Mutating Corona Virus

[honeybee13]

It is the same one, Oxford University developed the vaccine with Astra Zeneca.

[tobyjugg2]

puhh sticker

I want a lollipop

[tobyjugg2]

more seriously, I see the Uk's brilliant border security allowed 6 cases of the Brazil variant into the UK

More serious perhaps even than the length of time it took to trace them all

all tested positive for covid, and one tested positive but didn't fill in the contact form correctly - without it being trapped

- and they all came in from ... Brazil

 

Handcock of course praises that rank incompetence as outstanding and praisworthy

What a .. well, its in his name

Edited March 5, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

and further referring to wasted money

It would appear that the PPE bill for contracts awarded to Tory populist mates without either competition, basic requirements suitability vetting, or proper reporting to parliament is actually around 18 billion pounds rather than 12 billion pounds

..  despite Johnson 'the Liar' repeatedly lying about it to parliament

.. all for about 2-4 billion pounds worth (still at inflated prices) at best of usable PPE

 

Including it seems things like:

Paying a Tory populist pal middleman with no experience 27ish million pounds (20%+) 'finders fee' to get some mostly unusable PPE at 4 times the normal price or more

- about 127 million pounds for about 25 million pounds worth of PPE .. if it had all been usable

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-covid-contracts-court-b1813003.html

 

 

heres the Tory populist accounting basics instruction page

https://www.rankred.com/biggest-financial-frauds/

Edited March 6, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

A few people are working hard to find out what contracts haven't been published yet, aren't they? It doesn't seem easy and I'm concerned that as HMG has been caught out, they will try to suppress ways that people are entitled to get information.

[tobyjugg2]

yes 10 is it that are still not 'accounted for' - possibly the extra 6 billion?

Seems likely that despite the already identified horrendous waste of taxpayer money, failure of competence, lying and crony-ism

.. the worst may be (likely is) yet to come

Edited March 6, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

£18 billion on PPE instead of £3-4B max

£22 billion on trace a test instead of about £2-3 at most as in other countries for doing better

£500 million on eat out to spread the virus instead of 150M to feed kids and support local businesses

 

Thats £35+ billion in taxpayer money wasted

 

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Just for info

 

Family member had oxford A/Z jab and had 40 degree temperature for 24 hours or so the day after

Seems to be OK now and lateral flow showed negative for what thats worth

[unclebulgaria67]

These vaccinations are going to be regular, I believe about every 6 months.  This is going to require local vaccination centres for years until they have a vaccine that provides longer protection.

 

Most GP surgeries are not going to be able to continually provide this vaccination service and provide all other services. They might help out during lockdown as a one off, but to continue having a constant flow of people for vaccination is not going to be possible.  My local GP surgeries are over subscribed, with it taking 3 weeks to get an appointment, so they are not taking part in this. Luckily we have a privately run NHS minor injuries unit with more room and they have been vaccinating patients.

 

 

[tobyjugg2]

our community hospital is not providing vaccinations

My surgery is a small (but excellent) one which also simply cannot handle vaccinations  (cant even get a full set of GP's)

- vaccinations are being run (largely but not exclusively for their own patients) by a larger surgery where patients waited weeks for appointments even before the crisis (yet they were advertising for more patients)

 

The vaccinations are likely to be considerably more complex than the flu ones, with the distinct possibility of fire break lockdowns for years or even decades to come.

and when you consider the populists continued trashing of the NHS and shunting what they can into private profiteering hands and an American style 'healthy for the wealthy' service as soon as they can manage it ....

Edited March 9, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

Do you know anyone who's been to a pharmacy for the jab?

 

In France, after the success of finally using pharmacies for the flu vaccine for the last three years or so, they're going to be offering covid vaccinations from next week.

[tobyjugg2]

There is a 'pharmacy' based one within range, although I understand the vaccinations are done by the pharmacy team at a nearby (otherwise closed) community centre - not the pharmacy

 

Have no idea why. probably space.

 

They are vaccinating with O/AZ as most seem to be apparently due to pfiser shortages

Edited March 9, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Its official - but dont forget its NOT our NHS' test and trace its Johnson, Handcock and Didos' test and trace

 

"Dido Harding’s test and trace system has swallowed up “unimaginable” amounts of taxpayers’ money with no evidence of any measurable difference on the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, a scathing report by a Westminster spending watchdog has found.

