Coronavirus (OLD)

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

That's a pretty bad jump

[denphone]

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.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Damien

That's a pretty bad jump

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

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Mick

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

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.

Originally Posted by Mick

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.

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).

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Mr K

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

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.

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

UK scientists say the coronavirus is "hit and run" and not as well shielded from the immune system as some others - meaning it could be easier to develop a vaccine.

The University of Southampton researchers who made the discovery called it "very encouraging".

They created a model of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, which they say shows how it disguises itself to get into our cells undetected.

The model displays the coronavirus as having several spikes sticking out from its surface, which allow it to attach to and enter cells in the human body.

Professor Max Crispin, who is leading the research, said the spikes are coated in sugars called glycans, which hide their viral proteins so to evade our immune systems.

"By coating themselves in sugars, viruses are like a wolf in sheep's clothing," said the professor.

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

[jonbxx]

Originally Posted by Mick

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



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

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

[Mr K]

Well said Emily:-

Emily Maitlus has been praised for an “extraordinary” introduction to BBC’s Newsnight in which she took to task misleading language surrounding the coronavirus crisis and slammed suggestions the pandemic was impacting everyone equally.

The combative host took aim at ministers for implying that those who recovered from Covid-19 somehow displayed more fighting spirit than those who did not.

"You do not survive the illness through fortitude and strength of character, whatever the prime minister’s colleagues will tell us,” she said during the opening to Wednesday night’s show.

"The disease is not a great leveller, the consequences of which everyone - rich or poor - suffers the same,” the 49-year-old said.

"This is a myth which needs debunking. Those on the front line right now – bus drivers and shelf stackers, nurses, care home workers, hospital staff and shop keepers – are disproportionately the lowest paid members of our workforce. They are more likely to catch the disease because they are more exposed.”

And she added: “Those who live in tower blocks and small flats will find the lockdown a lot tougher. Those who work in manual jobs will be unable to work from home.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ind...696.html%3famp

[nomadking]

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.

Originally Posted by nomadking

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.

The point was

The combative host took aim at ministers for implying that those who recovered from Covid-19 somehow displayed more fighting spirit than those who did not.

"You do not survive the illness through fortitude and strength of character, whatever the prime minister’s colleagues will tell us,”

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Hugh

The point was

"This is a myth which needs debunking. Those on the front line right now – bus drivers and shelf stackers, nurses, care home workers, hospital staff and shop keepers – are disproportionately the lowest paid members of our workforce. They are more likely to catch the disease because they are more exposed.”

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by nomadking

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.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by nomadking

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.

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.