Politics Coronavirus

[caLLous]

Hydroxychloroquine: First Large Study Does Not Support Routine Use in COVID-19 Patients

Phew. Luckily they came to this conclusion before any world leaders took the podium and literally told people to take it.

 

[caLLous]

So is this a thing or not? I mean code leaks in games give devs arrhythmia. Good yeah if any ones else in the world wants to not use the global standard. Bad if you want the bad dude to know how it works?

They're going for "transparency". It's pretty simple code tbh and they ask for your postcode rather than relying on location data (which is good from a privacy pov). Of course there's no way of knowing that this source code is what actually compiles into the app.

 

[caLLous]

UK starts to build second contact tracing app

NHS team that built first app is told to build another on system being developed by Apple and Google

The NHS has already begun building a second smartphone app to trace the spread of the coronavirus, after criticism of the first app it launched this week on the Isle of Wight.

The second NHS app will use technology provided by Google and Apple and is being developed “in parallel”, in case politicians decide to make a switch, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Matthew Gould, head of NHSX, the UK health service’s innovation arm, gave the go-ahead to the new project earlier this week.

The decision to build an alternative to the NHS’s original app, which gathers more data in a central database, came after pressure within the government over the technical and ethical issues of its initial approach.

One person involved said that talks with Apple and Google had intensified in the past few days, noting a sharp change of tack from last week to more “cordial and constructive” discussions “exploring how we might change course”.

The person said that, as testing had continued, the practicalities of making the first app work had become increasingly apparent. He noted a particular problem over its compatibility with the Apple iPhone, as well as broader worries about the implications for battery life. “These technical details end up being quite important,” he said.

Germany has already switched from its first app to using the smartphone makers’ standardised system. But France has been vocal in its opposition to how the Google-Apple standard limits countries’ options and access to data, and will launch its own system next week.

The UK’s efforts to create a second contact tracing app in parallel are more advanced than the feasibility study first disclosed through an NHS IT contract earlier this week. But no final decision has yet been made on which will be widely released.

Apple and Google have said that they expect to release the first version of their contact tracing system for public use, via a software update to the iOS and Android operating systems, in mid-May.

The NHS contact tracing system currently being tested stores anonymised data about people infected with Covid-19 and their contacts in a central database, which advocates have argued is vital for detecting patterns of infection.

By contrast, Google and Apple’s technology is largely decentralised and prevents gathering of additional data, such as location, that might be used to identify individuals.

Mr Gould still sees potential issues with Apple and Google’s approach, such as detecting fraudulent reports of infection, according to people familiar with his thinking.

But he has maintained that he is not wedded to the current app. “I want to provide some reassurance that just because we’ve started down one route doesn’t mean we’re locked into it,” he told MPs at a hearing of parliament’s joint committee on human rights on Monday.

That stance contrasts with Ian Levy, technical director at GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, who has been the lead advocate of a centralised system, writing a 4,000-word blog post about it on Monday.

One person involved in the development of the app said NHSX was now feeling increasing pressure from parliament and privacy campaigners, despite Mr Levy’s assurances. A technical analysis of the app by Privacy International, published on Thursday, found that a loophole in app software could allow authorities access to detailed location data about users in future.

MPs on parliament’s human rights committee also said on Thursday that they had “significant concerns” about the app and called for new legislation guaranteeing data and human rights protections. Harriet Harman, the committee chair, said promises from ministers about privacy were not enough.

NHSX said: “We’ve been working with Apple and Google throughout the app’s development and it’s quite right and normal to continue to refine the app.”

 

[MYstIC G]

The public continued voting for a party they knew full well was stripping and dismantling the NHS.

If the NHS is a priority for the public - and judging by the number of people across the country with posters in their windows, who go outside banging pots and pans and lighting fireworks in support, who now express their belief in the 'critical nature' of the NHS, it's nearly all of us - then their vote was demonstrably wrong.

The voting public can't have it both ways - they are culpable for voting in a party that is an anathema to the NHS and must take their share of responsibility.

Yeah, because politicians always do exactly just what they actually promised and never just get up to whatever the fuck they want once in office, right?

Bottom line is whoever is in power will do what they can whilst there to line their pockets any which way they can, whatever their party politics.

 

[caLLous]

Revealed: PPE stockpile was out-of-date when coronavirus hit UK

 

[Bodhi]

Are public health cuts to blame for the UK's pandemic response? | The Spectator

Tlr - No. Seems mostly to be down to PHE being useless (their job is to protect us from infectious diseases after all) and being more interested in telling us not to drink and ruining Irn Bru.

Our wonderful Public Sector strikes again.

 

[Scouse]

Yeah, because politicians always do exactly just what they actually promised and never just get up to whatever the fuck they want once in office, right?

Bottom line is whoever is in power will do what they can whilst there to line their pockets any which way they can, whatever their party politics.

