Topic: COVID-19:VERIFIED news sources, 0 politishit, 0 CONSPIRACY SHITE

[So… Howard Philips]

They allow negative tests and proof of previous infection.

That's fair enough but the entitled twats in this country and the back woodsmen Tories would still be bleating it's a breach of their 'liberties'.

[carling]

That's fair enough but the entitled twats in this country and the back woodsmen Tories would still be bleating it's a breach of their 'liberties'.

I'd like to think the free lateral flow test before attending a busy event would be acceptable over this winter.

[butchersdog]

The processed food is scarily cheap, £1 for a pizza that will feed two kids and especially when you are skint it's not easy and like you say the healthy option is usually very expensive so something does need doing. Rashford did a thing with one of the celebrity chefs to make cheap nutritious meals, things like that need pushing.

I know they've said being overweight is a risk factor in covid and I do wonder will kids who get covid and are overweight, and I'm shocked at the amount of fat primary school kids I see, get seriously ill or die or will they get away with it due to their age?

I know what you’re saying Rob. Although, I would argue that with selective shopping (i.e Aldi/Lidl), you can live very well, and healthily, quite inexpensively, albeit not a quid for a frozen pizza cheap. Convenience food seems a problem when it comes to burning through peoples cash. For the cost of one family Dominos or Just Eat (estimating 25 quid) I reckon I could probably cook three to five healthy evening meals for four, depending on what I bought, that would taste a lot better too.

I think another problem is that cooking can be quite intimidating if you’ve never done it, or come from a family that didn’t do it, although this is changing a bit with people like Joe Wicks, who can come across like a bit of a whopper, but his recipe books are a godsend for a novice. It would have been great to have been taught all the basics in school during food tech (boiling pasta/rice, making a tomato sauce etc), an opportunity to change peoples habits when they’re young.

[Linudden]

I know that I can whip up a pretty healthy meal that tastes good in 20 mins (can do some in less to be fair but lets say 20 for an evening meal) and I've done the maths before and it works out to something like £3 per portion - and gets cheaper if I'm cooking for multiple people. It could be made cheaper using frozen meat or substituting the meat out but when you go frozen it then adds time cost, sub meat out and you are having to educate people on alternatives that they simply aren't aware of.

It is a tough battle this one.

I know for the sake of myself that it's both cheaper and healthier if I cook all my food at home for myself rather than eating out and buying finished produce. Like you said, it doesn't take much time. Even with frozen meat from the moment you put the piece on the cut-out board until dinner is ready is about 30 minutes. Frankly, I believe the biggest problem is that people think their diet choices won't matter. I assume a lot of overweight people are like 'but I'm not an alcoholic and I don't smoke so can't be that bad' when as a matter of fact being 30-40 lb's above where you should be is just as bad for life expectancy. There has been a lack of urgency in the messaging for decades now as the metabolic state of industrialised countries have fallen off a cliff and the chickens have now come home to roost.

It's probably possible to reduce covid deaths in the under-70's by a lot more than half just by reducing obesity rates. At the same time I believe people should have the freedom to eat what they want but it has to be that healthier food is the go-to option for people who are struggling to get by purely because it is the affordable rather than the expensive stuff.

As for me I've gone a bit towards LCHF with long spells between anything I ingest plus heavy intermittent exercise which seems to work quite well. That being said, I realise that riding 40 + miles on a bike is not for everyone but that makes it even more important that people watch their diets.

It would have been great to have been taught all the basics in school during food tech (boiling pasta/rice,

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

[butchersdog]

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

I can only speak anecdotally, but I personally think there’d be a fair few. I’ve worked with more than one young lad who didn’t know how to make a cup of tea. Another tipped stuffed pasta into a pan and switched the hob on. No water, just the pan.

It’s probably the lower end of the spectrum, I guess my broad point was to build from the ground up when people are young, seems a missed opportunity to master all the basics.

[Linudden]

I can only speak anecdotally, but I personally think there’d be a fair few. I’ve worked with more than one young lad who didn’t know how to make a cup of tea. Another tipped stuffed pasta into a pan and switched the hob on. No water, just the pan.

Me neither but I'm known as Milkman and love myself a cold glass of water so doubt I've missed anything  I've always stayed away from caffeine and alcohol on purpose.

[thaddeus]

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

It certainly wasn't taught at school when I passed through the English education system (1990s).  My mum taught my siblings and I the basics and a bit beyond that but not everyone would have had that.

