Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Sue]

All developed long after I left the world of laboratory analysis.

Same for me too, Sue.
Ian, Have a look at this and you'll see how complicated such tests are... LINK (Don't worry, I don't understand it either! :

I some what understand this link as in my final year of teaching A level, some of this had crept into the A level Human Biology syllabus. My knowledgable daughter sought permission from her PhD supervisor to send me some up to date stuff they were working on. She wrote my lesson for me, and some of it was mentioned in this LINK . Her PhD is on Proteomics and she used a lot of similar equipment to help identify extracted proteins and amino acids from cells. There were commercial and research links from her PhD to researching genetic diseases and the human genome When she worked for the German Company after returning from the States she advised, trained and helped analyse research data using Mass Spectrometry. All good stuff. Way beyond me, but I understand it when she explains it...but then forget.

[Tripps]

It seems that aircrew are exempt from the new quarantine rules for returnees from Spain. No chance of them becoming infected from a passenger on the way then? Without that 'measure' of course, the airlines would soon be closed. I also learn that other members of the household of the quarantined person, don't need to be quarantined. Still trying to work that one out.

Hot news - the FCO has banned anything except urgent travel to the Canaries and the Ballearic Islands. I think that voids the insurance of anyone travelling there from now on. Helpful?

I think I'm quite content to stay at home. Staying alert of course.

The Government has gone on holiday - nowt much going on is there? Parting gift (from Dominic? ) was large dead cat thrown on the table in the form of a campaign against obesity. It will keep the commentariat busy for a few days.


PS - speaking of cats it has just been announced that a cat has developed Covid 19 virus presumably caught from its owner. We are told not to worry as there is 'no evidence' that a human can catch it from a cat. Well if it's the first case of its kind - so there is not much chance of any evidence being available is there?.

I think I may well choose to be a bit worried at the thought of such a virus passing from humans to animals. How common is that? - I don't know. I read that a million farmed mink were culled last week in Holland when the disease was found among the population. I doubt there is 'any evidence' of transmission from a mink to a human, but to be on the safe side they've killed the lot.

[Stanley]

I agree with Ian about flu and Covid jabs. Regardless of risk of infection I shall be there as soon as I can.
Exactly Kev! The standard of intelligence of some interviewers is deplorable. I particularly note it with the lady on World at One, she asks some of the most leading questions inviting conjecture. Why don't people say "your guess is as good as mine". Always after the juicy quote, the one liner.

[plaques]

The Government has gone on holiday - nowt much going on is there? Parting gift (from Dominic? ) was large dead cat thrown on the table in the form of a campaign against obesity. It will keep the commentariat busy for a few days.

Fat chance that Boris can render the mountain of blubber down. Not just a dead cat thrown on the table but it looks like a partial excuse for their failings on the virus control. 'Its not my fault if you die from this virus its yours because you're too fat". get out of gaol card No1.
Accepting that maintaining a healthy weight is a good move this dead cat programme is far too late to help with the covin pandemic. 40 lb of fat would take nearly two years to get rid of. Far too late to mean anything if the combined flu and virus hits us this winter.

[PanBiker]

Accepting that maintaining a healthy weight is a good move this dead cat programme is far too late to help with the covin pandemic. 40 lb of fat would take nearly two years to get rid of. Far too late to mean anything if the combined flu and virus hits us this winter.

Same as the two billion chucked at new cycle lanes. These are not going to be paint alone which I take to mean not just a line drawn at the side of a trunk road. To do it properly with totally segregated cycleways will not be a five minute job. Bad planning from the start, all new road builds or upgrades should have included a complimentary cycleway following the same route but totally separate to the carriageway. Johnny foreigners can manage it so where did we go wrong?

Oh, on the weight loss job, getting proper flu or Covid will sort that. Did you see the bloke yesterday that has just emerged from 110 days in hospital, 68 days in a coma, 10% chance of survival, sickest man in Vietnam as he was known. He lost 40kg or so. They should show him everyday on the news, might make some of the invincible brigade have a think.

Stephen Cameron

[Marilyn]

I lost 10 kilos just rupturing a spinal disc...it just fell off me!
( in actual fact it was 12-13 kilos)

[PanBiker]

I lost three stone in as many weeks when I had proper flu. Nearly four months to get back right. On the other side of the coin, I gained a stone over three weeks when I had my craniotomy with the steroids. Two hours of intense physio each day is still no substitute for a good walk up a hill.

[Tizer]

PS - speaking of cats it has just been announced that a cat has developed Covid 19 virus presumably caught from its owner. We are told not to worry as there is 'no evidence' that a human can catch it from a cat. Well if it's the first case of its kind - so there is not much chance of any evidence being available is there?

Unfortunately there are many people out there who don't possess your powers of logic, Tripps, so they have to spell it out for them before the fools start spreading fake news on the social media.

[Marilyn]

You truly needed those steroids, Panbiker, to save your life, so don’t be too tough on the fact that they put on extra weight.
I have put back half my weight loss in the past year. ( I didn’t want it back!)
When your body is truly challenged, the weight just drops off. It’s a weird experience...suddenly your underwear is just too big and everything is falling down...

