Coronavirus

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Listening to the News I notice that the Stock Market is still operating. Surely this cannot be an "essential" business. After all a stock trader/dealer produces nothing, has nothing original to say and panics before the hat has been dropped. I certainly have no use whatsoever for the FTSE 100 or it's like at this time.

John

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Traders are working from home via computer aren't they?

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

I'd agree with Hopper

I can’t really see any reason why the stock market cannot be safely run. The entire operation is computerised and much of it is automated so no need for human contact. You may have no use for the stockmarket but your pension fund does.

With stocks cheap they must be atracting a certain amount of inward investment and like it or not trade and industry needs life support or we are all going to be in the cart.

regards Martin

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Dont give a bugger how they do it as long as my pensions continue to arrive every month. The greedy lot have already creamed off their 'share' of my money, so one of my remaining bucket list items is to live long enough to draw out in pension a darn sight more than I actually paid in!

[Nathan SharpeParticipant @nathansharpe19746]

More evidence of the madness caused by this virus.

I had an appointment to attend a neurology clinic at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd , some 30 odd miles from home. This was a first appointment to investigate the tremor I've developed fairly recently. My GP had ordered loads of blood tests and found no markers for Parkinson's or any other condition of that type. As expected, given the current situation, that clinic and my appointment were cancelled.

Today I had a phone call from the Walton Centre (the contractors who were running my cancelled clinic) asking if I could drive to Liverpool tomorrow or Thursday as the consultant can't come to me. What is going on? As I see it at present I am not a priority patient and if it is not safe for them to have their clinic here, how is it safe/legal for me to go to them? Is it just a case of the consultant needing to meet quotas set by UK Gov/ Betsi Cawalladr ( my health board) , or are they just not seeing the big picture?

I declined but asked to be kept on the waiting list until we have some reduced risk within the hospitals and general public.

I'd hate to think what is happening to older patients.

I'm only a youngster, 65 next month, but hope I've got many years left. Keeping going in the garden and coarse work in the shop, the tremor means that close/fine work is problematic.

Nathan.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Hi there DMB. Well said.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 31/03/2020 08:35:03

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 30/03/2020 22:20:18:

I'd agree with Hopper

I can’t really see any reason why the stock market cannot be safely run. The entire operation is computerised and much of it is automated so no need for human contact. You may have no use for the stockmarket but your pension fund does.

Fortunately my pension doesn't rely on a fund of any type. I was really just saying that as the whole of the financial sector bears no relationship to reality and produces nothing but worry and therefore at this time could well be shut down.

The markets and traders seem to work on hearsay rather than facts broadly along the lines of:-

1. Company X didn't do well last week – that will be bad for business – we may be doomed.
2. I heard on the grapevine that manufacturing is down – that will be the end of society as we know it – we are probably doomed.
3. Rumour has it that the pound will fall – it's the end of civilisation – we are all doomed!

John

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Ana rticle on the BBC re supermarket sales in March. At first glance an overall increase of 20% with 88% of shoppers buying and an average incraese in spend of soem £70 doesnt't seem to explain shortages. Of course the majority of the extra buying happened over a 7-10 day period so during that period sales would have been some 60-80% higher if the rest of the month was 'normal'. Add to that a more selective type of buying and staples probably more than doubled. So a case of failign to cope with distribution more than actual quantity.

What is noticeable (or perhaps my less than partial belief in my observation) is that own brands aren't being restocked. Most of those are just the branded stuff bagged as own brand and effectively a form of price gouging by not carryng on with offering them.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Pleased to report daughter felt better on waking up teatime yesterday and is better again this morning.  Still tired and achy.  Fingers crossed she's over the worst.

Listening to BBC R4 'More or Less' Programme, which is about statistics in the news, they mentioned that a proportion of the population will have Covid-19 in mild form, maybe with no symptoms at all.    Possibly I have caught Coronavirus then, because I have mild hay-fever symptoms, slight dry cough etc. No temperature or anything I'd describe as flu.   However, another good reason for me to obey the lock down.

Another statistic emerging, not yet confirmed, is that men are approx 60:40 more likely to get the bug than women.  One suggestion is this is because men don't wash their hands as often as the ladies.  Tragic because my lifestyle is modelled on my hero, Albert Steptoe; I thoroughly enjoy being a dirty old man!

Dave

 

 

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 31/03/2020 09:49:12

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

I think as time passes more people will have family members who are diagnosed, some really poorly and others with only slight symptoms. Our daughter was confirmed as a virus sufferer yesterday, she had been quite unwell for a few days, she had been isolating, her status was confirmed by telephone consultation with our GP and registered with 111. She lives with her family in the village and not far from us; she had been our lifeline for shopping as we are isolating due to age and medical conditions, we have enough provisions to last for a week or so, anyway today she is beginning to feel better so hopefully she is recovering. We think she may have contracted it from her daughter who is airline cabin crew and has been flying recently, bringing passengers home from Spain, Italy and South Africa. We live in a truly global society and living, as we do, in a small rural village is no protection from infections on the other side of the world.
Dave W

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Nathan Sharpe on 30/03/2020 23:32:36:

More evidence of the madness caused by this virus.

