Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

I see Sweden is mulling over its Covid response:

STOCKHOLM, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Sweden's response to the spread of coronavirus was too slow and preparations to handle a pandemic were insufficient, a commission investigating the country's response to COVID-19 said on Friday.

Sweden's strategy, shunning lockdowns and measures such as widespread use of face masks and only gradually tightening curbs, made the country an outlier in the first year of the pandemic when many countries across Europe chose to implement far tougher restrictions.

The country kept most schools, businesses, bars and restaurants open in startling contrast with a locked-down Europe, relying on voluntary recommendations even as its death toll rapidly eclipsed those if its Nordic neighbours.

Sweden acted too slowly as pandemic swept country, commission finds

Sweden's response to the spread of coronavirus was too slow and preparations to handle a pandemic were insufficient, a commission investigating the country's response to COVID-19 said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

Still at it Oyster. My comparisons have always been between Sweden and the UK because both made the identical initial mistakes. Sweden's neighbours are completely irrelevant to that since they didn't make the same mistakes.

It really is a waste of time trying to seriously discuss anything in here when nobody ever keeps to the subject being discussed, wandering off into irrelevancies.

From the same base as us, Sweden's approach has paid off handsomely compared with ours, with us suffering almost 50% more deaths pro rata. Undeniable fact, however inconvenient you may find it.
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[oyster]

Still at it Oyster.

I was simply reporting the Swedish investigation - not saying I agreed or disagreed. But that investigation is asking questions and coming to their conclusions.

 

[flecc]

Yesterday I had to get some work done on my car - having a pleasant chat with the lady who runs the office. Boss (owner of the place) is off with Covid, despite having had both vaccines plus a booster a few weeks ago.

Has been ill a few days, is isolating, and has actually deteriorated somewhat - worse on the chest/lungs.

Maybe he'd have been even worse without any vaccination?

He'd have been better off catching Covid at the outset, taking the hit early as I've maintained from the very beginning of the pandemic.

Many in here still disagree but the evidence increasingly shows they are wrong.

In the absence of vaccines for almost a year, catching Covid early was the best protection available, so to deny that is irrational. Most of us were going to get it in the end anyway, so sooner the better.
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[flecc]

I was simply reporting the Swedish investigation - not saying I agreed or disagreed. But that investigation is asking questions and coming to their conclusions.

Conclusions I agree with, but you singling this out to report it was undermining my argument on this subject with an irrelevancy, hence my objection.
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[oyster]

I hadn't been worrying about the queen's health - leaving that to doctors, etc. But now he has opened his gob, I am concerned...

The Queen is ‘on very good form’ says Boris Johnson

Prime minister’s comments come after news that doctors advised the monarch to rest for two weeks

www.theguardian.com

 

[guerney]

He'd have been better off catching Covid at the outset, taking the hit early

"The Hit" would have been odds of 1 in 50 of death; circa 2% worldwide average death rate - without vaccination - is widely accepted... which is ok when it isn't you? Anyhow, all this obsessing about numbers seems to be justification of what you choose to do next, which may be to remain in isolation, while not pursuing medical treatment you need, in a state of hypervigilance - a normal response to fear and shock. Personally, I've had enough of this blasted pandemic and my doomsday prepper approach to it. I'm increasingly living life as I did before. I'm counting on the Az, double masking with KN95, weight loss and (gradually) increasing fitness. This may be as good as it gets?

 

[jonathan.agnew]

I hadn't been worrying about the queen's health - leaving that to doctors, etc. But now he has opened his gob, I am concerned...

The Queen is ‘on very good form’ says Boris Johnson

Prime minister’s comments come after news that doctors advised the monarch to rest for two weeks

www.theguardian.com

Shades of what happened with nazanine ratcliffe, next the queen will be in an induced coma for five years...

 

[guerney]

Shades of what happened with nazanine ratcliffe, next the queen will be in an induced coma for five years...

