Coronavirus

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

That's exactly the same info, same quotes, same source, but sensationalized by a columnist 

[Cailleach]

That capacity hasn't increased greatly in the last 6 months is scandalous.

Apparently there is a lack of qualified staff to operate ICU areas. This is extraordinary incompetence given we knew this virus was likely to be seasonal, but it will be pass the buck time as to who is to blame.
In other news Tony and Leo aren't friends anymore. If the government prove to be right  in rejecting the NPHET reccommendations, then Tony's credibility is shattered. The evidence from Donegal and Dublin is that level 3 measure are sufficient  to stabilise case rates. You would love to think after all this is over, we  will have a health service fit for purpose- but that's pie in the sky stuff,  they'll just thrown more money at it, with nothing to show for it.

[Grim Reality]

Some old and sick die prematurely from this. Most of the rest have had their lives put on hold. But how do you justify choosing death to allow freedom?

Probably the same way we justify choosing to buy smart phones and cheap clothes, when we know that some poor cunts on the other side of the world are suffering for our luxeries. I'd also add "Many have had their lives destroyed as a result of anti-covid measures" to your quote there.

How old were your 4 regulars, if you don't mind me asking?

80s - in very poor health
80s - underlying conditions but relatively good health
70s - underlying conditions
60s- severe underlying condition

[Trev]

That capacity hasn't increased greatly in the last 6 months is scandalous.

Apparently there is a lack of qualified staff to operate ICU areas. This is extraordinary incompetence given we knew this virus was likely to be seasonal, but it will be pass the buck time as to who is to blame.

It's a year long postgrad diploma to be qualified to work in ICU, so even if they tried to bump up staff numbers by getting people to take the course they still wouldn't be able to work there yet.

The blame can be laid at successive government's for the last 10-15 of terrible management and underfunding to the health service that's made nursing such an unpalatable career

[Emphyrio]

Ah, I didn't realise the training took that long. That doesn't bode well.

[Juggz]

Give it a few years and we'll be back wondering why we're paying to have a load of extra ICU capacity we're not using and complaining about that.

[Nail_Bombed]

Give it a few years and we'll be back wondering why we're paying to have a load of extra ICU capacity we're not using and complaining about that.

Those who choose to forget the past are condemned to repeat the bastard. There's been a large amount of maggotry-acting over the course of this pandemic, mostly those who want things to be as they were when it's not possible right now. If people go sniping about the upkeep of ICU after all this, I totally despair of them.

[Cailleach]

That capacity hasn't increased greatly in the last 6 months is scandalous.

Apparently there is a lack of qualified staff to operate ICU areas. This is extraordinary incompetence given we knew this virus was likely to be seasonal, but it will be pass the buck time as to who is to blame.

It's a year long postgrad diploma to be qualified to work in ICU, so even if they tried to bump up staff numbers by getting people to take the course they still wouldn't be able to work there yet.

The blame can be laid at successive government's for the last 10-15 of terrible management and underfunding to the health service that's made nursing such an unpalatable career

. Regarding the training, could they not have tried to recruit people from abroad who were already qualified to work in ICU. What about all those Irish medical professionals who volunteered to come back here and work in March? Surely some of those would have this qualification. Is it the case you need to have done the course here?

[Kurt Cocaine]

Game changer alert.....

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-india-54338864#aoh=16020110354229&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s

[astfgyl]

The game won't change. It's a vaccine or nothing. Then when one arrives whether it works or not, just like the flu vaccine which has wildly varying degrees of success from one year to the next, governments can say we are saved and simply accept that there will be deaths as there is with other respiratory viruses. Doubling down until a vaccine that isn't the new thalidomide or asbestos or pandemrix gets out on the market is the only option for governments to justify all that has happened while also returning to some version of living as normal. The hype is too much for anyone to stop now until that happens. Sure look at flu. Vaccine every year, still kills up to 650,000 yearly. Mostly the aged or those with underlying conditions, causes post-viral fatigue, has death rate of 0.1% yet life goes on as normal because of the lack of hype and media induced fear. This will be the same, but only with a vaccine to get the decision makers out of the fix they are currently in. I won't be taking it, but I hope it comes along as much as any of those who will be taking it. It might even work. A big question around that for me is will the mass testing stop once there is a vaccine or is it this shit for good?

Rapid testing in settings such as hospitals and nursing homes will help a lot of people right now though so it is very much welcomed. I hope it gets rolled out faster than the other types of rapid tests which have been ready to go since March.

In the meantime, the Great Barrington Declaration, headed by Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Dr. Sunetra Gupta and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya  and co-signed by a few other nobodies like Dr. Michael Levitt (who only has the one Nobel Prize to his name), calls for an entirely different approach to the whole thing.
It is available for anyone to read or sign at https://gbdeclaration.org/ and isn't anti-vaccine or of the "let 'em die" persuasion in the slightest. It will be a case of pissing into the wind though I reckon, for the reasons outlined in the first paragraph here. The rapid testing could be a great help for that approach if it were to be taken up. Anyone here read it yet? I like it, but I honestly feel it needs more detail.

[Emphyrio]

Interesting that it's signed by what appears to be some true experts in their field. I'd get on board with that strategy if young and/or healthy people who have got it didn't have any longer terms symptoms in subsequent weeks/months.

[astfgyl]

Interesting that it's signed by what appears to be some true experts in their field. I'd get on board with that strategy if young and/or healthy people who have got it didn't have any longer terms symptoms in subsequent weeks/months.

That is the big "if" in all of this. These lads seem pretty confident it won't be the case but the same could be said for many experts who think the opposite I guess. I'm still thinking the vaccine is the only way out for governments though, but personally I'd be willing to risk it. Then again Trev on here didn't have a great time after it, so it's an "if" worth considering. How are you getting on of late, Trev?

[astfgyl]

Those bums over at The Lancet have an interesting bit to say about false positives and pretest probability..

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30453-7/fulltext#figures

However, importantly, no data suggests that detection of low levels of viral RNA by RT-PCR equates with infectivity unless infectious virus particles have been confirmed with laboratory culture-based methods. If viral load is low, it might need to be taken into account when assessing the validity of the result.

[Giggles]

In the meantime, the Great Barrington Declaration, headed by Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Dr. Sunetra Gupta and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya  and co-signed by a few other nobodies like Dr. Michael Levitt (who only has the one Nobel Prize to his name), calls for an entirely different approach to the whole thing.
It is available for anyone to read or sign at https://gbdeclaration.org/ and isn't anti-vaccine or of the "let 'em die" persuasion in the slightest. It will be a case of pissing into the wind though I reckon, for the reasons outlined in the first paragraph here. The rapid testing could be a great help for that approach if it were to be taken up. Anyone here read it yet? I like it, but I honestly feel it needs more detail.

I've been keeping an eye on this and I've noticed that over 2000 scientists and medical practitioners have signed it in the last 12 hours alone.

As for getting a vaccine? Fuck that. According to worldometers, 99% of all current cases are in mild condition. I'll take my chances.

[Giggles]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I've only just seen it now. Proof that people who have Covid, but die of other things ie. heart attacks are being recorded as a Covid death.
People who test positive for Covid, but are hospitalised for other things ie. broken leg, are being recorded as being hospitalised for Covid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZolPvWW8oo