Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Stanley]

"Tell me where the queue is each year and I'll book my place."
Book me a slot as well.
Couldn't agree more Peter. All the vaccine does for me is make me less likely to have a severe attack and end up dying, which is a blessing and I am grateful for it. I shall continue to avoid crowds, easy for me as I don't like them!
As for the vaccine certificate. Like Ian I have noted that because of the internet the government (as well as commercial entities) know more about us than ever. We had Identity Cards during the war and it was a mistake not to keep them. I wouldn't object at all as long as we had proper safeguards against misuse.

[plaques]

I'm not keen to introduce certificates to restrict pubic entry. Privately owned buildings and venues already have this right to refuse entry.
In good old 1984 conspiracy mode the next step could be to refuse health care if you hadn't had a vaccine. Then body mass certificates to minimise type 2 diabetes. Brave New World comes to mind.

[Marilyn]

Wouldn’t work. I have seen stick thin people with Type2 Diabetes, and I have seen morbidly obese people without Type 2 Diabetes!
The same goes for Cholesterol. I have seen stick thin folks with dangerously high readings and obese people with normal readings.
I think I can say the same about blood pressure too.
Never judge a book by it’s cover...

[Tizer]

I think we'll eventually all have to accept ID cards as normal but there'll be a vigorous opposition to them. If we don't accept them the only alternative might be a very authoritarian government.

[Sue]

Wouldn’t work. I have seen stick thin people with Type2 Diabetes, and I have seen morbidly obese people without Type 2 Diabetes!
The same goes for Cholesterol. I have seen stick thin folks with dangerously high readings and obese people with normal readings.
I think I can say the same about blood pressure too.
Never judge a book by it’s cover...

Agreed, Maz , there is no direct link between size and diabetes or size and high cholesterol or size and high B.P as far as I am aware.

[Sue]

I am all for vaccination certificates to travel to other countries proof of vaccination already exists in some countries for some diseases, but I am not happy about certificates internally in a country . I think this should be an individuals choice or and the choice of an individual business. However I do think vaccination is essential in certain jobs and again this already exists for some jobs and vaccination against some diseases.

[Stanley]

"However I do think vaccination is essential in certain jobs"
That's my belief as well Sue. Anyone working in health or care should be vaccinated and tested regularly.

[plaques]

Agreed, Maz , there is no direct link between size and diabetes or size and high cholesterol or size and high B.P as far as I am aware.

I'm far from being an expert on any of the above subjects but this is from the NHS web site...

It's caused by problems with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin. It's often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes.

What I was really suggesting is that once you have a label on someone then you can impose further restrictions making them pay more for insurance and health care etc. Some companies are very inventive in ways of extracting more money from you.

[Marilyn]

I know Plaques...but many obese folk are actually very healthy! Some folk are just the shape they are genetically designed to be and live in perfect health. It is not a “one rule fits all” scenario. I suppose one tool doctors don’t have is the ability to look back at Ancestors, for body shape or weight. They should ask more questions about longevity.
(Don’t try and fix what isn’t broken)

[Sue]

There are always exceptions but the majority of obese people have a health issue , which does not have to be cholesterol or diabetes. Unfortunately high BP is related to the majority, although there will always be exceptions.

Unfortunately risk assessment is based on the majority and not the few and this is how insurance works, so labelling someone in this way will affect their insurance risk irrespective of their actual health risk . This is where health DNA analysis can be very detrimental. A predisposition to some diseases does not necessarily mean they will get it. ( although not all diseases are like that)m but they will generally be hit with the insurance premiums as if they will .

[Marilyn]

I think we can all recall thin/active/young folk who have dropped dead and it is a shock to all. Sometimes when one spouse dies before another, again we are shocked as we had always hedged our bets the other way as to who would pre-decease the other ( a sad thing to admit, but you are left scratching your head at times). It is a difficult thing to predict.
Perhaps we really need to look into the “happiness factor” in people’s lives too ( where they live/how fulfilled they feel/ stress factors/finances etc)
My life insurance premium more than halved when I gave up smoking about 9 years ago.

