For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
  • 1
  • 500
  • 501
  • 502
  • 503
  • 504
  • 582
#1906627
My wife used to work in sexual health clinic.

The funniest thing was follow up appointments.

Q: Name?
A: I’m not sure, my appointment was 2 weeks ago on Thursday.
Q: errr.. yes, but what is your name?
A: That’s it, I can’t remember what name I used.

Not only is that true, but it was a regular occurrence!
kanga liked this
#1907023
Masks on chaps!

‘Frankenstein’ Omicron subvariant XE detected in UK, India and Thailand

A “Frankenstein”-style new Omicron subvariant is spreading in the UK — and some experts fear the mutation may be the most contagious form yet of COVID-19.

The XE variant — which has also been confirmed in India and Thailand — is a mix of Omicron’s BA.1 strain and the new “stealth” BA.2 form,


https://nypost.com/2022/04/07/frankenst ... ted-in-uk/
User avatar
By stevelup
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1907150
Oh, the joys of journalism...

From the article:-

A “Frankenstein”-style new Omicron subvariant is spreading in the UK — and some experts fear the mutation may be the most contagious form yet of COVID-19.


From the from gov.uk page cited in literally the next but one paragraph:-

This particular recombinant, XE, has shown a variable growth rate and we cannot yet confirm whether it has a true growth advantage. So far there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions about transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness.


:lol: :roll:
Flyin'Dutch' liked this
#1907153
@stevelup the NY Post and journalism are only just on nodding terms, but the article did make me smile :) Am pretty confident it will feed whichever neurosis anyone might happen to hold - there is something for everyone.
#1909118
Another price worth paying?

[quote]
Ten UK children require transplant amid surge in hepatitis cases

Lack of exposure to adenoviruses due to Covid restrictions is most likely explanation for surge, experts say

...


Prof Deirdre Kelly, a paediatric hepatologist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS trust and part of a group working with UKHSA to investigate the cases, said: “It may be due to the fact that children who have been largely isolated are responding to viruses that they would normally have built up an immunity to at an early age or it could be previous infection with Covid that has affected the body’s defence systems.”

Between January and April 2018, the Birmingham centre, which is the largest of three specialist centres in the UK that treat severe liver disease in children, saw six severe unexplained hepatitis cases in children. “In the same time interval this year we saw about 40,” Kelly said. “We don’t have the answer why but it’s likely to be something to do with the pandemic because we never had this before.”

[/quote]
https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... itis-cases
#1909133
eltonioni wrote:
> Another price worth paying?
> [quote]
> Ten UK children require transplant amid surge in hepatitis cases
>
> Lack of exposure to adenoviruses due to Covid restrictions is most likely
> explanation for surge, experts say
> [/quote]

Or it could be previous infection with Covid that has affected the body’s defence systems - which obviously wasn't the headline they wanted.
User avatar
By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1909137
I'm not sure either theory explains what appears to be a much bigger cluster in UK than other countries.

Are they only finding it in young children as opposed to other group, or is that just the way the stats are being collected / analysed? If it really is only under 6.y.o doesn't it point to something specific they are ingesting somehow?

(Says the arm chair expert at speculation)
#1909157
Possibly more balanced gist of UKHSA reporting and speculation about possible causes of the hepatitis spike:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61220518

"The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says a strain of adenovirus called F41 is looking like the most probable cause.

...

Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: "Information gathered through our investigations increasingly suggests that this rise in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection.

"However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes."

..

Scientists and clinicians are now investigating whether there has been a change in the genetic make-up of the virus that might trigger liver inflammation more easily.

Another possible explanation is that restrictions imposed in the pandemic may have led to young children being first exposed to adenovirus at a slightly later point in their lives, leading to a "more vigorous" immune response in some.

Prof Calum Semple, who is an expert in infectious diseases at Liverpool University, said: "Adenovirus virtually disappeared during the Covid outbreak when there was reduced mixing and it has come back in a surge now."

He said other hypotheses are also being explored, including whether a recent Covid infection might be a trigger for the liver problems along with adenovirus.

