The situation overall seems to remain steady at present with small day to day fluctuations, although the last few days have again shown a small rise in the number of new cases it is difficult to assess the significance of this and we will not know the answer for a week or so.
The number of tests done are up a little and on both days were over 800k, yesterday there were 842k. The number of tests showing positive were 33k yesterday and 32k today. There has been a rise of 7.8% in the last 7 days, that’s a total of 14,596 in the last 7 days. The rate of positive tests is 288.3 per 100k.
Deaths, remain much the same, yesterday 94 reported and today 100. With 28 more in the last 7 days, it is a 4.7% rise and the death rate crept up a notch from 0.8 to 0.9 per 100k.
737 people were admitted on 8th August and 750 on 9th August. Note these are 4-5 days old. 5,909 were in hospital beds on 11th August compared to 5,875 in hospital yesterday. This slight reduction may just be significant. Next week’s figures will show if there is a trend. Numbers on a ventilator show a very slight rise 882 today and 871 yesterday. Immunisations have now passed 40M for 2nd doses or 75.7% of those eligible. The figure as you would expect is slowly catching up the number with only one immunisation, now 89.3% or 47.21 million.
In the USA there is considerable concern with the number of children in hospital with Covid. An average of 246 children were admitted to hospital every day between 4th August and 10th August, the highest ever daily numbers in the USA. A total of 4.4 million children have now tested positive. One interesting figure I noted were that 15% of all cases and 2% of all admissions were children.
The situation is worse in Florida, 54, and Texas, 40 children per day were admitted to hospital. Is it relevant that both these states have banned the use of masks in schools? It is the subject of court cases in several states where school and parents want to retain the right to use masks in schools. What are your thoughts about this issue? I am often glad I do not live in the USA.
Pregnant women are liable to more severe forms of Covid and the medical and midwifery community are universally agreed it is both necessary and safe to immunise pregnant women. There have been no reported side effects, but several deaths of pregnant mothers. Such concern exists at the number of mothers to be refusing vaccine that a clinic was opened in an antenatal clinic. It was open for 9 hours but a disappointing number were given. Please encourage all pregnant women you know to have their jabs.
In another attempt to boost vaccine levels in the younger age range a vaccine clinic was open for 9 hours last Sunday in a night club in Charing Cross, but only 191 jabs were given.
Some encouragement, the R number is reported to have dropped slightly again and is now 0.8 to 1.0. This confirms the overall impression, things are just about even. We need the R number below 1 to see the pandemic begin to wane.
Now some examples as how some people are using Covid to make money. A conman has been jailed for 3.5 years in Surbiton for falsely claiming to have immunised a vulnerable 92 year old lady. He had charged her £142.
A German nurse denies injecting saline into 8,600 patients, she has only admitted to doing it once. She remains suspended and all 8,600 are being asked to have another dose now.
Facebook have removed hundreds of accounts linked to Covid 19 immunisation disinformation network operating out of Russia. An advertising agency, Fazze, sought to pay social media influencers to report misleading content about Pfizer and the AZ vaccine including one claim that the AZ vaccine would turn a person into a chimpanzee. When the plot was discovered 243 Instagram accounts were banned having been trace back to Fazze.
Sadly, I suspect too little too late has been done to stop the discrediting of these vaccines by political powers and other subversive issues. The fact is that both are incredibly effective.
Grant Shapps has said there will be no more travel rule changes until Thursday 26th August. He says you can go on holiday without looking over your shoulder, the rules won’t change. If they do, please blame him not me. If the picture suddenly changes so will the rules.
Keep up your guard, remember the basics, your mask will help protect others. Staying 2 m apart protects everyone. Not travelling abroad will protect your bank balance.
Your mission is to save yourself and others from Covid, please stay safe this weekend.
Kenneth Hines' WordOfWisdom 