…

Today I had a phone call from the Walton Centre (the contractors who were running my cancelled clinic) asking if I could drive to Liverpool tomorrow or Thursday as the consultant can't come to me. What is going on? As I see it at present I am not a priority patient and if it is not safe for them to have their clinic here, how is it safe/legal for me to go to them? Is it just a case of the consultant needing to meet quotas set by UK Gov/ Betsi Cawalladr ( my health board) , or are they just not seeing the big picture?

…

Nathan.

You have to think of the NHS as a system managing resources in difficult circumstances. Everything is abnormal at the moment.

Nathan's symptoms are cause for concern, therefore it would be a good idea to have them looked at sooner rather than later. Someone tried to make this happen.

Remember that consultants and their support teams are also catching the bug or are forced into lock-down by household problems. I suspect Nathan was redirected due to staffing difficulties. Another possibility is the clinic has been moved to safer premises, perhaps one with a less crowded waiting room.

Quite a lot of life is made easy by unappreciated back-room organisation. Even simple things like keeping clean water coming out of the tap require planning and coordinated action. When the back-room malfunctions, expect inconvenience or worse…

Dave

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

Is anyone else having delivery problems with Currys/PC World – my washing machine failed some days ago, a new one booked to be delivered yesterday – ok on their computer + phone re delivery time etc but no show + no contact – now can’t get through on phone + computer claims not to know of my order

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Frances IoM on 31/03/2020 11:15:15:
Is anyone else having delivery problems with Currys/PC World – my washing machine failed some days ago, a new one booked to be delivered yesterday – ok on their computer + phone re delivery time etc but no show + no contact – now can't get through on phone + computer claims not to know of my order

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/coronavirus-1222-commercial.html

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Well how about this. For all the following Bev is my Ex, Ex wife. Don't ask. Anyway i call her my other half but in truth she is my Landlady, best of friends, I digress as usual. Bev is a nurse at a private clinic, which closed last Friday , due to the pandemic. She was able to go work at the NHS or stay at home on 80%. She was going to go to the NHS. It turns out that the NHS will only pay NHS money, which is way less than Bev's 80%. A friend of hers went back to the NHS a couple of months ago for a better job she specialises in. Today she rang Bev to ask of the situation at work. She told her the situation.

The woman said to her do not come here. The nurses are dropping like flies. We have had 4 in our team go sick this week alone. It is a proper mess. No proper PPE. She said the masks that are approved come from abroad & they can not get any for obvious reasons. They are not made in this country.

The kids have been ringing mum a lot today begging her not to go. The other thing she has been told is that if she signs up she will probably be sent to the London area & be put up in a Hotel. The thing with Bev is she cares about people & not about herself. She is still considering going.

Steve.

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Coronavirus Pandemic, day 24.

If anyone is still out there, I’m alive but struggling. Food is running low. Down to only 459 days worth. My hands are super sanitized and my bottom is super clean. Down to 2399 rounds of ammo (dropped 1 round down the heat vent while doing daily inventory). Power still on, but for how long? Missing human interaction but I have my dogs.. for now.. (I'm soaking their food in BBQ sauce in an attempt to marinate them from the inside in case I have to eat them) . I fear dark days ahead. News is all bad. Neighbors have attempted to leap from windows to their death, (or near death… most have single story homes so they are badly bruised). Blew through most Netflix series so may have to rewatch some again..Basic Survival is a definite challenge. I vow to persevere to the end, I am a survivor! Please, if there is life out there, communicate with me to help preserve my sanity..

* Danny M *

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

I'm not so unfortunate as I have lots & lots of Heinz soups stored away. & a lathe + a super milling machine.

Steve.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 01/04/2020 02:27:37:

Coronavirus Pandemic, day 24.

If anyone is still out there, I’m alive but struggling. Food is running low. Down to only 459 days worth. My hands are super sanitized and my bottom is super clean. Down to 2399 rounds of ammo (dropped 1 round down the heat vent while doing daily inventory). Power still on, but for how long? Missing human interaction but I have my dogs.. for now.. (I'm soaking their food in BBQ sauce in an attempt to marinate them from the inside in case I have to eat them) . I fear dark days ahead. News is all bad. Neighbors have attempted to leap from windows to their death, (or near death… most have single story homes so they are badly bruised). Blew through most Netflix series so may have to rewatch some again..Basic Survival is a definite challenge. I vow to persevere to the end, I am a survivor! Please, if there is life out there, communicate with me to help preserve my sanity..

