Coronavirus (OLD)

Originally Posted by pip08456

How do you handle a world shortage of PPE better?

By not running down the reserves you previously had...

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by pip08456

How do you handle a world shortage of PPE better?

How do you handle a world shortage of PPE worse?

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Hugh

By not running down the reserves you previously had...

Ah just hang on to it till it goes out of date.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

Ah just hang on to it till it goes out of date.

Then you replace it if it going out of date...

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by denphone

Then you replace it if it going out of date...

Wasn't there a world shortage?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

Wasn't there a world shortage?

There is such a thing as planning in advance of something instead of waiting until the brown stuff hits the fan..

You plan for events even if a certain scenario does not come to fruition.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by denphone

There is such a thing as planning in advance of something instead of waiting until the brown stuff hits the fan..

You plan for events even if a certain scenario does not come to fruition.

So how did the world run out of ppe.did every country fail to plan.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by denphone

There is such a thing as planning in advance of something instead of waiting until the brown stuff hits the fan..

You plan for events even if a certain scenario does not come to fruition.

Depends on the likelihood of the said “something” happening, and knowing what the said “something” might actually be.

Originally Posted by denphone

There is such a thing as planning in advance of something instead of waiting until the brown stuff hits the fan..

Right, we should have planned in advance for the pandemic no one knew was coming.

Originally Posted by Paul

Right, we should have planned in advance for the pandemic no one knew was coming.

Well yes. We didn't know this pandemic is coming now but that a flu pandemic might come at some point was known. It was seen as the most likely, highly damaging, risk to the UK in 2017: https://assets.publishing.service.go...ister_2017.pdf

We had a a Pandemic Response plan based on a Influenza type virus spreading: https://assets.publishing.service.go...lan_13_Aug.pdf

A plan which specifically mentions we will need the stockpile of PPE:

Following confirmation of the delivery locations
and volumes, provide instruction to the NHS
Business Services Authority for the mobilisation of
the national stockpile of personal protective
equipment for use by health and social care
workers who are required to come into close
contact with symptomatic individuals

The point of having an stockpile is not to build it up once the pandemic hits. The Government were warned last year that they wouldn't have enough PPE if a pandemic hit: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/114743...rus-last-year/

So the Government knew a flu pandemic was one of the biggest risk to this country. The Government had a plan that mentioned they would need PPE. We had designed a system to have a stockpile of PPE. The Government were warned they didn't enough PPE just last year.

They can't now turn around and go "how could we possibly have known!". But they did the same with the NHS app, everyone said it wouldn't work and then two months later they come out and pretend that no one could possibly have known there would be issues. Clowns.

I would have thought there were some contingency plans after the SARS epidemic and the Ebola outbreaks.

Originally Posted by Maggy

I would have thought there were some contingency plans after the SARS epidemic and the Ebola outbreaks.

Apparently the government did have a pandemic contingency plan on the shelf, but it was based on the assumption that it would be an influenza outbreak that would unfold somewhat differently than Covid has done.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Damien

Well yes. We didn't know this pandemic is coming now but that a flu pandemic might come at some point was known. It was seen as the most likely, highly damaging, risk to the UK in 2017:

As I am continually reminded on this site, this isn’t the flu.

We had a a Pandemic Response plan based on a Influenza type virus spreading

as above.

A plan which specifically mentions we will need the stockpile of PPE:

A simulation of an influenza pandemic was undertaken in 2010, and if you read it the level of PPE used was lower. I.e just a surgical mask, not they full visor type.

https://www.journalofhospitalinfecti...376-9/fulltext

So the Government knew a flu pandemic was one of the biggest risk to this country. The Government had a plan that mentioned they would need PPE. We had designed a system to have a stockpile of PPE. The Government were warned they didn't enough PPE just last year.

There’s that word “flu” again.

Originally Posted by Pierre

As I am continually reminded on this site, this isn’t the flu.

as above.


A simulation of an influenza pandemic was undertaken in 2010, and if you read it the level of PPE used was lower. I.e just a surgical mask, not they full visor type.

https://www.journalofhospitalinfecti...376-9/fulltext



There’s that word “flu” again.

Just because we are used to the term flu doesn't mean it's not a killer every year.it can also overwhelm the NHS from winter to winter and in the year of a new pandemic is the reason why this government are rolling out the flu jab to more of the population than ever before.Just so the NHS isn't overwhelmed by two sets of infection at the same time this winter.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by denphone

There is such a thing as planning in advance of something instead of waiting until the brown stuff hits the fan..

You plan for events even if a certain scenario does not come to fruition.

There WERE plans in place. They've been publicly available for some time. Eg There was £100m of items held in stock preparing for a possible pandemic.
The snag comes when you(and everybody else) rely on replacements from China, where not only were they badly affected themselves, but there is a long delivery time to ship large quantities by container ship.