Boris and this scumbag 'nasty party' government have announced that they will have the Track and Trace systems in place by 1st June. Oh yeah ??? - What's the betting that this will be yet another government failure ??? Coronavirus: Government admits NHS app will not be ready for launch of contact tracing scheme Boris Johnson vows that army of human contact tracers will be up and running by 1 June The NHS smartphone app for tracking people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients will not be ready for 1 June, when the next stage of the government’s relaxation of lockdown is due to begin, Downing Street has confirmed. But Boris Johnson pledged that the government’s tracing programme would begin at the start of the next month, meaning it will be under way without the app that has been developed by NHSX and has been under trial on the Isle of Wight for almost two weeks. The announcement came after Professor Dame Angela McLean, the deputy chief scientific adviser, said an effective track-and-trace system was needed to reopen schools as the government continues to row with unions and teachers over whether it was safe to restart classes. Prof McLean told the Downing Street press conference on Tuesday that easing of lockdown measures needed to be based on “observed levels of incidence in places that there’s going to be change, not on a fixed date”. Labour said a track-and-trace system should be in place before schools return. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said: “What we are calling for is for the government to try and reach a consensus with teachers’ and parents’ organisations to drive a way through and find a way to respond to those concerns with practical proposals within the next couple of weeks.” Asked what sort of practical proposals it was looking for, the spokesperson added: “The three things we’ve called for is that, firstly, the government should publish the scientific advice behind the rationale for the 1 June date to create transparency “Secondly, we’ve said the track-and-trace system needs to be in place and, thirdly, what we’ve said is the government needs to bring parent groups, teachers and trade unions together to try and find a consensus to raise some of the concerns that have been raised.” Speaking late on Tuesday, junior health minister, Lord Bethell, indicated that the government was no longer trying to get the app: “We have therefore changed the emphasis of our communications and plans to put human-contact tracing at the beginning of our plans and to regard the app as something that will come later in support,” he said. Asked whether Lord Bethell’s comments were correct, Mr Johnson’s spokesperson told a Westminster virtual media briefing: “I wouldn’t disagree with that. I think that’s straightforward.” The spokesperson also said that the app was “only part of the system” and declined to give a date for its national roll-out, saying only that it would happen “in the coming weeks”. Trials on the Isle of Wight have been hit by a number of teething troubles, including the app failing to work on some models of phone and swiftly draining users’ batteries. Privacy campaigners have also raised concerns about a system which records and temporarily retains the numbers of anyone within a short distance of the user’s phone, so they can be identified and tested if the user falls ill with Covid-19. Outsourcing giant Serco, which is training staff, also apologised for accidentally sharing the email addresses of some 300 contact tracers. Sir Keir said the lack of effective tracing of infected people amounted to a “huge hole in our defences” and compared the grim UK death toll to places with intensive testing and tracing such as Germany and South Korea. The prime minister accused Sir Keir of “feigning ignorance” on the figures, telling MPs the government was making “fast progress” in testing and tracing, and there will be 25,000 trackers who are able to cope with 10,000 new cases a day. Mr Johnson went on: “So we’re making fast progress in testing and tracing and I have great confidence that by 1 June we will have a system that will enable us, that will help us very greatly to defeat this disease and move the country forward ... it will be in place by 1 June.” But cabinet minister Robert Buckland made clear that the full “test, track and trace” system initially envisaged by ministers will not be ready by the end of this month. “I’m hoping we’ll see the tracing system start to work by that time,” he said. “I think it won’t necessarily be as widespread and as full blown as we’d like. I think that will develop over the next several weeks, over the next month or so.” Liberal Democrat digital spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “With the Coronavirus crisis leaving the most vulnerable at risk, the government continues to waste valuable time and undermine public confidence by experimenting with a new tracing app when there are already effective models it could and should use. “An app alone will not bring an end to the lockdown, but a safe and effective app could play a role in keeping people safe with a strategy to test, trace and isolate. “The prime minister and his government have serious questions to answer about these delays. To restore public confidence and get a grip of the virus, the Liberal Democrats are urging the government to rapidly upscale their tracing and testing capacity and bring forward a new ‘safe trace app law’ to ensure that any new app will keep people safe.”