[Marilyn]

Being perfectly honest though () I do find my blood pressure seems to sway if I put on a few pounds/loose a few pounds. I find no other reason for it but that and I have tracked it for 20 years plus. I am pretty stable nowadays though even the slightest weight gain seems to affect the blood pressure. ( that -and White Coat Syndrome - can’t stand doctors or dentists!)

[Sue]

I think we can all recall thin/active/young folk who have dropped dead and it is a shock to all. Sometimes when one spouse dies before another, again we are shocked as we had always hedged our bets the other way as to who would pre-decease the other ( a sad thing to admit, but you are left scratching your head at times). It is a difficult thing to predict.
Perhaps we really need to look into the “happiness factor” in people’s lives too ( where they live/how fulfilled they feel/ stress factors/finances etc)
My life insurance premium more than halved when I gave up smoking about 9 years ago.

We call them pre disposing factors and apart from most genetic diseases they have a huge impact on susceptibility to disease. longevity runs in my Dads family, but quite the opposite in my Mums. Although not rich dads family were much better off than mums throughout the generations. All mums immediate family died young, except Mum, who had a much better standard of living than her family had in the past. Thus it would seem that her chances of living longe were related to the predisposing factors. Not a statistically sound deduction but certainly, as you say Maz it is worth thinking of the happiness factor.

[Marilyn]

I can’t help but think of my son’s great grandma ( on his dad’s side). A large ( generous proportioned) marshmallow shaped woman who loved her scones/jam/cream....plus a drink...and had never heard of Cholesterol. She lived until she was 96.

[plaques]

I've been a miserable sod all my life. Never mind a glass half full there's not enough to wet the bottom. I blame it all on him, pointing finger to the sky, HE seems determined to make me suffer as long as HE can. I don't have a say in it. No doubt I'll suffer from long covid year after year with just enough dementia to make me even more miserable. Always look on the bright side of life.

PS As far as relatives go I'm in ouija board territory already.

[Stanley]

Not quite that miserable Ken, you can't be because you make me smile. Mind you I recognise where you're coming from. If there is anyone up their they're either asleep on the job or they don't give a toss.
I look at things like the litter we've seen and feel the right wing tide coming in as regards discipline on the street. Up to now I have managed to fight it off.

[Sue]

I can’t help but think of my son’s great grandma ( on his dad’s side). A large ( generous proportioned) marshmallow shaped woman who loved her scones/jam/cream....plus a drink...and had never heard of Cholesterol. She lived until she was 96.

And my great aunt, lived to 99 ( dads side again) loved butter,cream, pastries cakes. But as we have said cholesterol has nothing to do with size and not much to do with diet, this is a genetic predisposition .

[Marilyn]

Plaques....likely you are one of those people who are here for a LONG time, not a GOOD time!

[plaques]

Yep, I'm the grit in life's vaseline.

Two tests a week being offered for Covid. Not sure how its going to work but it may put your mind at rest if you have stumbled into one of those situations that you normally would try to avoid.

[Marilyn]

I find it a bit of an overkill to go to that degree of testing, given the late start for UK to get with it. 🕶

PS...have never found grit in the Vaseline, but have had trouble getting the lid off....

[Tizer]

When discussing the lateral flow test with a minister on radio this morning Evan Davis replied to the minister's claim that it gave only 1 in 1000 false positives "Yes, but if you're talking about 25 million tests a week that's 25,000 people being told they're positive when they're not infected". Good for Evan, somebody needs to expose the Government's obfuscation.

[Marilyn]

And you have the capacity to test your entire population that often?
And I take it, this is voluntary ( so those undertaking other risky behaviours are likely not to to bother)?
I do find this quite incredulous.

Please don’t jump on me as you all have before, but I find this so unbelievable. ( considering we get a bowel testing kit in our letterbox every two years!)

[Tizer]

I do find this quite incredulous.

So do we, Maz! The NHS are doing a brilliant job but our ministers and their chosen advisers, helpers etc are a useless lot. Mind you, it's not just Britain, those in many other countries are not doing any better. And I don't mean just on covid-19, they're rubbish on most other topics too.

[Marilyn]

Phew! I thought I must have lost the plot completely....

[Marilyn]

We will all get more up to date information after Easter of course. There seems to be a great lag in available info during public holidays.