That's demonstrably wrong Meg. It's easy to confirm real-terms spending increases with the NHS under Labour vs the Tories.

I'm not a labour voter - but if we're going to disagree even about this sort of so-obvious-do-we-really-have-to-talk-about-it? shit then there's no hope for any of it.

 

[MYstIC G]

Revealed: PPE stockpile was out-of-date when coronavirus hit UK

The worst part of that is clearly no planning for rolling stock turn over and sending soon to expire kit to where it could have been used instead of just wasted.

 

[MYstIC G]

That's demonstrably wrong Meg. It's easy to confirm real-terms spending increases with the NHS under Labour vs the Tories.

I'm not a labour voter - but if we're going to disagree even about this sort of so-obvious-do-we-really-have-to-talk-about-it? shit then there's no hope for any of it.

Your expecting the general public to display a level of intelligence that isn't present.

By the way, you really are a condescending prick. Any point made that doesn't resonate with you gets the basest response.

 

[Scouse]

Seems mostly to be down to PHE being useless

Another retarded piece in the spectator I see. And the answer is right in the article itself:

Aside from anything else, neither PHE nor the local directors of public health are responsible for such stockpiling.

Bit rich to be having a go at PHE for something they're not responsible for eh?

Like I covered off earlier (and has been stated multiple times) - strategic planning for pandemics is a multi-agency endeavour, the pandemic plan was set in 2011 (two years before PHE was even invented), ultimate responsibility for the strategy, it's implementation and it's funding lies with the government - and since the tories have been in power over a decade, are responsible for the last pandemic plan, and cancelling the new one, then the buck stops with them.

Clearly. Un-refutably. Government's first job.

Pandemics have been no.1 on the government risk register for a number of years. Why weren't we prepared for the No.1 item on the Conservative Government's own risk register. The buck stops with them. Period.

 

[Scouse]

Your expecting the general public to display a level of intelligence that isn't present.

I assume you don't count yourself in that Meg?

No? It's just everyone else that is a retard, right?

It's a fucking simple message - Tories don't fund the NHS properly. Everyone knows it. It's clear as day.

As for the condescending point - meh, I think people get butthurt when something so obvious is pointed out to them, so attack the messenger rather than go "yeah, it was a bit silly to say Labour and the Tories are the same..."

 

[Bodhi]

Another retarded piece in the spectator I see. And the answer is right in the article itself:

Bit rich to be having a go at PHE for something they're not responsible for eh?

Like I covered off earlier (and has been stated multiple times) - strategic planning for pandemics is a multi-agency endeavour, the pandemic plan was set in 2011 (two years before PHE was even invented), ultimate responsibility for the strategy, it's implementation and it's funding lies with the government - and since the tories have been in power over a decade, are responsible for the last pandemic plan, and cancelling the new one, then the buck stops with them.

Clearly. Un-refutably. Government's first job.

Pandemics have been no.1 on the government risk register for a number of years. Why weren't we prepared for the No.1 item on the Conservative Government's own risk register. The buck stops with them. Period.

My word, for someone who is apparently so switched on, you have a bit of a simplistic view of how Governments work - almost like there's Matt Hancock and the front line workers, and absolutely nothing in between.

PHE are not responsible for ordering the PPE, no - that is quite correct. What PHE do is decide what has to be ordered, to what standard etc. This gets passed to NHS Procurement to order. In this situation the Govt and the Army will assist, but the ordering process itself is within the but if the Civil Service we can't vote for, and that has seen precisely zero budget cuts over the last 10 years.

For eg guidelines on PPE from the Govt website - see who it's published by?

Explanation of the updates to infection prevention and control guidance

I'm more than happy to hold the Government to account, just the right parts. An awful lot of the issues we've faced - slow to ramp up testing, the incoming clusterfuck that is the NHSX app, even arguable the procurement of PPE - are all the responsibility of Government departments run by civil servants on twice the PMs salary.

 

[MYstIC G]

I assume you don't count yourself in that Meg?

No? It's just everyone else that is a retard, right?

It's a fucking simple message - Tories don't fund the NHS properly. Everyone knows it. It's clear as day.

As for the condescending point - meh, I think people get butthurt when something so obvious is pointed out to them, so attack the messenger rather than go "yeah, it was a bit silly to say Labour and the Tories are the same..."

Except I never mentioned parties, that's your tatty old soapbox. They're all as bad as each other but you want to focus on if one set are marginally less cuntish than the other as if it makes any kind of fucking actual difference. Way to apply your clearly world class intellectual prowess.

 

[Scouse]

Except I never mentioned parties, that's your tatty old soapbox.

You were replying to a post of mine where I was explicitly mentioning the difference between parties. Sorry if I can't reasonably expect there to be some continuity between posts?

If you really think "they're all as bad as each other" then there's no point at all is there...