It is the correct way forward, but it will have a lot of teething problems. The main problem is that China introduced the first one and it did not work. Correct tracking involves detecting antibodies, so for a new virus this is no easy task. Would you prefer Boris to sit at home and do nothing.??????
I think that this is what is happening, Boris is not a doctor, so he is working on their advice. However, doctors are medical and while they are in the best position to give advice on medical matters, they have no idea on the logistics of running a country, maintaining gas, water, pumping the sewage, communication networks and maintaining media communications (such as radio and television, not to mention the internet). In addition to the NHS, we need 31,000 police officers in London alone, along with the fire brigade. All this needs fuel and regular supplies of equipment. We also need food. All this requires millions of people working every day and they have to get to and from work. Boris and the government are responsible for maintaining all this, as well as making sure that the workers, pensions and benefits get paid. It is no easy task. Regarding easing lockdown, their is one and one only criteria, DO NOT OVERWHELM THE NHS. All this point scoring over a few people breaking the rules on one off occasions are complete BS, when millions of people are going to work and we are all going out to buy food. If someone was regularly totally ignoring advice their is a case to answer, but for the cases that I have heard, my comment is "Grow up and get a life". Regarding tracking the virus. In my opinion it is virtually impossible to check who has suffered the virus and their level of immunity on a large scale. Work it out for yourself and you will see the problem. Death statistics are another questionable area, since the 542, 000 annual deaths in the UK every year have bigger weekly humps than a Camel. We will only know the truth in October 2022, when we will be able to see by how much 1,084,000 total for 2020 and 21 has risen, after taking into account the expected rise due to population. I personally think that it will be lower than most people imagine today. We hear cases of health workers dying, but again this happens all the time and no one gives it a second thought. 3 years ago, a friend of ours fell sick after singing a lead role at Covent Garden. Despite never having a serious illness in his 64 years, he died less than a week later. His body had reacted to pneumonia and shut his vital organs down. This can happen to anyone, with or without a viral infection.
Are you insinuating that Boris and the rest of the scumbag 'nasty party' are capable of on the logistics of running a country, maintaining gas, water, pumping the sewage, communication networks and maintaining media communications (such as radio and television, not to mention the internet). Boris and the rest of the scumbags out of the Bullingdon club wouldn't have a clue about any of those tasks without the civil service to hold their hands. Look at the balls up he's made of this pandemic protection he's supposed to have under his control - its pathetic - and as his apologist so are you !!!
If you say that he is relying on the civil servants, surely you are therefore blaming them for the mistakes, if any. What exactly is he supposed to have done wrong in plotting a rout through this minefield. No one has died at the side of the road or in a hospital corridor, which is more than can be said for other parts of the world. Stop criticizing what has happened in the past and tell me about your plans for the future,including ALL of the following. Timescale and methods of of ending the lockdown..........Exact methods and dates please. When to recommence preventative cardio vascular and cardio thoracic surgery...........Dates again please. When to reopen diabetic clinics and physiotherapy, (both habitation and post-op)..........Don't forget the dates. When to 'run down the Nightingale project, that is still on standby..........I will allow a SLIGHTLY more flexible answer on that one. How to deal with the local authority funding shortfall due to the suspension of business rates...........No bottomless pits of money. EXACT amounts and timescale of tax increases please. Your proposed reductions in pensions and benefits,...........Particularly the private pension companies who predict default within the next 6 months.........Figures please.! How to deal with the Airlines, some of who are insolvent............Again how WE are going to pay for it.. YES WE.!!!!! How to deal with the brewery's and pubs........... WARNING. About 30% of London pubs are boarded up and stripped of equipment with no plans to reopen. Thus a drop in funding via rates to local authorities............ Exact cost to US again please. When you answer the above, I will continue,........ Jane and our daughters (2 of them are civil servants) have many to add to the list and I can fill a few pages. When we are finished, you can stand for Parliament and I will PROMISE you my vote. PS, then when you re-nationalize the power industry, I will even teach you how to run a nuclear power station with your group of friends.
