[Malcolm Armsteen]

My 71 year old dad is yet to hear anything about getting his booster. I presume they're doing it on a similar time frame to the original rollout which mean he gets invited around about the start of November.

I've got my seasonal flu jab next Tuesday. Every little helps I suppose.

I booked mine and Mrs A's today, at a local pharmacy. Flu vax on Monday - her birthday!

[Watchman]

Mrs A and I share the same birthday

[Nigredo]

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nhs- ... 61091.html

Challenging months ahead apparently but they still won't do anything because it's too late for anything to take effect before Christmas.

I'll just be praying that my dad gets invited for his booster jab very very soon.

[Boiler]

In theory my booster will come in mid- to late November. My mother-in-law (85) has now had hers.
Meanwhile, the Covid culture war continues in BBC SYB. From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58954793

Screenshot 2021-10-19 at 11-28-24 Covid Why are UK cases so high .png (6.43 KiB) Viewed 945 times

Screenshot 2021-10-19 at 11-32-09 Covid Why are UK cases so high .png (9.33 KiB) Viewed 943 times

[Watchman]

Surely he means Piers-reviewed studies

[Boiler]

When I saw the video of that cunt removing Covid-related signs from the Underground trains, I was surprised no-one challenged him; but then Underground etiquette has always been bury your head in your book/paper/phone when something awkward happens.

[Boiler]

Speaking of current Covid cases:

Covid: No 10 'keeping a close eye' on rising cases

The most recent ONS report here gives us this:

In the week ending 9 October 2021, the percentage of people testing positive increased for those in school Years 7 to 11, those aged 50 to 69 years and those aged 70 years and over. The percentage of people testing positive increased for those aged two years to school Year 6 and those aged 35 to 49 years in the two weeks up to 9 October 2021, but the trend was uncertain in the week up to 9 October 2021. In the same week, there were early signs of an increase in the percentage of people testing positive for those in school Year 12 to those aged 24 years. The trend was uncertain for those aged 25 to 34 years in the week ending 9 October 2021.

The percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) was highest for those in school Years 7 to 11 at 8.10% (95% credible interval: 7.31% to 8.90%) in the week ending 9 October 2021.

And to add to the joy (FSVO)?

Covid-19: New mutation of Delta variant under close watch in UK

Last sentence though:

At this stage, experts don't think AY.4.2 is likely to take hold - so in time it could well burn out and drop off the watch list.

[kreuzberger]

Well, this AY.4.2 variant is spreading itself far and wide across the EU mainland press.

There are mumblings here that patience is wearing thin with the Island of infinite negligence. I am not sure that we really want to stomach another wave which would be solely down to another round of can't-be-arseditude on the part of Sascha and co. Indeed, Let's not forget how we ended up being riddled with delta in the first place.

Why should we put up with this? We have been distancing for months and shuffling around in our masks, doing everything we can to keep each other safe, and we really are sick of the wilfully untrained puppy that is determined to shit on our carpet.

It is high time that we reintroduce mandatory 14-day quarantine for any visitors from the UK, whether they are our own temporary, pork-filleting, visa-blessed nationals or not.

Sorry chums, if you can't be bothered to keep your collective selves safe, we really don't want you here.

[Boiler]

D'you know, at the beginning of all this back in 2020 I watched anxiously as a complete shitstorm enveloped Italy and it seemingly lost control of the disease.

"Surely they'll look at Italy, learn from their handling of it and say 'this cannot be allowed to happen here'?"

Well, that was stupid of me to think that, wasn't it?

I wouldn't blame .eu to place a blanket restriction on .uk visitors if the cases here worsen. By the way, I understand the travel agencies are reporting high numbers of bookings for the half-term period next week, and remember where our growth sector in this virus is...

[davidjay]

This whole bloody thing is just wearing me down. I've not been too good at the best of times lately but I'm starting to wonder now if we're ever going to be free of it, ever go back to living normal lives and if I'm just fooling myself, one day my luck will run out and either me or my wife will die from it.

[Oboogie]

As our new case and death rates rise, I really don't understand why other countries aren't Red Listing us?

[kreuzberger]

Every fucking day, every fucking minute, we wear our FFP2 masks - even when shopping for FFP2 masks. The Fabulous Woman even wears one on her cycle to work, as do I on my scooter, lest I should pull up at the lights with cyclists. We have really fucking knocked our hole in to strive for mutual safety.

