FREEDOM!! WE ARE FREE!

[Rusty Nails]

Are you winding me up or have I really explained that badly?

Tbf it is difficult for some to understand that it is not just a binary problem, but that losing money and spreading covid can be linked and part of the same problem.

Two factors is much too complicated a concept to handle at one time.

 

[BoldonLad]

Tbf it is difficult for some to understand that it is not just a binary problem, but that losing money and spreading covid can be linked and part of the same problem.

Two factors is much too complicated a concept to handle at one time.

Isn't the real point that we are moving to treating Covid like most other infectious diseases?, including, but, not limited to, the common cold, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc etc

 

[glasgowcyclist]

It’s stacked against the poorer people in society, as is always the Tory way.

Let’s say a mum & dad on low income want to take their three kids to visit their elderly grandparents who need a bit of cheering up and to see their family. To avoid unwittingly taking Covid to gran and grampa, and putting their lives at risk, they will all need to do a test. Tests are no longer free and will cost in the region of £20 for a pack of seven. How often do you think they can afford to visit?

Of course, if it doesn’t directly affect a Tory he won’t give a rat’s arse because that’s how this government teaches its followers to be, and too many of them follow that mindset unthinkingly. Empathy, compassion, social responsibility, are alien concepts to them.

I don’t know if the Tories have a theme song but it ought to be Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça plane pour moi”.

 

[icowden]

How much longer do you want the Government to foot the bill for?

As long as is needed. If they are short of cash, I'd suggest immediately joining the EU Market to improve trade and the economy, introduce a windfall tax on Shell, BP et al, and introducing a tax on big tech such as Google, Facebook, Apple etc. Loads of revenue = support people to act wisely and avoid increasing the burden on the NHS - wins all round.

Except it would make Boris look BAD. We wouldn't want that would we.

 

[icowden]

Isn't the real point that we are moving to treating Covid like most other infectious diseases?, including, but, not limited to, the common cold, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc etc

Yes, but not instantly. It should be done with care, looking at the efficacy of treatment and the occupancy of high dependency beds so that if Granny does fall sick, she is likely to be able to get treatment.

 

[Mugshot]

Isn't the real point that we are moving to treating Covid like most other infectious diseases?, including, but, not limited to, the common cold, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc etc

Are they looking to start charging for the tests for those...yet?

 

[BoldonLad]

Are they looking to start charging for the tests for those...yet?

Now, THAT is a valid point. I don’t recall having to pay for tests, when visiting my GP. I don’t see why tests for Covid should be treated differently.

 

[BoldonLad]

It’s stacked against the poorer people in society, as is always the Tory way.

Let’s say a mum & dad on low income want to take their three kids to visit their elderly grandparents who need a bit of cheering up and to see their family. To avoid unwittingly taking Covid to gran and grampa, and putting their lives at risk, they will all need to do a test. Tests are no longer free and will cost in the region of £20 for a pack of seven. How often do you think they can afford to visit?

Of course, if it doesn’t directly affect a Tory he won’t give a rat’s arse because that’s how this government teaches its followers to be, and too many of them follow that mindset unthinkingly. Empathy, compassion, social responsibility, are alien concepts to them.

I don’t know if the Tories have a theme song but it ought to be Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça plane pour moi”.

Are you seriously suggesting that the majority of people (rich or poor), have been routinely testing, before visiting grand parents?

 

[Mugshot]

Now, THAT is a valid point. I don’t recall having to pay for tests, when visiting my GP. I don’t see why tests for Covid should be treated differently.

It's a different infectious disease, not really very much like the ones you mentioned, at all, and we're treating it differently cos we're charging to test for it, and it will affect poor people more adversely than it will affect rich people.
So no, we're not moving to treat Covid the same as other infectious diseases.

 

[winjim]

Now, THAT is a valid point. I don’t recall having to pay for tests, when visiting my GP. I don’t see why tests for Covid should be treated differently.

It is different though. We don't routinely carry out mass, repeat testing in an asymptomatic, population. The closest thing are some of our screening programmes, which have to meet certain criteria, one of which is cost effectiveness. It would be nice to get to the point with Covid where we're only having to test symptomatic people under certain well defined circumstances, but I'm not sure we're quite there yet.

 

[icowden]

It is different though. We don't routinely carry out mass, repeat testing in an asymptomatic, population. The closest thing are some of our screening programmes, which have to meet certain criteria, one of which is cost effectiveness. It would be nice to get to the point with Covid where we're only having to test symptomatic people under certain well defined circumstances, but I'm not sure we're quite there yet.

It's closer to flu. The likely future is an annual booster rather than testing.

 

[BoldonLad]

It's a different infectious disease, not really very much like the ones you mentioned, at all, and we're treating it differently cos we're charging to test for it, and it will affect poor people more adversely than it will affect rich people.
So no, we're not moving to treat Covid the same as other infectious diseases.

I said it wasn’t an exhaustive list. But, I accept, I am not a medical expert.

 

[BoldonLad]

It is different though. We don't routinely carry out mass, repeat testing in an asymptomatic, population. The closest thing are some of our screening programmes, which have to meet certain criteria, one of which is cost effectiveness. It would be nice to get to the point with Covid where we're only having to test symptomatic people under certain well defined circumstances, but I'm not sure we're quite there yet.

So, really, your quibble is not the action(s) taken, but, the timing?

 

[Rusty Nails]

Isn't the real point that we are moving to treating Covid like most other infectious diseases?, including, but, not limited to, the common cold, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc etc

To some extent we may have to eventually, with the problem being the apparently higher infection rates and the potential for new variants, which may or may not be even more infectious and more dangerous, of what is still a new virus.

Like the vast majority of people on here I am not an expert on viruses, their transmission, or control and any preference I would have is complete guesswork and possibly selfish.

 

[winjim]

So, really, your quibble is not the action(s) taken, but, the timing?

No, I wouldn't say that, I can't predict the future. My point is that the type of testing we've been doing, and yes there was isolation and testing prior to a visit to the grandparent over half term, is not really comparable to other types of testing performed by the NHS. That was it, really.