Edit: And chill Meg.

 

[~Yuckfou~]

Revealed: PPE stockpile was out-of-date when coronavirus hit UK

Shuuush, they don't like it when you tell them what actually happened

 

[Talivar]

I think what we see here and everywhere at the moment is a good example of Nudge Theory in practise. Everyone is argung with each other and slowly bit by bit the scapegoats are being lined up. Also i notice how the NHS frontline workers are slowly being phased out of the bigger conversations and replaced with PHE, an organisation that is as much to blame as the Government (If even for the fact they lacked the spine to stand up the multiple governments over the years). Give this a few months and we will have people using PHE actions as a justification for why we will continue to cut the Nurses and other similiar Frontline workers.

 

[Talivar]

Also on another note how come many find it easy to justify the continued expense and existence of Trident but then think it is stupid to spend money on the slim possibility of a Pandemic outbreak? One of those events happens on a reasonably regular basis to varying degrees and one has never and hopefully wont ever happen.

 

[Moriath]

Lockdown day-trippers spark coastal rescue

Nobheads.

 

[Scouse]

Also on another note how come many find it easy to justify the continued expense and existence of Trident but then think it is stupid to spend money on the slim possibility of a Pandemic outbreak? One of those events happens on a reasonably regular basis to varying degrees and one has never and hopefully wont ever happen.

Oh don't even bring up spending on actual risk.

Pandemics, global warming, pollution etc << terrorism (how many deaths?) ability to murder millions of innocents at the push of a button (again, wow)

 

[Job]

You are completely ignoring the base reasoning of MAD.
How easy it is to sit at the top of the tree and question why we need the treehouse.

The world is a cesspit of inequality, disease and envy.
None of you on this forum have the slightest inkling of poverty, its just an intellectual subject for forum conversation and virtue signalling.

You chose to wear the badge of concern while facing a worse case scenario of minor incovenience, 90% of people on this planet live by natures rules and the immense forces at play to keep you in jet holidays require a stability that you treat as a god given right.

The defense of our paradise is the most important part of our endevour, and all you can think of is throwing it into the wind to make life even more luxurious.

Get a fuckin grip.

 

[Talivar]

I have met plenty of people living in poverty and a large portion of them are very family orientated and if you gave them the choice of YOUR future holidays or THEIR parents and grandparents then i would be willing to make a large wager on what they would choose/

 

[Job]

How divided and rotten is the 'expert' advice.
Scientists on the actual government panel are pointing out the reality of this virus.


Government has 'terrorised' Britons into believing coronavirus will kill them, says adviser

Government has 'terrorised' Britons into believing coronavirus will kill them, says adviser

 

[Ormorof]

Well hes not wrong you brits are terrible with both metric and imperial system no wonder you cant be trusted

 

[Job]

Its simple.
Tyres are inches by mm
Speed is mph
Boats are knots
And depth is fathoms.

 

[~Yuckfou~]

It's just been announced that we are going into our second phase of easing, it's not all of Spain but most.
Smaller shops opening, bar outside terraces, some beaches for exercise only. All with restrictions, masks, gloves, hand sanitiser etc. The big move is we can travel anywhere within our province and more than one in a car.
Great news but I'm cautious.

 

[Ormorof]

So is this a thing or not? I mean code leaks in games give devs arrhythmia. Good yeah if any ones else in the world wants to not use the global standard. Bad if you want the bad dude to know how it works?

You could say that about a lot of open source stuff, but in reality it can increase pool of people working to plug holes as they are found. Or it can be taken over and malicious shit inserted if its not carefully monitored

 

[Job]

Went back to the old house for a party with the neighbours..set up a table in empty house driveway...everything went well for the first few hours and then I spent the test of the night prodding people with a broom handle.
Lots of cross street hugging started.
I turned the music off to half jokingly shout 'social distancing please' and was met with miserable git.

Im pretty sure that was repeated across the country, not a huge issue except old couples whove been isolating for months threw it all away by hugging and kissing all their grandkids.

 

[~Yuckfou~]

This isn't happening here, except on the first day the beaches opened and they learnt fast. It has to be because it isn't being policed. My understanding is that it's a £60 reduced to £30 if paid within a month. That in itself seems like a fair price for a day out. I know some fines have been handed out but for a beach or park to be full of people "having fun" is unimaginable here.
You'll get a 600euro fine, period. The police are out patrolling and everyone knows it.

Coronavirus: Spike in coastguard call-outs as people flout COVID-19 lockdown

 

[Scouse]

Loads of po-po out in Wales today. Loads.

Speaking to one, they caught a cunt from london who said that "they don't have covid in London".

Ah well. There's always going to be an irreducable amount of pure twat.

Anyway. The scientists are showing unity. Despite what twats say.

 

[Moriath]

Guess its a fake