Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

It depends how you define 'lie'. He said he would get us out of the EU by the end of last year. He meant that, so it was not a lie. He would have achieved what he promised, too, if the remain-obsessed House of Commons at the time had not done their damnedest to block it.

Anti-Conservatives just love to keep repeating the 'liar' nonsense because it's the only way they can think of to try to undermine the most popular PM we've had for ages.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Don't we have a Brexit thread for this debate OB..

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I’m not taking this off topic by pointing out the individual incidents but he’s lost jobs because he’s been caught out lying. You don’t need to be “anti-conservative” to see that.

Anyway as always, I wish him a speedy recovery.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I posted something similar weeks ago. There was piece questioning whether it was worth taking the economy and piling up huge debt to save what might only be a few hundred thousand people.

I suppose choosing not to sacrifice the vulnerable is what makes us human.

---------- Post added at 14:08 ---------- Previous post was at 14:06 ----------

That's a misleading stat, considering the tens of thousands still be treated in ICU.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Some interesting data according to modelling by a US university.

http://www.healthdata.org/news-relea...s-uk-early-its

http://www.healthdata.org/covid/updates

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

It's also about the knock-on impact of the NHS overwhelmed by those hundreds of thousands of people which would certainly lead to other deaths elsewhere. You don't know for sure how high that death toll would be.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Yes it was rubbish then and it is now. 'only few hundred thousand people dead' ???

As I think Hugh said, the economy has collapsed and recovered before, unlike dead people.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

It’s Easter this Sunday ;)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Someone else that came out when he wasn't supposed to!

---------- Post added at 14:47 ---------- Previous post was at 14:45 ----------

300,000, for example, using cold numbers, is a tiny fraction of the population.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I agree that in the current form, schools could not perform the social distancing done by Taiwan which included staggered classes and children not moving from room to room but the teachers coming to their class instead (actually my daughters secondary school does do this for their first year) But it is food for thought that there are possibilities out there that have been shown to work.

Staggered classes does sound like an interesting concept. For example, let Years 9 and 11 (4th year and lower 6th of secondary school in old money) start sooner to crack on with their GCSEs and A levels and let other years go part time, maybe one day a week each in the first instance (Years 10 and 12 have finished now of course)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

And if one of them is a relative of yours? (one of the ones you like that is ;) ). 300k deaths would affect a lot more people than the 300k. Some things you can't put a price on.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

It may well be a tiny fraction of the population but you are ignoring the economic impact of Coronavirus before lockdown.

Consumer confidence tanks if you tell people there's a chance that they, or their loved ones, could die unnecessarily. Added on top millions of infections, sick leave and people taking time off to look after ill family members and kids.

At a global level the economy is a big pozni scheme anyway. States can easily underwrite people's living standards through lockdown and everyone comes out the other side with the same job and wealth as before if they really wanted to. However, as Moggs investment firm pointed out, there's money to be made during a crisis.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I know that, I wasn’t advocating the premise. But on cold hard numbers....................In a cold hard world. Anyway it’s a side discussion I’m happy to leave here.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad:

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I can assure you Hom3r that I was being sarcastic in response to the post I quoted downplaying the seriousness of CV.

Certainly I've no intention of offending, and I hope you and your family are well at this time. Largely I was demonstrating contempt for this kind of article: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/113099...dering-online/

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Umm, I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm, otherwise there would have been action taken. :)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Indeed, don't do sarcasm or humour on CF. It's banned, has been for years ;)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Sorry, I didn't get it.

---------- Post added at 19:00 ---------- Previous post was at 18:59 ----------

Not only does my mum have Covid-19, she has developed Pneumonia.

She only went in with loss of feeling below the knees, which is still on going.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Jeez. Hoping, praying for the best mate.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Hallelujah - we will still celebrate the greatest act of love ever seen.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Yes, He has a funny way of showing it!

