Covid - news and views

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  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #332

    At our mass vaccination clinic the jabbers are a mixed bunch, from dentists to nurses and paramedics.

    When I went my jabber was a dentist, she said they had quite a few dentists in that day but they only do a few days a week same as the others. Fire fighters are good as their shift patterns allow them to give a few days as well. 

    I think the volunteers are the ones they will need a good big pool of.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #333

    I fear more for the physical and mental well-being of the staff in the covid wards in hospitals up and down the land. 

    The sheer length of how long they have been faced with dealing with the very sick and dying and having to wear the PPE that they do must take its toll somehow.

    I'm sure quite a few would swap places with the jabbers, if only for a couple of weeks.

    They have my admiration but I wish the least they had was a decent living wage.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #334

    well funny you should say that but it's two miles outside of Chester-le-street and very near to the cycle path I use to go to Consett. I could cycle there?

  • LLM
    LLM Forum Participant Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #335

    I'm sure quite a few would swap places with the jabbers, if only for a couple of weeks.

    Being trained to give vaccinations is relatively easy but nothing like the training that true medical professionals have. Swapping is not possible as I'm sure you appreciate, but some of the hospital staff are doing their full time jobs and volunteering at vacs centres in their spare time.  They are amazing.

  • LLM
    LLM Forum Participant Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #336

    Just in case any of you did not receive your badge here's one I made earlier laughing.

     

     

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #337

    Yes, I do realise that.

    Speaking to my Optician yesterday he told me he was a volunteer jabber at our local surgery which only does them on Sundays, so yes, I do realise that the jobs are not easily transferrable but the gist was that the hospital staff could do with a break, somehow, sometime and soon. Which is why people who are behaving themselves get "Nowty" with the   ones that don't.

  • LLM
    LLM Forum Participant Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #338

    I agree that the entire NHS needs a break they have had a very tough time and it's still not over; there is also years of work to catch up.  I don't understand your last sentence though nor to what it refers.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited February 2021 #339

    Little restriction lifting in Wales for next three weeks. Stats are good and we may see "self serviced accommodation" opening at Easter. Will that mean self contained M/H and Caravans not mentioned.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,040 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #340

    I would expect campsites to open up in first phase of relaxing holiday restrictions. A lot safer than hotels and B&Bs, similar to cottages. About as safe an option as you can get really, other than a second home. Sites and cottages will have to follow Covid Secure guidance again. 

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #341

    Interestingly the correspondent on local BBC Wales news stated "self catering" not "self contained". Wonder if it was a freudian slip of the tongue?

    Anyway I should imagine they'll let Easter pass before any opening.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited February 2021 #342

    Very interesting article In  todays paper  about covid death rates? ,a Journalist, who's father has recently died  was querying why it showed covid on his death certificate. when he had tested negative just recently, the registrar advised it was not the first time that this had been queried 

    One thing that was also mentioned by the registrar was that not one death this winter had been put down, as would be normal at this time being flu related?

    A few days ago ; one of dog walkers mentioned that his brother works  in a funeral directors, and although busy, as expected at this time of year ,, they had not been any busier than last winter? 

    Who is not giving correct information?

     

     

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636
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    edited February 2021 #343

    It will be interesting to see how the number of this year's deaths stack up against the trend from previous years, excluding last year's numbers of course.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #344

    That will be Bel Mooney then and interestingly she says

    "Ted Mooney passed three Covid tests, and died of a chronic illness...yet he's officially one of Britains 120,000 victims"

    interesting to say the least, recently we heard of a person locally who just died in her sleep, old age , but because she had been tested 3 days before for covid but proved negative, her death was listed as covid-19. Bet the official enquiry when it comes will not get to the bottom of this one.undecided

  • Whittakerr
    Whittakerr Club Member Posts: 3,472 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #345

    Some great news today on the effectiveness of the vaccine.

