Coronavirus

[pip08456]

German court bans the compulsory wearing of masks and rapid flow tests for school childern.

The judge summarized his decision as follows:

"The compulsion imposed on school children to wear masks and to keep their distance from each other and from third persons harms the children physically, psychologically, educationally, and in their psychosocial development, without being counterbalanced by more than at best marginal benefit to the children themselves or to third persons. Schools do not play a significant role in the "pandemic" event.

The PCR tests and rapid tests used are not suitable in principle and already in the approach for determining an "infection" with the virus SARS-CoV-2. This results after the explanations in the expertises already from the own calculations of the Robert Koch Institute. According to RKI calculations, as expert Prof. Dr. Kuhbandner states, in mass testing with rapid tests, regardless of symptoms, the probability of actually being infected when receiving a positive result is only two percent at an incidence of 50 (test specificity 80%, test sensitivity 98%). This would mean that for every two true-positive rapid test results, there would be 98 false-positive rapid test results, all of which would then have to be retested with a PCR test.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1..._E/mobilebasic

[jfman]

A family custody court rules on matters unrelated to family custody. I can see that standing up to scrutiny.

I see the full judgement is littered with UN Human Rights nonsense. Well, yes. A pandemic response does infringe human rights that's unavoidable. An effective one reduces the time required to do so my managing the pandemic not letting it get out of control - essentially such a narrow focus makes it worse for everyone.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56713017

NHS Covid-19 app update blocked for breaking Apple and Google's rules

An update to England and Wales's contact tracing app has been blocked for breaking the terms of an agreement made with Apple and Google.

The plan had been to ask users to upload logs of venue check-ins - carried out via poster barcode scans - if they tested positive for the virus. This could be used to warn others.

The update had been timed to coincide with the relaxation of lockdown rules.

But the two firms had explicitly banned such a function from the start.

Under the terms that all health authorities signed up to in order to use Apple and Google's privacy-centric contact-tracing tech, they had to agree not to collect any location data via the software.

As a result, Apple and Google refused to make the update available for download from their app stores last week, and have instead kept the old version live.

When questioned, the Department of Health declined to discuss how this misstep had occurred.

[pip08456]

Johnson & Johnson shot use suspended due to blood clot fears.

Today FDA and @CDCgov
issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine. We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution.

As of 4/12, 6.8m+ doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC & FDA are reviewing data involving 6 reported U.S. cases of a rare & severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine. Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare.

Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered.

CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.

https://twitter.com/US_FDA/status/1381925612743499778

In an official statement, Johnson & Johnson said that the company is “aware” that there have been thromboembolic events (blood clots) “reported with all Covid-19 vaccines.”

“Our close tracking of side effects has revealed a small number of very rare events following vaccination. At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine,” the statement released on Friday said.

J&J said that it is working closely with experts and regulators to take a closer look at the data.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-n...73a77164c80b28

[jfman]

Less than 1 in a million.

[pip08456]

Oh look!

The variant of the coronavirus first detected in Kent does not increase the chances of developing long Covid, serious illness or death, according to two “reassuring” studies.

The research papers, to be published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Public Health, are based on an observational study of patients in London hospitals, and analysis of symptom reports made by 37,000 people to a Covid-tracking app.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5...4e6b2bb9bc5667 (may be paywalled, wasn't for me).

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by jfman

Less than 1 in a million.

I'm thinking of opening a consultancy in numerical literacy training. Crazy decision making.

---------- Post added at 13:17 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

Originally Posted by pip08456

Oh look!



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5...4e6b2bb9bc5667 (may be paywalled, wasn't for me).

Good news!

[pip08456]

Confusion still reigns though.

PM: "The reduction in hospitalisations, deaths and infections has not been achieved by the vaccination programme.

"It's the lockdown that has been overwhelmingly important in delivering this improvement in the pandemic"

and Matt Hancock

I'm delighted to confirm we have met the target to offer a first vaccination to the 9 highest risk groups ahead of the 15 April deadline.

Vaccines are safe, effective & have already saved over 10,000 lives - when it's your turn, come forward & get the jab.

[Carth]

I'm delighted to see that the 'experts' in their field are still changing their minds when presented with new and compelling data, statistics and analysis.

Following the science does lead us a merry dance doesn't it

Neither BoJo or Hancock are, by any stretch of the imagination, "experts in their fields" - they are, at best, bumbling buffoons...

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Neither BoJo or Hancock are, by any stretch of the imagination, "experts in their fields" - they are, at best, bumbling buffoons...

I suggest that you're only 50% correct.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by jfman

Less than 1 in a million.

This risk was identified months ago, and is low in all vaccines and a % will also be natural occurrences

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I suggest that you're only 50% correct.

What - they are bumbling or buffoons, but not both?

Sturgeon announces that Scotland's 'stay local' travel restrictions will end on Friday, along with a number of other things we were expecting to have to wait another 10 days for.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56733608

It's almost as if there's an election coming.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Neither BoJo or Hancock are, by any stretch of the imagination, "experts in their fields" - they are, at best, bumbling buffoons...

If their fields are bumbling; as I suspect they are; then they're definitely experts in their field.