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I wonder if in the future we could see a Deputy PM position created as part of a consttutional tweak?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

But what would a Deputy PM do the rest of the time?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The presence of suffering in the world is a big issue, but one Christians don’t shy away from, not least because central to our faith is God, incarnating himself as a man, born into a humble family in a country under military occupation, and eventually being tortured and executed in his mid-30s for suggesting people should be nice to one another.

The question “why does God allow suffering?” is huge. There are ways of approaching it, though no one complete answer everyone will agree on, not least because the question sets finite human minds the challenge of attempting to understand the motivation of a divine mind that is by definition infinite.

But: our confession that God in Jesus the Christ participates in human suffering is an immense source of comfort to Christians, especially at times like this.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

What deputies do everywhere else - be a backup in case of absence (holidays, sickness, more than one meeting to attend at the same time) - it's in addition to normal roles/duties, not a role in its own right.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I don't think there needs to be a constitutional tweak, it's just that the Torys don't have one. Prescot was Deputy PM for years.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Was that merely a by-product of Labour Party rules, requiring a Deputy Leader?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I'm suggesting the constitutional tweak might be to mandate one for each Government.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

But then, like the USA, you would have to install a complete hierarchical chain of succession.

Who would be the Deputy to the Deputy PM?

At the moment Raab is steering the tiller, if god forbid, Boris did not return or was left very long term incapacitated, the Party would quickly select another leader from the cabinet.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The prime minister remains in intensive care but is responding to treatment, Downing Street has said.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...tment-11970482

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Yup, prime example of this stance was with John Prescott, made Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, under Tony Blair, when Labour won a landslide victory in the 1997 General Election. Prescott was also the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions until 2001 in conjunction with his DPM role.

The Deputy Prime Minister, or First Secretary of State, does not assume the duties and powers of the Prime Minister upon their absence, illness, or death.

Boris Johnson is still the Prime Minister and he has asked Dominic Raab to deputise for him. Raab cannot hire and fire people, but he will be the key person to drive home the Prime Ministers and governments agenda, the government consists of the joint Cabinet and they usually make key decisions together. Raab would also not have a weekly audience with Her Majesty, the Queen, like the Prime Minister does.

There is this current claim in the media that there is a power vacuum at Number 10, while yes, we're not quite like other nations, like the United States, having a written Constitution that outlines that if a president becomes incapacitated, it still has a functioning chief executive, Vice president assumes the presidency, under the 25th Amendment, however if both President and Vice President are incapacitated, then the line of presidential succession continues to House Speaker.

The UK has similar lines of succession in the form of Seniority of Cabinet members, should Raab become unwell and have to self isolate, then the Chancellor becomes responsible in the absence of the Prime Minister.

This is to drive home to others, in particular to adversaries, that while, yes there is a sad and emotional human element of temporarily or permanently losing a Prime Minister or President, that it is vital that a country still has a functioning chief executive and it will attack if it is provoked.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

BREAKING: UK sees it's largest daily rise in Covid-19 deaths of 936.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

That's a pretty bad jump :(

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The US suffered its highest daily death toll from coronavirus on Tuesday, with 1,858 people succumbing to the disease, according to the latest data.:(

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Well there is a study saying we'll be the worst affected in Europe. Let's hope they're wrong, but we've been too slow and too late with everything.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...study-predicts

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Not criticising the Government, or the masses of people working hard throughout the public sector on the response to Coronavirus, but I think the figures play catch up on a Tuesday and a Wednesday due to administrative tasks associated with reporting.

I think the risk is people could read too much into “good news” and “bad news” when a rolling 7 day average is probably more representative of a trend.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

If enough people are incapacitated, eventually Kiefer Sutherland gets the job ;)

The deputy Labour party leader assuming the title of DPM is a matter of Labour internal politics and is usually about ensuring the party’s main warring factions get a seat at the cabinet table.

