The "health passport" thing will play right into the hands of the conspiracy theorists. Especially since he's one of the lizards.
This might have been better coming from someone else, with less baggage.
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Here's a piece about how/why viruses mutate that's bordering on understandable.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/s...&sf241428766=1
Possibly a choice of two threads to post this on but it's interesting that today that the Sky News site has a headline story of 'Positive COVID tests in England rise by 58% in a week, with 'sharp' rise in Wales. Pretty staggering figures and of course of great concern o all.
Meanwhile, the BBC site has a lead story, of the continuing 'verge of Brexit deal' stuff. Any news of Covid is a fair old scroll down the page contained under 'World News'.
Daily Scottish update;
1314 new cases since yesterday - 5.3% positivity rate
Decrease of 17 in the confirmed cases in hospital
No change in the confirmed cases in intensive care
43 deaths registered since yesterday
Anyone heard anything as to further restrictions being announced in Scotland this coming Saturday?
I was told that it's to be a complete shutdown with tougher measures.
Breakdown of today's cases by council area;
Glasgow - 160
Edinburgh - 130
North Lanarkshire - 125
South Lanarkshire - 109
Fife - 88
Renfrewshire - 67
Aberdeenshire - 63
Aberdeen - 61
East Ayrshire - 53
Dundee - 53
Perth and Kinross - 38
East Renfrewshire - 35
West Lothian - 32
Highland - 32
North Ayrshire - 30
Inverclyde - 30
Falkirk - 26
East Dunbartonshire - 25
Scottish Borders - 22
East Lothian - 22
Midlothian - 20
Angus - 20
Dumfries and Galloway - 18
West Dunbartonshire - 17
South Ayrshire - 17
Stirling - 8
Clackmannanshire - 4
Argyll and Bute - 3
Shetland - 2
Moray - 1
7 day rate of cases per 100,000 people up to 21st December;
North Ayrshire - 193.7
Aberdeen - 179.3
East Ayrshire - 172.9
East Lothian - 162.5
Glasgow - 153.1
Renfrewshire - 150.2
East Renfrewshire - 147.6
South Lanarkshire - 146.6
Perth and Kinross - 142.2
West Dunbartonshire - 141.7
Dundee - 141.3
North Lanarkshire - 136.2
Edinburgh - 132.6
Clackmannanshire - 130.0
Midlothian - 129.8
Aberdeenshire - 121.4
Inverclyde - 120.8
Fife - 115.6
South Ayrshire - 104.8
East Dunbartonshire - 101.3
West Lothian - 101.0
Stirling - 99.8
Scottish Borders - 96.1
Falkirk - 86.4
Angus - 69.7
Dumfries and Galloway - 54.4
Moray - 45.9
Argyll and Bute - 39.6
Highland - 31.8
Na h-Eileanan Siar - 11.2
Shetland - 8.7
Orkney - 0
'Stay at home' is already a rule of Tier 4 in England. In fact it's even named 'Tier 4: Stay at Home' so yes I think highly likely.
Rules are something like you must not leave your home/garden without a 'reasonable excuse'. Excuses include going to work (if you can't work at home) and other essential activities such as buying food or medicine locally or to access critical services such as education or childcare. You can exercise in a public place with some conditions.
Outside of education, it's pretty much back to March.
You're absolutely right it does give us some hope that we didn't have nine months ago when everything seemed quite apocalyptic.
However for a large number of people vaccination is still many months away in the future, possibly as many months in the future as we've already experienced since the first lockdown and the thought that we might only be around half way through this is really tough.
That's before we even consider that what the vaccine gives us longer term is still relatively unknown for this disease - and no I'm not talking about whether it possibly results in us growing a third armpit or a second forehead but more along the lines of how long it protects us for. I don't think anyone really knows the answer to that at the moment.
The handling of the pandemic so far across the UK also leaves a lot of people sceptical about how efficient the vaccination programme will be.
I'm hopeful that we might see a return to a bit of normality at some point next year but it's still a long way off at the moment.
News of a more transmissible strain being found in Dumfries and Galloway "very concerning".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...tland-55437311
Wouldn't disagree with anything you say there apart from to add that we don't as individuals have to have been vaccinated to feel the benefit of it. Even those that for various reasons don't receive vaccination will benefit due to others who haven't not transmitting it. Maybe the balance of those infected/not-infected might swing a little quicker than you're imagining. Let's both hope so.
I'm not sure if it's just the way I read that BBC report but it suggests that yet another new strain has been found (i.e. apart from the new one spreading in the south and the SA strain. This report seems to state quite clearly that it's the 'new strain being seen in the south and east of England.
'The new strain of coronavirus spreading quickly in the south East of England has been found in Dumfries and Galloway.
Public health officials believe the new variant, which is said to be more infectious, is associated with an outbreak of cases in Wigtownshire, with a further case identified in the lower Annandale area.'
https://www.itv.com/news/border/2020...s-and-galloway
I've always said that if people are no longer interested in the stuff I post on this thread then I'll stop. The last time you had a similar pop at me resulted in a number of others saying they did not want me to stop contributing to this thread.
If you're not happy with my contribution then perhaps you could either put me on ignore or stop reading the thread.