[Sue]

I put a lot of weight on when I had a slipped disc, inactivity after a normal active life and the medication. About 8.5 Kg in 9 months. This year with all the gardening, walking and daily pilates etc I have lost nearly 5 kg. My weight is the same as when I was 30, though there is lot more flab around . I spend a lot of time altering my clothes to fit or making new ones to replace the old!

[Cathy]

When I damaged my back, my weight kept dropping due to the drugs. I remember I was forever having to pull up my size 10 jeans and my left leg that had sciatica went quite skinny.

After a while I noticed my stomach had a 6 pack... I didn’t realise it was still there,

[Tripps]

I listen to Oldham Community Radio on the interweb. A presenter on his day off, has just phoned in to express dismay that in Royton this morning in the market, and at the shops, almost no one is keeping to social distancing at all. He has forecast that Oldham will soon be joining Leicester, Blackburn etc at the top of the infection tables.

Well - here we are just 5 days later and it's the lead item on the news. Gerald Brierley was right. number of new cases has quadrupled. Not a full lockdown as per Leicester, but additional restrictions imposed. Royton isn't the town centre, but perhaps the attitude is fairly widespread?

[Stanley]

"though there is lot more flab around"
Tell me about it Sue! I hate the wrinkled skin on my arms that used to be all muscle!
David, I heard that news as well but on R4. I suspect that the experts made a big mistake by talking about 'A Second Wave'. That plus easing restrictions gives the impression that the 'First Wave' is past. The truth is that there aren't waves, just a very infectious virus prowling round looking for victims. It is as much a danger now as it was at the beginning of the year.

[Sue]

Covid studies to examine virus link with ethnicity https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53565655

Interesting article, research into the obvious issues, but hopefully with positive outcomes

[plaques]

Stanley Tell me about it Sue! I hate the wrinkled skin on my arms that used to be all muscle!
As people get older the underlying skin fat disappears. Hence wrinkles and bigger noses, although the last one may be down to a lifetime of porkies.

Sue's link. This study is why the BAME groups life style may contribute to them picking up the virus it does nothing to say why genetically their outcome is worse than the white population. The information on the numbers of seriously ill BAME and their general health at the time of hospitalisation should already be known it shouldn't need another special study to pull out the major features.

[Stanley]

I agree with both of you but still wonder if that group is liable to be lower paid and as a consequence not as well nourished as the more affluent. That investigation must be of all poor people. The Lady from Oldham was making that point this morning about the spike there and it seems to me that it should be an element in the BAME study. The more studies like this we have the better. And coincidentally, in another part of the Parliamentary forest we have heard warnings about malnutrition and a proposal that all families on Universal Credit should be eligible for free school meals. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

[plaques]

We are supposed to be the 5th richest country in the world and here we are talking about malnutrition.
From Link

Credit.jpg

[Tizer]

Sue's link. This study is why the BAME groups life style may contribute to them picking up the virus it does nothing to say why genetically their outcome is worse than the white population. The information on the numbers of seriously ill BAME and their general health at the time of hospitalisation should already be known it shouldn't need another special study to pull out the major features.

Plaques, the article begins: `UK scientists are to receive millions of pounds of government funding for a raft of studies to learn why people from an ethnic minority background are at greater risk from Covid-19. Six projects will analyse data on social circumstances, health and day-to-day activities, as well as investigating genetic risk factors.

Trump and his son are now both pushing hydroxychloroquine on Twitter. His son has been temporarily banned for it. They're both idiots and unfortunately one of them is President of the USA. read down the article and you'll find the Tea Part and a group calling themselves The Frontline Doctors are also advocating use of the drug. One of the doctors `has previously claimed the government is run by "reptilians" and that scientists are developing a vaccine to stop people being religious, among other bizarre views.'
`Coronavirus: Trump sticks by discredited hydroxychloroquine' LINK

[plaques]

Six projects will analyse data on social circumstances, health and day-to-day activities, as well as investigating genetic risk factors.

Yes I read that. But to my mind it was just another number crunching exercise. Starting with Family traits, blood groups, inter-marriage trends, coming from closely knit communities in their native land. Investigating genes and proteins within the BAME community would take years with no immediate profit as compared with the current vaccine research.

[Big Kev]

Got an email from Pendle Council today asking that I have a Covid-19 test. I'm working for the next 6 days so I'll let you know how the Home Testing process measures up. The confirmation email is below

Thank you for ordering a coronavirus home test.

Your 10-digit order ID is: xxxxxxxxxx
A home test will help you understand what to do if you, or someone you live with, has coronavirus.

To ensure your test sample makes it back to the lab in time, you must post it in a specially designated priority postbox.
Please do not use your test, or post it on a Sunday, or Bank Holiday. Please wait until Monday to do so.