As you’ve pointed out, the DPM position has no constitutional status. A nominated deputy prime minister can fulfil whatever roles within cabinet and parliament the PM asks of them but there are certain constitutional functions that only the PM can do - while I’m by no means a constitutional expert I believe these would be to do with the office’s interface with the monarch, the privy council etc. After all, constitutionally Boris is the Queen’s Prime Minster, not ours.

If a PM has to be replaced, it is the queen’s job to appoint a new one. The outgoing prime minister, or failing that the remaining members of the cabinet, advise Her Maj which individual is most likely to have the support of the House of Commons, and she appoints the individual on that advice. If we had a Labour government then that might be the person occupying the DPM position, but as the individual in practice has to have the support of the parliamentary party there’s no reason why it would have to be (I find it very hard to picture Angela Rayner being gifted the job for example).

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The infection rate has stabalised in the last few days, so now is not the time to be overly pessimistic, Mr K. This suggests that deathbrates will stabalise as well in about three weeks or so.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Vaccine could be easily developed as UK Scientists discover the Coronavirus is not well shielded:

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavir...lding-11970430

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

That is brilliant news if it comes through! It will give a lot more options for vaccine design and definitely help large scale production once we find good candidates

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Well said Emily:-
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ind...696.html%3famp

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

So those travelling on cruise ships were poor? The biggest feature seems to be where people are congregated and concentrated together in places such as cruise ships, military ships, churches, and mosques. Northern Italy is relatively rich compared to the south. Tourists, ie the ones with money seemed to be key to it all. Bringing it there, spreading it, and returning to other countries.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The point was

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

:confused:

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Which bit don't you understand? Those with low paid jobs are unlikely to be able to work from home e.g shop workers, care sector, so run a greater risk of catching the virus. Hope that explains it for you.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Tourists crossing EU borders don't have to be rich. And the supermarket workers they are more likely to infect at home upon their return are less likely to be rich.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Plenty of current and past examples of where large concentrated gatherings are the problem, resulting in large numbers, ie not one or two, of infections. Eg If you're driving a bus and then go to a church or mosque then the bus wasn't the only potential source. The key aspect is not rich or poor, but behaviour. The claim has been made that the poor are somehow more likely to get it. It is people's behaviour that makes it more likely, not wealth.


Eg recent case of group from around the country gathering in the peak district to have a picnic and share a shisha pipe. If just one of them had the virus, then ALL of them would end up with it. They would ALL then return to their homes and most likely share a shisha pipe with others, thereby spreading it further. In that example, just one infected person could've spread it to over a 100 others. Wealth or otherwise doesn't come into it, behaviour does.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Well there's something to look forward to at the weekend,just checked local weather forecast and it looks like normality will return,to wet windy and miserable.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Initially the richest were more likely to catch it because they travelled and had more "international" meetings. It's only after the quarantine begins that the essential poor workers are more likely to get it.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I think this is a neat summary but suspect the essential workers would have been caught a little before the lockdown as well.

---------- Post added at 13:08 ---------- Previous post was at 13:05 ----------

25 degrees and Sunny Fri/Sat in London but Sunday (showery) and Monday (12 degrees) let the side down a bit.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I imagine that as the Queen is elderly and has moved to Windsor Castle to try to escape the virus that this won't be happening anyway. Perhaps they're doing it by phone or over the internet? It's to be hoped that these virtual meetings are kept secure.

---------- Post added at 14:34 ---------- Previous post was at 14:31 ----------

Black people make up 1/3 of the population of Chicago, yet for some reason make up 70% of coronavirus victims. It's similar in other places too:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52219070

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

The weekly audience is being held via phone - there was a photo of it a couple of weeks ago.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Let's have some positive news....

Heinsberg in western Germany got slammed a while back after the virus spread through the population attending Carnival. Things got so bad that Heinsberg was referred to as 'Europes Wuhan'.