My wife watches no end of cookery shows and most of the celebrity chefs are middle/upper class whoppers that I expect would put a lot of people off.  Jamie Oliver is well intentioned and lays on thick the simplicity of the meals he prepares, involves his children in some of the preparation, purrs over how delicious and nutritious it all is... but he's still an insufferable twat.

Having slowly drifted into that state of mind previously whereby you can't be bothered cooking so you eat convenience food it's a difficult cycle to break.

[jonnypb]

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

Certainly when you see what some people fill their shopping trolleys with I don't know if it's people don't know how to cook fresh food, or if they just can't be arsed and would rather throw some processed shite in the microwave for ease.  Obviously there's a happy medium and sometimes you need something quick and on the go, but when you see some of these shopping trolleys full of frozen meals, ready meals, crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks etc it can't be good for you eating it all the time.

Since covid I've tried to look after myself more, eat more fresh food, increase the amount of fruit and veg that I eat, only buy meat from a butchers, cut down on alcohol etc and I do feel so much better and have lost weight in doing so.

[El Lobo]

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

I'm sure there are yeah. Thats the thing though Linudden, you get fuckwits all over the world....

[Linudden]

Certainly when you see what some people fill their shopping trolleys with I don't know if it's people don't know how to cook fresh food, or if they just can't be arsed and would rather throw some processed shite in the microwave for ease.  Obviously there's a happy medium and sometimes you need something quick and on the go, but when you see some of these shopping trolleys full of frozen meals, ready meals, crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks etc it can't be good for you eating it all the time.

Since covid I've tried to look after myself more, eat more fresh food, increase the amount of fruit and veg that I eat, only buy meat from a butchers, cut down on alcohol etc and I do feel so much better and have lost weight in doing so.

When I end up behind people in the queue who even look quite healthy on the exterior it baffles me how much processed fast food they have in the trolleys and Sweden is a mild case and a rather physically active population compared to the UK average. It bothers me that this culture of laziness has crept in so deep. Hell, you don't even have to leave your own kitchen or move to eat healthily. That's why it always confuses me that people just don't take a few minutes out of their day to increase their own longevity. Sure, I eat a fuckton of low-fat butter, cheese and cream but that's because I believe animalic fats are important to replenish a body when being active and also because I have so little carbs. Cutting back on butter and cream for a few weeks and I could lose five extra lb's whenever I want. Processed foods, sitting still and transfats on the other hand... uh oh.

Basically, a lot of middle-aged people have been sitting ducks when contracting covid purely because they've trashed their intestines for decades and even though they might not look obese their just slightly overweight body is pretty much done for on the inside because they've hardly moved and just ate junk food for so long. It's very tragic.

As for you that's definitely a good start! Being a teetotaller and never trying it was the best decision I ever made.

[rob1966]

It certainly wasn't taught at school when I passed through the English education system (1990s).  My mum taught my siblings and I the basics and a bit beyond that but not everyone would have had that.

My wife watches no end of cookery shows and most of the celebrity chefs are middle/upper class whoppers that I expect would put a lot of people off.  Jamie Oliver is well intentioned and lays on thick the simplicity of the meals he prepares, involves his children in some of the preparation, purrs over how delicious and nutritious it all is... but he's still an insufferable twat.

Having slowly drifted into that state of mind previously whereby you can't be bothered cooking so you eat convenience food it's a difficult cycle to break.

We did Home Economics at school in the late 70's, did loads of baking. My lad is 13 and his school is teaching them to cook, he's learning all about nutrition and they are expected to make meals in school or at home. He's really taken to it, so I've been cooking with him at home, we picked wild berries the other week and he made a fruit crumble.

I know what you’re saying Rob. Although, I would argue that with selective shopping (i.e Aldi/Lidl), you can live very well, and healthily, quite inexpensively, albeit not a quid for a frozen pizza cheap. Convenience food seems a problem when it comes to burning through peoples cash. For the cost of one family Dominos or Just Eat (estimating 25 quid) I reckon I could probably cook three to five healthy evening meals for four, depending on what I bought, that would taste a lot better too.

I think another problem is that cooking can be quite intimidating if you’ve never done it, or come from a family that didn’t do it, although this is changing a bit with people like Joe Wicks, who can come across like a bit of a whopper, but his recipe books are a godsend for a novice. It would have been great to have been taught all the basics in school during food tech (boiling pasta/rice, making a tomato sauce etc), an opportunity to change peoples habits when they’re young.

