CV19 - Cure Worse Than The Disease? (Vol 18)

[Sixpackpert]

Randy Winkman said:

r3g said:

nigelpugh7 said:

So this afternoon I called into my local sainsburys, which is one of the biggest in the midlands.

I guess I was there about 3pm today, it’s normally quiet at that time on a Friday.

But today it was rammed, and I mean queuing to get in and also for a parking slot.

I thought ok, it’s busy because next week is back to school.


But that was not the reason , it was full of pensioners, and I reckon 90 percentage of them had full masks on.

They all had really awkward body language if you walked by them, it just felt strange.

I bought about 10 items to cook a pasta course for tonight’s supper.

I only had a basket so went to the express checkout.

Several couples with full face masks on said you can’t use the express checkout, I said why? Because you don’t have a mask on they said .

I was blown away and said sorry I’m using this express checkout anyway, the look of horror and disgust on their face was amazing.

The next part of my journey you won’t believe !

Is this a copy and paste post from one of the earlier threads in 2020 ?

I've not seen anyone with a mask on in a supermarket near my home in SE London for a year or so. Or where I work in central London. Perhaps that's just London though.

I see maybe 1 or 2 people in our local Sainsbury’s wearing masks, as is the norm for the last 18 months, live in Gloucester. That’s the norm now. Haven’t seen any panic…anywhere.

[Elysium]

jameswills said:

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Elysium said:

There were very significant excess deaths in the UK in July 2020.

Fiddly to look it up on the phone but a quick scan of graphs shows a spike in April-May, normal in June and actually dipping back under the 5 year average by July.

There was an extreme dearth of excess deaths in the years leading up to 2020..... dry tinder. We’ve been through this.

Apologies, I misunderstood.

Deaths were back to normal levels by July 2020, but cumulative deaths to that point was still way above the 5 year average.

It makes sense intuitively, because the people most likely to die that month were probably taken out in the first wave

[JuanCarlosFandango]

nigelpugh7 said:

So part two to my sainsburys shopping experience this afternoon.

I was pretty shocked to see so many people in the store with full masks on, most were elderly couples, perhaps 65 and over, but a lot of them were younger and on their own too, can’t judge their age, but probably about my age, so 55-60.

At the express checkout I stopped and asked a couple why they both had a full mask on, they were quite amazed I didn’t have a mask on.

So I had to ask them why they both had a mask on, they both said haven’t you seen the news about how serious the new covid strain is, We’ve all seen it in rhe news, and we have been told to get a new booster but also not go outdoors from next week.

I said really why? It’s the new strain they said, we should all stay as home until the brand new vaccine is available.

We also discussed what they had bought, it was lots of canned food with a long shelf life, and get this huge catering packs of toilet paper too.


Sound familiar to 2020?

Horrifyingly!

It must be very localised though. I went to Morissons in a quiet north east market town this afternoon where mask compliance was near universal. A couple of true believers around but none of that bks.

And even my elderly parents who listen to Radio 4 all day don't seem worried.

Is there something specific to that area?

I'm not sure how I'd cope with that to be honest. It would be like seeing a bunch of people dressed as Nazis.

[Elysium]

isaldiri said:

alangla said:

Anyway… back to the upcoming winter.
Anyone want to make some predictions?

I’m going to guess at a higher death rate than last year, but flu being the main contributor rather than Covid. Inevitably some people who made it through the last 3 winters will now be at a stage where pretty much any decent bug will sadly knock them off their perch, some will succumb to Covid inevitably, but I’m going to guess at more being taken by flu. Also going to guess at no compulsory NPIs over & above the usual ad campaign for catch it, bin it, kill it and some ministers advising people to stay at home if they’re under the weather with any winter bug.

Think it's nearly impossible to make any reasonable guesses about the winter with the current utterly dire state of healthcare. A couple more combined consultant/JD strikes deep into winter would be pretty bloody grim (in immediate impact nevermind knock on effect on waiting lists) but keeling over to meet a 35% pay increase demand for the govt would be economically crippling on the NHS that's already a struggle to fund adequately and would likely trigger immediate pay increase demands elsewhere. And that's assuming we don't get a 'bad' flu winter like 2015/16 or 2017/18.

