The Coronavirus Thread

[JimC]

I think we've finally reached a point where this argument is utterly pointless. Clearly Scot can never be persuaded that masks have any value at all, and this opinion will not change. Most of the rest of us will keep wearing our masks (correctly, and washed as directed after every use) in public, compulsory or not, knowing that they will make some difference to the rate of community transmission...

[Brian Peacock]

It's not a silver bullet Scott. It's one of a number of measures to reduce the risk of infection. Face coverings reduce infection risk in certain circumstances because a mask, or even a handkerchief over the mouth and nose, will reduced potentially infected aerosols being exhaled into the environment. Social distancing is another measure that reduces the risk, in certain circumstances, and a comprehensive test, track and trace system can help identify where and when such measure are needed and likely to be most effective.

Oh Brian. There is no evidence.

No evidence of what exactly? That a suitable face covering "reduced potentially infected aerosols being exhaled into the environment"?

An old rag for your mouth or using a single use mask time and time again. So I put an old rag across my face is better than what...

... is better than doing nothing and being a higher level risk vector for the infection of others.

Oh my goodness me. Sorry I and many in this country will tell you to go to a quiet place. We dont drink the kool-aid. We are looking for facts and they are difficult to find. We find a lot of propaganda but facts?
Just a simple question; do you actually look at the quality of masks and how are they being controlled?
The UK has lost control of everything. Your leader is useless. He could fight his way out of brown paper bag.

There are plenty of facts about the efficacy of face masks and the role they can play in reducing the risk of transmission of infectious aerosols. They are being used in clinical settings around the world for this purpose. If your concern is that masks cannot be relied on to prevent people from becoming infected with the Covid then my question would be: who is telling you that can do or should prevent infection 100% of the time - who is controlling you and what does their kool-aid taste like?

You initially argued against a strawman that conflated masks reducing the risk of transmission with a general prophylaxis against the disease, but now you've just shifted your position, again, and are talking about 'any old rag' and the 'quality of masks', which suggests that the information about masks and their use is the problem now rather than the masks themselves. If that's the case then who might you look to to get good, or at least better, more reliable information about the types of mask and the best way to use them - and if your government isn't providing this info to you is it evidence that they are controlling you or does it mean they are just incompetent?

As I said -- and to which you did not respond -- face coverings are not a cure-all, not a silver bullet against the Covid but, along with things like maintaining social distancing and regular hand washing, they can help reduce the risk of transmission.

And before you play the Dutch Joker, my government is not giving me solid information either, having apparently decided to revert to their befuddled 'herd immunity' strategy from before the massive spike in cases in mid-March with the added bonus of now issuing contradictory and misleading advice - so that after encouraging everyone to get back to work, to go back to the office, to take public transport, to shop, drink, bet, and eat for the economy they are now busy bouncing the blame for their public health failure to contain and reduce the epidemic onto groups like young people, Muslims, factory workers, and care home staff. I wonder which groups your political parties are blaming for their public health failures?

I don't expect you to agree of course, or even acknowledge my point. That is that my intent and it would be useless to try, but at the same time I'm reluctant to take moral instruction about who and what I should believe from someone who fundamentally misunderstood as simple a thing as the statistical ratio of declared Covid deaths to head of population. That aside I'll only ask you again, what evidence would you consider acceptable and where might you extract it from?

[pErvinalia]

This shows clearly that masks can be effective. http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 5#p1873608

[NineBerry]

[pErvinalia]

A bunch of mask-debaters

[Brian Peacock]

Stop that. You'll go blind!

[Hermit]

South Australia is getting hit by a second wave of infections. Between last week and the preceding four months we had 18 new ones. In the past six days we got another 8.

[JimC]

And it's home-grown this time - nobody from pestilence central involved!

[Tero]

Vaccine $
https://www.kios.org/post/prices-covid- ... come-focus

[laklak]

I'm tired of this virus. Can we play a different game now please?

[pErvinalia]

How's it going in Florida now? Is most of the state infected yet?

[Scot Dutchy]

Well the UK has plenty of masks but they dont work for the NHS but the general public will probably use them so as to keep the illusion. A nice bit corruption though.

Labour calls for inquiry into purchase of 50m unusable face masks

PPE ordered from Ayanda Capital as part of £252m contract deemed unsafe for NHS workers

An inquiry must be held into the purchase of 50m masks that were later deemed unsuitable for use by NHS workers, Keir Starmer has said.

The £252m medical supplies contract was awarded to an investment firm in April, as ministers desperately sought to replenish the UK’s dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of the country’s coronavirus epidemic.

“For months we were told that the government was purchasing the right equipment for the frontline. Yet again it hasn’t happened,” the Labour leader told reporters during a visit to north Wales on Thursday.

“There needs now to be an investigation, an inquiry, into what went wrong with this particular contract because it’s just not good enough to people who need that protective equipment that we find ourselves in this position.”

Two organisations are seeking judicial review of the decision to award the contract to Ayanda Capital, which describes itself as specialising in “currency trading, offshore property, private equity and trade financing”.

Nice wasting 150 million pounds of public money and all that Johnson says:

he was very disappointed that the shipment was unusable. But he said Britain had “achieved a colossal race against time” to obtain supplies of equipment and stockpile it in case of a second wave of coronavirus in the autumn and winter.

FFS this is the UK of the future; a corrupt country with its government giving out handouts to rich friends.

[Brian Peacock]

That aptly demonstrates how 'the market' isn't capable of meeting this kind of public health challenge. Deep down the Tories know this, but the pandemic has shown that they're just incapable of conceptualising an alternative - if we can't buy our way out of trouble then we'll just have to suck the pudding and that's all there is to it.

[NineBerry]

When the market is the last "Communist" state left on the planet

[rainbow]

That aptly demonstrates how 'the market' isn't capable of meeting this kind of public health challenge. Deep down the Tories know this, but the pandemic has shown that they're just incapable of conceptualising an alternative - if we can't buy our way out of trouble then we'll just have to suck the pudding and that's all there is to it.

Well on the plus side, the UK didn't run out of toilet paper.

The lefty Labourites never mention that, do they?