Mask or no mask?

[Bill]

I suppose it depends how concerned someone is about getting their jab as early as possible or right on time. I’m not too worried but I do know people that think if they don’t get the jab right at the six month point, then they’re somehow suddenly at increased risk and start panicking.

I had my flu jab last week and should have got a shingles jab today but the practice nurse said if I’m contacted for covid jab then that has a higher priority, so my covid jabs is tomorrow and the shingles has been pushed back a week. All the notifications were done by text or phone call and other than one longish wait on one call, I can’t fault the service.

As for when and where the covid gets done, again I’m not that bothered, just as long as it doesn’t involve me having to drive to another town.  But I accept that for working people or those without cars then they might find it more difficult but that’s nobody’s fault.  The only criticism I have is that none of the centres anywhere come up if you tick may need access to a toilet. If they don’t allow you to use a toilet then they should just say so rather than it being a tick box that simply makes every location disappear.

 

Bill 😊

[Latchford Locks]

10 minutes ago, Bill said:

I suppose it depends how concerned someone is about getting their jab as early as possible or right on time. I’m not too worried but I do know people that think if they don’t get the jab right at the six month point, then they’re somehow suddenly at increased risk and start panicking.

I had my flu jab last week and should have got a shingles jab today but the practice nurse said if I’m contacted for covid jab then that has a higher priority, so my covid jabs is tomorrow and the shingles has been pushed back a week. All the notifications were done by text or phone call and other than one longish wait on one call, I can’t fault the service.

As for when and where the covid gets done, again I’m not that bothered, just as long as it doesn’t involve me having to drive to another town.  But I accept that for working people or those without cars then they might find it more difficult but that’s nobody’s fault.  The only criticism I have is that none of the centres anywhere come up if you tick access to a toilet. If they don’t allow you to use a toilet then they should just say so rather than it being a tick box that makes all locations disappear.

 

Bill 😊

I know "spending a penny" sometimes becomes urgent but looking at the very short turn round time of the virus jab(around 20 mins in the surgery) then a bit of forward planning in most cases would be fine to avoid any problems.., 

[Bill]

I hear what you say Latchy but with crone’s disease planning doesn’t always go quite to plan.

And in any case, it’s widely accepted these days that this is an airborne virus so why the heck are they preventing people from using a toilet?

 

Bill 😊

[Observer II]

I recall saying that the Governments/Nations best equipped to weather this pandemic, will be those authoritarian nations with compliant populations and without the pretence of democracy.   So, while the Government were elected to "Govern", it seems almost impossible to impact situations due to non-compliance within organisations of the State and Society in general.  Whilst the latest huge investment in the NHS, is just one more example of the all consuming black hole, at least it's been specified for equipment, but meanwhile, we've had admin managers employed at a cost of £250,000 pa.  And it's no good blaming them, the buck stops with BoJo, as they will have been employed by Gov. and it's for him to get a grip. Can you imagine NHS or care staff in China refusing to be vaccinated, or anti-vaxers picketing our schools etc ?    Afraid the West is now a joke.   😠    😷

[Bill]

A lot of that makes sense but the lions share of the blame is down to the public’s attitude to following rules or advice, especially when it’s coming from a political party they didn’t vote for. But this sort of behaviour has evolved throughout time and all parties have played a part in creating the situation we now find ourselves in.

I wasn’t around during the war but I suspect back then there wasn’t quite as much divisions within the nation and most would be bending over backwards to support government plans. I don’t want to turn this into a political debate, but I’d be interested to see if there’s any correlation between voting habits and things like vaccination take up and mask wearing.

 

Bill 😊

[Confused52]

4 hours ago, Bill said:

A lot of that makes sense but the lions share of the blame is down to the public’s attitude to following rules or advice, especially when it’s coming from a political party they didn’t vote for. But this sort of behaviour has evolved throughout time and all parties have played a part in creating the situation we now find ourselves in.