Scientists from the University of Bonn have revisited Heinsberg and tested 1000 random people using an antibody test which shows if you had the virus or not. The preliminary results have just come out showing an infection rate of 14% which suggests that a lot of people get the virus and don't know it. This is ten times higher than was expected from the hospital cases. This also pushes the mortality down to 0.37%.

This is great news if (and it's a big if) people are immune after infection. If a significant portion of the population are already immune then the size of the expected second spike after restrictions start to be lifted may be smaller.

Obviously this is preliminary data but it does push the case for community testing

Mr B and myself are wondering if we did get a mild case a couple of weeks ago as we had tightness in our chests and felt generally run down. My youngest and I both lost our sense of taste (in our mouths, not sartorially)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

And the link for this interesting news is .... (pretty please)?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

So somebody has found an antibody test that works reliably? That would be headline news by itself.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

https://www.bccourier.com/these-are-...insberg-study/

This is what came up when I searched for it.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

https://www.bccourier.com/these-are-...insberg-study/

https://m.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/zwi....google.com%2F

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

I agree

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

COVID is not a class issue or an inequality issue, no matter how much some people would like it to be.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

However, it negatively affects those in lower socioeconomic groups more, no matter how much some people would like that not to be true - as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation stated https://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/what-doe...ricted-poverty

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

You should watch this:

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Same could be said for most diseases.
And how much of that is remotely connected to getting it in the first place?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Could be that they are more likely to be in low paid & low valued occupations that cannot be done from home eg bus driving, cleaning. If they are at a disadvantage in the first place eg in poor health, malnourished etc, then the virus is obviously going to affect them more.

How else do you think that the virus is disproportionately affecting black people in Chicago?

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

BREAKING: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of Intensive Care.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

That a welcome move in the right direction coming out of Intensive Care that is for sure.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

There are several groups and areas that seem to be disproportionately affected.



Congregating in groups in the central factor. Plenty more examples from around the world.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

And class is obviously one of them. I don’t see why you feel the need to deflect from self evident fact.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Various different classes and socio-economic groups have clusters. I have given enough examples of different ones. It is their tendency to congregate that is central. It is from that congregating that they are getting the virus.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

There is a big difference between a lab test and a robust test that can be pushed out to the public. The lab test (ELISA) involves a lot of sample prep and handling steps either manually or by robot and takes an hour or two to do. I was always rubbish at doing ELISAs for some reason!

What we really want is a ‘stick’ test like a pregnancy test and that’s where we are struggling.

Thanks everyone for providing the links for the Bonn University study. I am looking forward to actual published results but the preliminary results, if correct, sound hopeful

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

some not all, it also affects those on median salaries, it also affects self employed that would usually be on a good income, now on Zero.

It also affects those that may be well paid, but also live to their income I.e good income but equally big expenses.

Equally there may be people at the low end of the salary scale that can still wo4k and are not directly impacted that much.

Generalisations are great for poo stirring, and whipping up class and income inequality arguments when it is not what it is all about.

---------- Post added at 20:51 ---------- Previous post was at 20:46 ----------

That showed me nothing......nothing at all.

Over 6,000 dead, I’m sure there are people that have died that are solicitors, bankers, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs.

But they didn’t get an ‘ in memorium’ slide show.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson in Intensive Care
 

Yes, that still doesn't detract from the fact that working class low paid "key workers" are disproportionately at risk.

If I woke up in the morning and went on a cruise that's my own stupidity. They don't have a choice.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

This class and low income etc, etc, is a side issue.

No one has any data, and statements made are speculative, subjective and plainly a way to shape the pandemic into a social justice argument, which is typical of those trying to do it.

Until you can quote figures of death rates v income. Or death rates v occupation, death rates v location, etc etc

If you want to make the argument, back the argument. You can’t at the moment.

