirus?__ni__=0&__nsrc__=4&__snid3__=13012143290&__tiids__=13910853

https://twitter.com/TeacherToolkit/status/1319025040302669828?s=19

NASA https://t.co/HHNXOAYfMh

https://news.stv.tv/politics/new-tiered-lockdown-system-set-to-begin-on-november-2?amp

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-temporary-restrictions-update-21-october-2020/

https://twitter.com/PickardJE/status/1319229675072331776?s=19

https://twitter.com/i/events/1319054570610249728

https://www.facebook.com/beth.hawthorne.77/videos/5114488255243957

https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/emea/pocdoc-launches-covid-19-workplace-testing-help-get-britain-back-work

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-for-jobs-chancellor-increases-financial-support-for-businesses-and-workers

https://twitter.com/tobiaschneider/status/1319281640493907975

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/dutch-ethical-hacker-logs-into-trump-s-twitter-account~badaa815/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/22/wales-nationalise-train-rail-operations-covid-passenger-slump

https://twitter.com/firefoxx66/status/1319229490468425733

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54643672

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia Game Review (Age 7+) Sent for review

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a video game based on the popular TV series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia. It was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows on September 25th and we were sent a code to review on the Playstation. 

It's been a little while since I spent any quality time on a game, but sadly I've had my right hand in a brace since June, so I still can't actually join in this time. My 12 year old has given me his opinion for this review... 

The game is a familiar side-scrolling platformer, and you take the role of  Jim Lake Jr. (in two-player co-operative mode you can also play as Claire Nuñez). The aim of the game is to collect dirty socks and coins, fighting any enemies you meet on the way. Well, okay, the aim of the game is to prevent evil troll Porgon causing a Time-pocalypse.... 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 19th / 20th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 19th / 20th October 2020.

The UK added 21,331 cases today and now has reported a total of 762,542 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 260,338 tests yesterday. 

6,431 people were in hospital, with 629 using a ventilator, on Sunday 18th October. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 241 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 43,967 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

According to ONS figures, up until Friday 8th October, 58,164 people had COVID-19 written on their death certificate. 

Cases / Losses of life (going by death certificate, 2 weeks in arrears):
England 647,025 / 50,309
Northern Ireland 28,953 / 913
Scotland 49,164 / 4,301
Wales 37,400 / 2,641

Rep. Of Ireland 52,256 (+1,263) cases and 1,865 (+13) losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 40,874,258 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,126,263. Already 30,481,449 people have recovered.

“You cannot, in an epidemic, just take your own risk. Unfortunately, you’re taking a risk on behalf of everybody else.”
Chief Medical Officer of England, Professor Chris Whitty. 

“We can look to happier days, but these are going to be some tough months ahead."
Former head of the US FDA, Dr Scott Gottlieb. 

The UK had a coronavirus briefing with Boris Haircut, Jonathan Van-Tam, (Deputy Chief Medical Officer) and Stephen Powis (NHS England).
Greater Manchester was given until noon today to come to agreement over Tier 3 Restrictions, and the amount of money that would be given to support people unable to work, or the Government said they'd step in. They did not manage it by noon. Nor by 2pm.
"At 2pm, the Government walked away from negotiations"
Andy Burnham, Manchester Mayor (he had asked for £65m).
The press conference started with latest data on case rates per 100,000 population by local authority across England. It's grim.
Estimates of new infections by region are rising in all age groups except the young people, which are levelling off. It's obviously the older age groups who are at greater risk of succumbing to COVID, and these people do need protecting. Sadly though, hospital admissions show that they are rising rapidly among people around 75+.
They did show graphs for Greater Manchester specifically, and it was very black.
Boris said our measures aren't in vain, we have brought the infection rate down below it's natural level, to around 1.3 or 1.5 (erm....whoop?) instead of 3 or 4. (This does slow spread, but it's still spread...)

