This whole normal by a certain period then goalpost move is getting boring let alone predictable but it’s laughable how the UK media are gullible pushing this too, I can see the end of the media in all this if they don’t start questioning more.
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Media Coverage of COVID -19
- Thread starter Islineclear3_1
- Start date
- Status
This whole normal by a certain period then goalpost move is getting boring let alone predictable but it’s laughable how the UK media are gullible pushing this too, I can see the end of the media in all this if they don’t start questioning more.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
If fifty percent of voters spoiled their ballots, they'd notice.
Spoil your ballot paper and write down the reason for doing so. Spoilt papers can get scrutinized by the candidates.
Richard Scott
Established Member
- Joined
- 13 Dec 2018
- Messages
- 3,696
In Wales we have the great option of the Abolish the Welsh Assembly party. A very tempting option at the moment!!!
brad465
Established Member
The Daily Mail has often had anti-restriction front pages in recent days/weeks, and/or front pages criticising some of Johnson's other behaviours on non-covid matters (such as the excessive cost of the Downing Street flat refurbishment). The Mail is certainly against Johnson at this point in time, with at least a majority of their front pages about him or policies he's involved in attacking them/him.
Is anyone else mildly pleased that Philip's death is taking away large amounts of coverage from Covid matters? I know this view isn't normally acceptable but it does feel like the Covid coverage has been so relentless and depressing that even something else generally not positive (or at least not acceptable to be pleased about) is welcome to supersede covid news.
Last edited:
Is it expecting too much to assume that all staff have also been briefed properly about mask requirements this time around? Don't harass exempt customers, don't make them wear silly stickers to stand out and don't call the police because you have made your own laws. This whole respect thing is a two way street.
Covid: Shoppers 'must respect staff' when retail reopens
People are urged to be considerate when non-essential retail rules ease in England and Wales on Monday.
www.bbc.co.uk
DustyBin
Established Member
Is it expecting too much to assume that all staff have also been briefed properly about mask requirements this time around? Don't harass exempt customers, don't make them wear silly stickers to stand out and don't call the police because you have made your own laws. This whole respect thing is a two way street.
Covid: Shoppers 'must respect staff' when retail reopens
People are urged to be considerate when non-essential retail rules ease in England and Wales on Monday.www.bbc.co.uk
I fear for the high street. I suspect many people will be put off by the ongoing restrictions, they simply aren’t congruous with a pleasant, enjoyable experience. For many people (non-essential) shopping is a social occasion so the ‘shop alone’ message is a bit of a problem. My GF, who contributes significantly to non-essential retail(!) isn’t planning on visiting any shops until things return to something resembling normality, and I don’t think she’ll be alone. With people having gotten used to online shopping, the loss of several major chains already and the hassle of restrictions I can’t see the required recovery happening, sadly.
Jamiescott1
Member
- Joined
- 22 Feb 2019
- Messages
- 965
The problem is that if people do not go to the highstreet because they are put off by the restrictions then shops / government will assume people are put off because they're scared so will introduce even more restrictions
DustyBin
Established Member
You may well be right there!
Surely someone in government has enough real life experience to know that people are put off high street shopping by restrictions such as queueing and mask wearing?
brad465
Established Member
On Thursday I made a rare office appearance, where speaking to a colleague I hadn't seen in a while on covid matters they said they were unaware of the current symptoms of covid, citing the depressing media coverage as something to avoid and thus were probably unable to learn of them as a result.
I already had plenty of grievances about the media reporting of covid with regards to scaremongering and lack of accountability, but I can now confidently add they are counterproductive in the whole pandemic response, if their OTT reporting is causing others to be ill informed of essential facts.
I already had plenty of grievances about the media reporting of covid with regards to scaremongering and lack of accountability, but I can now confidently add they are counterproductive in the whole pandemic response, if their OTT reporting is causing others to be ill informed of essential facts.
I have the impression that these people have no clue about reality let alone real life, whilst the general public can see these issues they don’t, more than likely they do things more online.
Bantamzen
Established Member
One quote in that article sums SAGE up for me:
So it seems that preventing people getting ill & subsequently dying isn't "good enough", proof that they see themselves a king makers and won't let go of their "zero covid" aspirations easily.
DustyBin
Established Member
I strongly suspect they’re going to look to infections as justification for continuing (or even reintroducing) restrictions. There’s this huge push to get everybody tested twice a week (using an unreliable method) just as we start opening back up; I’ll be amazed if we don’t see a “worrying increase” in the number of infections. The fact that this is now an endemic virus from which very few people will become ill won’t get a mention; rising infections will lead to a media frenzy and a return to hysteria, unless of course the majority of people have finally woken up. Maybe I’ve become cynical but I think they’ll try anything to retain their hold over us. I expect a “variant of concern” to appear in the near future as well.
Like you I don’t think they’ve really let go of their zero covid dream; it’s become a vanity project for scientists with huge egos and us peasants are expected to quietly suffer whilst they play (playing is what they’re doing and it needs to stop).
I don't see a 'huge push'. There was an annoucment that tests would be available to all. I have seen no follow up.
DustyBin
Established Member
I believe a lot of places including schools are asking people to do it. Hancock has also said he’d like to see everybody tested twice a week. It depends on your definition of “huge push” which is fair enough, but the message is “get tested” so many people will.
The BBC have mentioned Sir David King who spoke to Sky this morning, a former chief scientific adviser who is 'very surprised' that Chile is in a third wave despite one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Note that nowhere in the BBC piece does it state that the vaccine they are using in Chile is about as effective as gravy.
Link here.
Link here.
There's also an age split in Chile. I believe their wave has been driven entirely by younger, unvaccinated people, but rates are lower in the older, vaccinated population.
kristiang85
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jan 2018
- Messages
- 2,657
50% efficacy for Sinovac. Indeed, it would help if the BBC actually reported some facts.
nlogax
Established Member
Not quite as simple as that. Sinovac is (allegedly) proven to be 100% effective at preventing hospitalisations, though I would hazard a guess such effectiveness would be only after the second dose.
Indeed, but absolutely not as effective at preventing infection. Yet an expert finds this highly surprising.
Let's give it some credit, 50.4% is the actual figure I believe. But when you consider it wouldn't be a viable vaccine at just 0.5% lower than that, basing a vaccination program on it is desperation. I guess that is where some countries are at though, i'm sure that if Pfizer, AZ etc were only 50.4 we'd be pumping them into millions of people with a lot of hope it might just work.
Efficacy numbers are tricky to compare at the best of times as they'll be affected by how the trials were run, and even how many cases there were generally in the trial countries at that time. Needless to say that the resurgence in cases in Chile has a whole host of factors behind it, the efficacy of the vaccine being just one of them
nlogax
Established Member
They did. You just need to look beyond Chile-specific stories. It would also help if the BBC's linking between relevant stories was a little better.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56713663
kristiang85
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jan 2018
- Messages
- 2,657
Oh I wasn't saying it's useless (most of the flu vaccines we happily pump ourselves with every year are even lower than that), but it's just quite a crucial figure to include in the context of that story, as it seems to indicate the same could happen here whereas it is completely different circumstances.
I don't think anything SAGE say will make any difference without hospital admissions to back it up.
And in a country of 19.5 Million, 1 Million isn't really all that much, around 5% coverage.
Population wise, that their 7k cases would be roughly equivalent to 21k in the UK.
SamYeager
Member
- Joined
- 20 Mar 2014
- Messages
- 339
We can only hope. Of course it'll be at least three weeks before we can draw any conclusions about hospital admissions from the latest "relaxation".
- Status