When you receive your home test kit
Before using your test kit, find your nearest priority postbox and familiarise yourself with its collection times (see step 4 further down in this email). The test kits are time sensitive, so after completing your test, you will need to put it in your nearest priority postbox 1 hour before the last collection time of the day.
Register your kit online. To register visit: https://gov.uk/register-home-test
Do the test. Follow the instructions to use the test kit and watch this video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8lo6g-TYZ-c&
18+ years old – Self-administer test (unless unable to do so)
12 – 17 years old – Self-administer test with adult supervision
11 years old and under – Adult to administer test on the child
In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, children of all ages can have the test.
After you’ve used your test kit
4. Follow the instructions in the kit to return your test kit using a priority postbox.

Put your completed test in your nearest priority postbox, 1 hour before the last collection time
Here are your three nearest priority postboxes, including: the postbox name, last weekday collection times and a link to Royal Mail’s website to show you where it is located.

ALMA AVENUE
16:45
https://www.royalmail.com/services-near ... 0000BB8326

SKIPTON ROAD POST OFFICE
17:00
https://www.royalmail.com/services-near ... 0000BB8322

CHURCH STREET
16:30
https://www.royalmail.com/services-near ... 0000BB8310

For more information on your nearest priority postbox, including Saturday collection times, visit: https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you

You can walk or drive to your nearest priority postbox to post your sample. You must follow the Government’s Social Distancing Guidelines, wear a mask and must not take public transport. You must not enter any Royal Mail or Post Office locations to post your test sample.

If you are unable to get to a priority postbox without using public transport or without following the Government’s Social Distancing Guidelines, are shielding, classed as vulnerable, or too unwell to leave your home, please do not take the test at this time. Instead, use the contact numbers below for guidance on when to take your test and how to arrange a free home courier collection.

If you have any questions, call the coronavirus testing call centre from 7am to 11pm:

England, Wales and Northern Ireland: call 119 (free from mobiles and landlines)
Scotland: call 0300 303 2713 (charged at your standard network rate)
We will send your test results to you by text message and email, using the contact details you provided.

If you test positive for coronavirus, we will get in touch to find out who you may have come into contact with. We will then contact them, confidentially, to provide health advice. This is called Contact Tracing and will help to protect you and your family, the community and the NHS.

Thank you,

COVID-19 Testing Programme

[Sue]

Sue's link. This study is why the BAME groups life style may contribute to them picking up the virus it does nothing to say why genetically their outcome is worse than the white population. The information on the numbers of seriously ill BAME and their general health at the time of hospitalisation should already be known it shouldn't need another special study to pull out the major features.

I understand genetic and other health links are also subject to research, via UKBIO BANK. Research . I thought it mentioned that too

[plaques]

I feel as though I'm outnumbered on this subject. In my normal sceptical way I was saying how opportune it is for the government to be taking such an interest in the BAME population now that the covid-19 virus has killed such large numbers off. To ignore them would be like saying 'these people don't matter and we could be taking a big hit, so what can we do to cover our backs? Unleash a few £M on research into areas that should have been fully funded years ago and then claim 'its us what did it'. As Sue pointed out the UKBIO Bank has been running for several years ...UK Biobank is a large long-term biobank study in the United Kingdom (UK) which is investigating the respective contributions of genetic predisposition and environmental exposure (including nutrition, lifestyle, medications etc.) to the development of disease. It began in 2006 Clearly these research programmes are going to take years before any answers are found. In the short term the best anyone can do is crunch the numbers and say this is what the statistics are telling us but the reasons why will take much longer.

[Stanley]

Ken has a point and he does right to raise it. Having an enquiry or doing another study is too often a way of looking busy and doing nothing. Read Chilcot....

[Sue]

Science takes time, give them time. I am the eternal optimist. With genetics, even the procedures and techniques for the research have had to be and still are being researched and developed. Its not that long since genomes were identified, then each gene has to be analysed to see what it does exactly , what enzyme it codes for, what biochemical pathways it is involved in , so you have to be able to extract the gene and work with it in a reliable pure form. You have to look at all the possible mutations that have occurred, what the implications are of each of these, whether they work by themselves, interact with others, work in a particular way in a particular environment. What switches them on, what switches them off. The list is endless.

[plaques]

We are entering a phase where there are more dead cats on the table than people sat round it. News, I prefer to call it propaganda, is full of selective statements all designed to take the attention away from what is actually going on. Boris is banging on about a second wave in the European area and how we are to stop or minimise the contagion spreading to the UK. The trouble with this argument is that these outbreaks are still part of the first wave and by relaxing the lockdown we are just adding more covid fodder into the system and creating secondary local outbreaks. This is going on in the UK as much as on the continent but now we can blame them while taking our eyes off the ball as to what is happening here. Poverty! what poverty its the virus stupid. Then there is Brexit. Its getting a bit like "Don't Mention Macbeth". Its the will of the people etc. Minorities count except where the minority reaches 48% then its really too big to be a minority so just ignore it altogether. A similar perverse logic is being applied to local covid outbreaks. As the number of 'local' outbreaks increases across the country its safe to ignore them unless they start totalizing to the peak value of 350 that we had at the beginning.
Lies, fake news or wool over the eyes, dead cats, take your pick.