The cheap shite just feeds into people's laziness, its easier to lash a pizza in the oven and then go on Facebook for some, than to stand and cook, even when its easy. We shop in Aldi all the time and its brilliant for how cheap it is for fresh food. Tea for the kids tonight is grilled chicken and rice, takes 20 minutes. One meal I do is chop a load of peppers, mushrooms and onions up, fry in olive oil, add spices then lash in a load of passata and simmer for 20 mins, serve with rice.  You can replace the sauce with single cream as well. Last night we had fish, couple of quid from Aldi, with new potatoes and veg, again dead easy and cheap meal.

[carling]

There has been a lack of urgency in the messaging for decades now as the metabolic state of industrialised countries have fallen off a cliff and the chickens have now come home to roost.

Agreed.. but we've managed to foster a fierce obsession and debate around mask-wearing (for example).  Feels to me like we should be able to achieve something similar with messaging on healthy eating.  Even 10% of the fervour around masks directed towards what we eat would be huge.

[ianburns252]

I know for the sake of myself that it's both cheaper and healthier if I cook all my food at home for myself rather than eating out and buying finished produce. Like you said, it doesn't take much time. Even with frozen meat from the moment you put the piece on the cut-out board until dinner is ready is about 30 minutes. Frankly, I believe the biggest problem is that people think their diet choices won't matter. I assume a lot of overweight people are like 'but I'm not an alcoholic and I don't smoke so can't be that bad' when as a matter of fact being 30-40 lb's above where you should be is just as bad for life expectancy. There has been a lack of urgency in the messaging for decades now as the metabolic state of industrialised countries have fallen off a cliff and the chickens have now come home to roost.

It's probably possible to reduce covid deaths in the under-70's by a lot more than half just by reducing obesity rates. At the same time I believe people should have the freedom to eat what they want but it has to be that healthier food is the go-to option for people who are struggling to get by purely because it is the affordable rather than the expensive stuff.

As for me I've gone a bit towards LCHF with long spells between anything I ingest plus heavy intermittent exercise which seems to work quite well. That being said, I realise that riding 40 + miles on a bike is not for everyone but that makes it even more important that people watch their diets.

Is it genuinely the case that many people in the UK don't know how to boil pasta or rice? That's shocking if it's the case. I'd think it mostly comes down to people finding it easier to just buy cheap microwave stuff to save time more than anything.

The mental health aspect of having something that you have created vs whatever JustEat brings to you is often forgotten - not a sense of achievement as such but certainly satisfaction.

I will try - if I'm feeling out of sorts/lazy - to at least go up to the shops and get something like a rice/pasta dish from there as a Tesco curry is surely much better than a takeaway (certainly calories are and would assume the ingredients are no worse) at the least on your pocket. It doesn't solve it all but it is the lesser of two evils - ideally though, meal planning and prepping gets you out of that situation as if I have something in the fridge that just needs reheating from the night before it doesn't exactly take a long time.

There is a fad at the moment of "intuitive eating" whereby, rather than tracking calories and the like, people are being told be influencers to just eat what your body thinks it needs. This is resulting in weight gains as people generally will underestimate how much they have eaten.

If you are experienced and know your foods then it is fine - someone like you who cycles 40 miles a day and is able to maintain a stable weight will have a good idea what you need rather than having to weigh out blocks of cheese or whatever, but for most they simply can't do it.

On your point about people being unable to cook pasta and rice - it is shocking how many I have come across who can't. Happens less so now but when I went to uni there were loads who would make a complete shambles of the simplest thing. Even something like doing a baked potato in the microwave was beyond them.

What I have noticed is that it isn't always a lack of knowledge so much as attention span. One of my friends is brilliant at prepping, flavouring and so on, and if something suits a slow cooking approach he is fine as it is low maintenance but anything that you have to keep an eye on he can't do as he wants to sit on his phone or Xbox instead and that leads to him fucking up rice or pasta 9 times out of 10 due to overcooking it all.

That said, it should be simple with rice at least these days as the microwave rice packs do the job perfectly well and they are impossible to screw up.

[stoa]

It's probably possible to reduce covid deaths in the under-70's by a lot more than half just by reducing obesity rates. At the same time I believe people should have the freedom to eat what they want but it has to be that healthier food is the go-to option for people who are struggling to get by purely because it is the affordable rather than the expensive stuff.

