[John]

I've tried to avoid commenting on the plague - after all, I'm neither a virologist nor an epidemiologist but looking at the figures in Wales, I think the gist is clear. It's out of control.

Rates in S Wales are hitting or near to 800 per 100,000 - far, far higher than anywhere else in the UK. Here in Gwynedd - N Wales - they're around 50. I think it's obvious that the densely populated southern towns are just ignoring the rules and unless the government take action the NHS here is going to be overwhelmed, despite the Nightingales. It might even be too late - infection today, hospital tomorrow, grave soon later.

And I'm angry too - we know what to do (distance, wash hands, mask) and avoid going out. meeting others etc. It's not rocket science and we don't have to do it for much longer. But these people have to have their pubs and Christmas shopping. Oh look, a pretty bauble in a shop - it's worth dying for!!!

I don't want the virus but neither do I want anything else. There's a chap in the village who should be in hospital with a serious non-covid problem but he doesn't want to go and they don't want him in because of the virus. Our hospitals in the low infection areas are gearing up for transferred patients.

And don't forget, NHS staff in covid patient facing roles will not be protected by a vaccine for at least another 4 weeks. If they're off-work ill it compounds the problems.

Christmas is a time for families to get together.. tell that to the doctors and nurses and porters and all those others who keep the wheels on the bus.

[mrs bouquet]

That is bad news John.   I had an email from the West Sussex C.C. it says that the figures are increasing here by quite a lot.    It will be reviewed this week, and possibly moved in to the top tier.  There sure are a lot of very silly people about.      Mrs Bouquet

[8doubles]

It was always on the cards , Pembs covid numbers are up to 1300 after being very low for a long time .
Too much livestock (human) in one place is alway asking for disease.
The days of controlling covid have barely  started , so far we have just been avoiding.

[John]

What makes it worse for me is that I thought we (Wales) were doing so well, but never underestimate stupidity. Other countries have tougher regulations - like France where you have to carry a written reason for going out - and they're seeing a lot of cases but here in Britain we just seem to wink at breaking the law over this.
It's illegal to drive without a seat belt, yet that only protects the driver. It's illegal to drive drunk and we accept that. Everyone needs to take this thing seriously.
I can understand young people being mightily cheesed off. They're unlikely to be seriously ill and lets be honest, young people do like to interact  but then they are going to sit down with the family and kill granny.
We'd be better off with the zombie apocalypse - you can see who's infected! (The white eyes and growling give fair warning)

[Christine]

The experience of a call tracer is worth reading. I don't think all the couldn't care less people are in Wales somehow.

It's sort of worrying isn't it? Tier 3 here in rural Northumberland and when one of the small towns up river from me (4000 people) suddenly develops 85 cases then we do look over our shoulders and wonder what's happening. If this had been the in ex-mining towns in the south east corner of the county we'd not be surprised so much.

[al78]

It is inevitable cases will go up when restrictions have eased. It is like putting a chicken infected with salmonella in the freezer, it doesn't kill the salmonella, it just stops it multiplying (hence why you are advised not to refreeze thawed meat). Same with lockdowns, they slow or stop the spread of the virus, but the virus is still there, in a kind of dormant state, until restrictions are eased, people start mingling, and off it goes again. The only way to control it properly is vaccination, like the only way to get rid of salmonella on your chicken is to cook it thoroughly, not keep putting in and out of the freezer. What the periodic lockdowns do is to keep the mean infection rate at a level which the NHS can cope with, whilst at the same time trying to avoid completely taking peoples lives away. Until a large enough number of the population is vaccinated, we will continue with this cycle of infection rate going up and down, and going in and out of lockdown. The only alternative is a permanent Spring-type lockdown but that would be catastrophic economically and for mental health.

[Aunt Sally]

Long Covid is quite unpleasant and also a reason to not catch the virus in the first place.

https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/long-covid

[John]

al78 - I agree with much of what you say but the problem seems to be people not obeying the rules so a lockdown is not going to help unless it's enforced. I was disgusted by a chief constable on the news a while back saying how it wasn't up to the police to knock on people's doors on Christmas day to enforce the law.
Personally I'd suggest he would be better on the dole.
Perhaps digging a few large pits and putting up a sign "Mass Grave Site 24" would make people think..probably not though.
Aunt Sally - when you're young you're immortal, invulnerable and don't give a fig - or maybe that was just me all those years ago.
Christine - that was a very depressing read.

People seem so utterly selfish and entitled - so much so that I sometimes feel I no longer want to work as a case worker, and maybe not even as a nurse. I think I've had enough of people.

Utterly sad

[Aunt Sally]

Worzel was talking to a neighbour the other day and as Worzel is from a medical background they asked his opinion of having a vaccine as lots of their friends said it was a conspiracy to implant micro chips to control everyone. 

I’m worried that the take up of vaccine will not be as big as it needs to be to give herd immunity as stupid people like that believe such nonsense 

[mumofstig]

A microchip to track them (dunno how they'll get that down the needle  ) when many of them already have an iphone that does just that 

[Aunt Sally]

A microchip to track them (dunno how they'll get that down the needle  ) when many of them already have an iphone that does just that 

 Indeed 

[John]

A microchip to track them (dunno how they'll get that down the needle  ) when many of them already have an iphone that does just that 

If you  look at your car tyres you will see a little tube sticking out of the side - this contains a tracker!! You can easily disable it by cutting it off with some wire cutters. It's true, I saw it on Facebook.

[grinling]

Lincolnshire will remain tier 3 because even with numbers going down our hospitals are not coping. Some areas with very low numbers complain, but as they use the hospitals under pressure as well as people will not know local council borders, so we should stay as tier 3.
We have had outbreaks at some animal product factories, but as staff will be paid even if isolating now, the numbers should drop.
Some shops as well as the post office use plastic panels instead of masks, I wear and then put into the wash.I am Christmas shopping to help local shops, but have decided not to go in my sisters house at Christmas.
A good sign is that a bloke in the village is having the jab 

Add on, we started with 1 virus in uk, 3 in World. Virus A has arrive in England from Spain. There was 6 strains of it, but it does mutate. Vaccines should work on all strains. England rise in South is a new strain, Wales might have that one as well.

[Mr Dog]

Long Covid is quite unpleasant and also a reason to not catch the virus in the first place.

https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/long-covid

The lack of awareness and general publicising information about Long Covid, and other unpleasant side effects, is unforgiveable. There is far from the binary outcomes of (fully) recover or die for all ages!

[New shoot]

There is a lot of bad news around, but if you want a little uplifting and a pep talk in your day, have a listen to Chris Hadfield. The astronaut who wowed us all with his rendition Bowie’s famous song about Major Tom.  He’s just amazing 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2058715/?