* Danny M *

Well it sounds rough Danny but at least your boat didn't sink with loss of all hands in the 8" deep wading pool. You've still got a round of ammo for each roll of TP in the stash. It's not all bad. Step away from that first floor kitchen window. Signed, the other survivor.

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Basic Survival is a definite challenge:

Must remember to keep moving else I get "Dysoned"

The wife has uprooted every weed for a 1 km radius

My workshop has never been cleaner; now working on items bought in 2005…

Have to periodically move car to stop wheels gluing to the tarmac on drive.

There is a suspicious 6ft x 2ft 6" very deep hole in our field which leads me to wonder if the wife is thinking of permanently self isolating me….

Have found a new hobby – seeing how fast I can go backwards and forwards on the electric recliner armchair!

Keep Safe everyone!

Cheers, Martin

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

It is actually people like this who make me feel a bit sad QLD billionaire gives no rent relief to affected tenants

I know a few wealthy people, some are sympathetic such as this bloke Twiggy Forrest

If I had a $1 million tucked away for a rainy day then maybe cutting a bit of slack to the people who helped me make such a fortune would be the decent thing to do.

But then, some people get to be billionaires by just being ruthless bast***s.

That's the world that we live in, unfortunately!

* Danny M *

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Pleased to report my daughter is much better this morning and looking forward to going back to work in a few days. She's allowed because fully recovered people won't catch it again and can't spread it.

Turns out I'm still a dangerous risk to society! As I might be incubating the bug due to herself, I have to stay indoors…

Dave

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

Dave,

I'm very glad to hear that your daughter is recovering and I hope you remain uninfected.

There are too many unknowns. It isn't yet known what degree of immunity will be developed by people who recover, thus there is no certainty that repeat infections won't occur. It seems that viable viruses can be recovered from the faeces of people who have recovered and it's not yet known for how long. Even virus-free people can act as intermediaries in an infection chain, especially when infection is frequently via surface contamination.

Sorry to pour cold water on what is an optimistic time for you both, but I would suggest your daughter exercisse caution and delays a return to the outside world for a bit. And also keep up your own high level of household precautions.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 01/04/2020 08:53:38:

Pleased to report my daughter is much better this morning and looking forward to going back to work in a few days. She's allowed because fully recovered people won't catch it again and can't spread it.

Turns out I'm still a dangerous risk to society! As I might be incubating the bug due to herself, I have to stay indoors…

Dave

.

Very glad to hear of your daughter’s recovery, Dave

MichaelG.

.

P.S. … I’m sure that exposure to a mere virus wouldn’t stop you being “a dangerous risk to society!”

Keep up the good work !!

[RMAParticipant @rma]

This thread has now reached 34 pages and there are many comments ranging from real health problems to worries about deliveries. This forum has members spread around the world and this problem is global.

We have known about this virus since December last year (first case in China in November), and we saw impressive footage of the Chinese building two hospitals in January within two weeks. That worried me then, as China wouldn't have gone to those lengths if it wasn't serious, but I was told by friends and family not to be so alarmist, it's just media hype etc etc. Why didn't so many countries around the world sit up and take notice?

We are suffering now in the UK because of lack of action and correct strategy by our government who to date have shown they are incapable of actually governing. We were under resourced right from the start and they are now trying to play catch up. We were just advised to keep on washing hands whilst singing happy Birthday. Stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, which in the main we are all complying with. However, as I write this an Alitalia flight is in the air routing from Rome to Heathrow. Three flights from JFK will take off today routing to Heathrow. These are just two examples, NO checks or quarantine for passengers when they arrive! ALL airports should be closed except for urgent cargo.

My question for our so-called government is Why? When we are doing our bit by self isolating and fearful of going out to buy food, are you still allowing infection into the country on a daily basis? I do understand it's tough for those who went on holiday during the this time and find themselves stranded, but most were aware of the risk before they went. They should be quarantined where they are until fit to come back. This is a global problem and should be treated as such. Maybe it's time for the UN to get involved?

South Korea for instance stopped all travel and tested their population right from the start and they are now recovering. Tough measures bringing faster results. Simple!

I hope you all manage to stay safe, wherever you are. For those living alone it's essential to try and keep positive as this could drag on for longer than we realise. Unfortunately no one knows and that fuels anxiety.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 01/04/2020 08:53:38:

Pleased to report my daughter is much better this morning

SODD rules OK!

You stay safe too Dave,

pgk

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Just prior to the threat, I had my ears 'de-waxed'. Some small residue, apparently, but no real problem from my point of view. Follow-up appointment booked for this coming week. This would have entailed driving 15 miles to hospital, waiting in crowded waiting room etc. I assumed that it would be cancelled automatically but I 'phoned yesterday to confirm … no such intention!!! Even when I pointed out that a second visit was unnecessary, they insisted that I had to provide them with a valid reason to cancel!!! I presume that it is down to the 'stats' required for 'performance' assessment. What was that about 'commonsense'?

rgds

Bill

[Author]

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