We'll just have to sit tight and pray it isn't an atrociously cold and generally bad one really...just as we did last year and got away with a relatively mild winter when energy prices didn't end up being too unpleasant...... Hope isn't a strategy but equally it's pretty much all we have.

It seems pretty odd that last time we were braced for a new COVID variant we were being asked to sacrifice our basic freedoms to ‘protect the NHS’ but this time the situation is so serious that they are going on strike:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/31/ju...

It’s going to be hard to write headlines about hospitals failing to cope with an influx of cases if the main reason for that is industrial action.

[M1AGM]

On masks, I was at a shopping centre outlet near York today to grab a sandwich and a coffee. Nobody wearing a mask except one young woman (maybe 20 yo) who was wearing the classic etsy cloth mask whilst waiting to collect her coffee from the server at Pret, to then go and sit down with a group at a table, and remove the mask. Later on I passed the same group outside, she was masked, none of the others were.

So stand up sit down facemask bingo is still a thing for some.

Edited by M1AGM on Friday 1st September 21:35

[r3g]

All clear in my far corner of west W Yorks too. Must be something in Nigel's area. Has Billy just switched on the 5G and they are all getting their instructions through the graphene?

[alangla]

Elysium said:

isaldiri said:

alangla said:

Anyway… back to the upcoming winter.
Anyone want to make some predictions?

I’m going to guess at a higher death rate than last year, but flu being the main contributor rather than Covid. Inevitably some people who made it through the last 3 winters will now be at a stage where pretty much any decent bug will sadly knock them off their perch, some will succumb to Covid inevitably, but I’m going to guess at more being taken by flu. Also going to guess at no compulsory NPIs over & above the usual ad campaign for catch it, bin it, kill it and some ministers advising people to stay at home if they’re under the weather with any winter bug.

Think it's nearly impossible to make any reasonable guesses about the winter with the current utterly dire state of healthcare. A couple more combined consultant/JD strikes deep into winter would be pretty bloody grim (in immediate impact nevermind knock on effect on waiting lists) but keeling over to meet a 35% pay increase demand for the govt would be economically crippling on the NHS that's already a struggle to fund adequately and would likely trigger immediate pay increase demands elsewhere. And that's assuming we don't get a 'bad' flu winter like 2015/16 or 2017/18.

We'll just have to sit tight and pray it isn't an atrociously cold and generally bad one really...just as we did last year and got away with a relatively mild winter when energy prices didn't end up being too unpleasant...... Hope isn't a strategy but equally it's pretty much all we have.

It seems pretty odd that last time we were braced for a new COVID variant we were being asked to sacrifice our basic freedoms to ‘protect the NHS’ but this time the situation is so serious that they are going on strike:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/31/ju...

It’s going to be hard to write headlines about hospitals failing to cope with an influx of cases if the main reason for that is industrial action.

I think you’re both probably right, the absolute worst case would probably be a significant, snowy/icy cold snap in the usual January respiratory illness season coinciding with the BMA doing one of their “Christmas Day level cover only” strikes. That would be absolute carnage.

[cliffe_mafia]

r3g said:

nigelpugh7 said:

So this afternoon I called into my local sainsburys, which is one of the biggest in the midlands.

I guess I was there about 3pm today, it’s normally quiet at that time on a Friday.

But today it was rammed, and I mean queuing to get in and also for a parking slot.

I thought ok, it’s busy because next week is back to school.


But that was not the reason , it was full of pensioners, and I reckon 90 percentage of them had full masks on.

They all had really awkward body language if you walked by them, it just felt strange.

I bought about 10 items to cook a pasta course for tonight’s supper.

I only had a basket so went to the express checkout.

Several couples with full face masks on said you can’t use the express checkout, I said why? Because you don’t have a mask on they said .

I was blown away and said sorry I’m using this express checkout anyway, the look of horror and disgust on their face was amazing.

The next part of my journey you won’t believe !

Is this a copy and paste post from one of the earlier threads in 2020 ?

Does seem weird to me too - I’m away with my kids this week so called in Asda about 6 tonight to get some food. I can’t recall anyone wearing a mask.

[cherryowen]

nigelpugh7 said:

So part two to my sainsburys shopping experience this afternoon.

I was pretty shocked to see so many people in the store with full masks on, most were elderly couples, perhaps 65 and over, but a lot of them were younger and on their own too, can’t judge their age, but probably about my age, so 55-60.