Greater Manchester will move to Tier 3 VERY HIGH ALERT AT MIDNIGHT THURSDAY.
- Pubs and bars will close unless serving main meals
- No household mixing indoors or out in most settings
- Travel into or out of the area is advised against.
- The Rule Of 6 must be adhered to.
- Additionally to base Tier 3 restrictions -  casinos, bingo halls, betting shops, adult gaming centres and soft play must also close.
He talks about the Job Support Scheme and Universal Credit giving the lowest paid up to 80% of their regular wage (what about people on zero hour or 10 hour contracts?...). Greater Manchester will receive £22m in support (this is far less per head than has been given to Lancashire and Liverpool, which is what they are all arguing about). 

Public asked if the rules can be changed so that they can visit care homes. Boris burbled and then Jonathan Van Tam was overly-sincere. The answer is that it endangers everyone in the care home. It's not wise now.
Press asked why we don't have a national 'firebreak' lockdown. Jon and Steve both said it wasn't fair to do that nationally. Greater Manchester has more COVID patients than the entire South West of the country.
Press asked what difference arguing for 10 days will have made to Greater Manchester (well, the pubs in Bolton managed to open for a whole fortnight). Jon spoke about cases per 100k in age 60+, which have just about doubled. Steve talked about hospitalisations - which follow around 12+ days after people catch the virus. Greater Manchester had 330 patients with COVID 2 weeks ago, and 620 yesterday. At it's peak, on 18th April, Greater Manchester had 1,277 patients with COVID, so in 2 weeks we could be back at that level (and it's already too late to change that).
Jonathan seemed so demoralised. He needs a hug. "We can't afford just to let our elderly die. And we can't afford to let our NHS be completely consumed by COVID, so they can't do their usual work." 

"We are running now with the brakes partially on, and the R is 1.3-1.5 according to the latest estimates, so we can't take the brake off on this, and we may have to push on it a little bit harder."
Jonathan Van-Halen-Morrison. 

Press asked about the £22m being given to Manchester - he said this is half of what Liverpool has been offered, and not the £60m Boris was rumoured to have offered last night. 'So will local leaders be penalised i they aren't compliant?' Underneath that floppy exterior Boris is a hard-hearted soul. He clearly has ice inside. He didn't give a real answer. My guess is yes.
Press asked about contact tracing. All the lolz... *insert non-answers and misplaced credit here*

Myface by Kevin Landt, Young Adult Fiction Book Review (sent for review)

 Myface is a new release from Kevin Landt, and I've been sent a copy for review. This is very modern young adult fiction, which blurs the lines between social media fantasy, and reality, so much so that you don't really know what's real and what isn't until a good way through the book. 

Myface starts with a murder, and then follows twisting and turning paths which all intersect at various points in the book. It has a great cast of people who all have the same thing in common - they care desperately about what other people think of them. Far too much really...

The main characters include Norman, a 22 year old ex-child star and 24 hour a day live streamer. Max, who spends his life watching other people live their lives. Amir, the theatre director, and his financer and wife, Jada. We have Sebastian, obsessed with someone he can never have, and his wife, Liz, who dreams of acting stardom. Finally we have the seemingly perfect, sultry and illusive Angela Fox. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News weekend update 17th / 18th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News weekend update 17th / 18th October 2020.

The UK added 16,982 cases today and now has reported a total of 722,409 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 305,315 tests on Friday (obviously they're proud of that, they've not updated it).

Hospital figures have also not been updated: 5,608 people were in hospital on Thursday 15th, with 592 using a ventilator on Friday 16th October. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 67 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 43,646 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 49,962 (+1,283) cases and 1,852 (+3) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 40,149,458 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,116,907. Already 30,017,848 people have recovered. Passing 40m cases is a grim milestone, but passing 30m recovered far less so. 

"We do need stronger restrictions if we want the number of infections to go down," says Prof Steven Riley, Professor of Infectious Disease Dynamics, Imperial College London, on the Channel 4 Lockdown Debate about 10 minutes ago. 

