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Just going to leave this here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53221435

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/#category=nations&map=case
UK removes 30k cases from its total due to duplication

I've enrolled in a government programme to be tested for the virus every week for a month, then possibly every month for a year.

The nurse will come to my house at my convenience.

The best thing is, I get paid £50 for the first test and £25 for each of the follow-ups.

These will be swab tests for current infection. I might also have the blood test for anti-bodies.

As the washington post just put it:

In America the corona virus isn't under control, it's in control.

Yeah the virus is calling the shots over there.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I've enrolled in a government programme to be tested for the virus every week for a month, then possibly every month for a year.

The nurse will come to my house at my convenience.

The best thing is, I get paid £50 for the first test and £25 for each of the follow-ups.

These will be swab tests for current infection. I might also have the blood test for anti-bodies.

Sounds interesting. Is this for vaccine research?

I think it's just part of general tracking of infection rates in the population as a whole.

I have some colleagues who are in the vaccine research programme. IDK if they are paid for it.

Well, if it helps keep it under control then kudos.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m felling very paranoid atm. Even though cases are almost non existent here I’m still on edge about either catching it or potentially spreading it. With my job it’s not always possible to wash your hands consistently.

A building I work at sometimes was shut down for deep-cleaning , following an infected visitor.
My place sent an announcement out, failing to tell us:
A. When the visit happened,
B. Who to contact to find out more.
I was there a couple of weeks ago, and they announced it last week.

So, living fairly near Liecester (with colleagues who live there), and in the borough of another likely 2nd lockdown, it's not good here.

 r_squared wrote:

 Matt Swain wrote:
The only way I see car maintenance costs relating to covid is if it was about being beter to take a private car during quarantine than to use public transport.

I mean one of Europe's strong points is a better, safer, cleaner public transport system than america has, and i commend them for it. But in the covid time, cars might be safer. I suppose some care requirements could be briefly loosened to keep people from being forced to use public transit for now.

I know people in london love their double decker buses, and i've seen them on Dr. Who, but today they might as well call them "mobile plague distribution centers". BTW I assume they've been parked during the recent months,right? Right?

Best covid19 transport, is the motorbike.

Agree 100%. Other than the number of kids in Seat FRs that think they are Lewis Hamilton and can exit roundabouts at 70mph.

I've been off two wheels for a few years now but am going to get another one, the odd trip to the office (although that's not likely to be until next year) and built for isolation!

The place I work has announced they will keep the main office closed until 1st September, and monitor developments during August to see if/how they can re-open later in the year.

 Future War Cultist wrote:
Well, if it helps keep it under control then kudos.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m felling very paranoid atm. Even though cases are almost non existent here I’m still on edge about either catching it or potentially spreading it. With my job it’s not always possible to wash your hands consistently.

Just got to do what we can as individuals to limit the risks.

I’ve got washable face masks, two of which are still in their packaging. I’ve got a small bottle of hand sanitiser which I carry around when I’m out and about.

I’m still coughing into the crook of my arm, and ensuring that I’m social distancing as far as practicable (really effing difficult when some arse blocks a supermarket lane with their trolley, forcing people to go round).

And I’m playing all outside interaction by ear. Overall for Kent the R number is less than one - and my town in particular has the lowest infection rate in Kent. But even with pub back on the menu, I’m being sensible. If it’s heaving, I’m off. Even if it’s quiet, and others aren’t behaving themselves, I’m off.

We went to the pub for lunch yesterday. Our local has done really well. Only doing pre-booked table service, including taking customer details for contact tracing and an app for ordering from outside tables. One way flow of traffic through the inside. Reduced number of tables inside and out, including a couple of isolated wooden pod booths outside, and perspex screens separating tables inside. All staff wearing masks. We were happy enough that they'd taken every precaution!

Yeah. Personally I would be prepared to eat out in that kind of situation, but the rest of the my family arequite paranoid. Also, my parents and some of our closest friends are immun-compromised, so it's not really very sociable.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I've enrolled in a government programme to be tested for the virus every week for a month, then possibly every month for a year.

The nurse will come to my house at my convenience.

The best thing is, I get paid £50 for the first test and £25 for each of the follow-ups.

These will be swab tests for current infection. I might also have the blood test for anti-bodies.

You get paid to take the test? Like, totally the opposite of America. That sounds like a good deal to me. You're getting the peace of mind with the testing and getting paid to have that peace of mind. Double win in my books.

One thing I am curious about: In your country does freedom of speech cover making clearly false and harmful statements that encourage dangerous and harmful behavior like not wearing masks and claiming covid is just a flu?

I never thought i'd say this but I'm beginning to think we have a little too much free speech in america...

It depends on who you are.

Edit. No longer care.