You know what will reduce Covid-deaths massively and in only a short while? GETTING VACCINATED...

[So… Howard Philips]

Agreed.. but we've managed to foster a fierce obsession and debate around mask-wearing (for example).  Feels to me like we should be able to achieve something similar with messaging on healthy eating.  Even 10% of the fervour around masks directed towards what we eat would be huge.

The fervour around masks was generated by the refuseniks, can’t imagine that type devoting the same energy to anything positive.

[BarryCrocker]

If Covid couldn't get anymore weird then Chris Whitty slammed Nicki Minaj in the press conference today and she replied haha

Colbert just dropped her new tune.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ZBaNiNkVQkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ZBaNiNkVQkQ</a>

[Linudden]

You know what will reduce Covid-deaths massively and in only a short while? GETTING VACCINATED...

I agree with you when it comes to a large part of society and that the vaccines have saved a lot of lives of people in a vulnerable state. As for the subliminal about Linudden being bad that's fine too 

The mental health aspect of having something that you have created vs whatever JustEat brings to you is often forgotten - not a sense of achievement as such but certainly satisfaction.

I will try - if I'm feeling out of sorts/lazy - to at least go up to the shops and get something like a rice/pasta dish from there as a Tesco curry is surely much better than a takeaway (certainly calories are and would assume the ingredients are no worse) at the least on your pocket. It doesn't solve it all but it is the lesser of two evils - ideally though, meal planning and prepping gets you out of that situation as if I have something in the fridge that just needs reheating from the night before it doesn't exactly take a long time.

There is a fad at the moment of "intuitive eating" whereby, rather than tracking calories and the like, people are being told be influencers to just eat what your body thinks it needs. This is resulting in weight gains as people generally will underestimate how much they have eaten.

If you are experienced and know your foods then it is fine - someone like you who cycles 40 miles a day and is able to maintain a stable weight will have a good idea what you need rather than having to weigh out blocks of cheese or whatever, but for most they simply can't do it.

On your point about people being unable to cook pasta and rice - it is shocking how many I have come across who can't. Happens less so now but when I went to uni there were loads who would make a complete shambles of the simplest thing. Even something like doing a baked potato in the microwave was beyond them.

What I have noticed is that it isn't always a lack of knowledge so much as attention span. One of my friends is brilliant at prepping, flavouring and so on, and if something suits a slow cooking approach he is fine as it is low maintenance but anything that you have to keep an eye on he can't do as he wants to sit on his phone or Xbox instead and that leads to him fucking up rice or pasta 9 times out of 10 due to overcooking it all.

That said, it should be simple with rice at least these days as the microwave rice packs do the job perfectly well and they are impossible to screw up.

I ride 30-45 miles once or twice a week because I attack it so much that my legs are basically gone and even walking to the kitchen hurts for 1-2 days after I do  Also whenever the wind direction is from your shores even many days during summers tend to be unrideable because of constant convective showers when it hits the warm continental air. Then in winter, this is Sweden after all with six degrees colder winters than NW England so the distances shorten a bit. Riding 30 miles in winter is the same burden as twice the length in summer.

Besides that I definitely agree with you. Living at the university dorm ten years ago there was a French girl who triggered the fire alarm everytime she cooked. The others made it look like a warzone. I don't miss it! It's useful lessons for people to learn to cook but growing pains are immense. Once you have experience you just feel when the pasta is done and instinctively know when the rice is just right. It takes time and effort but in the long run that will help people a ton to avoid future health complications so it's well worth it. The more healthy pensioners there are, the less the social care burden will be so even the penny-pinchers should support it.

[classycarra]

I agree with you when it comes to a large part of society and that the vaccines have saved a lot of lives of people in a vulnerable state.

You don't seem to comprehend how viral transmission occurs (and this is not unique to COVID). Someone who is at low risk of the consequences of an infection (eg a 21 year old with no health issues) getting a vaccine plays a role in protecting the rest of society.

Not entirely sure why you've shared your agreement (to a limited part of stoa's point). Your thoughts or feelings are irrelevant on this, it's simply objective fact (in it's entirety).

You view your decision to get the vaccine as something that purely affects you and your health and outlook. Fortunately this is very much the minority view in both our countries and Stoa's - and that helps to prevent outbreaks of various infections among vaccine-naive people that can subsequently lead to infections and severe harm in the more vulnerable.

