Coronavirus (COVID-19) General Chat

[Cornetto]

The Scottish Government have pulled back from the 4 (or 5?) day "relaxation of rules" over Christmas and are recommending that if you have to meet up just do it for one day and no overnight stays if possible.

The Welsh Government have already booked in their lockdown for the 28th December.

This is an absolute shambles.

 

[Snoops]

Boris Johnson has announced London and the South East will enter Tier 4, and nationwide, the Christmas relaxation period will be reduced from five days to just Christmas Day alone. ⁠
⁠
The updated regulations are in place as a new strain of COVID-19 is believed to be 70% more transmissible.

With the Welsh and Irish both announcing they will be entering full lockdown after Christmas I'd be very surprised if the Scottish Government doesn't announce some new restrictions this coming week too.

 

[Gemma]

With the Welsh and Irish both announcing they will be entering full lockdown after Christmas I'd be very surprised if the Scottish Government doesn't announce some new restrictions this coming week too.

The Welsh are now going into full lockdown from midnight TONIGHT and relaxed for only Christmas Day.

Level 4 restrictions on all of mainland Scotland from Boxing Day for 3 weeks. Review after 2 weeks.

 

[Jess]

NHS Providers: Government 'right' to act

Chief executive Chris Hopson said trust chiefs had wanted tougher restrictions to reduce infection rates.

"These changes were inevitable given how rapid the infection rates have been rising in London, South East and parts of the East of England due to the new variant," he said.

"Trust leaders have consistently called for the restrictions to be as tough as needed to cut infection rates.

"It is therefore right that the government has acted quickly to avert significant extra deaths and levels of harm

Welsh briefing

In a statement, the Welsh government said it has taken the "difficult decision to bring forward the alert level four restrictions for Wales, in line with the action being taken in London and the South East of England".

It continues: "These new restrictions will come into effect from midnight tonight instead of during the Christmas period.

"This will mean non-essential retail, close contact services, gyms and leisure centres and hospitality will close at the end of trading today.

"Stay-at-home restrictions will also come into effect from midnight.

"Unfortunately, we must also look again at the arrangements for Christmas – we cannot expose people to the risk of this new, more virulent strain of coronavirus.

"We will therefore change the current rules, which allow two households to come together to form a Christmas bubble over a five-day period so that they will apply on Christmas Day only.

Scottish briefing summary

• New variant suggests this is a very serious situation the most dangerous so far.
• Firm action needed now, preventative measures needed.
• Not as bad in Scotland as elsewhere but they do have some of the variant in Scotland
• No evidence it will be more deadly or affect the vaccines but it can put up the R by 0.4
• She hopes people accept the measures
• Encourages people to redouble their efforts
• Travel ban, unless necessary, staying in place over the holidays. Non-essential international travel discouraged
• Indoor mixing in bubble Dec 25th only, stay outside as much as possible, do not stay overnight if possible

 

[Dylan]

I don't think it's the shrinking of the 5-day window to only Christmas day that is the most concerning thing for people, it's the three-week total lockdown coming from Boxing Day that has utterly blindsided most folk.

It's utterly soul-destroying, people's plans for Christmas totally goosed in many ways. Travel booked perhaps, accommodation maybe, food bought, just a few of the minor things that will be an issue for people. Yes, independently these things can be put down as "first world problems" but add them all together and put it together with everything that's already happened this year and it's a total messk. Mental health assistance was already pretty much overwhelmed in this country, I dread to think what it'll be like come January.

 

[hannah]

Think the governments need to really push to get the vaccine out to lift spirits, doesn't help with it being winter and can't really get out and about to clear the head. This whole 5 day Christmas promise was stupid so stupid, if they had said 1 or 2 days max, straight to relatives then straight home and into lockdown folk would be more accepting.

I can handle one more 3 week stint isolated but it better not leak into 6 or 9 weeks. Hopefully the new easier to administer vaccine will be announced in a couple of days that can get things really moving.