The English and Welsh COVID App., and most of the others, work by pinging a location every few minutes. If you pass by someone who later tests positive,  you might have 1 ping in common. If you spend 20 minutes sitting beside them,  you should get at least 2. When it finds 2 together, the app. triggers and you get a notification to self-isolate.
With the English and Welsh app. it seems to also be sending a flash alert after 1 ping, just to make you more 'alert'. If you get this, it flashes up, but when you try to find out more or do anything, it's gone. It's confusing a lot of you. This is  not a notification to isolate, you just had a close call. 

The row between Greater Manchester and the UK Government continues. After Boris gave a thinly-veiled attack implying Andy Burnham was putting lives at risk, Andy Burnham's comeback was to point out that Sir Patrick Vallance has now joined Jonathan Van Tam, Dr Jenny Harries and Chris Whitty in saying that the baseline Tier 3 measures aren't enough to bring down levels of COVID. There really does seem to be no positive evidence and no point. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 16th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 16th October 2020.

The UK added 15,650 cases today and now has reported a total of 689,257 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 304,315 tests yesterday. 

5,311 people were in hospital on Wednesday 14th (up from 3,660 a week earlier), with 580 using a ventilator yesterday, 15th October (up from 436 a week earlier). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 136 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 43,429 officially reported losses of life in all settings. (57,690 people have had COVID written on their death certificate.) 

England 584,843 / 38,524
Northern Ireland 25,177 / 608
Scotland 45,232 / 2,594
Wales 34,005 / 1,703

Rep. Of Ireland 47,427 (+998) cases and 1,841 (+3) losses of life.  

There have now been a total of 39,416,753 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,106,120. Already 29,510,661 people have recovered.

"The new restrictions we have seen brought in this week have made little practical difference to restrictions faced by most people. Cases will continue to rise in the majority of areas.
Waiting to discover the impact of the new 2 Tier system, is allowing time for the virus to spread further."
independent SAGE advisory group. 

From 4am Sunday 18 October, people arriving in England from Italy, San Marino and Vatican City State will need to self-isolate, as they will be removed from the travel corridor list this week .
The Greek island of Crete will be added to list for England.

The University & College Union have done a tally, and this morning said that over 20,000 university students have now tested positive in the UK.
That is an awful lot of worried parents, and food parcels...

At midnight tonight Wales close the border to anyone from Northern Ireland, England's Tier 2 and 3 areas, and the central belt of Scotland. You are not welcome, you disease ridden Angles. Fod wedi mynd.
Obviously this is bad news for anyone who was hoping to take a break in Wales, and I do sympathise with you, but at the same time you can hardly blame them. Movement restrictions are one of the very best ways to contain and suppress any virus.
Welsh Ministers are also reported to be considering a circuit-break lockdown. 

#TBCSmiles October 2020 74 Months...

 It's the 15th and the grinniest day of the month - and I think we all need that at the moment. 

How is your mental health? How are you coping? Take a bit of time to think about yourself and do a wellness check. Are you sleeping well, eating well? When was the last time you treated yourself to a few hours doing something just for you? 

It's easy to become distracted by the fact there's a pandemic, and a lot of things have had to be put on hold, but life hasn't stopped. You still need to cook, clean study, work, and likewise you still need time off. If you haven't built it into your week, try to do so - you still earned it. 

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined in with #TBCSmiles this month over on Instagram. It was a busy one with the return to organised chaos for parents of schoolchildren, and if you are anything like us, you've also experienced the joys of 2 week's self-isolation (and 7 days trying to get at least 1 of us tested - thankfully that situation has improved a bit). It's definitely not 'normal', it is a new and temporary normal, but we are still making those smiles. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 14 /15 October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 14 /15 October 2020.

The UK added 18,980 cases today and now has reported a total of 673,622 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 295,690 tests yesterday. 

4,941 people were in hospital on Tuesday 13th, with 563 using a ventilator yesterday, 14th October. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 138 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 43,293 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 45,243 cases and 1,835 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 38,947,653 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,099,641. Already 29,239,129 people have recovered.

"It is wrong to place some of the poorest parts of England in a punishing lockdown without proper support."
Andy Burnham, on behalf of the Greater Manchester local leaders. 