In 72 hours' time, I will be on a Greece rock with a guaranteed amount of Anglos. Let's see how they are behaving themselves but I am in no mood to indulge their arrogance and indiscretion.

I know that the Kreuzette will kill me if I get in to an altercation with these cunts, and I will do what I can to cool my jets. It's difficult mind, when these people would kill you with their negligence and your spanking new walking stick is forged from solid steel.

[Boiler]

P2 masks say you're taking this very seriously indeed: I wear my P2s in shops now as so few other people wear anything.

Masks at work are mandatory and in those circumstances I wear the surgical type IIR coverings - and as I noticed the box on the seat of my car is getting low I decided to order some from my usual supplier, with whom I have a trade account.

They've stopped selling them...

So an order went into St. John's Ambulance instead for two boxes of fifty.

[Boiler]

This whole bloody thing is just wearing me down. I've not been too good at the best of times lately but I'm starting to wonder now if we're ever going to be free of it, ever go back to living normal lives and if I'm just fooling myself, one day my luck will run out and either me or my wife will die from it.

You're not alone in your sentiments: because that's exactly how I feel to the letter.

[Bones McCoy]

This whole bloody thing is just wearing me down. I've not been too good at the best of times lately but I'm starting to wonder now if we're ever going to be free of it, ever go back to living normal lives and if I'm just fooling myself, one day my luck will run out and either me or my wife will die from it.

You're not alone in your sentiments: because that's exactly how I feel to the letter.

You want to know what the scientists think.

We will not be free of it for many years.
We will incorporate booster jabs along with the flu vaccination programme to a point where most who wish are protected.

Covid, 189, 20, 21, 22, delta, epsilon and beyond will become a major cause of death for our octogeneraian (and above) community.
They will dodge it as long as they can, but they won't be able to outrun it.

It will persist because we lack the will to tackle it in poorer parts of the world - so new variants will continue to emerge.
It will also persist because a few wanky first world governments cannot do their jobs.

[Boiler]

From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58976577

The NHS Confederation said a back-up strategy, or Plan B, which includes mandatory face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces, should be implemented.

However:

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said it was not time for Plan B and urged greater uptake of booster jabs.

In other words, get back to work and die, plebs. We want MONEY.

[Youngian]

The goal is to convince the public its their fault. It is what it is, innit.

[Andy McDandy]

I'm currently reading the Secret Barrister's new book, Fake Law. It's a good - and occasionally scary - read.

To understand what the government thinks of you, they suggest you take a look at the "com-pen-say-shun" industry (as the tabloids call it). Aside from overlooking the complexity of cases, couching things in emotive and inaccurate terms ("bumper payout" etc) and so on, there is a reason why the common message in the media is one of stupid payments for silly reasons, lack of personal responsibility and the nanny state - the government are softening the public up.

For instance, under the Cameron, May and Johnson governments, the upper limit of amounts claimable via the Small Claims track (nb there is no small claims court) has steadily increased. So? Well, people generally represent themselves on the SCT, but you can bet your arse that councils and companies don't. So more claims get denied, many doctors refuse to support personal litigants, and the onus is on you - Joe Public - to master the relevant law.

Why does this work? Because we've been conditioned via stories of people taking companies to the cleaners for what we're told are spurious reasons to think of them as "you lucky bastard" rather than "there but for the grace of God go I". And that selfishness does have effects.

The Civil Liability Act of 2018 (which increased the SCT upper threshold to £5,000) was passed by the May government following consultation with the car manufacturing industry, the major insurance companies, and that was it. In return for making it harder to claim for whiplash injuries (in fact, all injuries), the government got a promise from the insurance industry that premiums would be reduced and that this would not be enforceable by law. The much parroted amount that the average car insurance bill would be cut by?

£35.00

Now, car drivers here, have you seen any reduction to your insurance bills in the last 3 years?

That's how much the government/the state values you - about the cost of 3 packets of cigarettes. Less if you're not paying income tax. We've been sold this under a wrapping of "take personal responsibility", but it actually means "you're on your own, kid". And we buy it because we're conditioned into thinking that the bad shit could never happen to us, and if it does, we somehow deserve it.

[RedSparrows]

Same old, same old. Stuff the proles but tell 'em they're special.

[Andy McDandy]

"We think so highly of you, we're going to put you right at the front, in a bright red jacket, holding a flag".

Yup.