@mookysam@kyleforrester87 I'm a leftie leaning centrist at heart (I like both Greggs AND houmous) but I don't really go into the whole, would the other side have done a better job. Since we don't know, we can only evaluate what the people who are doing the job are doing.
I think that the Government response to this crisis has been patchy. I think that we've done really well on increasing testing capacity, our reporting of stats and this vaccination task force has done wonders in terms of vaccinating so many people so quickly.
However, the comms have been woeful and every single decision is last minute at a time when everything seemed inevitable and could be avoided. Everything is an embarrassing U-Turn. How many people are going to die because of Christmas relaxations? If I take away my political allegiance and judge the government on how they did, it's really not good. Would Labour have done better? No idea - maybe not, but then I would hold them to account too.
As for underfunding, yes it has been a clear Tory priority and yes, council services have been massively hit. That's policy.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
@LieutenantFatman We did it though our next door neighbours were both doctors and had two nurses on our street so it felt quite nice. Except for the guy who was checking who was doing it and is now breaking the rules.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
@kyleforrester87 The Last of Us Part II would probably involve Joe Wicks as well. I'm convinced he's going to bring about the downfall of humanity somehow. Call it a hunch
@zupertramp I hope you're not questioning the validity of my ARSE
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
So from what I understand there's now a UK variant, a Brazil variant, a South Africa variant, and possibly a US (Los Angeles) variant.
So... Yeah.
I've been operating on the notion that this all would eventually end but, idk, maybe I should stop assuming that and just give in that this is the new normal. This is life now. sigh
PSN: frownonfun
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"One of the unloveliest and least enlightening aspects of contemporary discourse is the tendency to presume that whatever one disagrees with must be very simple—not only simple, but also simply wrong." - Elizabeth Bruenig
@zupertramp I think it will eventually will get back to 'normal', but things like hand sanitisers being readily available at stores and people wearing masks will be around for longer.
Was it swine flu about 10 years ago that everyone started using hand sanitiser, but that eventually was forgotten about.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@zupertramp Ultimately, Covid will be with us for many many years. The main thing is that hospitalisation rates lower to a manageable amount each year. So I believe (being nowhere near a medical expert) that immunisation etc. won't wipe it out but may provide enough cover to folks that non-risk groups have very mild symptoms and higher risks get lesser versions. Ultimately, most government focus is on lestening hospitalisations and therefore, lower mortality rates so that health care systems can cope.
Then there will be regular top up immunisations, same as seasonal flu, for new variants etc. I think though, we'll see masks, testing and quarantine measures stay for some time. Particular at mass events or if you have illness, same as what happened after SARS.
Of course, I am being optimistic!
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
@zupertramp Yeah, it’s pretty depressing. I hadn’t heard about the LA variant, but the others are definitely out there. From what I read online, the Brazilian variant is the scary one. The others may spread easier but are no more deadly and are still covered by the vaccine. The Brazilian strain may be resistant to the vaccine already.
So... yeah — masks and social distancing might be here for a while.
The only problem is that masks, hand washing, etc., also lower your immune response to diseases in the long run. This is especially true for children, teens and young adults; you need to come into contact with as many diseases as possible to protect yourself for years to come. My biggest fear is that some people will raise their children, or live their own life, as if anything is a potential hazard. And in 30 years from now you'll end up with a bunch of snowflakes that die from the common cold at age 50.
Yeah I was probably being a little more despondent than necessary there but it was late and I had spent some time reading up on mutations and vaccines and worldwide coverage and such and yeah, hard not to be pessimistic.
But it's a new day today (for me) and I've had my coffee so I'm ready for whatever catastrophes 2021 has on offer. Yay! Lol.
"One of the unloveliest and least enlightening aspects of contemporary discourse is the tendency to presume that whatever one disagrees with must be very simple—not only simple, but also simply wrong." - Elizabeth Bruenig
@zupertramp Don't forget, two new vaccines have published favourable results in the last 24hrs too, including the Johnson and Johnson one which only requires one dose.
Just some food for thought: isn’t it a little strange that China/Wuhan virus is not okay to say but UK variant, South Africa variant, Brazilian variant...is totally acceptable? Just struck me as odd the other day when listening to the radio.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
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