On Tuesday teatime, after the publication of the official SAGE meeting recommendations from 24th September, the leader of the UK political opposition, Kier Starmer MP, publicly called for more strident action against the virus immediately.
"We are at a decisive moment in the fight against the coronavirus. That’s why I'm calling for a circuit break in England - to protect the NHS, fix testing and get control of the virus."
He'd like a 3 week lockdown break around half term, and to be honest I'm still stunned that Boris didn't announce one at the press conference on Monday. Kier believes the government have lost control of the pandemic. I don't think that's entirely true, I think this is their plan, and wanted to allow younger, less vulnerable, people to be exposed purposefully in order to achieve a level of herd immunity by transmission. At some point they WILL lose control, because freewheeling down a hill with no brakes rarely ends well. It's a game with stakes that are too high for me to be comfortable. I'd like to stop playing. 

Ad | What Do You Need To Know Before Buying A Smart TV?

What DO you need to know before buying a smart TV? I needed a guide before I bought mine, and I think most of us do, as technology is constantly evolving and capability is expanding. This is a guest promotional post by Maria Lopez - who knows far more than I do... 

Since technology is always evolving, most electronics come with the word “smart” attached to them. What exactly makes a device smart? Some gadgets can work on their own to execute commands without the use of a human. Not only that, but they can connect to the internet and create the Internet of Things (IOT). Additionally, some gadgets can have context-awareness, data storage, portability, and flawless user-interaction. 

Does this mean that your smart TV is going to have all of these features? Quite possibly! It honestly all depends on the make and model of your smart television. However, I am going to take the time to debunk some common myths about smart televisions. 

Hedgeways - Eco-Friendly 2 Player Strategy Tile Game Review - Sent by Sprout & Gherkin

The people behind the gorgeous wooden tile game Sproutword are back with another equally beautiful eco-friendly wooden game. Hedgeways is for 2 players, although we've also played a light-hearted game with 4, and recommended for anyone aged around 3-99+ (best for anyone aged 6+ in my opinion). 

The first thing you'll notice is the box. Hedgeways is packaged in an incredibly clever all wooden box, and it instantly calls out to be wrapped in colourful tissue paper and given to someone you really like as a gift. 

The box is all-in-one, and you just flip the lid to open it. The front, back and hinge are created from  a single piece of wood, carefully cut and shaped, and it's really very clever, and quite special. 

Inside the box nothing is wasted and the entire thing is plastic-free. The instructions are very simple and printed on recycled card, and there is a cloth drawstring bag holding all of the wooden tiles. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 12 /13 October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 12 /13 October 2020.

The UK added 17,234 cases today and now has reported a total of 634,920 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 219.074 tests yesterday. 

4,367 people were in hospital on Sunday 11th (up from 2,833 the same time last week), with 507 using a ventilator yesterday, 12th October (up from 393 the same time last week). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 143 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 43,018 officially reported losses of life in all settings. 

Up until Friday 2nd October, 57,690 people in the UK have had COVID given as a cause on their death certificate. 

Rep. Of Ireland 43,351 cases and 1,827 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 38,243,553 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,088,221. Already 28,739,127 people have recovered.

Remember the English Government's announcements yesterday only apply from midnight tonight, so if you are in the North West or North East, no garden visits until afterwards. 

The Nightingale Hospitals in Manchester, Harrogate and Sunderland have been put on standby, as local hospitals are starting to feel the weight of COVID cases. 

UK student exams next Summer will be delayed by 2-3 weeks to allow for extra 'catch up' tuition time. They will start on 7th June rather than mid-May. 

I was a grumpy yesterday because we've had garden visits banned since July, and now they're allowed, when my area has over 40 times as much COVID as it did in July. I agree with Chris Whitty, the measures announced yesterday by Boris do nothing to actually decrease transmission of COVID, they can only slow the rise slightly. I've always been annoyed that the English government have decided to attempt 'controlled herd immunity by transmission' among the less vulnerable population. They are playing with fire at our risk, and potentially our expense, and some areas are about to get burnt. Well done to the Mayor of Liverpool for daring to stand alone and impose Very High Tier restrictions. 