I agree with you on that one, but not in the way that you may assume. While modern plant is highly efficient in shielding radiation and is accident free. (as long as idiots don't get involved in the design as they did at Fukushima), Waste heat is the serious problem. Since fission in the fuel rods takes hours to react to the boron steel control that stabilizes the rate of fission by absorbing electrons, the thermal output is constant. so off peak reduction in power from the alternators is controlled by condensing and dumping steam. Along with the reactor cooling, the result is that for every 30 megawatts of electricity produced, 70 megawatts of heat is dumped into the oceans. At the moment, fossil fuel power stations are the ones that virtually shut down off peak, but as they are replaced, the situation will become worse. At the end of the day, since energy can neither be created or destroyed, this heat ultimately must end up melting the ice caps. Schoolboy mathematics along with the latent heat of fusion of water, shows that the worldwide nuclear wast heat can melt millions of tons of ice per hour. I have discussed this with both the IET and the atomic energy authority and they both point out that it is a worldwide problem, then rush off and bury their heads in the sand. While many people see our salvation in wind power, I see a problem here too. Most rain clouds form over the oceans and It is wind that drives them inland. Therefore absorbing the power of our winds will seriously affect our climate, causing both drought and flooding worldwide. Many REAL experts have given up and some of them have taken to drowning their frustration in a bottle of whiskey every night, THAT IS NOT A JOKE. Sadly, all our problems boil down to human overpopulation of the planet and their resultant need for food. Even I can't see viable solution to that one. Now where has Jane hidden my bottle of whiskey.???
The scumbag 'nasty party's' Track and Trace scheme starts today. However even before its begun, there are serious problems with the scheme. And senior minister Penny Mordaunt admitted there were "inconsistencies" in Mr Cummings' account – saying "there is no doubt he took risks". Contact tracing system launched amid mounting Tory anger over Cummings People who come into close contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be told to self-isolate for 14 days as the Government launches its tracing system amid mounting Tory anger over Dominic Cummings' alleged lockdown breaches. NHS Test and Trace – seen as key to easing the restrictions – will be rolled out across England on Thursday with the help of 25,000 contact tracers, while an accompanying app is still delayed by several weeks. It comes amid a growing revolt within the Conservative Party over the Prime Minister's chief adviser's controversial trip to Durham – with dozens of backbench Tories criticising his actions, and at least 38 calling for him to quit or be sacked. Boris Johnson continued to stand by his aide and insisted it was time to "move on" when he faced intense questioning over the issue in an appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee of senior MPs on Wednesday. He also announced the launch of the contact tracing programme, which will see people with coronavirus having their contacts traced in a bid to cut off routes of transmission for the virus and control local flare-ups. Under the plans, anyone with coronavirus symptoms will immediately self-isolate and book a test, preferably at a testing centre or, if necessary, for delivery to their home. Their household should start a 14-day isolation period too. If the test proves negative, everyone comes out of isolation. But if the test is positive, NHS contact tracers or local public health teams will call, email or send a text asking them to share details of the people they have been in close contact with and places they have visited. The team then emails or texts those close contacts, telling them they must stay home for 14 days even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. Amid reports by Sky News that some contact tracers do not have their basic systems up and running yet, the Department of Health insisted that the "vast majority of our 25,000 staff have completed their training". The launch comes as: – The toll of deaths linked to the virus rose to almost 48,000, while at least 188 frontline health and care workers have died after contracting Covid-19. – Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said it was "good news" the Government has "backed off the claim that it was making last week that we have a world-class test and trace system ready to go from June 1 because we clearly don't". – The Prime Minister said he has asked scientists to review the two-metre social distancing rule to see if it can be reduced in an effort to help public transport and the hospitality sector. – Mr Johnson promised to look into a condition of the immigration system which has left people with no state financial support during the coronavirus crisis. – Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, closed to new admissions to "avoid being the cause of an outbreak" after tests revealed a number of staff with no symptoms had coronavirus. – Emily Maitlis did not present Wednesday's episode of Newsnight after the BBC ruled the programme breached impartiality rules over its coverage of the Dominic Cummings lockdown row. Also on Thursday, the Government's plans to ease the lockdown will be confirmed in an official review which Downing Street expects will give the all-clear for schools to begin reopening next week. Downing Street insiders suggested the easing discussed by Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove was still dependent on the scientific advice, as was the use of private gardens for socialising. The road map to easing the lockdown contained the possibility one household could form a social "bubble" with one other in a mutual group, but it was understood that term was being quietly dropped. The PM has said all non-essential shops in England can reopen from June 15 after he closed them with the imposed lockdown on March 23. Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Cummings "broke the rules" and claimed the Prime Minister's "unwillingness or inability to do the right thing has left the Government looking untrustworthy, unprincipled". Writing in the Daily Mirror, he said the Government had "undermined the very public health advice that is necessary to keep us all safe, just to keep one powerful aide in his job". "In times like this, we need good government. A government that we can trust. A government that is entirely focused on saving lives. "So, I say to the Prime Minister: we cannot go on like this. We cannot lose another week to this farce. We need to get back on track." NHS Providers warns ‘key bits still to be built’ as test and trace begins NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson has warned “very key bits” of the Government’s test and trace strategy are not yet in place as the scheme is set to begin. NHS Test and Trace will officially launch across England on Thursday with the help of 25,000 contact tracers, although an accompanying app is still delayed by several weeks. People with coronavirus will have their contacts traced under the scheme, which aims to cut off routes of transmission for the virus and control local flare-ups. Mr Hopson said he was pleased the Government had watered down claims it had a “world class” test and trace system ready to start from June 1, “because we clearly don’t”. But he said Thursday would bring significant change to the country’s test and trace capabilities. “We’re in the process of building test and trace,” Mr Hopson told BBC Newsnight. “There will be a group of contact tracers who will be ready (Thursday) morning but there are still very key bits of test and trace that still need to be built.” Mr Hopson said the speed of testing needed to be improved, comparing international standards of having tests back within 24 hours with reports of tests taking up to three to five days, as well as referencing the need to provide support locally. “It was good to hear the Prime Minister and Matt Hancock say today that we are actually going to have to build this up over the next few weeks and we’re not going to be running at the speed we need to on the first of June,” he said. He added: “Can I just give a very clear public health message, which is that everybody who’s watching the programme should ensure that they understand what their responsibilities are because things are going to change from nine o’clock tomorrow morning.” Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged the public to carry out their “civic duty” and make the new test and trace system work – saying the only other option is continuing the lockdown. Mr Hancock told Wednesday’s press briefing: “The big question that we’re all working to answer is this: until an effective treatment or vaccine comes through how can we get back to doing more of the things that make life worth living without risking safety or putting lives at risk? “NHS Test and Trace is a big part – not the only part – but a big part of the answer to that question.” Mr Hancock said that by tracking infected people and isolating their contacts, and by continuing social distancing, the national lockdown could be replaced with individual isolation. The NHS Test and Trace service launches tomorrow. You can play your part to help control the virus and get life back to normal. Here's what we need YOU to do ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3Yn0QNpDov — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) May 27, 2020 “This is a national effort and we all have a role”, he added. “The virus exists only to reproduce – that’s its sole biological purpose, to make as many copies of itself as possible. “If we can thwart that purpose, we can control the virus and ultimately defeat it. “We must all follow the NHS test and trace instructions as this is how we control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.” Under the plans, anyone with coronavirus symptoms will immediately self-isolate and book a test, preferably at a testing centre or, if necessary, for delivery to their home. Their household should start a 14-day isolation period too. If the test proves negative, the household comes out of isolation. But if the test is positive, NHS contact tracers or local public health teams will call them, email or send a text asking them to share details of the people they have been in close contact with and places they have visited. The team then emails or texts those close contacts, telling them they must stay home for 14 days even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. Their household members do not need to isolate at this point. If the contact themselves then falls ill, they book themselves a test. If this is positive, they stay home for seven days or until their symptoms have passed, and their household stays home for 14 days. If it is negative, the contact must still complete their initial 14-day isolation period. A close contact is defined as anybody who has been in close contact with an infected person in the two days before symptoms appear and up to seven days afterwards. This includes people in the same household, those who have been within one metre, or who have been within two metres for 15 minutes or more. Whilst the scheme will be voluntary at first, the Health Secretary indicated the Government could move to forcing people to comply with the scheme if needs be, with fines being one possibility.
