Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Tantrum
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Tantrum »

CDC: "Wear your mask whenever you leave your house. We can't be too careful."

The Public: "What if we're outside and not near anyone? Or just passing people on the street? Do we really need masks then?"

CDC: "OK, here's a list of circumstances where you do and don't need a mask."

The Public: "This list is too confusing."

CDC: "Good news! If you're fully vaccinated, you only need your mask for mass transit and hospitals."

The Public: "Are we moving too fast?"

Friggin' public.

Skyquake87 wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 7:54 pmFelt fine on Sunday (if incredibly tired) and looking forward to getting my second jab, so I can feel a bit more comfortable about going places.
I'm with you on that "more comfortable about going places" bit. My vaccination kicked in this past Friday. I celebrated by going to Walmart, TJ Maxx, Gamestop, and Marshalls for the first time in over 6 months. Saturday, I went for a bike ride and checked out some small local shops. Sunday, I left the island I live on for the first time (other than my CT covid shot) since September. It was great not worrying about every unmasked person/exposed nose I passed.

The stores still required everyone wear masks so the stubborn can't infect the not yet vaccinated, which I'm perfectly OK with. Work allows the fully vaccinated to go maskless, but it's on the honor system. Supervisors are not allowed to ask about an employee's vaccination status, even though we needed supervisor approval to get the paid time off to get vaccinated.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

I've not been to many shops and when I have, gone late in the day when it's quieter. Did have a coffee in a coffee shop this morning. It' was a drive thru one near my mum's (where I'm at whilst she's getting a proper roof put on the conservatory) ,so doesn't have loads of sit in customers anyway. Felt safe enough :)

From the sounds of it, we're not quite where you are, with June 21st being the date when everything else opens up. My work has been very quiet about whether everyone has to come back in the office, but did send a questionnaire around asking people what they want to do - work from home/ office or a combo of the too. Much I was resistant to it, I have quite enjoyed working from home (even if I'm not at my own half the time!) and the peace and quiet and not having to listen to some of the empty vessels in the office.
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Mr_Hi_n_Mitey
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Mr_Hi_n_Mitey »

My 2 Cents: Let's all just hope and pray that this COVID Pandemic of Biblical ✝️🛐 proportions eventually goes away completely. I know that many of you - if you're fortunate enough to even still be here - have lost friends and family that you have loved and known throughout much of your life. (You have my condolences and sympathies. :sick: 💀 ⚰️ :cry: ) Many of you have lost your jobs, your homes, your vehicles - and/or other possessions that you hold dear as well. It's a good time for all of us to reflect and put our heads and hands together and appreciate the natural things that this World has to offer.

:devil: Image :angel:

I want to send a special shout-out to all healthcare 🚑 🏥 workers, first responders 🚒 🆘 and others on the front lines battling this pandemic for their efforts - thank you very much :clap: 👌✌️👍 for all that you do. Let's all pull through this as much as possible, for we are strong. As we continue to survive and move forward, let's all hope and pray that we all rebound from this sad chapter of World History. In the wake of one of our Darkest Hours, the Phoenix will rise again from the ashes. Remember - we're all in this together. Right now though, let's have a Moment Of Silence for those around the World (especially in the entire Western Hemisphere, Europe, Africa, the Mid East, Asia, and right now, the whole Indian subcontinent) who are no longer with us because of this devil 👹👺 :devil: plague. :(

🛐 :pray: | :pray: 🛐
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🛐 :pray: | :pray: 🛐

Amen. :angel:
Last edited by Mr_Hi_n_Mitey on Thu May 27, 2021 12:24 am, edited 3 times in total.
:devil: Image :angel:
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Clogs »

Next vaccination 7th June and my work wants me back onsite 9th June. I’m advised that I won’t need to work from home again after that date. So, I checked the extra information and guess what? Those with a car get to work from home on a rota, but myself and the one other bus using colleague don’t. Incidentally, we’re the two oldest members of the team...

All the others will have received their second vaccination within two weeks of me getting mine.

I’ve put the question out there and await a garbled explanatory response which basically says: tough manure. Sometimes, I really do wonder if my workplace wants older people to leave (oh, wait: one helluva lot of them are...).
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Heinrad
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Heinrad »

I am now officially vaccinated. It's been two weeks since my second jab. And all the second dose made me want to do is go to sleep. And even then, it was more of a 'C'mon, just a little nap?' as opposed to 'SLEEP!!!!'.

Am I like the only one to not really get side effects?
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Heinrad wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 7:14 pmAm I like the only one to not really get side effects?
I hate you :angry:

(Not really, but... y’know...)
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Heinrad
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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It is something I’m noticing. I mean, I got the Pfizer, and from what I’ve heard, Pfizer doesn’t hit you as hard as Moderna, but a friend of mine got the Pfizer, and both the first and second doses knocked him flat for two days. While a kid who works under me got the Moderna and it zonked him for a day each time. I wonder if they’ve done any studies yet.
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Clogs »

Heinrad wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 12:00 amI wonder if they’ve done any studies yet.
They have...

Overall finding: the immune system is really very complex, we don’t know how it all works, but studies into the whole shebang keep stray scientists off the street.
Angelar
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Angelar »

I am already tired of the mask and everything that has happened since the pandemic started and I hope with all my heart that we can get through this period sooner. Ever since covid appeared, my whole life has changed. Especially when I found out that I also had covid and I took a covid 19 instant test that showed me a positive result, I was completely shocked and scared. I took treatment and now I have to do another test to make sure everything is fine.
Last edited by Angelar on Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Denyer »

Just popping in for a sec -- UK peeps;

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... hs-digital

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/01/ ... unication/

More information about opting out from sharing of full GP records (about three weeks left of a six week period to notify objections) in second link. The rush to get this data grab undertaken whilst GPs are dealing with vaccination programmes suggests no good intentions.
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Knew nothing of this, Denyer; I don’t read newspapers or watch tv, and nothing on the internet(?).