As for the subliminal about Linudden being bad that's fine too 

I don't think that word means what you think it means.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Americans really are as thick as pigshit


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/16/vaccine-mandates-rightwing-hysteria-joe-biden

Joe Biden has been called ‘fascist’ and ‘tyrannical’ for his Covid prevention measures but the public appears to be on his side
David Smith
David Smith in Washington
@smithinamerica
Thu 16 Sep 2021 07.00 BST

Last modified on Thu 16 Sep 2021 07.08 BST

When Joe Biden announced sweeping federal coronavirus vaccine requirements for 100 million Americans, the White House was braced for objections from Republican opponents.

But this being 2021, the rightwing backlash has gone way beyond mere political debate into the realm of incendiary language that, analysts fear, could translate into direct and violent action.

President Biden Speaks On Administration's Plan To Combat Delta Variant
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about combatting the coronavirus pandemic in the State Dining Room of the White House on September 9, 2021 in Washington, DC. As the Delta variant continues to spread around the United States, Biden outlined his administration's six point plan, including a requirement that all federal workers be vaccinated against Covid-19. Biden is also instructing the Department of Labor to draft a rule mandating that all businesses with 100 or more employees require their workers to get vaccinated or face weekly testing. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
‘Have at it’: Joe Biden dares vaccine mandate opponents to take him on
Read more

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster vowed to fight “to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian”. Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, tweeted: “The vaccine itself is life-saving, but this unconstitutional move is terrifying.” JD Vance, a conservative running for a Senate seat in Ohio, warned: “Only mass civil disobedience will save us from Joe Biden’s naked authoritarianism.”

And the rightwing media went further, casually tossing around terms such as “authoritarian”, “fascist”, “totalitarian” and “tyrannical” to characterize the US president’s mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require their employees to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly.

The rhetoric is seen as dangerous in a febrile political atmosphere that saw a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington on 6 January and plans for another extremist protest at the same location on Saturday. This week US Capitol police arrested a man in a truck who was armed with multiple knives, a bayonet and a machete near the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Kurt Bardella, a Democratic congressional campaign committee adviser, said: “After what we saw in this country on January 6, ‘civil disobedience’ is code word for violence and acts of terror when it comes to the Republican party. So many in this party are trying to whitewash the events of January 6, have referred to those behind it as ‘patriots’ and have gone so far as to suggest that those who have been incarcerated for their crimes should be released.

“The only conclusion that one can draw from their ongoing rallying cries for what they call ‘civil disobedience’ is that it is a call for more violence, more mayhem, more destruction, and solidifies the reality that the Republican party is a domestic terrorist organisation.”

The battle over vaccine mandates is the latest development in a corrosive culture war over the efforts to stop the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, now causing 150,000 cases and 1,500 deaths a day. This politicisation had led to the burning of masks, physical altercations at schools and even the booing of former president Donald Trump when he advocated vaccines to his own supporters.

Biden’s intervention last week was seen as a turning point where he replaced the carrot with the stick and finally got tough with the unvaccinated who are needlessly prolonging the pandemic. He said: “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us.”

The White House is confident that it has the majority of the public on its side. Three in five Americans support the new mandates for private companies and federal government workers, according to an Axios/Ipsos poll this week. Media reports suggest that many employers quietly welcome the cover that Biden’s move will give them to ensure their staff are vaccinated.

But that did not prevent a furious and unhinged casting of the president as a dictator. Matt Walsh, a podcast host, told the Fox News host Tucker Carlson: “We had to elect this rotting bag of oatmeal to get a real tyrant … Maybe this, in the end, is a good thing, in the sense that it’s a time for choosing for Americans … Are we going to comply and lie down to this, or are we finally going to stand up and say, ‘You know what, it’s not gonna happen’?”

Fox News ran online headlines such as “BIDEN IS AN AUTHORITARIAN” and “BIDEN DECLARES WAR ON MILLIONS OF AMERICANS”. Its website has since published an article about an army lieutenant colonel resigning in protest over the Covid-19 vaccine mandate and what he described as the “Marxist takeover of the military”.

Three Republican governors tipped as presidential candidates in 2024 took their cue. Kristi Noem of South Dakota said she was preparing to go to court. Greg Abbott of Texas called it an “assault on private businesses”. Ron DeSantis of Florida said: “I do not believe that people should lose their jobs over this issue, and we will fight that.”