I've wondered for decades about this problem. Why don't they recycle? After all, it would be vastly cheaper to recycle those rods and pellets than to keep digging up new material and fabricating new ones from scratch, so why don't they? They blather on about recycling everything else, but never this, and at least one guy over here in the USA demonstrated how easy and efficient it would be, but he was shut out and shut down. Haven't heard a peep in years now. On a side note: Remember Chernobyl? Most folks forget, if they knew at all, that the word chernobyl means "wormwood" in the Ukraine language, or so it was reported in the news back then. Made a lot of people nervous. I think Vlad is onto something. All that stuff sitting in barrels or "containments" in holes in the ground can't be a good thing. The laws of physics (entropy) suggest that these things will leach, and since such things always leach DOWN, there's nowhere for it to go but into main aquifers. And storing such things in the ocean is even more problematic, in my opinion. I find that so disturbing....
Lies, Damned lies and scumbag 'nasty party' statistics !!! Statistics watchdog criticises inadequate data on coronavirus tests PA Jun 2nd 2020 5:51AM Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been rebuked by the UK's statistics watchdog over coronavirus testing figures which are "still far from complete and comprehensible". UK Statistics Authority chairman Sir David Norgrove said "it is not surprising that given their inadequacy data on testing are so widely criticised and often mistrusted". He criticised the way the figures are presented at the daily Downing Street briefings, with the headline total including both tests carried out and those which have been posted to recipients but not yet conducted. The Government has hit targets aimed at carrying out 100,000 tests a day by the end of April and having the capacity for 200,000 tests of various kinds by the end of May. The way the data are analysed and presented currently gives them limited value for the first purpose. The aim seems to be to show the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding Sir David Norgrove, UK Statistics Authority But Sir David said: "The testing statistics still fall well short of its expectations. "It is not surprising that given their inadequacy data on testing are so widely criticised and often mistrusted." He told Mr Hancock: "Statistics on testing perhaps serve two main purposes. "The first is to help us understand the epidemic, alongside the ONS survey, showing us how many people are infected, or not, and their relevant characteristics. "The second purpose is to help manage the test programme, to ensure there are enough tests, that they are carried out or sent where they are needed and that they are being used as effectively as possible. "The data should tell the public how effectively the testing programme is being managed. Sir David Norgrove has today replied to @MattHancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the Government's COVID-19 testing data https://t.co/jOvTnLMSXKpic.twitter.com/jSUjcZoZrV — UK Statistics Authority (@UKStatsAuth) June 2, 2020 "The way the data are analysed and presented currently gives them limited value for the first purpose. "The aim seems to be to show the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding. "It is also hard to believe the statistics work to support the testing programme itself. The statistics and analysis serve neither purpose well." Issues raised by Sir David include: – Lack of data on how many of the tests posted out are in fact then successfully completed. – Lack of information at the daily press conference of the date when tests were carried out. – Figures giving an "artificially low impression of the proportion of tests returning a positive diagnosis" because they only include diagnostic tests and not surveillance ones. He called for test results to include information on what kind of employment people were in – for example care home or medical staff – their age, gender and location. To avoid repeating the problems with testing figures, Sir David called for "key metrics" for the NHS Test and Trace programme to be "developed systematically". "The statistics will need to be capable of being related to the wider testing data and readily understood by the public, through for example population adjusted maps of hotspots," he suggested. Sir David said that "good evidence, trusted by the public, is essential to success in containing the virus".
