The fun starts
Someone should tell the EU that AstraZeneca is not IKEA in disguise.

Oh dear...

Very silly and very ignorant and very political.

Hopefully, despite the ignorantly stupid political posturing and noise, that is managed so as not to distract from saving lives.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
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India near ripped the doors off their hinges as they entered 17 million plus clubhouse yesterday and they maybe out of it tomorrow (or will be very close to being out of it). :-O

Haunting images of India’s mass COVID-19 cremation site.

India’s crematoriums have been forced to spill out into parking lots as the country deals with a record wave of COVID-19 infections.

We have for the UK recent results for COVID infections charted across ages and areas:


Coronavirus cases by local authority: Epidemiological data, 28 April 2021


For an area not too far from myself that hit the COVID news, there is a very significant three week 'blip' straight into the top numbers that looks like an entire school of students got hit. Now recovered back to a much lower infection rate.

The charts overall are very nicely suggestive that the vaccination rollout rolling down through the ages is having a noticeable good effect. The hot spots are now down with the teenagers...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
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At the end of the last reporting period the world's total case tally had passed 150.2 million while deaths passed 3.16 million. :-(

India near ripped the front doors of the 18 million clubhouse as they entered it with another record daily case count of 379,459 and they also became the 4th country to officially enter the 200K+ death club (though that number could be 3-4 times higher). :-O

At the top end of the death list the Philippines took 29th spot from Pakistan while Pakistan displaced the Netherlands from 27th and Canada removed Belgium from 24th so let's move on to the changes on the case list.

Mongolia flew over the D.R.C., Australia, Malta and Sudan to land in 115th place then the D.R.C. passed Australia to remain in 118th, Thailand jumped over Afghanistan and Singapore to claim 103rd after Cyprus took 102nd from Singapore as Uruguay replaced Oman in 75th, Costa Rica pushed past Lithuania into 65th while Paraguay leapt over the Dominican Republic and Kuwait into 58th, Nepal jumped past Tunisia and Georgia to take over 53rd after Kazakhstan took 52nd from Georgia and the U.A.E. claimed 40th from Morocco.

The Philippines became the 26th country to enter the 1 million plus clubhouse while Iraq took 24th spot from Romania and Colombia reclaimed 12th back from Poland.

Meanwhile Australia has put a hold on flights coming from India until the 14th May at least due to all the infections that have landed here of late, but has sent a lot of PPE gear over there and is preparing to send a few hundred of those ventilators that were made here as well as oxygen.

Anyhow that'll do for this update.

There's a school near here that has closed years 7, 8 and 9 because of 50+ cases in staff and pupils.

Well I'm wondering if India will finally be the 2nd country in the world to actually create a new daily case clubhouse as they just keep on breaking records there with the latest being 386,888 as they edge closer to the 400,000 mark and they'll very like enter the 19mil+ total case clubhouse during this current reporting period, but by all indications coming out from there are that their official figures are still way out and that they should be all by rights in the top spot on both total case and death lists. :-O

The U.S. also created a new (official) clubhouse on the total case list in that same period with the opening of the 33 millionaire clubhouse. :-(

On the bright side of things they are now finally down into 3rd place on new daily case list instead of totally dominating it (isn't it just amazing how a change in presidents changed things there isn't it? Congratulations Joe). :-)

On a side note, there was 1 thing that I forgot to mention in my last update and that was that Europe had the unenvious "Grand Opening of the World Regional 100+ Million Clubhouse". :-(

Meanwhile here down under there has been another breach of quarantine on the other side of the continent (W.A) and another north of the border at the airport (Brisbane) while down south of the border (Victoria) has seen a recent spike in a couple of their water treatment plants which is causing some concern.

... another breach of quarantine...

Some people refuse to believe the possible consequences, or even to care...

Hopefully, they are too few to be significant.

However... There is then the deadly silly 'game' of politics...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

... India ... new daily case clubhouse ... keep on breaking [deadly] records ... as they edge closer to the 400,000 mark and they'll very like enter the 19mil+ total case clubhouse during this current reporting period, but ... their official figures are still way out...

In India, we have a still worsening desperate case:

India Covid: Delhi running out of space for cremations
wrote:

... oxygen supplies and hospital beds remain in desperately short supply across India...

... India's central government is facing mounting criticism over its handling of the pandemic and its decision to allow large election rallies and religious festivals to go ahead...

