When will this shit end?

[Wellyboot]

I'm really interested in these antibody tests. So, am I right in thinking if you get tested and show you've had it you'd then be pretty much ok to do whatever? Or could you still potentially pass it onto somebody who hasn't had the virus?

[zero000]

24 minutes ago, Homer said:

Seems that way. The right really seem to have everything stitched up and coordinated now. The press - even the working classes. Falling in line with the US model.

Don’t lose hope. Starmer has been in place for less than a month and a half. There’s a long road ahead before the election; coming out of the pandemic and leaving the EU. A lot can and will change in this time. 

[stuie]

39 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

We're stuck with the Tories for another decade at least aren't we? So grim.

I’m not so sure. It could end up being the only positive effect of covid-19. People who don’t actively follow politics might not understand everything but they do understand the high number of dead people! 

[steviewevie]

Doesn't look like this Roche antibody test is the finger prick test that everyone was getting excited about..it will be taking blood samples and analysing in a lab.

Edited May 14, 2020 by steviewevie

[Crazyfool01]

Let’s hope we can get a better roll out of these tests ... mixed messages about if they can be done at home from what I saw on bbc this morning ? It’s a pin prick blood so as a diabetic that would be simple for me 

[steviewevie]

42 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

We're stuck with the Tories for another decade at least aren't we? So grim.

I did think that after last election, but who knows now...we're at the start of what could be some very turbulent times...so just have to see how plays out.

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

Doesn't look like this Roche antibody test isn't the finger prick test that everyone was getting excited about..it will be taking blood samples and analysing in a lab.

Just answered my question above 

[steviewevie]

3 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Just answered my question above 

Got that info from here

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/13/public-health-england-approves-roche-test-for-coronavirus-antibodies

[jparx]

51 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I'm talking about the kind who are much more concerned with attacking their own party than the Tories and will withhold their vote from Starmer because he's not Corbyn or his anointed successor. Even though there's no other party that actually represents their views better.

Seems like a majority of the country don't want a Tory government, but we all can't agree on who to vote for instead. That's why we may well be lumbered with them.

I just hope the Corbynites plug their nose and vote for Labour. Their policies may not perfectly represent your views, but surely it's closer than the Tories?! And if they all vote Green it will just give Boris another term. It's not ideal, but it's the reality. 

[steviewevie]

9 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

Just answered my question above 

Just realised I had a double negative in there...

Doesn't look like this Roche antibody test is the finger prick test that everyone was getting excited about

[Simsy]

22 minutes ago, Wellyboot said:

I'm really interested in these antibody tests. So, am I right in thinking if you get tested and show you've had it you'd then be pretty much ok to do whatever? Or could you still potentially pass it onto somebody who hasn't had the virus?

From my completely non-expert mind, I think there are 2 possible problems if the test shows you've had it.

1 it's a new virus, so nobody knows how much immunity you might have. 6 months? 2 years? None?

2 if you are immune you could presumably still spread it through touch. You could get it on your hand from pushing the stop button on a bus, then get it on everything you touch in the office. So you'd still have to wash/anti-bac and avoid things like hugging someone vulnerable if there's a chance you've touched something.

[Toilet Duck]

The Roche test is read on one of their Cobas instruments. Most hospitals have them, we run standard cancer mutation testing on them. Unless you fancy buying one for your sitting room, the sample will be processed in a hospital. Takes about 15 minutes per test to read, can run about 300 per hour (depending on what type of auto loader is attached to the instrument and what cartridge capacity it has). 

[Wellyboot]

3 minutes ago, Simsy said:

From my completely non-expert mind, I think there are 2 possible problems if the test shows you've had it.

1 it's a new virus, so nobody knows how much immunity you might have. 6 months? 2 years? None?

2 if you are immune you could presumably still spread it through touch. You could get it on your hand from pushing the stop button on a bus, then get it on everything you touch in the office. So you'd still have to wash/anti-bac and avoid things like hugging someone vulnerable if there's a chance you've touched something.

Thank you!!  

 

[steviewevie]

3 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

The Roche test is read on one of their Cobas instruments. Most hospitals have them, we run standard cancer mutation testing on them. Unless you fancy buying one for your sitting room, the sample will be processed in a hospital. Takes about 15 minutes per test to read, can run about 300 per hour (depending on what type of auto loader is attached to the instrument and what cartridge capacity it has). 

How do you think they are going to use this test?

[Toilet Duck]

17 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

How do you think they are going to use this test?

