[Anti]

Reduce pressure on the NHS bullshit logic again. We're prohibited from driving into the mountains meanwhile I can walk into Tesco and buy a bottle of cheap alcohol and a packet of cigarettes.

If we're trading civil freedoms for the NHS I expect to these things removed from sale...

[JamieG]

I know the Guardian is on the UKB politics bingo card. But nevertheless the failure of the Government to remain accountable during the awarding on contracts to deal with the pandemic is nicely summarised by George Monbiot.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/21/government-covid-contracts-britain-nhs-corporate-executives-test-and-trace

This is particularly outrageous.

"Like so much surrounding this pandemic, the identity of Harding’s team at NHS track and trace was withheld from the public, until it was leaked to the Health Service Journal last month. Clinicians were astonished to discover that there is only one public health expert on its executive committee. There is space, however, for a former executive from Jaguar Land Rover, a senior manager from Travelex and an executive from Waitrose. Harding’s adviser at the agency is Alex Birtles, who, like her, previously worked for TalkTalk. She has subsequently made a further appointment to the board: Mike Coupe, an executive at another of her old firms, Sainsbury’s."

How can they only have one public health expert on the executive committee during a pandemic!?!?

[mrjonathanr]

Because the priority is increasing the private sector involvement?

[chris j]

I would love to know what roles warrant a £6000 day rate. And whether they are deemed inside IR35....

[tomtom]

I would love to know what roles warrant a £6000 day rate. And whether they are deemed inside IR35....

I think 6k was the mean rate over 25 people who were employed on this rate... varied from 7.5 to 4.5....

[James Malloch]

Latest Test & trace numbers (10-16 September)

21,268 positive tests referred.
78% reached.
75% of their contacts reached.
Worked out at 4.7 contacts per positive person reached.
If you extrapolate that number to the 22% of positive cases which weren't reached you're left with 42% of close contacts being missed.

World beating?

Latest Test & trace numbers (24-30 September)

34,494 positive tests referred.
74% reached.
82% 68.6% of their contacts reached.
Worked out at 3.94 contacts per positive person reached.
If you extrapolate that number to the 26% of positive cases which weren't reached you're left with 39% 49% of close contacts being missed.

I had some incorrect figures in the last numbers I put up. I put the % of contacts reached who had contact details provided. I should have put the % of contacts reached including those who didn't have contact details provided. As such I have amended the last set of numbers above.

Latest Test & trace numbers (8-14 October):

96,521 positive tests referred.
80.7% reached.
59.6% of their contacts reached.
Worked out at 3.23 contacts per positive person reached.
If you extrapolate that number to the 19.3% of positive cases which weren't reached you're left with 51.9% of close contacts being missed.

So we're now on more than half of contacts not being contacted & asked to self-isolate.

Looking at the actual numbers rather than percentages.

4 weeks ago England's T&T couldn't get in touch with 4,743   positively tested people and didn't contact 41,880   close contacts.
2 weeks ago England's T&T couldn't get in touch with 8,968   positively tested people and didn't contact 67,720   close contacts.
Last week     England's T&T couldn't get in touch with 18,629 positively tested people and didn't contact 161,826 close contacts.

Note that the close contacts has been extrapolated based on average contacts for positive tests who were reached. I guess this is flawed as maybe these people would have had fewer contacts on average, but it's a reasonable assumption I think.

[Will Hunt]

I've not really followed the story on track and trace. But I can tell you of one friend who gave a false name in a restaurant so that they wouldn't be contacted. Is there any data on why the contacts are failing?

[tomtom]

I believe the local TT that often has difficult cases from the national one sent to it has a 90%+ success rate in reaching contacts.

[James Malloch]

I've not really followed the story on track and trace. But I can tell you of one friend who gave a false name in a restaurant so that they wouldn't be contacted. Is there any data on why the contacts are failing?

I'm not sure but I guess I think that there's 4 things:

1) People who test positive who can't be contacted. I assume this is due to people not answering calls / emails as I've always had to supply these when booking a test.

2) People who are successfully contacted and says XYZ was a close contact, give their contact details but the contact doesn't answer/respond.