I wasn’t around during the war but I suspect back then there wasn’t quite as much divisions within the nation and most would be bending over backwards to support government plans. I don’t want to turn this into a political debate, but I’d be interested to see if there’s any correlation between voting habits and things like vaccination take up and mask wearing.

 

Bill 😊

 

And our survey says!

 

Also from YouGov in April this year:

"Conservative and Labour voters are similarly likely to be vaccine hesitant, at 9% and 11% respectively. Remain voters are only slightly less likely to be hesitant than Leave voters (7% vs 12%). While rates of Conservative and Labour vaccine hesitancy have always been similarly close, the gap between Leave and Remain voters was much wider back in November, at 44% to 30% respectively."

Edited October 25, 2021 by Confused52
Updated to add survey info on vaccine hesitancy

[Bill]

Clearly there are some differences so it’s fair to say that politics does affect the way we behave although I wouldn’t try to read too much from it. We’re told though that nonmandatory mask wearing is an individual risk assessment, but that requires a basic understanding of the science and should have nothing to do with any political allegiance.

From interviews I’ve seen on TV and the few people I’ve met that expressed an opinion, I get the feeling that some of these people are not the brightest lights on the tree and it’s the same with those that refuse to get vaccinated. If they don’t understand though, then for my money the government have failed to get the message across properly. There’ll always be those that neither understand or care and again the government seems to have underestimate how many people fall into this category.

 

Bill 😊

[Latchford Locks]

16 minutes ago, Bill said:

 

From interviews I’ve seen on TV and the few people I’ve met that expressed an opinion, I get the feeling that some of these people are not the brightest lights on the tree and it’s the same with those that refuse to get vaccinated. If they don’t understand though, then for my money the government have failed to get the message across properly. There’ll always be those that neither understand or care and again the government seems to have underestimate how many people fall into this category.

 

Bill 😊

The  problem in allowing these people who do not  take any precautions is that it also  endangers other folk as well and so a strict enforcement of compulsory mask wearing is the only logical answer to protect both the don't care brigade and the others whom they endanger at the moment

[Observer II]

The problem is folks, at the moment, this Country can't "enforce" anything, even if gifted with intent.   They can't keep our roads cleared of eco-freaks or stop economic migrants crossing the channel.   So we're left to our own devices, those that wish to exercise caution will do, and avoid those that don't.   😷

[Confused52]

18 minutes ago, Observer II said:

The problem is folks, at the moment, this Country can't "enforce" anything, even if gifted with intent.   They can't keep our roads cleared of eco-freaks or stop economic migrants crossing the channel.   So we're left to our own devices, those that wish to exercise caution will do, and avoid those that don't.   😷

That is always true of democracies. The point Bill alludes to about understanding of risk is quite salient but the MSM has a bigger role to play than does government in my view. Constantly trying to shock and cajole to sell papers and eyeballs is a big problem.

 

[Latchford Locks]

😷

1 hour ago, Observer II said:

The problem is folks, at the moment, this Country can't "enforce" anything, even if gifted with intent.   They can't keep our roads cleared of eco-freaks or stop economic migrants crossing the channel.   So we're left to our own devices, those that wish to exercise caution will do, and avoid those that don't.   

Something I have done since the start of this damned pandemic. 

And will continue to do until the country is 95% clear of infection 😷

[Bill]

The media could probably get the message across far better than the government do but they’re never going to do that voluntarily because it’s essentially boring stuff that most don’t have time for, and in any case, just one click takes you to something more interesting. Unless of course, we could make the whole media operate like the old party-political broadcasts did, where it didn’t make any difference if you changed channels. I bet that was hard enough to do back then when there were only four channels, but now it’d be totally impossible.

I suppose the commercial operators could be made to display a short public information video rather than the normal advertising garbage they force us to endure before accessing their sites. If they had any moral concerns for the wellbeing of their audience, they’d be doing something like this anyway, but I guess profit trumps morals every time these days.