Some very old couples do seem to die in pairs, or very close together in terms of time.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

"The Hit" would have been odds of 1 in 50 of death; circa 2% worldwide average death rate - without vaccination - is widely accepted... which is ok when it isn't you? Anyhow, all this obsessing about numbers seems to be justification of what you choose to do next, which may be to remain in isolation, while not pursuing medical treatment you need, in a state of hypervigilance - a normal response to fear and shock. Personally, I've had enough of this blasted pandemic and my doomsday prepper approach to it. I'm increasingly living life as I did before. I'm counting on the Az, double masking with KN95, weight loss and (gradually) increasing fitness. This may be as good as it gets?

I almost entirely agree (other than worrying numbers about AZ's effectiveness at preventing hospitalization with delta). Odd thing is that (aside from fatalities, which I dont wish on anyone and Boris induced financial hit, which will hurt) the pandemic has been good for me. Instead of staggering home at 7pm, I go for runs at 5; no more 90 mins in traffic each day, all much less frantic, expensive

 

[guerney]

I half agree (other than worrying numbers about AZ's effectiveness at preventing hospitalization with delta). Odd thing is that (aside from fatalities, which I dont wish on anyone and Boris induced financial hit, which will hurt) the pandemic has been good for me. Instead of staggering home at 7pm, I go for runs at 5; no more 90 mins in traffic each day, all much less frantic, expensive

Runs at 5? That's great! I've repaired now my bike, unfortunately. I'll get exercise hulking pumpkins on my bike later - 62kg (32kg in my backpack, 30kg in the pannier bags) almost killed me the other day, and the padding of my rucksack was not sufficient to prevent the pain of pumpkins digging into my spine. The weight of my rucksack was on my bike seat (most of the time) but it was a wobbly 48 minute conveyance effort in heavy continuous rain (4.5 hours in heavy rain in total). With a setting on m bike called "Keep Current" at 100% (ie zero effort PAS), the bike managed all the hills with no problems, despite the extra 62kg - slower but nothing electrocuted me or burst into flames, which means my repair's ok (recently learned soldering lol). I'll have to exert far more mental effort toward moving my lazy body into slow jogging, because I'm sure as hell not going to get any exercise with my particular ebike! Zero effort ebiking is far gentler on the knees, which have been killing me throughout all of last year's ebiking. Slow jogging has actually helped reduce knee pain.

 

[flecc]

"The Hit" would have been odds of 1 in 50 of death; circa 2% worldwide average death rate - without vaccination - is widely accepted...

The 1 in 50 is actually meaningless.

What makes it meaningless is the lack of an age profile and the way in which cause of death is recorded:

Those most likely to die by far are in old age and/or suffering with pre-existing serious conditions that threaten their lives anyway. They are not killed by Covid in the truest sense, they have their lifespan reduced, mostly very slightly reduced.

This is made even more meaningless by the silly ruling that all deaths within 28 days of a positive test have to be recorded as due to Covid, no matter what actually caused the death. The government made this even worse by ordering the laboratory determining the final deaths figure for 2020 to base it on death within 60 days of a positive test. How ridiculous is that two months for old people who can die at any time simply because they are old.

As I've already shown, the comparison of the normally expected death total with those for 2020 shows the increase due to Covid was much less than that claimed to be due to Covid. Of course it had to be, lots of those old people reported as Covid deaths would have died anyway within that year from all manner of causes, particularly other diseases, accidents and old age.
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[guerney]

I almost entirely agree (other than worrying numbers about AZ's effectiveness at preventing hospitalization with delta).

What numbers are these? I'd love to worry some more.

 

[guerney]

The 1 in 50 is actually meaningless.

What makes it meaningless is the lack of an age profile and the way in which cause of death is recorded:

I did say "Average".

Those most likely to die by far are in old age and/or suffering with pre-existing serious conditions that threaten their lives anyway. They are not killed by Covid in the truest sense, they have their lifespan reduced, mostly very slightly reduced.

This is made even more meaningless by the silly ruling that all deaths within 28 days of a positive test have to be recorded as due to Covid, no matter what actually caused the death. The government made this even worse by ordering the laboratory determining the final deaths figure for 2020 to base it on death within 60 days of a positive test. How ridiculous is that two months for old people who can die at any time simply because they are old.

