[Oboogie]

I'll settle for a woggle.

You'll go blind.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Or failing that a sabretache...

[Oboogie]

...again, I fear you are overlooking your horselessness.

On foot your sabretache will dangle, you will be ungainly and small boys will mock you.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

But I will have a place to keep my sandwiches...


(Once upon the 1960s Mrs A used to make sabretaches for a military model shop in Chelsea...)

[Boiler]

Meanwhile, in all the hullabaloo of local elections;

Piers Corbyn fined £250 for calling NHS staff murderers

[Boiler]

New Covid "variants of concern" have been identified, coded BA.4 and BA.5 and were first seen in South Africa.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/05/1 ... articular-

Oh dear.

[Bones McCoy]

New Covid "variants of concern" have been identified, coded BA.4 and BA.5 and were first seen in South Africa.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/05/1 ... articular-

Oh dear.

Let us hope that like the original BA, it "ain't gettin on that plane".


Coat?
Whichever contains the fattest wallet...

[Boiler]

Social media: Did the pandemic poison online politics?

"People always hunt in a pack on social media" to find something that is a topic of the day and feel as though they have to "rush in and join in and give that person a kicking, that was something I definitely noticed as a trend".

"Covid kind of became the new Brexit," [Ayesha Hazarika] adds, "suddenly you had to fight to the death over masks, and you couldn't take a nuanced position, it had to either be that this was the biggest affront to civil liberties ever, or if you didn't want to wear a mask then you were sort of a murderer".

[Bones McCoy]

Social media: Did the pandemic poison online politics?

"People always hunt in a pack on social media" to find something that is a topic of the day and feel as though they have to "rush in and join in and give that person a kicking, that was something I definitely noticed as a trend".

"Covid kind of became the new Brexit," [Ayesha Hazarika] adds, "suddenly you had to fight to the death over masks, and you couldn't take a nuanced position, it had to either be that this was the biggest affront to civil liberties ever, or if you didn't want to wear a mask then you were sort of a murderer".

"Covid became the new Brexit" shows that online politics was poisoned well before the pandemic.

[Nigredo]

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118752

WHO says COVID-19 pandemic is definitely not over.

[Bones McCoy]

https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118752

WHO says COVID-19 pandemic is definitely not over.

Who are you going to believe though.

WHO - an anagram of "woke" as any fule kno.
Or
World stage statesman, man of truth and honour: Boris Johnson.

[Boiler]

Infections and hospitalisations are starting to rise again, I note.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61758570

[The ONS] report suggests the small rise is likely to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron.

Studies show these variants may be able to spread slightly more easily than "older" Omicron variants.

The latest estimates suggest around 990,000 people in the UK have Covid.

[Bones McCoy]

Infections and hospitalisations are starting to rise again, I note.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61758570

[The ONS] report suggests the small rise is likely to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron.

Studies show these variants may be able to spread slightly more easily than "older" Omicron variants.

The latest estimates suggest around 990,000 people in the UK have Covid.

Meanwhile Lighthouse Labs are preparing to terminate 80% of their testing staff.
Source: Friend whose son works there.

[Boiler]

Well, that's a bit shit, isn't it? Does said son have any alternative avenues to explore?

[Bones McCoy]

Well, that's a bit shit, isn't it? Does said son have any alternative avenues to explore?

He's hoping to be one of the fortunate 20% at present.
There are a few opportunities for redeployment to technical arms of the NHS (Health Protection Scotland and Health Facilities Scotland).
No firm numbers on those opportunities yet.

[davidjay]

Infections and hospitalisations are starting to rise again, I note.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61758570

[The ONS] report suggests the small rise is likely to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron.

Studies show these variants may be able to spread slightly more easily than "older" Omicron variants.

The latest estimates suggest around 990,000 people in the UK have Covid.

It's nice to know I'm one in a million.

[Boiler]

Bugger. How're you doing with it?

[davidjay]

Bugger. How're you doing with it?

Bloody frustrating. I feel otherwise fine - no temperature, aches, scarcely so much as a sniffle, but it's settled on my chest and any sort of exertion has me breathless. I'd love to be out gardening but half an hour's light pottering and I'm done for the day.

[Boiler]

Sorry to hear that, chief. All I can do is wish you get well soon - but do resist the urge to "test yourself".

[davidjay]

Sorry to hear that, chief. All I can do is wish you get well soon - but do resist the urge to "test yourself".

Thanks. I'm improving; now I'm at the stage where you forget you're still unwell, run up a couple of stairs then collapse in a coughing fit. I'm not well, I'm better.