The spikes we are now seeing have little to do with working practices, more to do with Christmas. Whilst the Government could be blamed for the mixed message fiasco, even if they'd have said Christmas is cancelled, it wouldn't have stopped people meeting up.

I would have loved to have spent some time with my family over the holiday, but I understood the consequences were just too great. So here we are, with Joe Bloggs from Newcastle wearing an oxygen mask proclaiming the virus is a real threat, with the caveat he met up with three families over the festive period.

Referring back to my family members, they contracted the virus pre Christmas and thankfully have now both returned to work but, it was certainly nothing to do with socialising over the festive period, as they were too ill and had already planned to spend Christmas alone.
Interestingly, my sisters partner has remained ok and hasn't contracted the virus despite spending his time in the same relatively small flat.

FWIW, I disagree about the current "spikes" being work related.
Although there is little doubt that many people contract the virus at work (my family members included), the meeting up at Christmas, in some cases with people who have travelled from other areas, was a sure fire way to increase the spread.
Hence the (very) late attempt by Bojo & Co to try and restrict gatherings.

The message should have gone out well before Christmas to suggest that where possible people spend Christmas with their immediate household/bubble, it was ridiculous to try and expand contact when the virus was already spreading rapidly.

Not for the first time Bojo was too keen to be popular, instead of getting a grip on the situation.

Citation please for all the claims you have made, mr armchair phd professor.

Have to say following the information from Israel and now from the BMA about the efficacy of one vaccine dose rather than two I have revised my view and feel that both doses should be given especially to the vulnerable within recommended guidelines. This would be within the 4 week period recommended or at least along the lines of within 6 weeks as British doctors are recommending. It appears that the policy may be more about getting people back to Work rather than dealing with the outbreak. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55777084 The concerns about new variants is also concerning and the speed of changes could lead to more risks around vaccine breakout

Have to say following the information from Israel and now from the BMA about the efficacy of one vaccine dose rather than two I have revised my view and feel that both doses should be given especially to the vulnerable within recommended guidelines. This would be within the 4 week period recommended or at least along the lines of within 6 weeks as British doctors are recommending. It appears that the policy may be more about getting people back to Work rather than dealing with the outbreak. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55777084 The concerns about new variants is also concerning and the speed of changes could lead to more risks around vaccine breakout

Another example of shocking policy decisions by the government. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... SApp_Other I don’t know how the DVLA’s systems work but many of the roles could be done at home remotely afaik and alternatively decisions could be made to say extend MOT’s, amnesties on driving licence renewals etc to reduce the number of staff required to work No wonder the death rate is so high when even when we are apparently in “lockdown” it’s clear it is only a “half a lockdown”. The longer this goes on in such a half hearted way the longer and greater the risks become to everyone because of the virus.

Another example of shocking policy decisions by the government. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... SApp_Other I don’t know how the DVLA’s systems work but many of the roles could be done at home remotely afaik and alternatively decisions could be made to say extend MOT’s, amnesties on driving licence renewals etc to reduce the number of staff required to work No wonder the death rate is so high when even when we are apparently in “lockdown” it’s clear it is only a “half a lockdown”. The longer this goes on in such a half hearted way the longer and greater the risks become to everyone because of the virus.

I would expect our government to do a bit more than the average punter - it's ok for us, most of the time, to bin that little bit of paper full of densely-written instructions that comes with our drugs. They, on the other hand, really should pay attention to it.

The government need to start producing stats of those people testing positive who have had the one Pfizer jab - that will then put this to bed one way or the other.

Does the vaccine stop you from catching COVID - not sure it does, or maybe I’ve misunderstood it

EDIT. DURHAM GIANT


THIS POST WAS FULL OF DANGEROUS , IGNORANT RUBBISH SO HAS BEEN EDITED

If they publish the figures it will help to support the government's strategy - people especially the young are not taking the lockdown as seriously as they were - we need to understand why the death rate is so high here.

It's so high because we are unwilling to control or track movements of people coming and going to and from the UK and we have a government who have been slow to take action (3 times) and have relaxed the rules too early and they keep on doing the same bloody thing.

They told students to go to Uni (yet now they are told not to return), they told everyone it was ok to have a get together at Christmas and then changed their mind at the last minute, they told everyone to go back to their place of work and yet now, they have decided that it's better for them to work from home.

It's not difficult to see whey the numbers are so high.

The repeating theme is too little, too late again and again and again and lets not even mention our "world beating" test and trace system" - 10's of billions of pounds have been thrown at this and my Gran could have done a better job and she passed away 15 years ago.

But but but! Can you imagine if CORBYN was in charge!