     

    Taken from BBC

    Research led by Public Health Scotland found at four weeks after the first dose, hospital admissions were reduced by 85% and 94% for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs respectively.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,138 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #346

    Today's story so far -

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #347

    Had an email from my brother in France. He mentioned that he and his wife have been offered a vaccine now. 24th.March. Both over 70 and definitely fall into the vulnerable category. Things are going slowly over there.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #348

    Yes, my daughter in Spain, only 47, but said things are progressing very slowly in Spain with some areas now ceased vaccinating because they have no vaccine available and not expecting any until March.

    Shelved any thoughts we had about travelling overthere, certainly for this year. We have been extremely lucky in the UK, BJ not exactly covered himself in glory on a number of issues but he looks to have gotten the vaccine roll out spot on, amazing what can be achieved when you get rid of the civil servants/politicians and put people in charge who have worked at the coal face.  laughing

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,701 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #349

    That's still a month off, but Germany is not much better either; a friend of ours has lived in Munich for quite some time.  At 74 he has no idea when he'll be getting his vaccination.

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #350

    Considering the majority of germans are refusing to have the AZ vaccine, I can't see it getting any better until they can convince them it is safe. They only have themselves to blame same as France.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman Forum Participant Posts: 2,367
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    edited February 2021 #351

    An indication of how uncertain things are. Took my wife for an MRI scan to hospital in Bangor yesterday. Today I read they have an outbreak with 59 patients having caught the disease there. You can do all the right things but get caught out unexpectedly. Caution is very much the key word.

  • InaD
    InaD Club Member Posts: 1,701 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #352

    Yes TG, we've read all about that too, not going down the political path, but their leaders didn't exactly help the situation with their scare-mongering.  Sour grapes involved too, after all the arguments last month about their supply.  The mayor of Berlin has now said that anybody can have the vaccine, whatever their age, as he isn't prepared to have the vaccines lying around unused.  Quite right too, and studies have shown it is actually effective in the over 65s.  And in any case, surely it's better than nothing?  We've both had the AZ vaccine, wouldn't dream of refusing it.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #353

    Yes I saw that Fish. Tends to make one extremely wary of going to hospitals. Also tends to make the figures  skewed.

    Hope you both stay Covid free.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,040 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #354

    Mum has got her second jab date now, couple of weeks away. Fingers crossed we get the same. Should all be done by beginning of May. After that, we shall just stay careful, avoid busy places, enjoy the outdoors and a change of scenery. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,859 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #355

    The French excuse for not using the Oxford/AZ vaccine for the over 65's was somewhat blown out the water by several recent studies, especially the one from Scotland which indicates that it is highly effective in the over eighties. It might be a bit early for the data on the under eighties but there is no reason to believe that it won't be equally effective.

    Apparently the European Medical Agency, based in Amsterdam but formally in the UK, decided that it was acceptable to have a nearly two week break over Christmas/New Year when they should have been approving vaccines!!!!

    David

  • robsail
    robsail Forum Participant Posts: 1,441
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    edited February 2021 #356

    Well the blue envelope arrived for me today! 5th March for my first jab, as an unpaid carer!

    OH and son had their jabs a couple of weeks ago, both of them are in the extremely vulnerable category.!

     

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #357

    Good news for you Robsail! 

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,599 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #358

    About ruddy time as well. Pleased that you'll be getting some help by way of a vaccine.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited February 2021 #359

    Oh, sorry Robsail, for a while I thought you said were getting your First JOB as an unpaid carer  { dives n hides below t' keyboard embarassed }

     

     

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #360

    This could be an interesting headline to follow going forward, i think JVB first raised the issue on this forum and now it is reported that hundreds are coming forward and demanding that death certificates get changed to reflect the true cause of death undecided 

  • LLM
    LLM Forum Participant Posts: 1,555 ✭✭
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    edited February 2021 #361

    Some while back HMG decreed that there would be no need for a post-mortem and possibly an inquest on anyone dying from Covid.  A host of reason make that sensible including infection prevention and the risk of  overwhelming the systems.   Inevitably some other causes will slip through the net.