England COVID Briefings 12th October 2020

 England COVID Briefings 12th October 2020

"Within Greater Manchester, we have seen a three-fold increase in the number of patients admitted to intensive care in the last 5 weeks, and an eight-fold increase in the number of patients admitted to our hospitals. The situation at the moment is that 30% of our critical care beds are taken up with patients with COVID, and this is starting to impact on the services that we provide for other patients.....  I stress to you the importance of us taking this disease extremely seriously."
Dr Jane Eddleston, Greater Manchester Medical Lead.

This morning Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, gave a Coronavirus Data Briefing, along with Professor Steve Powys of NHS England, and Dr Jane Eddlestone, Greater Manchester Medical Lead.
Case numbers are rising rapidly, and hospitalisation will follow around 2-3 weeks later. Losses of life will inevitably follow suit.
The UK picture is visibly getting worse by the week.
Steve told us The Netherlands and France are seeing record numbers of cases, around 40% of Paris intensive care beds are occupied by COVID patients. Spain has declared a State of Emergency in Madrid, around 40% of their intensive care beds are taken up with COVID patients. The situation in the UK is no better.
"We now have more patients in hospital with COVID-19 than we did when the Government announced restrictions on March 23rd."
We are reminded about the improvements in understanding about the virus, treatments and therapeutics. We are getting much better at this and saving lives.
In areas where COVID is especially high risk, NHS staff will be regularly tested whether they have symptoms or not.
The Nightingale Hospitals in Manchester, Harrogate and Sunderland have been asked to stand by and prepare for the possibility of having to treat patients over the next few weeks.
We will try to avoid delaying treatments for anything else during this wave. Go to your GP or ring 111 if you are ill, have a lump, get chest pain, etc. The NHS is open to everyone.  

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 10 /11 October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 10 /11 October 2020.

The UK dashboard is a bit iffy today, so not everything has been updated. 

The UK added 12,872 cases today and now has reported a total of 603,716 positive cases of COVID-19. 

3,837 people were in hospital on Thursday 8th, with 442 using a ventilator on Friday 9th. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 65 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,825 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 41,714 cases and 1,824 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 37,611,948 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,079,274. Already 28,202,212 people have recovered.

On Friday and Saturday the number of daily cases across the world exceeded 350,000 per day - the highest figures of the pandemic. This isn't only due to the rise in cases across Europe (which is very real), but also the whole world is testing more, and finding more low or no symptom cases. 

Tomorrow there's a UK Coronavirus briefing and it's pretty certain that blonde bloke who was Mayor of the Danny Boyle Olympics will announce the Tiers Of Restriction/Intervention.
It seems likely Tier 2 will trigger at 100 cases per 100k population - so a huge amounts of England are well over, by several times in some cases - from Liverpool right over to Newcastle, plus Sheffield, Nottingham etc.
No leaks yet about exactly what triggers the next tiers will have, or what exactly it will mean for people in those areas, but hospitality WILL be closed in some places, and the government’s favourite paper-to-leak-to is reporting there'll be some restrictions on inessential movement in harder hit areas.  

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 9th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 9th October 2020.

The UK added 13,864 cases today and now has reported a total of 575,679 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 285,015 tests yesterday. 

3,660 people were in hospital on Wednesday 7th, with 436 using a ventilator yesterday. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 87 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,679 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 35th September, we had lost 57,347 people who had COVID noted on their death certificate. 

Rep. Of Ireland 40,703 (+617) cases and 1,821(+4) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 36,950,832 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,069,577. Already 27,782,381 people have recovered.

"An estimated 224,400 people (95% credible interval: 203,800 to 245,700) within the community population in England had the coronavirus (COVID-19) during the most recent week, from 25 September to 1 October 2020, equating to around 1 in 240 people (95% credible interval: 1 in 270 to 1 in 220).
The estimate shows the number of infections has increased rapidly in recent weeks."
UK Office For National Statistics. 

