The Brick Castle: 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.

Cloth masks How to wear a non medical mask safely

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.

Rishi Sunak is under fire for suggesting that artists and musicians simply retrain in order to get a different job - which he actually didn't.
Incidentally, the Arts Industry brings around 10.8billion a year into the UK, contributes around £2.8b a year in tax, and internally generates around £23b. Not exactly pin money.

Tougher measures were announced yesterday in Scotland, both nationally, and along the harder-hit central belt (health board regions of Lothian, Lanarkshire, Forth Valley, Ayrshire & Arran and Greater Glasgow & Clyde):
"We are not going back into lockdown today, not closing schools and not asking people to stay home...."
- People are asked to think carefully about travel, especially within the central belt area. Avoid travel into different areas from the central belt.
- Work from home if you can.
"Temporary measures are planned to last for 16 days starting for licensed premises at 18:00 on Friday 9th October and at 00:01 Saturday 10th October for all other restrictions. They will run until Sunday 25th October inclusive.
ALL SCOTLAND measures (outside the central belt area):
- Hospitality (food and drink premises) may only open indoors 6am-6pm, with no sale of alcohol.
- All premises may open outdoors until 10pm, including alcohol.
- A maximum of 6 people from 2 households may mix.
(Limited exemption for residences that are licensed premises, specific life events and take-aways – subject to local licensing.)
Temporary CENTRAL BELT measures:
- All licensed hospitality must close. If the building has more uses, then the parts where food or drink are served must close. Licensed cafes may open from 0600—1800 (without alcohol sale or consumption)
- Unlicensed premises may open between 6 am and 6 pm.
- A maximum of 6 people from 2 households may mix.
(Limited exemption for residences that are licensed premises, specific life events and take-aways – subject to local licensing.)
- No age 18+ group exercise classes for indoor gyms/sports courts, pools.
- No age 18+ contact sports/ training – except professional sports, indoor or outdoor.
- No outdoor live events.
- Snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling, casinos and bingo halls must close.

Latest ONS figures show:
"Looking at the year-to-date (using the most up-to-date data we have available), the number of deaths up to 25 September 2020 was 453,771, which is 53,888 more than the five-year average. Of the deaths registered by 25 September, 52,856 mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, 11.6% of all deaths in England and Wales."

Long COVID really is getting a lot of press now, as the numbers of people affected are obviously mounting up pretty swiftly. UK NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens yesterday announced that £10 million will be invested (this year) in additional local funding to help kick start and designate long COVID clinics in every area across England. These will complement existing primary, community and rehabilitation care, including online rehabilitation service 'Your COVID Recovery', and all services will be available to anyone suspected to have long COVID, even if they didn't have a positive test or hospital stay.

The England and Wales Test And Trace Disgrace continues with their worst ever week. Data until 30th September shows:
-"51,475 people tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) for the first time in England between 24 September and 30 September, a 56% increase compared to the previous week. Positive cases have been rising steeply over the past 5 weeks with over 7 times as many positive cases identified in the most recent week compared to the end of August."
- 60.8% of in-person tests results were received the next day after the test was taken compared to 70.6% in the previous week.
- Of those transferred to the contact tracing system 24-30 September, 74.0% were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts.
- Of all contacts identified, 68.6% were reached.

515 doctors have lost their lives to COVID throughout India so far. Many more nurses and support staff have died.

Italy has extended their Period Of Emergency until 31st January 2021. The decree extends mandates on things like workplace safety measures, and in my translation at least, has a whole section called "I Use Masks". Sometimes translations are so cute, they bring warmth to my day.

Trump of the Day:
Trump has broken quarantine and returned to work in the Oval Office - because he's all better now. Apparently. He was diagnosed with COVID just 7 days ago. He has filmed a new address to his population/ advert for one of his favourite companies:
"Perhaps you recognise me, it's your favourite President, and I'm standing in front of the Oval Office at The White House."
(Yes we do. And you're VERY orange today. Your hands look like they belong to someone else. What happened to pink-faced, human Donald?)
"They gave me regeneron... and it was like, unbelievable. I felt good immediately."
(They actually gave you a lot of drugs Donald. Loooooooooooods. All the drugs. You must still rattle).
"We have Regeneron, we have a very similar drug from Eli Lilley, and they're coming out and we're trying to get them, on an emergency basis."
(That's because they haven't finished trials yet, isn't it Donald.)
"We've authorised it. I've authorised it."
(Wait, wait, waaaaaait. YOU'VE authorised it. I hope those are just words. I would feel more secure if someone who had studied medicine had a say.)
"If you're in the hospital and you've got it really bad, I think we're going to work it so you get them free, and especially if you're a senior, we're going to get you in there quick."
(That is so sweet. That really would be an awesome thing.)
They call it therapeutic, but to me it wasn't therapeutic, it just made me better."
(Errrrrmmmm... yeah. Never heard of any sort of 'therapy' then?)
"I call that a cure."
(Truly Donald, I'm stoked you're doing so well, and your team of medical personnel and medicinal cocktail seem to have really helped you fight COVID so far. You are clearly still huffing and puffing a bit, but able to ramble for 4 minutes. I'd go so far as to say it looks like Regeneron hasn't harmed you in any way, and could possibly have even helped.)
"I think this was a blessing from God that I caught it..... I heard about this drug, I said let me take it. It was my suggestion."
(I bet it actually was, you do like your experimental drugs. You're only the 10th person who has had this aside from people taking part in the ongoing trials.)
"I want to get for you what I got, and I'm going to make it free. You're not going to pay for it. It wasn't your fault that this happened, it was China's fault, and China's gonna pay a big price, what they've done to this country. China's gonna pay a big price, what they've done to the world. This was China's fault, and just remember that."
Wooooooh! Stop right there.
- China made errors, they delayed information by 2-4 weeks, but you didn't move for 3 months after that. You wasted 3 months, and then you still said it was a flu. You're saying it now.
- Where did it really come from? People in interesting countries are claiming to have found trace COVID in wastewater from last year. Last December's samples show it seems to have already been in Italy. Spanish scientists have found what they believe to be traces of COVID in frozen wastewater samples from Barcelona dating back to March 12th 2019. Did it spread around the world silently before it reached epidemic proportions? Does China have a counter-claim against you Donald? Maybe Americans took it to Asia? There's no place for racism.
- This is nature. We are just animals living on a rock, and it's easy to forget that. Nature will always be bigger than all of us. It really isn't anyone's fault unless they released it purposefully, which would make it likely to be either no-one's fault, or anyone but China...