At the express checkout I stopped and asked a couple why they both had a full mask on, they were quite amazed I didn’t have a mask on.

So I had to ask them why they both had a mask on, they both said haven’t you seen the news about how serious the new covid strain is, We’ve all seen it in rhe news, and we have been told to get a new booster but also not go outdoors from next week.

I said really why? It’s the new strain they said, we should all stay as home until the brand new vaccine is available.

We also discussed what they had bought, it was lots of canned food with a long shelf life, and get this huge catering packs of toilet paper too.


Sound familiar to 2020?

It does sound familiar.

However, I do hope that particular Sainsbury is an outlier

(BTW, is your lad now a proper petrolhead after that passenger ride in your 7??)

[r3g]

r3g said:

Apparently in response to Alex Jones' claims of having a mate at the TSA who 'knows someone' at the CDC who told him masks were coming back in October... the CDC have issued a formal statement that they have no plans to bring back mask mandates and "it hasn't even been discussed". There was an article on ZH the other day.

Will be interesting to see how long this lasts until they change their mind.

My prediction is as the northern hemisphere heads into winter, all the immunocompromised magic juice recipients will be floored the moment they come within a mile of a bit of bacteria which will lead to the hospitals immediately filling up. Pointless PCR "tests" will be wheeled out and of course everyone with viral matter lodged in their snout will test positive for the Covaids after ratcheting up the amplification dial to a suitable level. That will be the justification they need to plaster the TV with 24/7 coverage of a new highly infectious deadly strain and scary 'case' number graphs, return of the mask mandates and orders to go get injected with the latest flavour of magic juice. Will they go as far as the social distancing BS and lockdowns again ? ? ? Not sure, but I think the mask mandates returning are likely.

Sorry chaps, but due to complaints from some participants of the ironically named 'thick people' thread, using ZH as my sauce is not permitted as it's not on their 'approved' list.

Hopefully Yahoo meets their high standards or maybe I should just not give a fk, as usual?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cdc-says-no-plans-bring...

[rodericb]

r3g said:

Sorry chaps, but due to complaints from some participants of the ironically named 'thick people' thread, using ZH as my sauce is not permitted as it's not on their 'approved' list.

Hopefully Yahoo meets their high standards or maybe I should just not give a fk, as usual?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cdc-says-no-plans-bring...

Well, you won't need to wear a mask if you're boosted......

[johnboy1975]

r3g said:

r3g said:

Apparently in response to Alex Jones' claims of having a mate at the TSA who 'knows someone' at the CDC who told him masks were coming back in October... the CDC have issued a formal statement that they have no plans to bring back mask mandates and "it hasn't even been discussed". There was an article on ZH the other day.

Will be interesting to see how long this lasts until they change their mind.

My prediction is as the northern hemisphere heads into winter, all the immunocompromised magic juice recipients will be floored the moment they come within a mile of a bit of bacteria which will lead to the hospitals immediately filling up. Pointless PCR "tests" will be wheeled out and of course everyone with viral matter lodged in their snout will test positive for the Covaids after ratcheting up the amplification dial to a suitable level. That will be the justification they need to plaster the TV with 24/7 coverage of a new highly infectious deadly strain and scary 'case' number graphs, return of the mask mandates and orders to go get injected with the latest flavour of magic juice. Will they go as far as the social distancing BS and lockdowns again ? ? ? Not sure, but I think the mask mandates returning are likely.

Sorry chaps, but due to complaints from some participants of the ironically named 'thick people' thread, using ZH as my sauce is not permitted as it's not on their 'approved' list.

Hopefully Yahoo meets their high standards or maybe I should just not give a fk, as usual?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cdc-says-no-plans-bring...

I'm not sure that this is what they are objecting too It's your prediction

Yahoo! said:

CDC says there are no plans to bring back mask mandates, even as Covid cases rise

Anyway, they may well have no plans "as Covid cases rise". But if they were to reintroduce them just as we hit the peak, that would be damning causation correlation indeed, abd further proof that "masks work"

The Tories will extoll all of that "on a voluntary basis". Labour and SNP will want to go further, amid much bashing of teeth at the Evil Tories (TM). But I think calm heads will prevail, not least because, as the anti grifter alliance keep on telling us, "Covid is over". They are the key demographic here

[jameswills]

Elysium said:

Apologies, I misunderstood.