... So far, fewer than 10% of people in India have had a Covid vaccination...

What head-in-sand political deathly madness is ignoring physical reality?!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Meanwhile, we have good hope here in the UK:


Covid: ... areas with zero deaths
wrote:

... The government has urged people to keep following restrictions and have the Covid vaccine when called.

The BBC's data analysis reveals the extent of the improvement since January's peak.

Fewer than 600 deaths within 28 days of a positive test have been reported so far this month, compared with more than 30,000 in the first four weeks of January

The figures suggest the UK's pandemic is moving into a new phase, with many areas seeing low levels of coronavirus. The latest lockdown and the vaccination programme have successfully reduced cases, and as a result, deaths...

... But he echoed another expert who urged caution. "[W]e have seen before, when things go wrong they can go wrong quickly," said Prof Graham Medley, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Slowly lifting restrictions means this is less likely to happen, he added...

... Areas that did not report any April deaths tended to have fewer confirmed coronavirus cases in March...

... People aged 40 and over in England are now able to book their Covid jabs, the NHS has said. Since the vaccine rollout began in December, about 34 million people in the UK have had at least one dose...

Here's hoping we don't blow it again!

I strongly believe we need to keep the international holiday trade still blocked/stopped for a good while yet...


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Yes the are a few countries Martin that have show a huge improvements of late in curbing their numbers, but sadly there are still many others that are still failing very badly (or seem to have just given up all together).

Anyhow India has now done it with over 402,000 new cases being reported during this reporting period (and there's still a couple of hours to go until that finishes) and they barged through the cobwebs into the 19 million case clubhouse. :-O

Italy also became the 8th country to enter the 4 million case clubhouse making up a foursome at the bar. :-(

Other than that it looks like Sweden is determined to beat Belgium in becoming the 27th country to join the 1 million case club and passing 14,000 deaths. :-O

Meanwhile down under we've just been relegated down to 120th on the case list by the D.R.C. while Finland has nudged us down to 100th on the death list.

I not only missed the edit button, but due to being distracted by the grand opening of the World Regional 100+ Million Deaths Clubhouse I missed noticing that Brazil had enter the 400,000+ deaths clubhouse. :-O

... Here's hoping we don't blow it again!

I strongly believe we need to keep the international holiday trade still blocked/stopped for a good while yet...

Add the greedy beyond death Punch Taverns to my personal list:

Covid-19: Scientist urges patience before 17 May lockdown relaxation
wrote:

People need to be "patient for a short period" ahead of the next planned relaxation of Covid rules in England, a government scientific adviser has said.

Prof Sir Mark Walport said there was "very good news" in the progress of the pandemic, but many people were still not vaccinated yet.

He told the BBC there is still a "potential for that spark to reignite" and cause infections to rise...

[Note: Just like before, TWICE before! And just like India now...]

... Mr Osmond [founder of Punch Taverns], who brought a legal case against the government to bring forward the indoor reopening of pubs and restaurants... Meanwhile, every day of closure was costing the hospitality industry £200m, Mr Osmond said...

Really? A restaurateur knows better about killing people than Scientists and our government?...

For me personally, simple: ALL Punch Taverns are henceforth totally blacklisted for the next decade.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Another breach of quarantine facilities has happened, just days after another, over in the west of the country again. :-(

Hotel security guard, household members test positive to COVID-19 in WA.

In another major move on the total case list Turkey took 5th place from Russia and at their current pace could be joining France at the bar in the 5mil+ clubhouse by the end of the week while on the total death list it looks like India will replace Mexico in 3rd place tomorrow and many experts are worrying about what those daily death numbers will be by the end of next week (another record is expected to be broken by then, but by how much?).

Another move on the total case list was Vietnam reclaiming 176th place after passing Liechtenstein, but what can a country of just over 38,000 do against a country of just over 98 million?

Meanwhile the race between Sweden and Belgium for that 27th membership to the 1,000,000+ club may just come down to the timing of Sweden getting their numbers in after their usual long weekend off of reporting them.

[edit] BTW, in the regionals Asia has knocked North America out of 2nd place on that total case list and due mainly to India are in hot pursuit of Europe (Turkey, Iran, the Philippines and several others are also helping).