 

[Micro Dave]

Does anyone actually think this will only last three weeks? I can see restrictions being tightened until April when furlough ends and the vaccine will hopefully have had an impact.

 

[Gemma]

Does anyone actually think this will only last three weeks?

Hopefully having almost everything closed, including schools, will reduce the number of infections and keep the restrictions to a minimum number of weeks. Much of it will depend on people following the rules between Christmas and New Year.

I heard on the news that Italy are reporting someone there has the new strain of the virus....this is the first country I've heard reporting a case about other than the UK but maybe I've missed the news?

 

[Tom]

Grim reading....

NEARLY four in ten coronavirus infections in Scotland are now being caused by a new, faster-spreading variant, according to the latest infection survey.

It comes as mainland Scotland prepares to enter Level Four restrictions at one minute past midnight tomorrow in a bid to stamp out an increase in Covid cases.

All non-essential shops and businesses will be closed along with pubs, restaurants, and leisure facilities for at least three weeks.
Meanwhile, NHS Dumfries and Galloway has reported "very concerning news" that the variant has been detected in the region as part of an investigation into an outbreak of cases in Wigtownshire.

Cases had previously been identified mainly in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region, with some in Lanarkshire.

Random population sampling carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 38 per cent of people who tested positive for the virus in Scotland between December 14 and 18 had markers compatible with the new UK variant, which is believed to be around 70% more transmissible.

This is up from 14% previously, and compares to 68% in London, 49% for England as a whole, and 11% in Wales.

The ONS survey is carried out UK-wide and is based on nose and throat swabs collected from thousands of households, with or without symptoms.

The ONS estimates that one in 140 people in Scotland were infected with coronavirus, based on samples taken between December 12 and 18.

This is a reduction from one in 100 in the previous week, although the result is at odds with Public Health Scotland data which shows a steady increase in positive tests, from a seven-day average of 774 at December 4 to 998 by December 22.

On Christmas Eve, 1,165 new cases were reported, according to the Scottish Government.

The next official update for deaths, hospitalisations or cases in intensive care will not be disclosed until December 29, due to the festive holidays

In England, ONS estimates that one in every 85 people were infected with coronavirus, while Northern Ireland had the lowest rate of infections at one in 180, and Wales was highest at one in 60.

The UK variant, which is a highly mutated strain believed to have first emerged in a patient in Kent in September, has been blamed for a dramatic increase in cases in London and the south-east of England.

Household mixing was banned across the region, even on Christmas Day, in a bid to stem a rising tide of infections which appear to be occurring particularly among younger age groups.

There was further alarm after it emerged on December 23 that two cases of a second, South African variant - thought to be even more contagious than the UK strain - had been detected in London and the north of England.

Both individuals have been quarantined and anyone who has visited South Africa in the past two weeks - or had close contact with anyone who has - must self-isolate.

Health chiefs in Dumfries and Galloway have also urged caution after the first case of the UK variant - known as VUI 202012/01 or B.1.1.7 - was detected in the Annandale area.

Valerie White, interim director of public health at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, said: "The presence of the new strain has been identified following further work by Public Health Scotland, who are undertaking additional investigation of cases of coronavirus infection across Scotland

"A further second case of the new strain has been identified in the lower Annandale area.

"This is obviously very concerning news, and comes as we have been closely monitoring the situation nationally with respect to this new B.1.1.7 strain."

Ms White said public health teams "do not want to cause any undue concern", but felt it was important to alert the public "due to the increased risk of transmission that this strain is understood to pose".

"More information will be provided in due course, as and when it becomes available," she added.

 

[Deleted member 63]

We don't have any definite evidence of the new strain here in Ontario yet, but I know our labs are watching for it. We went into a lockdown today just based on current epidemiological criteria of the current strain(s) so I guess we are already ready for it if it shows its ugly mug. Long list of rules, but basically all non-essential businesses are closed and there are tight rules around any kind of gathering, even outdoors.