More than 208 million Americans have received at least one vaccine dose but some 80 million remain unvaccinated. There are now about 300% more new daily Covid-19 infections, about two and a half times the hospitalisations and nearly twice the number of deaths as at the same time last year.

In that context Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington, finds the Republican stand baffling and bewildering. “It’s dangerous for others and it’s dangerous for themselves,” she said. “How many rightwing talkshow hosts have already died of Covid? It’s actually fairly inexplicable. I can certainly see getting wrought up over taxes or freedom or going to war or all the other things the state does but giving vaccines?

“This is crazy, frankly. There’s just no other word for it than crazy. The Republican party’s been taken over by crazy people. All these people who are doing this, their children have gotten polio vaccines, measles, mumps, rubella. All babies in the United States get their shots and that is mandatory. It is mandatory to go to school. So this is pretty insane.”

There is little sign of Biden backing down. In a visit to a school in Washington last week, he accused the Republicans governors of being “cavalier” with the health of young Americans, and when asked about those who would file legal challenges, he replied: “Have at it.”

And it remains unclear whether the rightwing sound and fury will affect more than a section of the Trump base. David Frum, a former speechwriter and special assistant to President George W Bush, tweeted: “How’s that mass civil disobedience campaign against vaccine mandates going? Only 2% of human-resource professionals surveyed say they have noticed any instances at all of employees quitting rather than be vaccinated.”

[rob1966]

Just heard on the radio news that the booster rollout has started with frontline NHS workers, they featured a nurse I think she was who had just hers.

[RF]

Cases down 22%  from previous 7 day average.

[[new username under construction]]

Cases down 22%  from previous 7 day average.

Let's face it, the whole thing is weird and no one really knows what triggers what

[So… Howard Philips]

Let's face it, the whole thing is weird and no one really knows what triggers what

May be down but still 22,000 cases and they are  just the ones who have had a test. There'll be plenty of asymptomatic cases and some with mild symptoms may think they just have a cold (plenty of them around at the mo).

[[new username under construction]]

May be down but still 22,000 cases and they are  just the ones who have had a test. There'll be plenty of asymptomatic cases and some with mild symptoms may think they just have a cold (plenty of them around at the mo).

As long as boosters get given out to those who need I think we'll be ok through winter

[west_london_red]

Just heard on the radio news that the booster rollout has started with frontline NHS workers, they featured a nurse I think she was who had just hers.

I saw the same. It makes sense as the first lot of people who got vaccinated in late December and early Jan would have had their second in March under tree 12 week interval and some of the very first people to get vaccinated had their second doses in Jan so are well past the 6 month wait for a booster.

[Red Beret]

May be down but still 22,000 cases and they are  just the ones who have had a test. There'll be plenty of asymptomatic cases and some with mild symptoms may think they just have a cold (plenty of them around at the mo).

Absolutely.

Covid has me real skittish. Last night and today I've had a slight hint of a sore throat, so I just did a home LFT that came back negative, but I'm really skeptical. I'm supposed to be going to Blackpool next week and I'm paranoid about having to cancel!

[Dull Tools]

May be down but still 22,000 cases and they are  just the ones who have had a test. There'll be plenty of asymptomatic cases and some with mild symptoms may think they just have a cold (plenty of them around at the mo).

That would have been the case the week before though. the figures are still down on like for like figures.

[So… Howard Philips]

Absolutely.

Covid has me real skittish. Last night and today I've had a slight hint of a sore throat, so I just did a home LFT that came back negative. I'm supposed to be going to Blackpool next week and I'm paranoid about having to cancel!

Haha. Just been through the same. Our grandson is 'sheltering' with us as his mum CEV and he's socialising more - went to Goodison the other night! - and has brought back a cold.

Mine started last week, had a couple of LFTs which were negative but had a PCR to be on the safe side. Got the negative result and then the coughing started. Had to cancel a day out in Liverpool and suffered the indignity of my mates, when I rang them, asking for my credit card details as they were just about to settle the bill at Trattoria 51. Mates hey.

Another LFT this morning is negative but this winter is going to be a bit of test differentiating between a cold, Covid or even the 'flu - albeit I'll be like a pincushion after all the jabs.

[So… Howard Philips]

That would have been the case the week before though. the figures are still down on like for like figures.

You're right but my concern is more the confusion caused by normal winter bugs.

[west_london_red]

Absolutely.

