Andy Onchan

The MBE wasn't there to vote. Given leave of absence by El Presidente on the grounds of illness (makes you wonder if he knew there would be trouble at mill at that sitting!)

Unless specified otherwise then yes it has to be.

A few extra bags of sand and a couple more buckets are on the way to Tynwald as I write, just in case they run out of places to bury their heads at the next sitting.

The last of your list I think is the main driver (to keep folk out of hospital) and the other two, I guess, are part and parcel of the same package to some greater or lesser degree. There have been cases where people that have had the jab that have gone on to test positive both symptomatically and asymptomatically. The take up of other vaccines varies as well. Every year (for the last 15 years or so) I attempt a HepC vaccination (another vaccine with two doses) as it's an entry requirement for some countries that I work in but my body somehow won't take to it. Neither the first nor the follow up confer any immunity.

Back in the early summer of 2020 the media (BBC, I think) were quoting that some national health authorities would have been happy if there was a vaccine that only gave 30% protection in total. So what we have right now is a significant improvement on that position and so should be maximising it's effectiveness as quickly as we possibly can. We need to avoid catastrophes such as Abbotswood. Remember that?

But not before 23/12. And where are we now?

The over-reaction as you put it, is because they have nothing to go on, virtually zero test stats other than those that are symptomatic and those they have been close to, to warrant a test. The one thing that puzzles me about the spiel coming from Public Health is that some of the venues listed recently in press releases are classed as low risk. The new variant has made sure that this is anything but low risk. That's an interesting comment because I raised this very thing (in September, I think) about testing hospital returnees. A close neighbour who was hospitalised in Liverpool for a couple of days was told by the consultant to go and get a COVID test on arrival. Others were told to just go home and isolate for 14 days. I have always worked on the basis that if there's something out there to catch then the best place to catch it is in a hospital. So why do we still not test hospital returnees?

BBC News - Covid: Large trial of new treatment begins in UK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55639096

+1

I wonder if any of the journos will ask for the stats on how many travel exemptions have been issued by month and by category since the scheme was introduced? I haven't seen or heard of any of those stats for a long time.

Ha! And little Polly Perkins... who would've guessed?

That comes as no surprise.

As I pointed out much further up the thread. Having Taxa Genomics on board would have been a major scoop for DfE... they could have dined out on this for years to come with bucket loads of 'free' advertising. Success breeds success and I'm sure other biomed entrepreneurs and even some established firms would have given very serious thought to setting up here. But then IOMG always has this knack of shooting itself in the foot. Pillocks.

And now we know one of the real reasons for the Chinook touch-and-go a few months ago.

No. It's Lodge meeting night, tonight.

Now there's a thing.... do health authorities use vaccine guns (jet injectors) these days?

Indeed. It's all very perplexing and frustrating that IOMG themselves seem to be creating and believing their own hyperbowl(!).

Like you, I reckon some protection is better than no protection at all. Whoever is calling shots (pun not really intended!) on how this is being rolled out would appears to have little faith in the manufacturers or regulators opinion that there is protection from day one.

Very possibly but perhaps not for PHE quality/accreditation purposes and in any case why would she have to since we're not in PHE jurisdiction? But then IOMG was more than happy to avail themselves of her services when it was for free, ie. non-commercial rates, which is why they put her personally on bank terms. Does Nobles lab meet PHE quality/accreditiation standards? For COVID purposes probably not, otherwise why would Rachel have to train the Nobles staff?

But I thought Liverpool lab can't or won't do the sequencing. At least that's what I understood from something that HE said a few days ago when she was asked by a journo? And where do you get the idea that IOM is 'plugged' into PHE? The only thing they seemed to be plugged into is the regurgitating advice from UK SAGE.

I doubt that. I'm more inclined to think it's personal, a senior medic in the Manx equivalent of SAGE who doesn't like someone else pointing out that without data you're flying blind. Someone's ego has been badly dinted by Rachel's knowledge & expertise.

As I said earlier on, it's probably non-negotiable anyway.

It's to be hoped he will but HRH the CM will pass it over to the MBE who will then delegate it to HE. Pass the parcel time.

That's an interesting analogy! Must remember that one in future.

What did I miss?