Stated accuracy is 14 days post -PCR conformation. Don’t know what it looks like before that, so it’s not useful yet for diagnosing disease (it could be, needs to be tested in a different way to see how accurate it is). Main utility at the moment is in helping us understand more about how immunity to the virus builds. Technically, repeated testing could demonstrate persistent presence of antibodies in those who have been exposed. Whether that means they are immune is another question entirely! 

[Crazyfool01]

4 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

Stated accuracy is 14 days post -PCR conformation. Don’t know what it looks like before that, so it’s not useful yet for diagnosing disease (it could be, needs to be tested in a different way to see how accurate it is). Main utility at the moment is in helping us understand more about how immunity to the virus builds. Technically, repeated testing could demonstrate persistent presence of antibodies in those who have been exposed. Whether that means they are immune is another question entirely! 

And immunity won’t stop people carrying and transmitting the virus presumably ? 

[JoeyT]

6 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

And immunity won’t stop people carrying and transmitting the virus presumably ? 

Immunity does stop the carrying and transmitting doesn't it?

Your anti bodies kill off the virus meaning there isn't anything to spread?

[Toilet Duck]

8 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

And immunity won’t stop people carrying and transmitting the virus presumably ? 

It won’t stop them from touching things and transferring it, but as more and more data emerges, respiratory transmission seems the principal route. They shouldn’t have much (if any) viral propagation if they pick it up, so would be unlikely to be shedding any virus if they get exposed (ie, they won’t be walking around, loaded with virus, not developing the disease, but infecting others...their immune system will wipe it out before the infection develops). Good hand hygiene is never a bad idea though! 
 

edit: What Joey said!

Edited May 14, 2020 by Toilet Duck

[Crazyfool01]

Thanks @JoeyT and @Toilet Duck I’m fortunate that hand hygiene is nothing new ... working with food it’s part of life 

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 hour ago, jparx said:

Seems like a majority of the country don't want a Tory government, but we all can't agree on who to vote for instead. That's why we may well be lumbered with them.

I just hope the Corbynites plug their nose and vote for Labour. Their policies may not perfectly represent your views, but surely it's closer than the Tories?! And if they all vote Green it will just give Boris another term. It's not ideal, but it's the reality. 

Yeah this is my fear really. I quite like Starmer, I'm sure he's not perfect but I will vote for him. Corbyn wasn't my bag at all, but I still voted Labour in the last two elections. Look at the alternative for Christ's sake. First past the post is shit, but sadly it's all we have.

[stuartbert two hats]

3 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Yeah this is my fear really. I quite like Starmer, I'm sure he's not perfect but I will vote for him. Corbyn wasn't my bag at all, but I still voted Labour in the last two elections. Look at the alternative for Christ's sake. First past the post is shit, but sadly it's all we have.

Exactly.  If you really don't want a Conservative government, vote Labour.  Unless you live in Brighton, or the Lib Dems are really, really far ahead in your constituency.

[DeanoL]

 

2 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I'm talking about the kind who are much more concerned with attacking their own party than the Tories and will withhold their vote from Starmer because he's not Corbyn or his anointed successor. Even though there's no other party that actually represents their views better.

I feel like in the UK 2012 election, on the manifestos, Clegg was to the left of Milliband. Where the dice land for the Corbynites will likely depend on where the LibDems end up.

[stuartbert two hats]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

 

I feel like in the UK 2012 election, on the manifestos, Clegg was to the left of Milliband. Where the dice land for the Corbynites will likely depend on where the LibDems end up.

And yet Clegg voted to increase student fees.  Fuck the Lib Dems.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

2 hours ago, steviewevie said:

I wonder what the plan is with the antibody test? How are they going to distribute and record results. The result for each user is important of course, but also overall test results are important to show actual numbers instead of estimates and assumptions.

Yes, to be really useful all the data needs to be logged, so of course a minimum negative vs positive tests, and then as much data as possible for positive tests really. I’m not clever enough to know what that would like like, but I’m thinking info like if you work, where you work, were you symptomatic or not, what symptoms did you have, when etc etc. They really need to think about how they use it and get as much from it as possible, no point people just randomly taking it purely for personal interest.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Deaf Nobby Burton

[zahidf]

More than 25% of Britons may have already had coronavirus, study claims

 

Josh Halliday

A new study published this week in the International Journal of Clinical Practice suggests that more than one in four people in the UK are likely to have been infected already by the coronavirus.

The study, by researchers from the University of Manchester, Salford Royal and Res Consortium, is the first to use case data from 144 local authorities on the number of people infected in their areas. From this data, the researchers calculated the R-value - the number of people infected by one person with Covid-19 – within each area.

The data shows, they say, that more than 25% of people in the UK could already have had the virus by the second half of April – higher than previously thought.