Come back when you can, and we can pick the bones out of it then.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

removing post on the basis of this instruction

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Wise choice ;)

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

I went for my daily cycle ride this morning and noticed the queue at Aldi was stretching all along the car park,at first i thought wow thats a big queue but then i noticed that people were standing 3-4 meters apart, give it another week and it'll be up 10 mtrs.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

:D:D:D

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

980 Covid-19 Deaths recorded in last 24 hours throughout UK. :(

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

No queue at my Sainsbury's this afternoon (3pm) as the store was relatively empty. If it's busy they do a one out, one in, system with an orderly queue in a marked off section of the carpark and store front.

No eggs or flour but most other stuff available. Fortunately I have both in stock at home.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

And sadly unlikely to peak for another 2 weeks.:(

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

On the contrary - there are very early signs in these figures that the curve is flattening. There is no evidence of a doubling of mortality on either a three-day or two-day trend here. Deaths per day are going up, but not by much.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Smashing the 2014-15 seasonal flu record then.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

No, not at Waitrose. I don't regard that shop as providing value for money. I hover between Asda, Sainsbury's and on occasion, M&S.

So far, I have avoided the queuing. If you shop before 9am you can generally avoid them. I shall be glad when we are back to normal, though!

---------- Post added at 17:58 ---------- Previous post was at 17:55 ----------

Keep an eye on the new admissions. That's where the first indications will be that the peak is reached. I think we may be there now. The figures for the number of deaths will take about three weeks to follow suit.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

I have to admit I only shop at Waitrose for its excellent selection of Whisky.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Is that an invitation to your house? :waving:

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Unfortunately we are in lockdown :(

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

I did my shop in my local Saisnbury's at 9:15 by then the queue was starting to lap the car park.

It took me 30 minutes to get in as they allow a certian number of people in the a 1 out 1 in system.

Their floor has tape 2 metres apart and one person per block, people can pass through.

Unfortunately I'll have to go every 4/5 days as it just my dad and me ATM and shelf life / availability is the limiting factor on certain items.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Someone said the ONS are recording figures 70% higher than those being released.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

The only figure we can rely on is the number of deaths, rather than some statto's 'flat curve'. Sad fact is there have been more deaths in the UK in the last 24 hours than any day in Spain and Italy. And we're ignoring any deaths outside hospitals e.g. care homes.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

I’m referring to the number of deaths.

And yes, I know once the ONS has had time to compile more comprehensive figures they will turn out to be rather higher. That however is a red herring here and now. The best means we have of determining how the virus is spreading is by counting hospital deaths. To maintain a consistent measure we will have to continue monitoring hospital deaths in the same way, even once we have access to the ONS research.

As of today, hospital deaths in the UK are not doubling every two days. They are not doubling every three days. This is the first indication of the virus *not* spreading exponentially. It is the first indication that government intervention is slowing the spread, or “flattening the curve” as they say.

This is an observation based on facts. If you can contradict the observation, based on facts, rather than your disdain for the party of government, I’d love to hear it.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Some good info here from the FT, and it's free for all to read. The number of deaths continues to rise each day in the UK and US but decline in Italy and Spain.
https://www.ft.com/coronavirus-latest

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

The facts are at least 980 have died over the last day, in comparison with other countries we aren't doing well.

We're in this for a lot longer than anyone is admitting. The new number of cases figures is still pants as we're not testing most of those with symptoms, which makes some of these charts/curves pointless.

Still no PPE for GPs. My sister in law is one and they've had to buy their own goggles from B&Q ffs... Care homes also struggling for staff and protection, which could be the next crisis to hit the headlines.

Btw 'disdain for the governing party'? Too right, they've been a shambles, too slow to react, too willing to blame others and let scientists answer the press. 10 years of running down the public sector, and making those pesky foreigners that staff the NHS feel unwelcome. Clapping for a few minutes doesn't make up for that.

Re: Coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson Now out of Intensive Care
 

Being 2nd on the list of Pandemic preparedness is so bad, when we could've 14th like Germany.:rolleyes: