General Covid 19 news

[Ian]

Indeed.

[SteveH]

MARK Drakeford has given  clarity   about the news that face coverings will become compulsory on public transport in England and what this means for Wales.

At the daily coronavirus press conference held by the Welsh Government, the First Minister fielded various questions asking for clarity on the decision by the UK ministers which will see face coverings become essential if people wish to use public transport on June 15.

He said that the situation in Wales is still being reviewed but stressed that, as it stands, the choice to wear face masks remains that of preference for individuals.

He told the nation that the current advice from the chief medical officer for Wales was that wearing face masks gave people "some marginal extra protection" but was not sufficient to make it mandatory.

The First Minister said: “The chief medical officer has expressed his anxieties that people might do more risky things because they think a face mask offers them protection, which it doesn't. But context changes because in England it is mandatory to use face masks while on public transport.

https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/18499574.first-minister-clarifies-new-face-mask-rules-england-means-people-wales/


From what I have seen and heard, I agree with mask wearing, and when I eventually go out, I will definitely be wearing one.........

 

[Ian]

I think they have to make mask wearing obligatory.

[Hugo]

It's not that long ago that the UK Government was saying that wearing masks wasn't effective in preventing  the spread of the Coronavirus but now they are advocating the use of them so what has made them change their minds all of a sudden
Countries in the far east have been wearing masks on a regular basis and their rate of infection and deaths is considerably less than ours

I have a brother who lives in Thailand and feels quite safe from the virus there but is due back in the UK in July and is worried about the way we are dealing with the pandemic;-
     UK        POPULATION     66.65 MILLION          DEATHS    40,261
THAILAND  POPULATION     69.43 MILLION          DEATHS           58
GERMANY   POPULATION     83.02 MILLION          DEATHS      8,763

There is something seriously wrong with the way the UK has tackled this outbreak from the very onset, apart from being ill prepared, we have also been mislead all the way along.
Boris has not helped the situation by allowing the people from England to drive where they want to and this could result in a second lockdown in areas of England and unfortunately in Wales too because of the number of idiots coming over the border
The FM of Wales has not been as stupid as Boris but I hope that all the nations of the UK introduce a law to make face coverings compulsory but certainly when it is indoors

[SteveH]

CDC Urges Caution After Survey Reveals About 1 in 3 Adults Misused Bleach Or Disinfectant In Attempts To Protect Themselves From Coronavirus.

A recent survey, released June 5, of more than 500 adults in the U.S. revealed an alarming number of people had engaged in unsafe use of bleach, disinfectants and other cleansers as an attempt to prevent contracting the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says about 1 in 3 adults intentionally used chemicals and disinfectants unsafely.

Some of the high-risk practices included using bleach to “wash” fruits and vegetables, applying household cleaning and disinfectant products to bare skin, and inhaling, gargling, or ingesting cleaners and disinfectants.

The CDC reports, “These practices pose a risk of severe tissue damage and corrosive injury and should be strictly avoided.”

Among the respondents, 25% say they suffered from the misuse of the cleaners with 11% having nose or sinus irritation; 8% had skin irritation; 8% had eye irritation, 8% reported dizziness, lightheadedness or headache; 6% had an upset stomach or nausea and 6% had breathing problems.

Survey results also revealed that participants had limited knowledge of safe preparation of cleaning and disinfectant solutions:

·       Only 23% knew that only room temperature water should be used for preparation of dilute bleach solutions

·       35% knew that bleach should not be mixed with vinegar

·       58% knew that bleach should not be mixed with ammonia

Knowledge was higher when involving use of personal protective equipment.

·       64% said eye protection was recommended for use of some cleaners and disinfectants

·       71% said gloves were recommended for use

·       68% responded that handwashing was recommended after using cleaners and disinfectants

·       73% knew that adequate ventilation is recommended when using these products

·       79% knew cleaners and disinfectants should be kept out of reach of children

·       54% said hand sanitizers should be kept out of reach of children

The CDC urges evidence-based, safe practices such as frequent hand washing and frequent cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces.

It emphasizes the importance of reading and following label instructions, using room temperature water for dilution (unless otherwise stated on the label). Also, it’s critical to avoid mixing chemical products as well as wearing skin and eye protection and ensuring proper ventilation.                 Ref Forbes

[DVT]

No doubt they'll blame Donald Trump for suggesting using disinfectant ... which was probably not such a daft suggestion as it may seem ... if disinfectants can kill "99% of known household germs" then there must be something in the ingreidents that could be made up into a form that could be taken by humans.

After all, there are humans taking warfarin to control certain ailments - and warfarin is rat poison and can kill humans ... it all depends on the dosage.

[Ian]

Trump recommended bleach. The way Bleaches work is due to their general chemical reactivity against organic compounds, rather than the selective inhibitory or toxic actions of antibiotics. They irreversibly denature or destroy many proteins, making them extremely versatile disinfectants.

Sadly, we're composed of rather a lot of protein. 

Warfarin isn't classed as a poison. It's an anti-coagulant, the main side effect of which is bleeding, which is how it kills rats. So in that sense it can be argued it's as poisonous as salt.

[Dave]

He's truly lost the plot now.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-five-mile-travel-limit-18384349

If holiday makers are allowed to  come in to Wales they will have to stick to a 5 mile limit from where they are staying but Welsh people have to stay at home and are restricted to 5 miles too.

[Hugo]

It doesn't make any sense either.   People from England are already flouting the Wales regulations so if they are allowed to travel to a self catering accommodation will they stick to the 5 mile limit?
I don't think so and to be fair anyone on holiday would want to visit the beautiful locations in the area so while we obey the 5 mile rule they will visit these places while we are not able to

[DVT]

Ridiculous ...

... my daughter booked a cottage in Anglesey for the last week in June for my wife and I (who live in Three Towns area) along with her family, father-in-law and other relations of her husband.   Plan was for a relaxing week next to the beach.   When all this started we thought we could do this without being in contact with anyone else.

The holiday has been cancelled but under this news they could still go because they live in Liverpool but we cannot go any closer than Penmaenmawr!  Can someone explain the thinking behind that?

[DVT]

How is it that I am not allowed to walk or drive further than 5 miles from my house, but if I get on a bike I can go anywhere without restrictions?

I am aware of a local person posting videos of his bike rides and not only is he covering a great distance he is also going places that are closed to everyone.

If I am driving my car I am not breathing on pedestrians as I pass them.

[Ian]

This is what happens when politicians make up rules on the fly. And that's besides those caught, who argue it's allowed under Cummings' Law...

[Dave]

This is what happens when politicians make up rules on the fly. And that's besides those caught, who argue it's allowed under Cummings' Law...

In fairness it's not on the fly. Our man stated they think about things then act on them not the other way around. However, he's demonstrated he's not only a slow thinker but seems to not see the obvious either.
It's time to start being more relaxed on travel and choice of who you can or can't meet, in fact quite a lot more relaxed in my opinion. Bring in some basic rules such as compulsory face masks in indoor public places and where safe distancing is impossible outside, maintain safe distancing where it's possible both indoors and out and most importantly of all, let individuals be responsible for their own risk assessment.
40,000 people have died, let's not ignore that and among them many that should have lived for many years to come. A third of them were in care homes and they would have possibly survived a good few years too if health checks had been put in place right from the off.
As far as arrivals in to the country being made to quarantine, it's too late for that now. The virus is here in sufficient host bodies not to make a difference. Should have dome that when the rest of Europe did but no, we had to demonstrate we are different. For those who wanted this separation to make Britain Great again it was a poor start.
As far as the Cummings business is concerned that's not why we have the situation we have now.Black Lives Matter has nothing to do with Cummings and despite it being an extremely relevant protest it has made a mockery of the lockdown and possibly destroyed much of what little had been achieved.
 We are in that because of poor decision making and implementation from the very beginning.We have had the fear of god put in to us and the reality is not what was predicted. If every year we went through the same procedure because of flu and published new sufferers and deaths we'd all end up paranoid about that too but by and large we totally ignore the annual 10,000 cull in the population.
We are after all a supposedly United Kingdom of probably 70,000,000. 10K or even 40K is fairly small in comparison giving a death rate of 1 in 1750. If we all take on individual responsibility for our own safety and also respect everyone else's too then I'm sure that figure could easily be pushed to  a 1 in 17,500 chance of dying. I'd happily take that. The odds of being killed on the road are currently about 40,000-1 and I don't think twice about going out either in a vehicle or as pedestrian.

[Ian]

This is what happens when politicians make up rules on the fly. And that's besides those caught, who argue it's allowed under Cummings' Law...

...the reality is not what was predicted.

I'd probably say 'feared' rather than 'predicted'.

If every year we went through the same procedure because of flu and published new sufferers and deaths we'd all end up paranoid about that too but by and large we totally ignore the annual 10,000 cull in the population.

Yes, we do. 'Flu's nasty, as well. I've had it twice, and both times felt like death. But this one can cause a form of viral pneumonia for which there's no cure and no treatment. And that is worrying.

We are after all a supposedly United Kingdom of probably 70,000,000. 10K or even 40K is fairly small in comparison giving a death rate of 1 in 1750. If we all take on individual responsibility for our own safety and also respect everyone else's too then I'm sure that figure could easily be pushed to  a 1 in 17,500 chance of dying. I'd happily take that. The odds of being killed on the road are currently about 40,000-1 and I don't think twice about going out either in a vehicle or as pedestrian.

I suppose a lot depends on how much the current fatality numbers have been ameliorated by the lock down. There's so much we don't know about this thing. Four hospital Doctors, writing in the Guardian, yesterday, reported quite a range of symptoms, some lasting ten weeks and more.

There's a lot in what you say—I agree, but I suspect the big fear is this could turn out  to be as nasty as SARS or MERS.  Both those have significantly higher death rates than this one.

[Dave]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-52978392

Another missed opportunity.
Face masks only compulsory on public transport and other places where social distancing is impossible. Health Minister Gething says "When I go out and do my weekly shop, I find that people follow the rules, that the shops themselves are making sure they don't have lots of people going in… and people know about not going past each other,"
Yeah, right. That's my experience some of the time but I have lost count of the times social distancing inside the store has been ignored by some individuals.