The UK University reopening is going.... ermmm.... not so well. There are a lot of cases - and thankfully very few will become very ill. Among the high flyers are:
Newcastle Uni - 1,003 students / 12 staff
Northumbria Uni - 1,389 students
Durham Uni - 100 students
University of Manchester - 1,264 students / 21 staff
Manchester Metropolitan University - 531 students / 13 staff
Nottingham University - 425 students / 8 staff
University of Leeds - 558 students
University of Sheffield - 740 students
Bristol University - 119 students / 2 staff
Sunderland University - 102 students / 9 staff

Italian health officials in Rome have started using non-invasive testing methods for little children. They chew a sterile cotton swab, rather than have the usual stick inserted up their nose.

Colombia (population 51m) reached a peak in mid to late August of around 13k cases a day, they dropped down a little, but in the last week have reported increasing figures again. They are currently reporting around 7.6k cases a day.
Russia (population 146m) is facing a second wave, and possibly like the UK's, due to increased testing, it looks much steeper than the first. They are currently reporting around 11k cases per day.
Brazil (population 211m) has passed 5m cases, but has also passed their peak, where they had 55-60k cases a day. They are now reporting around 30k per day.
The USA (population 331m) reached a peak of around 75k cases a day in July, and like Colombia, dropped a little way, but never really fell far. They plateaued around 45k-50k cases a day about a month ago, and are still there.
India (population 1,380m) is finally seeing a reduction in cases, and losses of life. Cases peaked in mid September at around 95k a day, and have finally dropped back to around 75k a day.

The situation in Europe is that cases are rising across the board. Spain, France, The Netherlands, Belgium and The Czech Republic are doing worse than the UK for new cases/per head in the last 14 days, The Czech Republic/Czechia having the hardest time - they have a population of just 10.7m people, and in the last 2 days have reported almost 10,000 new cases.

Remember ages ago the UK Government advertised for a Press Secretary to host their Coronavirus briefings? Out of all of the applicants, an appointee has been chosen, and it's ex-journalist Allegra Stratton. As luck would have it, she is married to James Forsyth, political editor of the Spectator. Commissioning editor of the Spectator, Mary Wakefield, is married to Dominic Cummings, chief adviser to the PM. How handy is that? Can't wait... and by all accounts I won't need to. There'll be a briefing along very soon...

Some people. They look like numbers because I don't have room for all of their names:

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

USA 7,793,305 (+17,081) 217,163 (+379)

India 6,899,747 (+66,759) 106,500 (+946)

Brazil 5,006,528 (+4,171) 148,449 (+145)

Russia 1,260,112 (+11,493) 22,056 (+191)

Colombia 877,683 not yet reported today 27,180

Spain 872,276 not yet reported today 32,562

Argentina 840,915 not yet reported today 22,226

Peru 835,662 not yet reported today 33,009

Mexico 799,188 (+4,580) 82,726 (+378)

South Africa 685,155 not yet reported 17,248

France 653,509 not yet reported today 32,445

UK 561,815 (+17,540) 42,592 (+77)

Iran 488,236 (+4,392) 27,888 (+230)

Chile 476,016 (+1,576) 13,167 (+77)

Iraq 394,566 (+3,522) 9,683 (+79)

Sources:

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

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

https://twitter.com/i/events/1313977095165411328

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending25september2020

Brilliant summary of where we are: https://www.quora.com/q/coronavirus?__ni__=0&__nsrc__=4&__snid3__=12516080203&__tiids__=13080755

Wastewater 2019

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.25.20140061v1

https://www.cebm.net/study/covid-19-sentinel-surveillance-of-sars-cov-2-in-wastewater-anticipates-the-occurrence-of-covid-19-cases/

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.13.20129627v1

https://theconversation.com/was-coronavirus-really-in-europe-in-march-2019-141582

Trump home

https://twitter.com/i/events/1311831665379954688?s=09

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1313959702104023047?s=19

https://twitter.com/i/events/1313977095165411328

https://apnews.com/article/50c979b85d8666ca554f3eba6c646fe5

https://twitter.com/MetroMayorSteve/status/1314124091805388801/photo/1