The arrogant, ignorant and iincompetent scumbag 'nasty party' hire thousands of people to track and trace covid - 19 infected contacts, and despite having this vast array of personnel and presumably all the equipment necessary and all they manage to track is just 1700 people - pathetic !!! ‘Just 1,749 people contacted’ in first four days of NHS Test and Trace PA Jun 2nd 2020 3:06PM Fewer than 2,000 people were contacted in the first four days of the NHS Test and Trace scheme, according to a leaked copy of data. The Government has yet to publish figures, but Channel 4 News has seen the data from Thursday – the day the system was launched – running up to Sunday, and it shows that 4,456 confirmed Covid-19 cases reported to Test and Trace in that period. Of those, 1,831 self-registered on the website or have been called and completed the form providing information about their contacts. The number of contacts they provided was 4,634, of whom just 1,749 have been contacted, Channel 4 News reported. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on Tuesday that NHS Test and Trace is "working well", saying: "Thousands of people have been contacted and are being traced, their contacts are being traced so the system is working. "We absolutely will publish data on that, but as the letter from the chief statistician from UKSA (UK Statistics Authority) shows this morning, it's very important that we get that data publication right, so we will work with the UK Statistics Authority to make sure they are happy with how we're publishing that data." (PA Graphics) Mr Hancock was rebuked by the UK's statistics watchdog over coronavirus testing figures which are "still far from complete and comprehensible". UKSA chairman Sir David Norgrove said "it is not surprising that given their inadequacy data on testing are so widely criticised and often mistrusted". He criticised the way the figures are presented at the daily Downing Street briefings, with the headline total including tests carried out and those that have been posted to recipients but not yet conducted. Sir David Norgrove has today replied to @MattHancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the Government's COVID-19 testing data https://t.co/jOvTnLMSXKpic.twitter.com/jSUjcZoZrV — UK Statistics Authority (@UKStatsAuth) June 2, 2020 Later on Tuesday at the daily briefing, Mr Hancock said the coronavirus outbreak has had a "very significant impact" on the UK. He said it underlined the importance of developing a tracing programme, saying: "The test and trace system that we have built over the past few weeks is one of the lessons that comes out of it – the absolute vital importance of having a system that is big enough to be able to trace as many of those who tested positive as possible." Public Health England's Professor John Newton, the national testing co-ordinator, said: "We are really keen for anybody who has symptoms that might be coronavirus to come forward, have a test, and so we can give a definitive answer. And if they are positive they can be entered into the test and trace programme. "There are thousands of people who have already tested positive who have been successfully fed into the test and trace programme... using the online tool they have identified contacts. "And there are thousands of contacts who have been successfully identified and agreed to self-isolate. That programme is going well." Contacted about the figures from Channel 4 News, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "These figures are outdated and fail to reflect the huge amount of work already under way, with thousands of people already contacted in just a matter of days and their contacts successfully traced. "We are working with the UKSA to finalise the most useful information to publish on its performance and will be providing weekly updates shortly."