The report said NHS test and trace must “wean itself off” its reliance on private-sector consultants, after figures showed it was still employing around 2,500 in early February on an estimated daily rate of £1,100 a head – with the highest-paid individual costing taxpayers £6,624 a day."

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-news-live-coronavirus-updates-vaccine-b1814957.html

Edited March 10, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

2 hours ago, tobyjugg2 said:

The report said NHS test and trace must “wean itself off” its reliance on private-sector consultants, after figures showed it was still employing around 2,500 in early February on an estimated daily rate of £1,100 a head – with the highest-paid individual costing taxpayers £6,624 a day."

 

So who are the 2.500 consultants on over a thousand pounds a day for sod all results? - £2.5Million pounds a day cost to taxpayer

Surely they aren't the minimum wage call center folk?

Hell of a mark-up if they are.

[honeybee13]

I've wondered that often, TJ. Why would they need so many when they have plenty of operatives for the phone lines. I'm not clear which part of the system the private consultants are working in, but 2,500 is a huge number for admin stuff, if that's what it is.

[AndyOrch]

Quote

So who are the 2.500 consultants

 

Have a guess 

 

I would imagine selection works similar to the following.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/matt-hancock-former-neighbour-won-covid-test-kit-contract-after-whatsapp-message

[honeybee13]

Local authorities are struggling to stay afloat according to the National Audit Office. I've lost count of the times that the government loaded duties onto councils and gave them precious little funding to carry them out. Now they're asking them to tell government if their finances are failing, rather than make it public and embarrasss HMG.

 

What a difference some of Dido's £22++ bilion would have made.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/10/covid-has-exposed-dire-position-of-englands-local-councils

[tobyjugg2]

19 minutes ago, honeybee13 said:

Local authorities are struggling to stay afloat according to the National Audit Office. I've lost count of the times that the government loaded duties onto councils and gave them precious little funding to carry them out. Now they're asking them to tell government if their finances are failing, rather than make it public and embarrasss HMG.

 

What a difference some of Dido's £22++ bilion would have made.

 

 

 

about £20 Billion? - Trace a test still overpriced at 2Billion

Plus 15 Billion ish from the PPE farce

 

Theres 35 Billion pounds of waste in less than a year in JUST those two related areas - with lots more to be uncovered

(£350 Billion plus to be accounted for SO FAR)

 

Now when we consider that the Tories droned on about Labours 'scandalous waste of public money' on the NHS IT systems pounded by the Tories 

- 2BN a year for 6 years looks like an absolute bargain now doesn't it?

......... Labour should be hammering that point.

 

 

[honeybee13]

I'm not saying you're wrong, TJ, but where does the 350bn figure come from please? I haven't seen that one. I know there are still about 100 contracts that were signed under emergency provisions that haven't been made public.

[tobyjugg2]

Its the excess borrowing/expenditure over and above what was expected before the pandemic

Of course, some of that is furlough costs

 

Its been alleged that some of the expected 400Billion+ will be Brexit costs masked by the pandemic

It all needs proper accounting.

 

start here:

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/cost-of-covid19.pdf

https://www.nao.org.uk/covid-19/cost-tracker/

Edited March 10, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

Thank you, TJ. Many people who are better informed than me have said that Covid will be used to mask Brexit costs. It will be difficult to do the sums.

[tobyjugg2]

.. as Johnson and handcock et al are resisting mightily the auditing

[tobyjugg2]

I think those figures are quite conservative

when you think that there would seem to be £40 Billion taxpayer pounds spent just on a Handcock and Serco 'test and trace' that made damn all difference - with loads more costs to come as it stands,

and 'PPE', much of which was multiples of usual cost, PLUS 10's of £millions to middlemen and much that was unusable

 

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

Not that  many figures in this leader from the Guardian but it makes some very valid points about Test and Trace.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/10/the-guardian-view-on-test-and-trace-count-the-true-cost-of-failure

[honeybee13]

Sir David King of Indie Sage on 'NHS' Test and Trace. This is pretty damning.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1369566349433929729