Today's independent (not-Government) SAGE group briefing started with a warning that I think won't surprise anyone. This is "not a good news week." It was Dr Alice Roberts presenting though, so that made it a little better.
Test and Trace mislaid almost 16,000 cases, results for contact tracing are the worst ever. The time taken to receive results is longer than previously. It's not gone well.
ONS results out today show that cases are rising really rapidly, and doubling around every 2 weeks. The Public Health England REACT Study suggests doubling around 3 weeks, but with massive regional differences.
Northern Ireland has seen a very rapid rise in cases.

Happy Anyway by Jane Hanford (Sent for review) Young Adult Book Review

Happy Anyway is a self-help book especially suitable for young people with anxiety. Author Jane Hanford has sent me a copy for review, and although I'm a little older than the main target market, I can certainly appreciate the problems anxiety brings. Managing worries and fretfulness are also something that at least one of our children has really struggled with.... 

The book starts with an introduction, and you can instantly feel the enthusiasm of the author. She wants to tell you everything, and has a friendly, easy to read style that won't be off-putting to a teenage reader. The main body of the book itself is split into 'chapters' or what the author refers to as "40 short insights into how your mind works". 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 7th / 8th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 7th / 8th October 2020.

The UK added 17,540 cases today and now has reported a total of 561,815 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 254,579 tests yesterday. 

3,412 people were in hospital on 6th October, with 442 using a ventilator yesterday. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 77 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,592 officially reported losses of life in all settings. 

We have a new figure today, and that is people for whom COVID was mentioned on the death certificate. The total up until Friday 25th September is 57,347.

Rep. Of Ireland 39,584 cases and 1,816 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 36,591,174 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,063,529. Already 27,548,442 people have recovered.

It may be about to get a bit harder in England, especially for people in the North. As per usual, the UK Government haven't made any public announcements, they've just leaked it to their favourite Fleet Street hamster cage liners. Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle have the highest rates of infection in the UK, and word is, the health system is beginning to feel the weight of the increased hospital admissions, so pubs and hospitality are about to be ordered to close. The affected Mayors are yet again complaining that despite meetings with government ministers this week, this was not discussed. They also found out when they read this morning's papers...  

The UK Government are thrashing out arrangements for their Tiers of Restriction/Intervention plan. We are expecting a Coronavirus Briefing any day to announce exactly what the Tiers will be, and which areas will fall under which tier.
No school will be closed except as a last resort, but it doesn't look as promising for pubs, bars and restaurants, and other hospitality and leisure. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 5th / 6th October 2020.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 5th / 6th October 2020.

The UK added 14,542 cases today (the same time last week we added +7,143) and now has reported a total of 530,113 positive cases of COVID-19 (Up 83,957 since the same time last week, when the total was 446,156). We completed 273,100 tests yesterday. 

There were 2,833 patients in hospital on Sunday 4th October, with 393 using a ventilator yesterday.  (Up from 2,049 / 297 the same time last week). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 76 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,445 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Yes, we clearly have a problem. Never forget though, that we still aren't in the position we were in during Spring, when we might have only been catching 1 in every 10 to 20 cases. Now we believe we catch around 1 in 2. That doesn't mean we can be complacent, but keep it in perspective. 

Rep. Of Ireland 38,549 cases and 1,810 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 35,893,179 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,051,146. Already 26,998,272 people have recovered.

"Our best estimates tell us that about 10% of the global population may have been infected by this virus."
Dr Mike Ryan, World Health Organisation

As we spotted when the guidance for schools changed last week, the English Government is about to bring in a Tier System, which will hopefully simplify all of the various rulings in place in England. Rather than having to refer to your local authority to find out exactly what you can and can't do, each location will be given a standardised 'Tier' and that will have restrictions associated with it.
I covered what this means for schools on 28/29 September, and further information is probably also buried within different guidance pages, but few humans have time to read them all. Further announcements are expected imminently. 

Trump seems to have relied almost entirely on testing everyone in order to 'prevent' COVID-19 ever reaching him. He rarely wore a mask, didn't socially distance, and I can't comment on whether he even washes his hands. New York Times has it in one headline:
"Trump campaign officials say his illness shows the futility of precautions, many of which he did not take."
Nailed it.