Personally, I can roll with the concept. The fact is, our health details already belong to the state (that’s the NHS, folks) not individual doctors. It could result in an invaluable tool using vast amount of anonymous data to investigate patterns of illness/disability and drive new life-saving research. Records can be immediately available when required in an emergency anywhere in the UK.

We see all the usual arguments against, but none of the positives. And it’s not much different, in the end, from the HMRC/DWP database (you do know that’s the largest database on our population currently in existence, right?).

This whole shebang was put in motion years ago, well before C-19, and our medical practitioners must have known about it for ages, given all those separate databases needing to be rationalised and purged and checked to meet GDPR standards prior to merging. That said, giving the plebs six weeks at the end of a global pandemic in which to opt out is rather silly and typical of the deadline-loving pen-pushers. But yeah, six weeks is silly.
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Denyer »

Yeah, particularly their history of handling of concepts like not reallocating NINOs and what's happened to fraud referral since they absorbed benefit investigation staff. And the first couple of reviews of UC by the NAO were masterfully written.

I'd prefer less information (with any grade of pseudo-anonymisation) to be available for purchase by overseas firms looking to buy out GP practices. There's nothing actually very interesting in the records (well, not mine) that I'm aware of. The average person in the street does tend to view their medical records differently to their income tax, though, so if there's nothing untoward it could have easily and transparently been explained, with the option of retrospective opt-outs, rather than a grab with little or no press during current circumstances.

As it is, I expect it's one more thing the Good Law Project will end up with on a to-do list.
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Hey, I have an official diagnosis of The Lurgy on my record 🙄

What’s happened to the benefit fraud investigators? I was head-hunted by the team at one point, but couldn’t afford to relocate even with interim help...
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Benefit investigation went from being coordinated by local authorities (where it was quite effective, despite financial disincentives built into the model -- effectively they lost out for each fraud successfully pursued) to most of the investigators being TUPEd over to the DWP. Ex-colleagues who made that move are finding they aren't getting to do much compared to when they were in LA teams, plus more red tape and less personal ownership of cases. At least one's come back, in a different enforcement role.
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Clogs
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Ah, I get you. Yes, lots of hoops in DWP procedures... I’ll leave it at that.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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That 'National Database' of GP records isn't a new thing. New Labour spaffed millions of pounds on a failed National IT Database that came to nothing*. The aim was to create a system where medical records could be easily accessed when people were admitted to hospital. Like everything else, the government has a piss-poor record on large IT infrastructure projects, so I'll be amazed if this actually works as intended.

I'm sure it will end up with some sell-off of patient data. The Tories have already opened up the NHS to private companies, who cherry pick all the sexy, exciting work (something Labour instigated). If this goes a similar way, I expect this sort of thing will be used to profile patients to assess whether treatment is worthwhile or a waste of money. Or to 'sell' services/ medication to the NHS.

* Well sort of. Last time this was attempted resulted in the Horizon system, which was given to the Post Office and we all saw how well that turned out...

I expect investigations into Benefit Fraud committed during the pandemic will go about as well as HMRC looking into all those companies claimed government hardship loans that they definitely needed.

Watched Channel 4's excellent The Antivax Conspiracy today. Deeply depressing to see Andrew (not a Doctor) Wakefield having gained so much traction and celebrity in the US. The saddest part for me came in the closing line:

"Science and Technology dragged us out of the dark ages. We shouldn't be so quick to throw that all away."
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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Skyquake87 wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:03 pmI expect investigations into Benefit Fraud committed during the pandemic will go about as well as HMRC looking into all those companies claimed government hardship loans that they definitely needed.
SFIS predates the pandemic by years. It ties in with the IDS era of UC and all of the representations he made to parliament at the time.

Yeah, bounce-back loans = massive fraud scope and by all accounts massive amounts of confirmed fraud, as bank losses will be underwritten by the government.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Skyquake87 »

Yup. All sorts of shenanigans going on. Employers Furloughing staff, claiming loans and still making staff work. Fun times.

Can hardly say we managed things much better. We had so much contact at the start of the pandemic, we just gave anyone who got in touch a payment holiday without bothering to check a) what it was customers were asking for - most just wanted lower payments - and b) whether they were on benefits anyway, so wouldn't have seen any change in their income - quite the reverse!

As ever, I just furrowed my brow and complained loudly that this was bollocks and would cause problems later (which it inevitably did) and increase workloads on our wee complaints team (which it did).
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Denyer
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57584417

"I've just been talking to your secretary of state for health, poor man. He came for Privy Council," she told the prime minister.

"He's full of...", she added. "Full of beans?", offered Mr Johnson.

"Shit," countered the ghost of the Duke of Edinburgh over her shoulder.

The Queen then told the prime minister that the health secretary "thinks things are getting better," in remarks caught on microphone. "And so do you."

Well, it's less bizarre than the fill-in-the-blanks version being reported.
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Clay
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Re: Covid 19 / everybody PANDEMIC

Post by Clay »

Places seem to be demasking here (walmart and other big retail places seem to have dropped the mask requirement for employees over the past few weeks, but a lot of fast food workers still have theirs). Although, reading about the transmissibility of the Delta variant, I wonder if things are on the mend or if this is just the eye of the storm until a vaccine-resistant strain emerges.
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