There is no link to the Covid vaccine. None of the currently confirmed cases in under-10-year-olds in the UK are known to have been vaccinated."
Flyin'Dutch', JAFO, MikeB and 1 others liked this
#1909300
There’s definitely something odd going on, about a year pre covid my wife ended up having a blood transfusion due to anaemia and liver damage.

They’ve been trying to work out what caused the liver damage ever since.

She has a problem absorbing iron now, and they know it’s linked to that.

She has to have B12 injections to help her make blood/absorb iron, and now they’ve moved onto IV iron.

They were looking at Hepatitis first, then wondered if she was alcoholic, she had to explain she doesn’t drink.

At the surgery where she has her B12 injections they said it’s getting really common now.

One more thing.. she’s not coeliac, etc, but gluten now has a massive effect on her.

They can’t find any structural issues, everything they’ve looked for isn’t there.

Just liver damage and anaemia.

Our view is now that it’s to do with food.
It’s something systemic.. since she stopped eating what passes as “bread” in this country, things improved a bit.

It’s not just children according to our GP and it’s pre covid.
#1910017
The issue of 'dodgy PPE procurement benefiting the politically connected' seems not to be only a UK phenomenon; this from Australia:

"Aspen Medical was given more than $1 billion in government PPE contracts despite no experience in large-scale procurement"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-02/ ... /101022086
#1910490
Inconvenient numbers. Very, very inconvenient numbers. It turns out that the UKs excess deaths during C19 were lower than all those nations that were being lauded for how expertly they handled everything. Sweden had even few than the UK and half the rate of Germany. All those mask mandates, lockdowns, curfews, closed schools, lost jobs, ruined lives and prospects... what a waste.

Roll on the public inquiry and mass sackings of superannuated public servants, academics journalists and politicians from their safe-as-houses careers that will lie in tatters after the penny drops. Only joking about the last bit - the arris covering will be monumental, with extra emphasis on mental.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/61333847
[img]https://i.imgur.com/yM1PDIV.png[/img]

While the forum BB code is still busted these are the latest WHO numbers referenced for "Excess deaths per 100k in 2021/22, selected countries"

437 Peru
367 Russia
200 South Africa
171 India
160 Brazil
156 Turkey
140 US
133 Italy
116 Germany
111 Spain
109 UK
96 Global average
63 France
56 Sweden
flybymike, Spooky liked this
#1915751
Today's paper has a foreshadowing of the monumental and unnecessary screw up that will be exposed in the hard-hitting public inquiry.* https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/

"Severe" restrictions imposed by Nicola Sturgeon's government on care home residents in Scotland caused "great distress" to residents and are "likely" to have contributed to emotional decline and even death, a major report has concluded.

Research commissioned by Scotland's independent public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic found that the legal basis for confining residents to their rooms and banning visitors was "unclear".

The 143-page report, produced by Edinburgh Napier University, found there was "little evidence" in the early months of the Covid outbreak that the human rights of residents and their families were considered.

The research acknowledged that the need for some restrictions was "understandable" given the vulnerability of care home residents prior to the vaccination programme, and "the large number of deaths in the sector."

However, it concluded that they were arguably discriminated against compared to other citizens.

A second report commissioned by the inquiry, from Edinburgh University, said half of all Covid-related deaths in Scotland between March and June 2020 had involved care home residents.

It said Scotland had the highest rate among care home residents in the UK during the first wave of the pandemic and a lack of testing of hospital patients discharged into homes contributed to outbreaks.

Almost 5,000 patients across Scotland were sent to care homes between March 1 and May 31, 2020 as ministers rushed to clear hospital beds for an expected influx of Covid patients at the start of the pandemic.

Most of the elderly people transferred into homes were not tested and more than 100 were moved despite having tested positive for the virus, without later testing negative.

A policy requiring a hospital patient to test negative before transfer was not introduced until April 21 that year, six days after the change was made in England.


* only kidding, we'll not see a public inquiry conclude (or maybe even start) before the next election.
flybymike, StratoTramp liked this
  • 1
  • 500
  • 501
  • 502
  • 503
  • 504
  • 582