As I've already shown, the comparison of the normally expected death total with those for 2020 shows the increase due to Covid was much less than that claimed to be due to Covid. Of course it had to be, lots of those people reported as Covid deaths would have died anyway within that year from all manner of causes, particularly other diseases, accidents and old age.
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I suppose excess deaths can be explained by increased proximity to beds, as more people stay at home? Statistically speaking, it's where most people die. It's why I sleep on the floor.

 

[flecc]

I did say "Average".

Agreed, I wasn't commenting on your use but on the official use of such meaningless statistics as a 1 in 50 average.
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[guerney]

Agreed, I wasn't commenting on your use but on the official use of such meaningless statistics as a 1 in 50 average.
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I think you should seriously consider throwing caution to the winds and getting yourself fitted with a shiny new pig heart valve (which is easy for me to say). Or some other treatment? Is it pig valves? Why pigs? Cannibals say humans taste like pork.

 

[flecc]

I think you should seriously consider throwing caution to the winds and getting yourself fitted with a shiny new pig heart valve (which is easy for me to say). Or some other treatment? Is it pig valves? Why pigs? Cannibals say humans taste like pork.

I can't, thanks to the NHS arrears,

It's pigs or sheep, but they don't fit their valves to us, it's a common misunderstanding due to our simplistic media.

The valves are manufactured to a range of sizes from pig or other animal tissue, basically using cartilege, and are called xenografts. A human donated valve is called a homograft and sometimes one of a patient's own valves can be used as a replacement in a complex procedure, the valve then called an autograft.

Using an animal tissue valve, once the surgeon has removed the old one they try a some numbered dies to choose the right size needed, then use that size of animal tissue valve from the boxed set ready in the operating theatre.
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[guerney]

I can't, thanks to the NHS arrears,

It's pigs or sheep, but they don't fit their valves to us, it's a common misunderstanding due to our simplistic media.

The valves are manufactured to a range of sizes from pig or other animal tissue, basically using cartilege, and are called xenografts. A human donated valve is called a homograft and sometimes one of a patient's own valves can be used as a replacement in a complex procedure, the valve then called an autograft.

Using an animal tissue valve, once the surgeon has removed the old one they try a some numbered dies to choose the right size needed, then use that size of animal tissue valve from the boxed set ready in the operating theatre.
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Using just cartilege means less issues with tissue rejection? Or do patients still have to take a regimen of pills to prevent that? Sounds like some sort of very specialised bike shop, with talk of dies and a boxed kit... but they have to get it right every time. Medical science is amazing stuff.

 

[guerney]

The Queen should be encourged to use Tinder - she's very eligible - the only very old people who haven't died shortly after their long term partner was taken by The Grim Reaper that I can think of, had found a new partner.

 

[flecc]

Using just cartilege means less issues with tissue rejection? Or do patients still have to take a regimen of pills to prevent that?

No there's no rejection issue. The only downside is that the animal tissue valves don't last as well as a mechanical valve, typically lasting from 6 to 14 years, with both luck and age being dominant factors. The younger and more active the individual, the shorter lasting the valve. With a limited life such valves are most suited to older patients.

Younger patients can be offered a mechanical valve which can last for very many years. The only problem with them is the need to take blood thinning medication like Warfarin for the rest of their life, since the valve action can damage the red blood corpuscles. The Warfarin dosing level has to be to be adjusted monthly since its a very fine balance between damaging the blood with insufficient or killing the patient with excess thinning causing internal bleeds.
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[Zlatan]

No there's no rejection issue. The only downside is that the animal tissue valves don't last as well as a mechanical valve, typically lasting from 6 to 14 years, with both luck and age being dominant factors. The younger and more active the individual, the shorter lasting the valve. With a limited life such valves are most suited to older patients.

Younger patients can be offered a mechanical valve which can last for very many years. The only problem with them is the need to take blood thinning medication like Warfarin for the rest of their life, since the valve action can damage the red blood corpuscles. The Warfarin dosing level has to be to be adjusted monthly since its a very fine balance between damaging the blood with insufficient or killing the patient with excess thinning causing internal bleeds.
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I was offered choice between Warfarin and Apixiban. Was explained exactly as you, ve described for Warfarin whereas Apixiban if taken exactly as directed requires no testing/modification to dosage. I chose apixiban.