Yet another cock up !!! - This is getting ever so monotonous !!! The incompetent scumbag 'nasty party' Goverment, notwithstanding it had capacity for hundreds of thousands of tests, still managed to send thousands of these tests to be sent to the US. It now transpires that the results are "unreliable" and need to be done all over again. The question needs to be asked - why send them to the US in the first place ??? AdventHealth says 25,000 of its COVID-19 test results are 'unreliable' Published May 16 AdventHealth says thousands of tests are unreliable AdventHealth says a third-party lab was so back-logged, at least 25,000 tests are now deemed unreliable. ORLANDO, Fla. - AdventHealth says the results of more than 25,000 coronavirus tests performed by the health system in Central Florida are "unreliable." AdventHealth uses several labs across multiple states for its COVID-19 tests. Officials say the issue is with one of AdventHealth's third-party labs that have been processing tests. WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Medical professionals from Children's National Hospital administer a coronavirus test at a drive-thru testing site for children age 22 and under at Trinity University on April 2, 2020 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of children Expand According to a release, AdventHealth has terminated its contract with the testing company, who they have not named publicly, because of “unacceptable delays” and lack of confidence in the reliability of the tests. AdventHealth says 25,000 COVID-19 tests are unreliable AdventHealth is contacting people who have gotten tested for coronavirus. The hospital system says 25,000 tests checked by a third-party lab are unreliable. "To meet the unprecedented demand for COVID-19 testing, we rely on nationally accredited third-party labs to assist us. Unfortunately, one of these labs processing a significant number of our public tests has been unable to fulfill its obligation," AdventHealth said. RELATED: Tracking coronavirus: Florida cases top 44,000 The health system is now notifying individuals who have been impacted, either by letter or phone call with the following directions: If you received a positive result, you will need to be retested. If you received a negative result and have symptoms, you will need to seek care and may have to be retested. If you received a negative result and have no symptoms but want to be retested, you will be offered testing pending availability. If you were tested but the test hasn’t yet been processed at the lab, you will be notified that you won’t get any results. AdventHealth has asked the company to destroy the unprocessed samples. AdventHealth will provide testing to affected individuals free of charge. “We take our responsibility to safeguard everyone who entrusts us with their care very seriously. We’ve made significant investments to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 in Central Florida and will continue to stand beside our neighbors in these unprecedented times,” said Daryl Tol, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “Teams across our organization are working around-the-clock to remedy the situation." AdventHealth runs several drive-up testing sites around Central Florida, including at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando and the Daytona International Speedway.
.... And the failures and incompetence within this scumbag 'nasty party' government still continue to pile up !!! Boris Johnson risking new spike in coronavirus cases by easing lockdown when test and trace system underperforming, scientists warn Matt Hancock insists programme 'beat my expectations' but scheme's chief admits it is 'not gold standard yet' The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider a contribution or subscription. Boris Johnson is risking a new spike of coronavirus cases by easing lockdown at a time when his test and trace system may be picking up only a quarter of cases of the disease, an independent group of scientists has warned. Figures released for the first time on Thursday showed that, in the first week of operation of the NHS programme, just 5,407 people who had tested positive for coronavirus cooperated with the scheme by providing details of individuals they had been in close contact with over the previous few days. But the Independent Sage group said that surveillance data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that there were at least 23,000 new symptomatic cases during that period – with other people becoming infected without displaying symptoms. The government’s own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies believes that 80 per cent of contacts of symptomatic cases must be found and isolated to stop the virus spreading further. Just 8,117 people were referred to the test and trace team, led by Conservative peer Dido Harding, in the seven-day period, of whom around one-third either went untraced or refused to supply lists of contacts. A total of 31,794 contacts were identified, and Baroness Harding’s army of 25,000 tracers managed to reach 26,985 of them – around 85 per cent – to tell them to self-isolate for 14 days in case they were themselves infected and in danger of spreading the disease further. The figures were released as the