IOM Covid removing restrictions

[thesultanofsheight]

3 minutes ago, Ham_N_Eggs said:

20% of the Island's population is above the age of 60. Letting it rip over here is just not a very good idea.

Don’t give them ideas though actuarially it would probably take half a billion out of the NI Fund liabilities against the state pension! 

Edited October 15, 2020 by thesultanofsheight

[wrighty]

1 hour ago, TheTeapot said:

Because the levels you are starting at are already too high, and it is inevitable that some staff or whoever will take the virus into care homes or wherever. I appreciate the UK is doing a lot of testing but it still doesn't know enough. You'd have to have the community levels already low to change approach. This is probably why it initially went wrong in Sweden, the virus was much more prevalent than they realised.

This is probably right.  Bit like the old joke "Can you give me directions to Dublin? A - Well if I were you I wouldn't start from here!"

If we were to get community transmission here, knowing what we do now, with enough testing capability that we have, we could manage the situation without a full lockdown and get on with things with minimal interference I think.  But that's because we're starting from nothing.  In the UK, where places like Liverpool are probably at about 1 in 100 currently positive, it's simply not possible.  I think over there they need a reset with a lockdown before starting again.

[Neil Down]

5 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

There's a lot of rumours floating around today. Press conference later, hope there's no going to be an overreaction. The removal of the 7 day test option was already a backward step, lets not have another.

Somebody in our office has just mentioned a certain office being sent home 

[Gladys]

Its on the news,  new positive test but from a private test so they are being re-tested and track and trace underway.

[TheTeapot]

Private tests? Over here? What?

[MadAsHell]

5 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Private tests? Over here? What?

Or anywhere you can post a sample to.

[NoTail]

3 hours ago, Gladys said:

So, how do you know there is a distinct air of panic?  Or  is this something that has been presented in the media?  Panic about what? The virus or further lockdowns adding to more economic pressure.

From what I have seen of the UK, I agree that it is very much better here, but not directly because of the virus.

I must apologise as I was probably loose with my wording.  I was referring to political leadership. Within 24 hours Boris was reported as changing his position.  Talk was of further and harder lockdowns, even bringing Starmer into the loop. I get the impression that Boris is shitting himself.  He knows how important the economy is, but he does not want to go public and admit he is powerless in his ability to keep people alive. Of course he knows more than we do, my suspicion is that he has been convinced that the long hoped for virus is at best many months away.

[thesultanofsheight]

6 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Private tests? Over here? What?

Yes you don’t have to accept the government line on non testing. You can commission your own. A few private companies have decided that testing for their employees is sensible despite what IOMG thinks. 

[Gladys]

1 minute ago, NoTail said:

I must apologise as I was probably loose with my wording.  I was referring to political leadership. Within 24 hours Boris was reported as changing his position.  Talk was of further and harder lockdowns, even bringing Starmer into the loop. I get the impression that Boris is shitting himself.  He knows how important the economy is, but he does not want to go public and admit he is powerless in his ability to keep people alive. Of course he knows more than we do, my suspicion is that he has been convinced that the long hoped for virus is at best many months away.

Aah, I see, so his Etonian cool and bravado has finally run out  (Don't apologise, its all good for the debate! )

[The Old Git]

20 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

Somebody in our office has just mentioned a certain office being sent home 

Zurich?

 

ETA And hopefully straight home with no stopping for petrol and sandwiches.

Edited October 15, 2020 by The Old Git

[Declan]

5 minutes ago, thesultanofsheight said:

Yes you don’t have to accept the government line on non testing. You can commission your own. A few private companies have decided that testing for their employees is sensible despite what IOMG thinks. 

Would it be wrong to infer community transmission then?

[Trueblood]

Zurich car park is empty

 

[MadAsHell]

1 minute ago, Declan said:

Would it be wrong to infer community transmission then?

There's no mention of recent travel in the news articles...

[Trueblood]

Rumour is wife of member of staff has tested positive so all staff sent home as a precaution

 

[Roger Mexico]

13 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

Private tests? Over here? What?

A quick google shows numerous companies willing to post a test to you for you to swab yourself and post straight back for analysis.

How reliable they are will be another matter.  Doing the swabbing right is an acquired skill and difficult to do on yourself.  There are timing problems if the swab doesn't get back fast enough and of course you're relying on the lab to have very good procedures so there's no cross-contamination etc.

I would have thought false negatives were more of a problem than false positives, but both can occur easily.