I've always had a strange fascination with schizotypal personality disorder.

Nice twisting of the facts.
Are you suggesting that the vaccine(s) are contributing to the additional deaths or, do you think that the cases and deaths were brought about by increased "mixing" at Christmas and by people, perhaps like yourself, not bothering with social distancing etc.

The apparent deleting of the post you quote makes me look a right pillock!

I mean, I can manage that on my own.

I did agree that it seemed to be implying that the vaccine is making things worse!

[url[/url
when talking to Bumpy, you need to remember, they tried a brain transplant, but they couldn't't find a chicken willing to swap.

I am not disagreeing with you but we are testing 500k a day - and finding c30k a day positives so if each person has 6 contacts that is c200k to contact and isolate everyday? Even Germany accepted at levels less than this their T&T couldn't cope.

In terms of our border the only real challenge for us a new more infectious version of the virus - the virus is everywhere so people coming into the country aren't bring anything we don't already have. The US locked its borders but it has one of the worst outcome of anywhere. When do you open it up - this isn't NZ or Aus we are a major hub for European travel

Students were in September we still have >1,000 dying everyday, same goes for eat out and return to work. I see how the younger ones behave - they don't have the same conformity ideals and if I were their age I would probably feel the same.

What is tragic is terminal cancer sufferers what a terrible situation they have lived in for the last 12 months - if you had six months to live in October what enjoyment will you have had?

One thing is for sure - nothing would have happened without the unions allowing it - schools would not go back until we had zero Covid. Our vaccines would have gone to the Palestinians - they would have been a priority - Hamas would have been managing the supply chain as Jeremy and John would have cancelled the army. We would still have been in the EU so our vaccination numbers would have been a fraction of where they are.

But on a positive all the prisoners would have been done

The scary thing is you actually believe some of that stuff.

While it is clearly an exaggeration, and I voted Labour at GE, I do think Corbyn would have been pretty terrible as a PM and especially under these circumstances. Not as bad as Johnson in most ways, but his task would have been tougher with much less pliant media coverage.

Some people just aren’t cut out for leadership. For different, even opposite, reasons neither Johnson or Corbyn are. Labour, on a purely political level, may have dodged the bullet that has hit so many parts of society, in so many ways. They still need to get their act together, mind you.

I voted Labour for the first time because it was clear, to me at least, how dangerous Johnson and his party had become. Dangerous because of some of the anti- constitutional stuff they were trying to do, dangerous because they were pandering - more than pandering - to dangerous authoritarian elements and had purged their party of moderates. And we've always known Johnson is a lazy liar who does everything for his own personal advancement.

Corbyn was/is definitely not my cup of tea in lots of ways - although policy wise the Labour platform was the more sensible - but he struck me as a much lower risk than a dangerously extremist, anti-fact, anti-science, nakedly corrupt Tory party. We couldn't have dreamed how important and deadly and costly those that two last points would turn out to be within a matter of weeks.

How have you voted previously ?

I voted Tory this time, generally don’t bother, primarily because of Brexit. I voted remain at the time but felt it was only right to implement what the majority voted for

The scary thing is you actually believe this stuff.

All Johnson tried to do was deliver on a democratic vote - the problem he had was the vast majority of the MPs would stop at nothing to stop it happening and the had a speaker who facilitated that position. He had to try what he could and if the party line is one thing and a host of senior people go against that what was he supposed to do - embrace them? He may well have lost that battle but he certainly won the war and the likes of Grieve are now nowhere to be seen.

I would agree with your last point about Johnson but as Starmer showed yesterday they all have a very loose view of the truth. Corbyn produced a document on the NHS during the election that he claimed showed the Tories were going to sell off the NHS - a complete fabrication.

For Tory donors read trade unions - do you think under Corbyn union laws would not have been changed to give the unions more power?

True, the state of the NHS with underfunding and the pervasion of private companies with no special skills apart from being very good at winning contracts, all with their snouts in the trough show that it isn't something that's going to happen, it already has.

Well any right thinking person would hope so. The massive levels of income disparity and zero hours contracts and millions on near starvation wages propped up by government paying benefits because employers won't pay proper wages is one of the great tragedies of modern Britain. Balancing things back from big business in favour of the poor who work for them is long overdue.

It is indeed tragic, that cancer sufferers and others in need of urgent medical help are having to wait longer or, receiving a less comprehensive level of care, which is all the more reason why Boris & Co should have got a proper grip of things.

Thankfully, the vaccine rollout seems to be the one positive in this and it could eventually start paying dividends.
However the three lockdowns and travel chaos etc, etc all encouraged by Boris, has been truly shocking.