official UK death toll from Covid-19 reached 41,279, with 151 new fatalities recorded on Wednesday, and the total number of confirmed cases over the course of the outbreak stood at 291,409. Lady Harding herself admitted the test and trace operation was “not gold standard” and issued a plea to members of the public to get themselves tested if they have any suspicion they may have contracted Covid, in order that their contacts can be traced and isolated. Health secretary Matt Hancock insisted that the system’s performance in its first week, from 28 May to 3 June, “beat my expectations”, giving him confidence it would eventually become the “world-beating” programme promised by Mr Johnson. He urged the public to do their “civic duty” and cooperate with the scheme, saying: “Please do it to protect your loved ones. Do it to protect your community. Do it to protect the nation.” But the Independent Sage group of scientists and academics who have not been invited on to the government’s advisory panel, warned that the numbers of people contacted was “well below what is required to manage the spread of the virus”. The group’s chair, former government chief scientific adviser Sir David King, said: “It is of course reasonable to expect that the first week of a new programme like this will have teething problems however these figures are alarming. “What is of particular concern is that we are continuing to see the country coming out of lockdown before a fit-for-purpose – let alone world-beating – test, track and trace system is up and running.” Dido Harding and Matt Hancock address the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing (AP) The independent group this week launched proposals to switch the centralised system, contracted out to private companies, for a local scheme drawing on the expertise of council and NHS professionals – and crucially offering practical and financial support as an incentive for contacts to cooperate with the request to stay at home. The new figures confirmed that the current programme is “not fit for purpose”, they warned, adding: “The system is still in its infancy and, as currently constituted, is not ready to support the current wider relaxation of the lockdown rules. This risks future spikes if not addressed urgently.” Lady Harding said she was encouraged that the “vast majority” of contacts who spoke to tracers were willing to go into self-isolation, with some thanking callers for alerting them to the fact that they were now a risk to family and workmates. She was unable to say how many of the 4,809 contacts who did not agree to self-isolate had actually refused to do so, and how many did not respond to messages or simply could not be found. “We are not yet at the gold standard where we want to be, isolating all contacts within 48 hours of someone requesting a test, but you can absolutely see the path of how we get there,” she said. “It’s early days, but it’s encouraging that we are able to reach contacts and able to reach them reasonably quickly. I think we are where we said we would be. We have a functioning service.” Lady Harding was unable to say when the NHSX app, designed to automatically identify contacts and being trialled in the Isle of Wight, would come into operation nationwide. But she insisted it was not essential to the test and trace programme, telling reporters: “I have repeatedly said this is the cherry on the cake, not the cake itself. And what you’re seeing today is the baking of the cake is going reasonably well.” And Mr Hancock appeared to throw further doubt on the introduction of the app, which was initially presented as an integral part of a test, track and trace system to be in place by the start of June. “We’ll bring it in when it’s right to do so,” he told the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing. “As we launched NHS Test and Trace, we were clear we wanted to embed this system and get confidence that people are following the advice that’s given by human beings before introducing the technological element. And that remains the case.” The health secretary did not rule out sanctions for people refusing to self-isolate when contacted by tracers, but said: “We don’t think we need it at the moment. “What we’ve got to do is keep seeing those numbers go up – the numbers of people in the system and the proportion that we get to – because we think that is the best way forward.” Figures released by the Department of Health showed that during the first week of test and trace, the majority (79 per cent) of infected people with whom the tracers made contact were reached within 24 hours of being identified, with a further 14 per cent between 24 and 48 hours and 3 per cent between 48 and 72 hours, while the others took longer to find. Of the 26,985 contacts who were successfully asked to self-isolate, 85 per cent were reached within 24 hours, 10 per cent in 24 to 48 hours, 3 per cent in 48 to 72 hours. Quick tracing is regarded as vital to the system, as it allows potentially infected people to be taken out of circulation before they have the opportunity to pass the contagion on. Asked for her assessment of the test and trace system, Lady Harding said: “Is it perfect? No. Is there stuff we need to do better? Yes. But it is absolutely fit for purpose and it will get better.”
