A lot of sense there, I cant argue it. If reopening of schools are such a priority after other key groups and the most vulnerable then you’re perfectly right to argue that teachers should be near the top of the queue.
Completely agree. The first thing should have to form a unity government.
In a national crisis a government is going to have to do things that are unpopular but necessary. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
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It’s been said that this won’t be the last or worse pandemic to hit the planet.Is it possible that through the mistakes that most countries have made we will now have a blueprint in place to enable us to better tackle the next time,and will we follow it?
You’d like to think so but as a species we’re pretty shit at learning from our mistakes, at least quickly.
As a lay person my thoughts about what needs to be done to ensure we’re prepared going forward would include:
- Maintaining surplus, in date supplies of PPE is NOT a false economy.
- Set up cross-party committees to agree national response
- Retain contact details of recently retired medical personnel who can be mobilised rapidly, or some form of healthcare territorial army/reservists
- Don’t be afraid of imposing travel restrictions early and drastically. Lockdown early if initial travel restrictions only partially effective
- Separate pandemic patients from those in the general hospital population
- Protect care homes
- Even once this crisis is over continue to develop and improve contact tracing systems so that they can be effectively deployed from the first sign of the next threat of pandemic. Don’t allow the money invested in these to be even more wasteful than it already is by allowing what is working to become outdated
- Genome sequence all positive tests from the beginning
- Build vaccine production plants around the world capable of producing vaccine doses in large quantities very quickly, even if that means they are under-utilised for decades at a time (the UK is already doing this)
- Have bodies headed by independent, non political experts manage procurement bound by transparency obligations and with a constantly updated and independently reviewed list of preferred suppliers
- Have the richer developed countries sign up to a charter that vaccines will be available equally and means tested so countries below median GDP get them at cost, or free. Fund programs in developing countries to improve their infrastructure needed to administer vaccines in large numbers (training people, building centres within easy reach of the population etc)
- Offer pharmaceutical companies tax breaks if they make their intellectual property in vaccines freely available to developing countries
- Make sure regulators have constant insight into trials run by companies developing vaccines so that the final stage of approval can be expedited as quickly as possible
Just some thoughts off the top of my head
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I find it strange when people talk about prioritising certain sectors of the workforce, they always omit the other emergency services, Police and the Fire Service. Also, people that work in retail are completely overlooked and they have worked all through the pandemic and are probably more exposed to the virus than teachers. Maybe it’s because the teachers unions shout louder than everybody else, that people take notice.
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That’s the reality. What that graph really shows is countries that have handled the pandemic response well, and currently do not need harsh lockdowns.
As far as I can tell that graph tells us on the 15th of February, how strict was lockdown. Rather than general level of lockdown performed in the past by each country.
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Are you sure.I thought the US handled this pandemic much worse than countries like Norway,Australia and even here in Ireland
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Your right.
Its a combination of the two. What I meant was countries like NZ had very harsh lockdowns in the past (I belive much harsher than the UK). But in Feb their level of lockdown was very light.
UK in past has had light lockdowns, which has lead to the shit they are in still in February requiring lockdowns.
But you are right there are some countries which were shit in the past, and their lockdowns still are pretty shit.
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That depends what the side effects are. Even more so as so few suffer long lasting side effects yet only have their lives ruined whilst others get rich. These pharmaceutical companies can afford to help those affected.
It really isn’t nice to have your life ruined and get no compensation.
Otherwise your post gets all my sympaphy and recognition.
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About time to, no?
A large study has been released here which comes to the following conclusion:
- 25% of our population has antibodies as we speak
- those who have the antibodies seem to be able to resist to the new variants without too many problems.
- 98% of those who had the illness still have antibodies, including those who were affected in March and April of last year.
If one includes the progressive effects of the vaccination campaign, it looks good. We could be out of it soon. 
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Covid/schools: Talking with my 14 year old grandson…and he wants to get back to school as soon as, but he said he’d missed loads of work. I asked him what he thought to adding/ staying on an extra year(completely cancelling mar20 to mar 21). He said he would love to…if it was feasible… would it be workable… Your thoughts!!!
It about pragmatism.
If you want to get the economy running again, you have to prioritise teachers. It’s not that they are particularly exposed to more risk (although I think sitting in an enclosed space all day with 30 other human being who don’t know how to social distance is probably a bigger risk than other sectors apart from hospital staff). It’s that they are also, by and large, the nation’s childcare.
If schools aren’t open, nobody can work. I’m currently furloughed again because we simply can’t both work with two kids at home.
Poor kid. But at least he wants to get back to school. Must have a good head on his shoulders.
I’m a bit shocked to hear he’s missed loads of work. My son‘s year is nine and ten year olds and they haven’t missed a beat. They aren’t getting the same quality, but in the opinion of their teacher they are broadly keeping pace with where they should be.
The ones I feel sorry for are the 18 year olds. Imagine that. Going away to Uni. Away from home for the first time. Striking out on your own. All the drinking and shagging you’re looking forward to and then this happens. Poor bastards.
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Yes, I think its the quality of work, also when he gets home 4ish…he’s changed and out with his mates till dusk…its the chance to burn off energy he’s missed…but yes he actually said he’d rather stay on an extra year, and as he pointed out, it would mean an extra year for the economy to recover, and jobs to be created…
One more thing.
That many people, when shit hits the fan, just cannot be trusted with their freedom of choice.
And if the governments cannot have the will to punish and enforce strong punitive measures on these people, then whatever we learnt in the above are negated.
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That is why I asked earlier if the companies are not willing to take on future liabilities (and from a commercial point of view understandably so), what the government then is committed to do to give some form of insurance as assurance. For example in Singapore, one-time payout of up to $10,000 will be given to those who experienced medically significant serious side effects, were hospitalised and required care in the high-dependency or intensive care unit, but subsequently recovered.
Those who suffered permanent severe disability or died as a result of the vaccination will be given a single payout of $225,000.
Those who experienced serious side effects after the vaccination can also continue to concurrently receive support through applicable healthcare schemes, such as MediShield Life and subsidies at public healthcare institutions.
Not that we ever hope that anyone should require such monies or payouts but I think some form of assurance or insurance from the government leading the way would go a long way to get people assured about vaccination.
For companies, personally while it sucks from a ethical point of view, from a commercial point of view, they are just not going to admit liabilities because of rushing out this vaccine, they too have no visibility of long term effects so its also not fair to put it on them. Perhaps when the vaccine becomes more matured and they have the chance over time to observe the effects and research on them, then they should shoulder some liabilities too.
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It’s a real problem imo. Some coountries have safegaurds in place for for example banks and insurance companies. For example central funds where the companies pay in and when are in trouble can take out. Governments provide security for individual bank accounts in France up to 50k euros if a bank goes under. Yet there’s no insentive and not central fund to help people who are unfortunate enough to suffer from a medicine. If the pharmaceutical companies had to create centrals funds for such purposes it would go a long way to helping people. As it is they fight tooth and nail not to be liable for anything. Just because there’s very few people who suffer disabling conditions doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be helped. Others should care!
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