IF
COULD

"If this allows us to return to greater normality, it would be a great step forward."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This new pilot could help shift the dial in our favour by offering a viable alternative to self-isolation for people who are contacts of positive Covid-19 cases,...

Another cock up or common sense?

IF
COULD

"If this allows us to return to greater normality, it would be a great step forward."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This new pilot could help shift the dial in our favour by offering a viable alternative to self-isolation for people who are contacts of positive Covid-19 cases,...

Another cock up or common sense?

Note carefully:

... A large study of the test-and-trace system, published last month, found low numbers of people had followed the self-isolation rules in full.

Men, younger people and parents with young children were less likely to self-isolate - as were those from more working-class backgrounds, people in financial hardship and key workers...

Yep. I've encountered those. Especially the macho workers... They conveniently deliberately ignore COVID so as not to be inconvenienced...

What checks are there that the 7-days of tests are not simply going into the bin?

Meanwhile, Dido Harding will be rubbing her hands with glee for the costly deluge of extra tests going out the door.


One solution could be to require that instead of quarantining, those people must turn up each morning with passport, before 12-noon, to be tested (and recorded) at one of the many COVID testing sites.


A very important side effect of quarantining is that the specter of having to quarantine raises the significance of the risk of getting infected whilst traveling.

What is more costly: Foreign holiday industry profits, or our home economy and burdening the NHS?


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

... Here's hoping we don't blow it again!

I strongly believe we need to keep the international holiday trade still blocked/stopped for a good while yet...

Add the greedy beyond death Punch Taverns to my personal list:

[...]

Really? A restaurateur knows better about killing people than Scientists and our government?...

For me personally, simple: ALL Punch Taverns are henceforth totally blacklisted for the next decade.

Note that the UK is still very much on a critical cusp:

UK: The latest reproduction number (R) and growth rate of coronavirus (COVID-19)
wrote:

Latest R and growth rate for England

Latest R range for England
0.8 to 1.1

Latest growth rate range for England
-4% to -1%
per day

An R value between 0.8 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 11 other people.

A growth rate of between -4% and -1% means that the number of new infections is shrinking by between 1% and 4% every day.

These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 2 to 3 weeks ago, due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare...

Simply, that means there is a deadly reservoir of infection still hanging around in the population, ready to explode India-style or Trump-style at the first chance of any large gatherings of people...

Such as: Nightclubbing, airports, and other indoor venues that involve a large throughput of people...


We really do need more of the population to be vaccinated yet, especially those who are the most sociable: Teenagers!


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

... large gatherings of people ...

Such as: Nightclubbing, airports, and other indoor venues that involve a large throughput of people...

Not just throughput. It's the ones that hold big groups of people, indoors, in close proximity, for hours on end, that you need to worry about.

India is very much badly in the news with COVID.

Also in the news is that the UK is sending a further 6 plane loads of help to send 1000 ventilators, 495 oxygen concentrators, in addition to 3 oxygen generation units (each the size of a container wagon), and other aid.

Nicely generous though all that is, and expensive to get it all there so quickly, that expensive lot will only support perhaps up to 2000 COVID patients at a time. There is also the proviso that trained staff are needed to properly make use of all that equipment...

Those numbers are painfully small compared to the deadly suffering sweeping across India.


For those claiming that "herd immunity" is the way to go... Then they need to get themselves over there ASAP to help out with the ongoing desperate 24-hour funeral pyre operation.


Stay safe folks!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Report of high number of menstrual health problems in women tear gassed in Portland, Oregen.
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-10859-w

Original news story was, NYT - Hundreds Reported Abnormal Menstruation After Exposure to Tear Gas, Study Finds

Dr. Torgrimson-Ojerio decided she would try to figure out whether these anecdotes were outliers or representative of a more common phenomenon. She surveyed around 2,200 adults who said they had been exposed to tear gas in Portland last summer. In a study published this week in the journal BMC Public Health, she reported that 899 of them — more than 54 percent of the respondents who potentially menstruate — said they had experienced abnormal menstrual cycles.

...

Suspicions about tear gas and menstruation first came up more than a decade ago, during the Arab Spring protests, Dr. Jordt noted.

In 2011, Chile also banned the use of tear gas after a study suggested that CS gas could cause miscarriages and harm young children. Three days later, the Chilean police lifted the ban, insisting that the type of tear gas they used was perfectly safe.