 

Bill 😊

[Observer II]

The reason we have a proportion of non-compliance is simply because folk are either too thick, arrogant or full of conspiracy theories, to comply with Gov advice; so no amount of propaganda will alter that.  So, that leaves enforcement -  but as I said, we can't even clear our roads of protesters or turn back migrants, so we've basically got a state of anarchy at the moment.    😷

[Bill]

I suppose at the end of the day you’re right Obs because for some, no amount of information however carefully put together will ever convince an idiot to change their ways. And unless we could get to the situation where the vast majority are following the guidance, things are never going to get much better than now.

I don’t want to see the pubs and clubs closing again as I think they play an important part in maintaining what’s left of my sanity.  I see people in the pubs that do seem to be making an effort to socially distance themselves but then others arrive get drunk and end up in your face. I can’t think of any practical solution for this other than other than to creating some kind of negative persona for those that can’t be sensible.  A message on beer mats might be a good place to start.

 

Bill 😊

[Latchford Locks]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:30 PM, Bill said:

I suppose at the end of the day you’re right Obs because for some, no amount of information however carefully put together will ever convince an idiot to change their ways. And unless we could get to the situation where the vast majority are following the guidance, things are never going to get much better than now.

 

 

Bill 😊

[Observer II]

Whilst waiting for written notification for my Booster jab, I've read that mobile clinics are now open to anyone requiring a booster jab  -   seems HMG has a problem with order as well as law.    

[Confused52]

39 minutes ago, Observer II said:

Whilst waiting for written notification for my Booster jab, I've read that mobile clinics are now open to anyone requiring a booster jab  -   seems HMG has a problem with order as well as law.    

Read the fine print, you still need to have had the 2nd dose at least 182 days ago or no jab. That is the same criterion as booking the jab online.

[Observer II]

Yes, but presumably the NHS order of pick accounts for the 6 month spacing,  but folk walking in off the street sounds like queue jumping to me; I know people who jumped the queue first time around -  so not orderly.   😷

[Confused52]

1 hour ago, Observer II said:

Yes, but presumably the NHS order of pick accounts for the 6 month spacing,  but folk walking in off the street sounds like queue jumping to me; I know people who jumped the queue first time around -  so not orderly.   😷

The reduction in vaccine efficacy over time does not vary according to whether they jumped the queue or not,

[Observer II]

That's not my point:  if the NHS are running an orderly system based clinical priority - IE risk based; a walk in option shows they don't have "an orderly system".  😷

[Confused52]

1 hour ago, Observer II said:

That's not my point:  if the NHS are running an orderly system based clinical priority - IE risk based; a walk in option shows they don't have "an orderly system".  😷

Then your point is flawed. The dates of the second doses and the first were determined by risk. Everyone over 50 and on the at risk lists need a booster six months after their second one. Everyone should have been notified. In reality the NHS has failed to deal with this well but people in one part of the country should not be penalised and made more likely to be seriously ill because some GPs are failing. Everyone is due after 182 days, you should not need the letter or a text to book a jab. If you are past the 182 days and you walk in that is fair since everyone can do it.

[Observer II]

If they're determined by risk, how can someone just walk into a jab centre;  presumably it would mean a lot being refused, which defeats the objective they seem to have.   

[Confused52]

26 minutes ago, Observer II said:

If they're determined by risk, how can someone just walk into a jab centre;  presumably it would mean a lot being refused, which defeats the objective they seem to have.   

A lot are eligible but haven't turned up because they are waiting for their GPs or Christmas! It was only 50% of those eligible until a few days ago. If you go too early you get refused, you have to be six months after the second dose.....

[Observer II]

So basically,  you have to be on their list to qualify.  😷

[Bill]

I'm sure I got an automated text asking me to ring the surgery or book online.

Maybe if you're expecting them to print a paper copy, put it in an envelope, frank it and post it to you, then I wouldn't be surprised if that method took quite a bit longer if they're busy.

How much past the six-month mark are you?

 

Bill 😊