Covid has me real skittish. Last night and today I've had a slight hint of a sore throat, so I just did a home LFT that came back negative, but I'm really skeptical. I'm supposed to be going to Blackpool next week and I'm paranoid about having to cancel!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are but down here there’s a lot of nasty non-Covid viruses floating around, similar cold like symptoms to Covid but not Covid when you get tested.

[Red Beret]

Haha. Just been through the same. Our grandson is 'sheltering' with us as his mum CEV and he's socialising more - went to Goodison the other night! - and has brought back a cold.

Mine started last week, had a couple of LFTs which were negative but had a PCR to be on the safe side. Got the negative result and then the coughing started. Had to cancel a day out in Liverpool and suffered the indignity of my mates, when I rang them, asking for my credit card details as they were just about to settle the bill at Trattoria 51. Mates hey.

Another LFT this morning is negative but this winter is going to be a bit of test differentiating between a cold, Covid or even the 'flu - albeit I'll be like a pincushion after all the jabs.

Mates indeed eh?

Interesting you should mention your experiences.  Just for comparison, I've mentioned that Canadian lass on youtube before - her partner came down with Covid, but it took a PCR test to pick it up; he took several LFT which all came back negative, even as he was coughing his guts up. >.>  And, as typical for the randomness of it all, they both work at home, barely interact with anyone, so they have no clue how he got it, and she didn't get it.

I'd settle for just having a bloody cold myself!

[[new username under construction]]

I don’t know what it’s like where you are but down here there’s a lot of nasty non-Covid viruses floating around, similar cold like symptoms to Covid but not Covid when you get tested.

That's all over the place, friend of mine had it, fortunately no covid as she's on vulnerable list but yeah it's around

[didi shamone]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58487683

Just read this on the bbc website. Young and fit guy. He was in the very low risk group. Vaccination would have saved him and his family severe trauma.

[didi shamone]

I don’t know what it’s like where you are but down here there’s a lot of nasty non-Covid viruses floating around, similar cold like symptoms to Covid but not Covid when you get tested.

I'm smothering with a cold for the first time in about five years. Pretty much every symptom of covid. Had to get tested as I'm doing up my house and currently living with my elderly parents.
Missed a day of work waiting for results too. Im guessing a lot of people won't disclose mild symptoms and just get on with things this winter.

[Red Beret]

I don’t know what it’s like where you are but down here there’s a lot of nasty non-Covid viruses floating around, similar cold like symptoms to Covid but not Covid when you get tested.

I'm not too sure to be honest, I live alone and don't really keep track of the local news, but it's certainly the time of year for colds, despite the current warm weather.

[Macphisto80]

I don’t know what it’s like where you are but down here there’s a lot of nasty non-Covid viruses floating around, similar cold like symptoms to Covid but not Covid when you get tested.

Seems to be everywhere. I'd one recently - still have a hint of it - that felt like covid, but  cough is from mucus and was coughing up phlegm. Nasty little bastard whatever it is, and very contagious. The lateral flow test came up negative. Then again, I don't trust those things fully.

[Lee1-6Liv]

Absolutely.

Covid has me real skittish. Last night and today I've had a slight hint of a sore throat, so I just did a home LFT that came back negative, but I'm really skeptical. I'm supposed to be going to Blackpool next week and I'm paranoid about having to cancel!

We went to Blackpool a few weeks back for my daughters 16th Birthday, took her and five mates to pleasure beach for the day. Went on the National Express and we all wore masks but I'd say only about 50% were wearing them on the bus. We spent the day sat outside a pub on one of the piers getting pissed watching footy on the big screen. I was convinced one of us or the kids would catch covid but none of us did thank god.

[TSC]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-warning-plan-b-needed-24999672

[jonnypb]

The secondary school that my kids go to have decided that everyone has to wear face masks in class now due to a covid outbreak. If many more get it then they’re talking about doing home learning for 2 weeks….. In one of the forms 10 out of 30 are off with covid, 7 have positive PCR results, 3 others waiting for results. Seems to be loads of kids off in the school at the minute 

It’s gonna be a long winter!!!!!

[Red Beret]

We went to Blackpool a few weeks back for my daughters 16th Birthday, took her and five mates to pleasure beach for the day. Went on the National Express and we all wore masks but I'd say only about 50% were wearing them on the bus. We spent the day sat outside a pub on one of the piers getting pissed watching footy on the big screen. I was convinced one of us or the kids would catch covid but none of us did thank god.

Good to hear.  We're going to the Tower, but we're also going by train, so here's hoping it's relatively empty on a Tuesday!