Covid-19 case numbers increased more than 15 percent across England in the most recent week measured, according to a weekly infection survey released Friday, after the government relaxed virus curbs.
The figures for the week ending last Saturday contrast with the health ministry's daily testing data, which registered dramatically declining cases during much of last week.
The recorded halving in new daily cases, which has since gone into reverse, surprised officials and experts who had predicted the July 19 removal of remaining pandemic rules would prompt a surge in infections.
However, the latest survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - which is seen as more reliable as it randomly samples the population - suggests cases may not have fallen and that daily testing failed to detect many new infections.
Something does not sit quite right, so which set of figures is correct? Until they come clean and admit which is wrong then neither set of figures can be trusted. Yet more confusing information and muddying of the waters, to be able to shift any future blame onto the public should there be a further spike, come next year's public enquiry.
Yes 1 in 65 people, I am now pleased that I decided to return to shielding with shopping delivered. It means very great odds that during day time hours in a supermarket there could be one or two infected people present at the same time, perhaps not deliberately but because people are still extremely infectious whilst incubating the virus, before symptoms show or even asymptomatic (show no symptoms). Shielding advice should never have been ended.
This is significant. I’m just watching a report about it on Sky News but haven’t seen it anywhere else!
Some perhaps, but the ONS figures are 15% higher than the Test and Trace figures. That would make for a total disaster with that amount of people spreading it around. Still very strange looking at today's headlines, notably the right wing Telegraph, where it is still not being reported, in fact the opposite, sticking with the Test and Trace numbers saying they have fallen after the earlier rise!
I have read a few theories on the sudden fall in cases. One is that school children are not being tested since the holidays started. Another report suggested that when people try and book a Covid test they are turned down as the UK has not updated the Covid symptoms. Another theory is that young adults are not bothering to get the test, partly due to the testing sites being in inconvenient locations. I don't know how I'd get to the testing site where I live, as you need a car or would have a long bus ride, potentially infecting other people!Yes, I believe the ONS to be a more accurate measure of infections across the community.
I also heard, this morning, on an American news channel, that people who have received both doses of the vaccine can still transmit Covid, whereas on the UK news, it has reported that transmission from fully vaccinated people is much lower. Difficult to know who is right - cases in America are certainly going up!
Unless it has changed, you can get a PCR test kit sent out to you, (it was delivered via Amazon). You then send the completed kit back by post or if that is not possible it can be collected. Telephone 119.
I am part of one ONS study and had a covid test this morning. I was invited to take a test by the Zoe app on Monday as I was showing symptoms. Which thankfully was negative. The questions asked by the ONS study and the Zoe app are different in regard to symptoms. If I had not been invited by Zoe to be tested I would not have qualified to be tested on the NHS website as my symptoms do not match the criteria. I think the main reason the ONS study figures are showing higher numbers is that you are tested regardless of symptoms or not. This is somewhat supported by Zoe who also show higher numbers and have a different criteria to the NHS for testing. My question is how many are not being tested by the NHS because they are using out of date criteria?
So now my question is why have the symptoms have not been updated? It is basically distorting the Test and Trace figures. This makes for false data by omission. Test And Trace is not 100% functional, we may as well stick our wet finger in the air and make a guess as to which direction the infected numbers are going, up or down. This is all being paid for by the tax payer, that's another fine mess and total waste of taxpayers money.
I am pretty sure that there are better,. more qualified people out there who could run the country better. Out of 66 million people we end up with this shower, 'calling themselves' the Government, or for that matter the Opposition. Both parties sit in Parliament/Pantomime with "Oh yes he did" "Oh no he didn't" all a big show. Some might excuse it as being traditional, some might say it is stupidity. I say it's the later and it's why I am Apolitical, none of them deserve my valuable and serious vote.
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