3) People who are successfully contacted and says XYZ was a close contact, but don't have (or choose not to give) contact details for them. Therefore it becomes problematic trying to find out which John Smith this person might have been in contact with.

4) Something I've not thought of.

[Will Hunt]

Interesting. If the figures TT gives are representative of the pattern across the country it would suggest that the national organisation just isn't putting in the hard yards to tracking people down (I have occasionally at work had to try and figure out who owns a piece of land and get in touch with them - believe me, you have to be utterly dogged in your approach).

[James Malloch]

Interesting. If the figures TT gives are representative of the pattern across the country it would suggest that the national organisation just isn't putting in the hard yards to tracking people down (I have occasionally at work had to try and figure out who owns a piece of land and get in touch with them - believe me, you have to be utterly dogged in your approach).

Again I'm not that familiar with it, but from someone I know who is a T&T caller (who hasn't been given a single person to call despite being paid for 30hrs a week since it was started, well as of about a month ago anyway) they basically just had to call people and if they didn't answer that was it.

So no real ways attempted to get in touch if you don't succeed via the easy route.

[nai]

Missed a few pages so this might have been said already but isn't thhis down to user compliance (or rather non-compliance). It really could be a world beating piece of technology but without the users on board it's useless.
If it had been introduced during lockdown when everyone was scared and using the App meant you could get out and about it may have stood a chance. Now everyone knows a majority of cases are minor but that they could be isolated for standing too close to someone for too long at some random point.  If that's going to cost you your job, which for the worse off (and most likely to be affected) it might, then it knocks on to screwing up your family life, etc.  So you do what's right for you, stay off grid and just wing it.

[Muscle.Coach]

Is this forum entirely made up of virtue signalling guardianista muzzled covidians? Why not set up your own UKB Gulag ffs.
Is there no one here who questions this fucking lunacy?

[tomtom]

Is this forum entirely made up of virtue signalling guardianista muzzled covidians? Why not set up your own UKB Gulag ffs.
Is there no one here who questions this fucking lunacy?

That’s what Facebook and UKC are for 😀.

[Muscle.Coach]

Blah blah bollocks

[Will Hunt]

What's your take on it?

[Muscle.Coach]

The impact on health and welfare outweighs the benefits.

Masks and social distancing should not be mandatory

People should be free to travel, exercise and work without fear

Home working where possible is advisable, possibly benefiting the environment

Vulnerable can self isolate with full support if they choose

Boris should be placed in stocks and pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables in line with the medieval psychotic reaction created by spreading fear and misery.

[Oldmanmatt]

So...

Nothing really.

Ok.

[Muscle.Coach]

Let’s not pretend the politicians, those in control of the mainstream press and nhs and well as various other sources of power actually give a toss. The nhs for a start has been dealing in bad stats and lies since the days of Blair and beyond. Arse

[Muscle.Coach]

So...

Nothing really.

Ok.

Bollocks

[Oldmanmatt]

So...

Nothing really.

Ok.

Bollocks

See.

I was right.

[Muscle.Coach]

After reading a couple of your posts I’m glad you’re keeping it minimal rather than the standard mountains of excrement you spout

[Oldmanmatt]

After reading a couple of your posts I’m glad you’re keeping it minimal rather than the standard mountains of excrement you spout

I honestly couldn’t keep up with you on that front.

[Muscle.Coach]

You’d give a herd of elephants a run for their money 

[abarro81]

The impact on health and welfare outweighs the benefits.

There may be interesting debate to be had on this, if done in an intelligent way (your posts don't give me hope on that front)

Masks and social distancing should not be mandatory

Please justify, since I can see no sensible rationale behind this.

People should be free to travel, exercise and work without fear

This entirely misses the point that older people, people with pre-exisitng conditions, and those who think that long-COVID could fuck their lives up would be significantly less able to travel, exercise in gyms or go to work under the regime you appear to advocate. You may have some nuance behind your thoughts (doesn't seem likely given most of your posts), if so please address my point

Home working where possible is advisable, possibly benefiting the environment

Vulnerable can self isolate with full support if they choose

Boris should be placed in stocks and pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables

I'm sure we're all with you on these ones.