Deaths were back to normal levels by July 2020, but cumulative deaths to that point was still way above the 5 year average.

It makes sense intuitively, because the people most likely to die that month were probably taken out in the first wave

[nigelpugh7]

cherryowen said:

It does sound familiar.

However, I do hope that particular Sainsbury is an outlier

(BTW, is your lad now a proper petrolhead after that passenger ride in your 7??)

Haha! Surprised you remember that, was it the one when he is quite small and screaming to go faster when we were both in my white R500?

[Unreal]

Very rare to see masks in my area this year. I'd say most that are wearing them are the old and frail. Very rare to see a young person wearing one.

Having said that, I would not be at all surprised to see a return to mask wearing in the winter. The nudge will be along the lines of 'doing the right thing by protecting yourself and others' and if retailers, hospitals, surgeries and the like join in, you'll see pretty widespread compliance. There are still rather too many perspex screens around for my liking. It would have been nice to see the back of them as another visible sign of a return to normality.

[Elysium]

Unreal said:

Very rare to see masks in my area this year. I'd say most that are wearing them are the old and frail. Very rare to see a young person wearing one.

Having said that, I would not be at all surprised to see a return to mask wearing in the winter. The nudge will be along the lines of 'doing the right thing by protecting yourself and others' and if retailers, hospitals, surgeries and the like join in, you'll see pretty widespread compliance. There are still rather too many perspex screens around for my liking. It would have been nice to see the back of them as another visible sign of a return to normality.

A lot of us will be more resistant in future.

The people promoting the idea that we are in danger again are the same people that have agitated throughout the pandemic.

They are selfish zealots who have no regard for freedom.

More of us can see that now. But I think the world has changed fundamentally. Driven by social media we are constantly at risk of damaging self harm in response to whatever fad emerges at a given moment in time.

[nigelpugh7]

cliffe_mafia said:

Does seem weird to me too - I’m away with my kids this week so called in Asda about 6 tonight to get some food. I can’t recall anyone wearing a mask.

I think it was the fact that such a high percentage of them were wearing masks, it shocked me that much, like I had missed a recent government news flash or something along those lines.

That’s why I questioned the old couple at the express checkout as to why specifically they were both wearing a mask.

I didn’t take any pictures, I was already kicking myself for leaving my phone in the cradle in the car, as it has my nectar card in the apple wallet, is it just me that finds it a pain to take your phone everywhere for loyalty cards now, I guess it’s because I’m an old fart that I really prefer a good old fashioned card!

I must have a check to see if it was actually pension day and they were all out shopping after collecting their pension cash.

The big sainsburys I am referring too is of course the one on the Stratford road in Shirley, Solihull.

It happens to be now dead centre in the middle of multiple large developments of retirement complex’s that are all along the Stratford road now, I’m assuming that it’s a short walk for most of them to shop there as it’s nice and local.

We joke that Shirley is now more like Gods waiting room due to how many new retirement developments it contains.

[bitchstewie]

nigelpugh7 said:

That’s why I questioned the old couple at the express checkout as to why specifically they were both wearing a mask.

This sounds normal.

It's definitely your business too.

[limpsfield]

nigelpugh7 said:

I think it was the fact that such a high percentage of them were wearing masks, it shocked me that much, like I had missed a recent government news flash or something along those lines.

That’s why I questioned the old couple at the express checkout as to why specifically they were both wearing a mask.

If I saw a grown man walking up to pensioners and harassing them in the supermarket, it wouldn’t be their behaviour that I thought was odd.

Leave them alone, you weirdo!

[rodericb]

limpsfield said:

nigelpugh7 said:

I think it was the fact that such a high percentage of them were wearing masks, it shocked me that much, like I had missed a recent government news flash or something along those lines.

That’s why I questioned the old couple at the express checkout as to why specifically they were both wearing a mask.

If I saw a grown man walking up to pensioners and harassing them in the supermarket, it wouldn’t be their behaviour that I thought was odd.

Leave them alone, you weirdo!

Maybe he thought he'd not received the memo - quick, quick, mask up so you don't kill granny (again)!!!!1