 Matt Swain wrote:
One thing I am curious about: In your country does freedom of speech cover making clearly false and harmful statements that encourage dangerous and harmful behavior like not wearing masks and claiming covid is just a flu?

I never thought i'd say this but I'm beginning to think we have a little too much free speech in america...

I definitely think what constitutes healthcare advice (which can be regulated) should be expanded a bit.

It might also help cut into the lucrative "supplements" market too.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53309424

The story initially implied the people attacked the driver because he wouldn't let them on without masks. In the story it added they had no tickets and tried to bring a dog aboard. I don't know if this was headline slanted to make anti maskers look bad or not but it kinda looks that way.

Those are quote marks in the headline.
The BBC is funded by the British State, and one of it's main mandates is to be unbiased. If it ever gets caught being "slanted" in any of it's reporting, the government (who would love to de-fund the BBC on account of such terrible things as occasionally holding them to account, and sometimes reporting news that isn't always pro-government, because it's based in reality) gets very irate indeed, and does it's best to reprimand everyone responsible and threaten to slash their budget. As such, it's a pretty okay source of news.

Who knew, anti-maskers, who repeatedly cling to woefully outdated government guidelines drafted when supplies of masks couldn't be guaranteed (at an affordable price for said governments), who willfully discard scientific advice and substitute it with their own personal conspiracies and deliberately endanger themselves, their loved ones and strangers on the offchance that they could be proven might also, on occasion, be utterly vile human beings in other tragic ways?

Violent mask-related incidents have been on the rise everywhere. In Korea there's been such a spike in (mostly crotchety 50+ men vs bus drivers) violence that they've coined a new word to describe when wearing a mask in hot weather gets stuffy and uncomfortable and makes you stroppy and irrational.

Being a reported news story, the BBC has re-used what information they were given. There is no reporter listed, so it is a re-report from elsewhere.
The masks part of the headline is probably because the dog and tickets parts are not newsworthy. The masks part is current, and what they expect people to look for.

 posermcbogus wrote:
Those are quote marks in the headline.
The BBC is funded by the British State, and one of it's main mandates is to be unbiased.

Well. That's the theory anyway

Interestingly, every UK government in the past 40 years has complained of BBC bias against them, while media analysis of the coverage has revealed a slight pro-government stance.

 posermcbogus wrote:
Those are quote marks in the headline.
The BBC is funded by the British State, and one of it's main mandates is to be unbiased. If it ever gets caught being "slanted" in any of it's reporting, the government (who would love to de-fund the BBC on account of such terrible things as occasionally holding them to account, and sometimes reporting news that isn't always pro-government, because it's based in reality) gets very irate indeed, and does it's best to reprimand everyone responsible and threaten to slash their budget. As such, it's a pretty okay source of news.

It is always economically centre-right, for the last twenty years or so has been socially centre-left, and it has always been biased towards the government, whichever colour it is. BBC News'quality of reporting is dreadful as of late, reproducing ministers' advisors verbatim as factual news, for instance, and it leans heavily towards commentary rather than reporting in all of its flagship politics coverage. It's a source of moderate quality on UK events - and a terrible one for international events. The BBC World Service is excellent, however.

It's what we get following huge funding cuts.
I always trust the tone of the news from the BBC though. If they list a source, there's always another way to get the story.

President Bolsanaro of Brazil has tested positive for Coronavirus.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
President Bolsanaro of Brazil has tested positive for Coronavirus.

on the level of facepalms, this one is ironic.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
President Bolsanaro of Brazil has tested positive for Coronavirus.

Probably inevitable considering his cavalier behaviour.

Bugger.. quite a high death count again today in the UK (155)

Was very low yesterday and hoping that would set the scene for <100 per day going forwards.

Kilkrazy wrote:President Bolsanaro of Brazil has tested positive for Coronavirus.

There is only one other person that could get it now and who would be an even bigger example of cosmic karma trying to re-address an imbalance..

But you can be absolutely sure that that person is protecting his own ass above all other things.

 posermcbogus wrote:

Violent mask-related incidents have been on the rise everywhere. In Korea there's been such a spike in (mostly crotchety 50+ men vs bus drivers) violence that they've coined a new word to describe when wearing a mask in hot weather gets stuffy and uncomfortable and makes you stroppy and irrational.

That's interesting, do you know what the term is?

I love that Korea has terms like that for everything. There is one as well (I forget what) which is for perverted blokes in mac-type coats that like exposing themselves to young women and then running away. Things are so group and uniform orientated in Korea that even sex-pests have a proscribed uniform that they have to adhere to..

Horseshoe crab blood is key to making a COVID-19 vaccine—but the ecosystem may suffer.

wellll I had no idea we were/are so dependent upon crabs currently.